Podcasts about planetizen

The Planning Institute of Australia has once again partnered with UrbanTalk to create a series of podcast in the lead up to the Planning Congress 2025 in Darwin. Recognised in 2017 and 2023 by Planetizen as one of the 100 most influential urbanists, Ellen Dunham-Jones joins us to discuss retrofitting suburbia and give an introduction into her keynote at the Planning Congress. Along with co-author June Williamson, Ellen literally wrote the book on the topic and maintains a unique database of over 2,500 suburban retrofits.  Ellen gives a fantastic introduction to suburban retrofitting, the benefits they can bring to suburbs, some existing case studies from her extensive database and some lessons for Australia.  Planning Congress Website: https://eventfrog.eventsair.com/planning-congress-2025/ PIA Website: https://www.planning.org.au/ UrbanTalk Website: https://www.urbantalk.com.au/

On this week's program, we bring you highlights from a public meeting and open house that took place at the Main Public Library on March 18th about the Downtown & NuLu Street Network Plan. Louisville Metro Government is leading a plan to advance quick-term action projects for streets in Downtown and NuLu, intended to promote walkability and safety for pedestrians and to serve as a blueprint for capital improvement projects over the next several years. The public was invited to come be a part of this planning effort by joining this open house and kickoff of the plan activities - featuring a presentation from Jeff Speck from Metro's planning consultant team! So listen in as renowned urban planner and author Jeff Speck shared his insights on reimagining downtown Louisville through the lens of walkability and why fostering a pedestrian-friendly environment is imperative for a flourishing city. The evening kicked off with Joel from Stantech. Jeff Speck is a city planner and author who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors' Institute on City Design and created the Governors' Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007, he has led Speck & Associates — now Speck Dempsey —an award-winning urban planning firm serving public and private clients around the world. With Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Mr. Speck is the co-author of Suburban Nation, which the Wall Street Journal calls "the urbanist's bible.” His 2012 book Walkable City was the best selling city planning title of the past decade and has been translated into eight languages. He is also the principal author of The Smart Growth Manual and Walkable City Rules. Jeff Speck has been named a fellow of both the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Congress for New Urbanism. In a recent Planetizen poll, he was voted one of the ten “most influential urbanists of all time.” Mr. Speck was the 2022 recipient of the Seaside Prize, whose former awardees include Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander. His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than six million times. Truth to Power airs every Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 11am, and Sunday at 7pm on Louisville's grassroots, community radio station, Forward Radio 106.5fm WFMP and live streams at https://forwardradio.org

Kurt Volkman is an Associate Principal at HED, one of the largest architecture and engineering firms in the U.S., specializing in the Multi-Family Housing and Mixed-Use sector. With over 30 years of architectural experience, Kurt has held leadership roles at renowned firms like Valerio Dewalt Train and Legat Architects before joining HED in 2022. He is known for his innovative approach to urban planning, focusing on sustainability and wellness through evidence-based design. A thought leader in the industry, Kurt's writings have been featured in publications such as NAIOP magazine, Fortune, and Planetizen. He has also spoken at major industry events, including the Chicago Build Expo 2024, where he addressed key issues like affordable housing and the evolution of mixed-use spaces.   In this episode, we talked to Kurt about standing out and not making mistakes as investors, affordable housing and development, how the overall process works, factors that drive the higher retention rate, best use cases for a piece of land or property, and much more.   Announcement: Learn about our Apartment Investing Mastermind here.   Design & Architecture;   02:20 Kurt's background; 05:37 Tips on standing out and not making mistakes as investors; 10:55 An insight into affordable housing and development; 21:31 An insight into the overall process; 22:58 Factors that drive the higher retention rate; 25:01 Determining the best use for a piece of land/property; 28:00 Round of Insights   Announcement: Download our Sample Deal package here.   Round of Insights   Apparent Failure: The Wolf Point Master Plan project he got involved where he had the plan but not the final project. Digital Resource: Google Maps. Most Recommended Book: Reading data on https://uli.org/. Daily Habit: Spending 15 minutes a day researching something new. #1 Insight for real estate design: Listening and understanding what the client wants exactly is critical. Best place to grab a bite in Chicago, IL: Kuma's Corner.   Contact Kurt: Website | LinkedIn   Thank you for joining us for another great episode! If you're enjoying the show, please LEAVE A RATING OR REVIEW,  and be sure to hit that subscribe button so you do not miss an episode.  

