This week on the Talking Headways podcast swe’re joined by Nico Larco, Director of the Urbanism Next Center at the University of Oregon. We chat about his new book with Kaarin Knudson, The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook as well as a realization about how most of what we do in the United States seems to be bandaids for a lack of urban density. **…

When a fatal car crash happens, authorities act fast to stablize the victims, clear the road, and get traffic moving again like nothing ever happened. But what if, instead, they treated those streets as the site of a catastrophic transportation failure — and took immediate action to prevent the worst from happening again? On this episode of The Bra…

This week we’re jumping back in time to visit Talking Headways episode 285 featuring Professor Germaine Halegoua discussing her book The Digital City: Media and the Social Production of Place. It’s one of my favorite book discussions ever and I thought it would be a nice episode to revisit. In this episode, Germaine talks about how people use digit…

This week on Talking Headways we have a conversation moderated by Corrie Parrish of Kittelson Associates with Andrea Breault of Cascades East Transit and Amy Schlappi of Columbia Area Transit discussing Transit service to the Great Outdoors. This podcast was produced in partnership with Mpact. Find out more at http://mpactmobility.org *** Follow us…

This week we’re joined by Chris Redfearn of USC and Anthony Orlando of Cal Poly Pomona to discuss their paper - Houston, you have a problem: How large cities accommodate more housing. We talk about why "pro-business" Texas housing markets are catching up to "pro-regulation" California and what it might mean for future city growth. *** Follow us on …

This week on Mondays Chrissy Mancini-Nichols is back! We talk about universal basic mobility, cool corridors, Japan's idea for a massive underground freight conveyor belt and freight's first mile last mile problem, health problems caused by a Texas bitcoin mine, and USDOT's push for emissions reductions. Chrissy also mentioned commenting on the PRO…

"Project 2025" purports to be a blueprint for an ultra-conservative federal government should Trump win a second term as president in November. But what does that document actually say about the issues that sustainable transportation advocates care about most — and does either party really understand our issues? On this episode of 'The Brake', we s…

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we’re joined by Kevin Kelley, founding partner and principal at Shook Kelley. We talk about his book Irreplaceable: How to Create Extraordinary Places that Bring People Together. We discuss eliciting emotions, the debate between themes and authenticity, changing the meaning of cities, and embracing density.…

This week on Talking Headways we're joined by Adriana Rizzo of Californians for Electric Rail. We chat about freight and warehousing growth in California's Inland Empire, the benefits of train electrification and a new California CEQA exemption push for overhead wires, and why hydrogen trains are getting more attention. *** Follow us on twitter @th…

This week on the Mondays show, we're Han Solo but have a lot of interesting items about shorter work weeks, children's brains and the impact of traffic noise, overbuilt retail, and highway expansion and climate change. Below are the links and show notes: News Items Supreme court overturns Chevron - Grist Supreme court on homeless - Governing Traffi…

On this fourth of July special replay of Talking Headways we’re going back to Episode 382 with Alix Gould-Werth and Alex Murphy discussing their work on transportation insecurity. Anna Zivarts mentioned this work in her book and recently on the podcast and I think it’s really important to share it again. Hope everyone has a great holiday and we’ll …

Enrique Peñalosa Londoño has an international reputation for using the humble bus, bikeway, sidewalk and park to make cities more equitable, starting with his game-changing two terms as the mayor of Bogotá, Colombia. And in his new book, Equality and the City: Urban Innovations for All Citizens, he unpacks how those tools can transform communities …

This week on Talking Headways we’re chatting with Tracy Hadden Loh of the Brookings Institute about impacts of the pandemic on downtowns, activity centers, and transit usage. We chat about creating activity center cluster maps and a recent report entitled Building Better on Philadelphia. Articles of note from the discussion: Mapping America's Activ…

We're Han Solo this week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire but that doesn't stop us from covering a lot of ground from the last several weeks. We chat about how climate change could impact infrastructure building, the death of Houston's University Line, and Boston's commuter rail ridership success compared to before the pandemic. We cover a lot more …

This week on Talking Headways I’m joined by SPUR’s Laura Tolkoff to interview Anna Zivarts about her new book: When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency. We chat about non-drivers, car seats, and the week without driving. *** Join our Happy Hour with Seamless Bay Area by RSVPing. *** Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwire Foll…

Who, exactly is designing America's notriously deadly road network — and how on earth do they keep getting away with it? On today's episode of The Brake, we’re talking to traffic engineer, academic and now author, Wes Marshall, whose new book — “Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies Our Transportation System” …

