Polis: A Show About Cities

Ben and Jon talk about the recent phenomena of bike sharing programs and E-scooters. These new modes of transport have taken the cities of the world by storm causing all sorts of unexpected outcomes. Our hosts get into their personal experiences with these systems the potential revolution in transport that they presage as well as the serious concerns they have with the direction of this progress.Mentioned in the Episode:Irish Dockless Bikes - Bleeper BikesFirst Dockless Bikes in China - OFO and Mo BikeAmerican Dockless Bikes - Lime BikeParis Velib ProgramMajor Scooter Company - Bird E-ScootersBiggest Docked Bike Firm in North America - Motivate Bikes

A show about cities should explore concrete examples and case studies in urban growth and development. To that end this we our hosts begin a series of City profiles with Jon’s hometown: Los Angeles. They discuss the city’s history, present, and future as well as some of the unique attributes of the place and what it’s like to live there.Mentioned in the Episode:US Census: Los Angeles statisticsLos Angeles Metro UsageMetro Map and InstructionsLA Compared with Other PlacesLos Angeles WalkabilityLA's High Population Density

Megaprojects, they’re the biggest and most impactful manifestation of infrastructure and urban policy on Earth. Our hosts have a discussion trying to define these projects and break down examples of the financial disasters and engineering wonders they create. They then evaluate this method of investment exploring if there’s a better way to build world class infrastructure and if these enormous investments are truly worth it.Listen to this Episode and Learn:About the drawbacks of enormous projectsExamples of how megaprojects workWhere and when megaprojects are the best courseMentioned in the Episode:CORRECTION: Netherlands has reclaimed 17% of their land from the seaAlaskan Bridge To NowhereToll Bridge To The Isle Of SkyeThe Chunnel (connects Britain and France)Three Gorges Dam (one of the world’s largest, in China)United States InterstateBrazilian World Cup SpendingBrazilian Olympic SpendingParis Olympics Bid VideoLos Angeles Olympics Bid VideoBarcelona’s Olympic RevivalAthens’ Olympic DebtsXiongan: A New City Near BeijingMalaysia’s planned “Forest City”Dutch Delta WorksTen-t European Train NetworksBrenner Tunnel - Austria to ItalyGotthard Base Tunnel - SwitzerlandThe Big DigCalifornia High Speed RailHong Kong’s Transport Funding

Ben and Jon discuss the impact of AirBnB on cities around the world, how some cities are responding, and the broader implications on both urban housing policy and travel markets.Listen to this Episode and Learn:The difficulties AirBnB creates for citiesPossible fixes for problems with AirBnBOther factors that impact housing crisesMentioned in the Episode:@PolisPodcastAirBnBCitylab Article on Barcelona and AirBnBCouchsurfingHomeAwayHouseSittersHousing exchangesLondon Green BeltTwitter: @PolisPodcastFacebook: @PolisPodcast

Walkable Cities by Jeff SpeckBen and Jon dive into second half of Walkable City by Jeff Speck. They examine the 10 steps of walkability and the four subsections: the Useful Walk, Safe Walk, Comfortable Walk, and the Interesting Walk. They apply these to cities they’ve spent time in and talk about the process of implementing the policies involved with these kinds of reforms.Structure of the book:Prologue: The general theory of walkability (what is it?)Why walkability (How walking improves wealth, health, and the environment)The 10 steps of walkability (How to design for walkability)Mentioned in the Episode:Induced DemandBus Rapid TransitStreetcarsRube GoldbergBaron Von Haussmann

Walkable Cities by Jeff SpeckBen and Jon discuss the book Walkable City by Jeff Speck. They talk about why you might want to read the book and the first two sections that cover the general theory of walkability and why walkability is so central to the functioning of a great city.Structure of the book:Prologue: The general theory of walkability (what is it?)Why walkability (How walking improves wealth, health, and the environment)The 10 steps of walkability (How to design for walkability)Mentioned in the Episode:Our Episode On Ideal CitiesWalkable Cities by Jeff Speck

Ben and Jon discuss the looming arrival of autonomous vehicles. They go through what they’re likely to look like, how they’ll first arrive, and how they may reshape the world’s cities. They also touch on how these advances will impact investments in public transit.Mentioned in the Episode:Uber PoolUber in LondonCadillac SubscriptionInduced DemandCongestion ChargesLondon Congestion PricingUber - First Death From An AVNEXT EPISODE: Walkable City - Jeff Speck

Jon and Ben discuss some of the best cities on earth and what they get right. They look at what these cities have in common and the importance of green space and street life. They then describe what an ideal city might look like if we built it from scratch today.Listen to this Episode and Learn:Which cities we rate highlyThe most important aspects of citiesWhat an ideal city could lMentioned in the Episode:Cities: (population)Paris (2.2 million)Amsterdam (800k)Munich (1.5 million)Singapore (5.6 million)New York (8.5 million)Tokyo (13 million)San Francisco (860k)Jerusalem (800k)Rabat (570k)Shuks - small marketsBus Rapid TransitRoad DietsUberBike sharingZipcar - car sharingOFO BikeMoBike

Ben and Jon discuss the when, how, and why modern cities emerged. They go into many of the key technologies that facilitated this transition and their externalities, both good and bad. They then talk about some technologies that have shaped cities in the last thirty years and examine what challenges lie before cities in the coming decades.Listen to this Episode and Learn:Why modern cities emerged after the 1850’sWhat technologies have shaped cities in recent decadesWhat challenges cities face in the coming yearsMentioned in the Episode:1850’s London Cholera OutbreakHistory of SewersChina’s investment in trainsSingapore’s longtime leader: Lee Kuan YewAir conditioner invented in 1902, widespread adoption in late 1960’sGondolas in South AmericaLa Paz’s GondolasBogota’s GondolasNY Roosevelt Island TramwayUSA Violent Crime Peaked in 1980’sHomicides have declined worldwide since 1990California Public Transit Upzoning Bill: SB-827London Green BeltPolis 001 (the sorting effect)

Ben and Jon talk through the origins of cities, where and why they started and what advantages they brought to early people. They also discuss the impacts good and bad of shifting into an agricultural and settled society. They touch on the power dynamics created by the creation of property and how people’s lives change when moving into an urban setting for the first time. Listen to this Episode and Learn:What caused the growth of the first citiesThe downsides of early civilizationWhat moving into a city means for newcomers

Ben and Jon discuss why they’re starting a podcast all about cities, some of the important questions we should be asking about the places we live, and how they first got interested in the topic. Then they wander off down a tangent about benches, trees, and hostile architecture. Listen to this Episode and Learn: The main topics of the Polis podcastThe backgrounds of Ben and JonImportant questions we should all ask about our cities