Josh Stewart is an advocate from Littleton, Colorado. A year ago, his 12-year-old son was struck and killed by a car while biking to school. Since then, Josh has been relentlessly pushing for safer streets in his community. He joins Norm today to share his story and what he’s learned over the last year of advocacy work. (Transcript included.)
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Dr. Jonathan Gingrich is a professor of engineering at Dordt College in Iowa. Unsatisfied with the standard materials for his transportation engineering class, he incorporated safe street design, including having his class conduct a Crash Analysis Studio. He joins today’s episode to talk about how he did this and the benefits it had for his students. (Transcript included.)
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Co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss the challenges faced by Victoria, Prince Edward Island, a town of 139 residents. They talk about how very small towns like Victoria show the absurdities of the Suburban Experiment best — and feel its consequences most keenly. (Transcript included.)
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Chuck is joined by Seth Zeren, a neighborhood real estate developer, to discuss the six code reforms recommended in “The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform.” (Transcript included.)
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Jesse Russell is the founder of Hiatus Homes, a development company specializing in small home design and cottage communities. He joins the podcast today to discuss how he became a small-scale developer and how to navigate the challenges of building small homes. (Transcript included.)
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Abby is joined by Edward Erfurt, Strong Towns’ chief technical advisor, to discuss the practice of using special taxing districts to fund developments and how this can lead to snowballing debt. (Transcript included.)
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In this Bottom-Up Short, Norm is joined by Christian Schick, a Local Conversation leader from Virginia. His group has built a lot of momentum in the past year, and Schick talks about how they did that in a productive and helpful way, particularly while juggling local elections. (Transcript included.)
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In this episode, Chuck explores the flawed nature of North America’s current “housing bargain,” where most neighborhoods are allowed to stay exactly the same as long as some neighborhoods are forced to radically change. (Transcript included.)
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In many cities, permitting processes make it difficult to build entry-level housing. Zoning restrictions, local opposition and lengthy approvals all contribute to a lack of affordable homes. Massachusetts has taken a bold step to change that.
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Elected officials across North America are grappling with budget shortfalls and financial uncertainty. Pasadena, California is only one example. Last year, their expenses increased by 13.8% but revenues only rose 0.6%. If things are going to improve, city officials need to take a new approach.
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Mike Christensen is the executive director of the Utah Rail Passenger Association. Today, he joins Tiffany to discuss the benefits of passenger rail, including how it can lead to more productive land use. (Transcript included.)
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The U.S. senior housing market is poised to shift from a surplus to a shortage in the next five years. In this episode, Abby and Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Strong Towns’ director of Movement Building, discuss the implications of this shift and how to give more options to seniors. (Transcript included.)
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Tulsa, Oklahoma, is joining a growing list of cities that have integrated preapproved plans into their housing toolkits. This approach makes it easier for small-scale developers to complete projects quickly and cheaply.
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Varsha Gopal is an architect from Chennai, India. She joins Norm today to discuss discuss two research projects she recently conducted in her city and what they taught her about thriving cities, urban design and community engagement. (Transcript included.)
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The South Dakota Legislature is considering implementing harsher penalties to deter drag racing on streets. This ignores the street design that allows people to drag race in the first place.
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In this episode Chuck is joined by urban designer Victor Dover. They discuss the work and legacy of Dr. Donald Shoup, an engineer and professor of urban planning who revolutionized the fields of urban planning and parking reform with his book “The High Cost of Free Parking.” (Transcript included.)
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Maricela Sanchez is a city council member and anesthesiologist from Prosser, Washington. She has lived in several major cities, including LA, San Francisco and NYC. She joins today’s episode to discuss how her travels and profession molded her perspective on what makes a town safe and resilient. (Transcript included.)
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A new bill in the Illinois General Assembly would require the state DOT to conduct traffic studies after crashes involving pedestrian fatalities. This is a great step in the right direction, and it highlights how local officials can take action too.
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In this episode, Abby is joined by Chicago aldermen Matt Martin and Andre Vasquez to discusses the Western Avenue corridor study, one of the most ambitious planning efforts Chicago has seen in decades. (Transcript included.)
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Parking regulations impose unnecessary restrictions on adding new housing. Many cities recognize this problem but struggle with how to address it effectively. Dubuque, Iowa, offers a real-world example of both the problems and an effective response.
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