This week we’re joined by Wes Marshall, Civil Engineering Professor at the University of Colorado at Denver to talk about his book Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies our Transportation System. We chat about writing process, the ideas of risk and exposure, and what he learned from pouring over old transporta…

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we go into depth on the past week in New York City and Governor Kathy Hochul's attempt to end a (de)congestion pricing program that was going to begin on June 30th. We're joined by Ben Kabak of Second Avenue Sagas to go over all the details. Links discussed on the show: Riders Alliance | Transportation Alte…

This week on Talking Headways we’re joined by Michael Batty, Professor of Planning at the University College London. We chat about his book The Computable City: Histories, Technologies, Stories, Predictions which includes histories of computing, smart city critiques, what the discourse on AI should really be about, and discussions on the future of …

The Dutch are known around the world as global leaders in sustainable transportation. But as excellent as they are at designing cities to optimize the mobility experience, what about all the other reasons residents might move through their communities — and what other questions should the Netherlands and America be asking about what public space is…

This week we’re joined by Cleveland journalist Ken Prendergast to talk about intercity passenger rail in greater Ohio. We chat about the competing interests of Brightline and Amtrak and the history of passenger rail planning in the region. Check out Ken's NEO-trans Blog To RSVP for our live SPUR episode, click here. *** Follow us on twitter @theove…

We’re Han Solo today but no fear we’re flashing back to Episode 211 of the Talking Headways podcast where we chatted with Ralph Buehler about the topic of the German transport concept of Verkehrsverbund. With a lot of talk of regional transportation networks and planning, I thought it might be worth a listen again five years later. *** Follow us on…

This week on Talking Headways we’re joined by Erin Clark, Chief Real Estate Investment Officer of the Denver Housing Authority. We chat about the redevelopment of Sun Valley, a public housing project built in the 1950s that is being reinvigorated by new investments in public housing, parks, and community. *** Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwire F…

Most American communities don’t even bother to count what percentage of the population can't legally drive. In the handful of states that have tried, though, the answer has been around 30 percent – which is just enough to create a real movement for change, if we'd all just band together On today’s episode of The Brake, we're bringing you an extende…

This week we’re joined once again by Jarrett Walker to talk about the release of the revised edition of his influential book Human Transit. We chat about Ursula Le Guin, expanding access to opportunity, how to think about transit riders, the free transit movement and thoughts on anger as a response to change. *** Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwi…

This week we're Han Solo but have a lot of news to cover including items on skateboarding, new types of segregation, third places, and some ancient ways to cool cities and streets. Check out the show notes below for more information. Notes: Skateboarding - Reasons to be Cheerful Cityhood - Corner Side Yard Cleveland rail competitors - NEOtrans Thir…

This week we’re joined by Megan Kimble to talk about her book City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways. We chat about the folks fighting back against highways, the history behind building big roads, and what the future looks like for advocacy. *** Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theov…

Across the country, grassroots advocates are fighting a David-and-Goliath-style battle against massive, powerful departments of transportation who are attempting to widen highways in their neighborhoods. And in her new book, City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America’s Highways, author Megan Kimble introduces us to the many …

This week were sharing part 2 of our discussion with Jim Kumon. We chat about the challenges of development, how to crowdfund a building, coming to the end of an 80 year economic cycle, how the built environment is an outcome of how we structure capital, and how more information can make it harder to learn new things. Some websites of note: Electri…

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we're joined by Tracy McMillan to talk about aging in place, Nashville's big transit plan, potential Alzheimer's causes in car exhaust, Milan's famous weeks, and the Colorado legislature's search for more housing and TOD. Articles Aging in place - New York Times Nashville's transit plans - Nashville Tenness…

This week we’re joined by Jim Kumon, Principal at Electric Housing, to discuss his work as a developer and urban policy educator in the Twin Cities. We chat about his sustainable development project, what St. Paul learned from Minneapolis 2040 and how zoning reform and transportation intersect. Some websites of note: Electric Housing Sundial Buildi…

Across the country right now, cities and transit agencies are taking steps to address violence on their systems — particularly against the people who work to keep our buses and trains running, clean, and safe for everyone to ride. But what are the root causes of that violence — and are strategies like deploying armed police actually addressing them…

This week we’re joined by Gabe Klein, Executive Director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. We chat about the Joint Office’s white paper focused on best practices and solutions for electric vehicle charging entitled: Community Charging: Emerging Multifamily, Curbside, and Multimodal Practices. White Paper Link The EV Charging Infrast…

Happy Mondays! This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we're Han Solo again but we have a lot to catch up on. We're going over some of the news we didn't get to when we were away in China for a month. We cover LA's spongy infrastructure, an idea to connect zoning reform to transportation funding, and the transition from governments incentivizing …

This week we’re joined by Sara Stickler, President and CEO of WTS International. We discuss how WTS highlights women’s expertise in transportation and how they create opportunities from mentorship to leadership and education. We also chat about some of their legislative priorities on workplace policy as well as some of the barriers women face in th…

Is it possible to build streets that are slow enough to keep vulnerable road users safe and lightning fast when an emergency service vehicle needs to reach a person in need? That's been a hot topic of debate among U.S. sustainable transportation advocates lately — and it's also the subject of a fascinating new research paper from the Dutch Cycling …

This week we’re featuring a one to one conversation between Billy Terry, Executive Director of the National Transit Institute at Rutgers University, and India Birdsong Terry, General Manager and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. They discuss leadership, hiring, and culture change at Ohio's largest transit agency. This podcast…

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire Jeff talks about his month long trip to China. Subways, multi-use paths, urbanism and more! We chat about Chinese mall culture, great food, and a really cool station design in Shenzhen. To see some pictures from the trip visit our Instagram @theoverheadwire *** Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwire Follow u…

This week we’re sharing a San Francisco Planning and Urban Research (SPUR) forum on how a statewide coalition of transit advocates were able to organize a funding bridge to avert a fiscal cliff for transit operators in the state. The discussion led by SPUR’s Laura Tolkoff, shares how they did it and what’s next. Featured guests include... Laura Tol…

This week, we’re bringing you an interview with former Bicycling Magazine editor and cycling journalism veteran Peter Flax, to talk about Flax's new book, Live to Ride. Flax and guest host Gersh Kuntzman dig into the reasons why so many of us love to spend time on two wheels, and why people on bikes from all backgrounds come together around the sim…

This week we’re joined by Heidi Simon, Director of Thriving Communities at Smart Growth America. Heidi talks about lessons learned from Complete Streets Leadership Academies as state and local officials and advocates work to create safer streets through quick build projects. Find the report here. OOO Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwire Follow us …

This week we’re joined by vehicle designer Dan Sturges to talk about his book Near to Far: A Design for a new and Equitable Transportation System. We talk about new ways of thinking about vehicle design, mobility for low density areas, as well as pop culture perceptions of small vehicles. Find out more about what Dan is working on at http://www.dzn…

Sustainable transportation advocates know all the stats about how many people die in car crashes on global roads every year. But what about all the deaths and injuries that car culture causes — not to mention all the other ways it diminishes and destroys our communities? On this episode of The Brake, we're bringing you an extended interview with th…

This week we’re featuring a 1 to 1 conversation between Adelee Le Grand of Intellectual Concepts and Scott Wilkinson of AlphaVu. They chat about how transit agencies can get a better handle on how riders and non-riders alike feel about their service. This episode was produced in partnership with Mpact. To learn more about the annual conference, vis…

This week we’re joined by skateboard advocate Aaron Breetwor, brand manager for Comet Skateboards. Aaron chats about using skateboards for transportation, designing streets for safer skateboarding, and this last years incident at the Dolores Street hill bomb. OOO Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.socia…

Prediction Time! This week on part 2 of our chat with Yonah Freemark, we score our transportation predictions from last year and make new ones for 2025. We talk about the Roosevelt Subway, Transit agency bailouts, open gangway trains, and coming transit elections and extensions. You can find Transit Explorer through the Transport Politic. OOO Follo…

A 'walkability study' can be a powerful tool to help cities and towns identify transformative strategies to welcome and protect pedestrians on their streets — and craft a plan to put those approaches into action. But what would it take to do this critical analysis in every American community that needs it? On this episode of The Brake, we sit down …

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we're joined once again by transportation and housing expert Yonah Freemark. In part 1 we talk about the equitable distribution of transportation grants, potential for flex funding for transit, and our annual transit openings discussion. You can find Transit Explorer through the Transport Politic. OOO Follo…

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we're Han Solo. The news continues and so do we. We chat about productive transit subsidies, transportation flex funding, and a coming connection between trees and health! Join us below for the show notes: OOO News Items Keys to happiness - Business Insider Transit subsidy - Streetsblog USA Truck insurance …

This week we’re joined by Elaine Clegg, CEO of Valley Regional Transit in Boise Idaho. We chat about how the Boise bus system is changing, the impact of fast regional growth, energy infrastructure and favorite transportation board games. *** OOO Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Follow us on Thr…