Ever wondered why some neighborhoods transform seemingly overnight while others remain unchanged? This episode looks into the complex web of gentrification through three articles published in the last few years. We kick off with a deep dive into the term's origins and its multifaceted meanings, drawing from an insightful article by Planetizen. Along the way, we tackle the often misunderstood triggers of gentrification and challenge the conventional wisdom that luxury condos are the main culprits, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, as discussed in a compelling piece from The Atlantic.We then shift gears to explore recurring trends, comparing shifts from the early 20th century with those from the 1980s and 1990s. Drawing on Leslie Kern's book, "Gentrification is Inevitable and Other Lies," we unravel how remote work is shaping smaller cities and the varied pressures behind gentrification across regions. Our discussion underscores the necessity of involving local residents in community development to ensure new amenities benefit existing communities, not just newcomers. We also highlight the limitations of market-rate housing and call for improved public engagement in urban planning. This episode is packed with nuanced insights and actionable ideas to better understand and address the complexities of gentrification.Show Notes:Episode Articles:The Pandemic Disproved Urban Progressives' Theory About Gentrification: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/06/dc-solar-power-ponzi-scheme-scandal/673782/Gentrification is Complicated. But It's Not Inevitable: https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/gentrification-is-inevitable-and-other-lies-leslie-kern What Is Gentrification? https://www.planetizen.com/definition/gentrification PlanetMoney Reel on Gentrification: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8U3_b4vFCW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/Episode artwork by Georgia de Lotz on UnsplashFollow us on social media for more content related to each episode:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/booked-on-planning/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookedPlanningFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookedonplanningInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookedonplanning/

On this week's program, we bring you highlights from a great event that took place at the Main Public Library on May 21st called "Walkable Louisville: a conversation with urban planner and author Jeff Speck." The University of Louisville's Urban Design Studio Sustainable City Series presented renowned urban planner and author Jeff Speck as he shared his insights on reimagining downtown Louisville through the lens of walkability and why fostering a pedestrian-friendly environment is imperative for a flourishing city. Jeff Speck is a city planner and author who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors' Institute on City Design and created the Governors' Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007, he has led Speck & Associates — now Speck Dempsey —an award-winning urban planning firm serving public and private clients around the world. With Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Mr. Speck is the co-author of Suburban Nation, which the Wall Street Journal calls "the urbanist's bible.” His 2012 book Walkable City was the best selling city planning title of the past decade and has been translated into eight languages. He is also the principal author of The Smart Growth Manual and Walkable City Rules. Jeff Speck has been named a fellow of both the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Congress for New Urbanism. In a recent Planetizen poll, he was voted one of the ten “most influential urbanists of all time.” Mr. Speck was the 2022 recipient of the Seaside Prize, whose former awardees include Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander. His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than six million times.

Mitchell is a principal with McAdams, a land planning and design company. He is responsible for providing advisory services in urban planning, parks, and public space planning. He is an award-winning planner with more than 39 years of experience and is internationally recognized for his leadership and contributions to contemporary planning issues. He is a prolific public speaker and specializes in urban planning, placemaking, and implementation strategies. Before joining McAdams, Mitchell served as the commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation; Chief Planning Officer in Raleigh, NC and served as president of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners. Mitchell is one of the nation's most celebrated urban thinkers. He was selected to Planetizen's list of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists in the world. In addition, he has been honored as one of the top 100 City Innovators in the world by UBM Future Cities, and the Urban Times named him one of the top international thought leaders of the built environment. For more information follow Mitchell on IG @mitchell_silver or email him at silver@mcadamsco.com. For all other questions, visit www.bemoretoday.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bemoretoday/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bemoretoday/support

Periodically, Planetizen releases their guide and review of the nation's planning schools. The thorough evaluation gives prospective students and professionals fabulous and informed insight, all organized to help make a decision. Our friend James Brasuell, stopped by to talk about the guide and reveal their top 10 list and more.  https://www.planetizen.com/topschoolsSupport the showOur Website: https://theplanningcommissionpodcast.com/YouTube: The Planning Commission Podcast channelInstagram: @theplanningcommissionpodcastFacebook: The Planning Commission Podcast pageTwitter: @planningcommish Subscribe, like, help us make a difference in the profession we all love. Have an episode idea, tell us about it. Email us at: info@theplanningcommissionpodcast.com

It's important to build safe and productive streets, but how do we ensure those streets are a place people want to be and live in? Whose responsibility is it to ensure that buildings interact with the public realm in a delightful way? Design is hugely impactful in our daily lives: it can determine if a place is somewhere for people, or if it's unlivable and unusable. And design isn't wholly up to the “eye of the beholder.” It's possible to quantify beauty. Today on the Upzoned podcast, join host Abby Kinney as she welcomes a special guest: Tristan Cleveland, Strong Towns member, urban planner at Happy City, and PhD candidate with Healthy Populations Institute. In this episode, Abby and Cleveland talk about his recent Planetizen article, “The Responsibility of the Building to the Street.” ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “The Responsibility of the Building to the Street,” by Tristan Cleveland, Planetizen (February 2023). Tristan Cleveland (Twitter). Abby Kinney (Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In a recent Planetizen article titled, “Is Exclusionary Zoning a Good Thing?” author Michael Lewyn examines a theoretical argument presented by Judge Glock in the American Affairs Journal: that because people move to places that have zoning laws, zoning must be good. In this Upzoned episode, host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn unpack the zoning debate between these two authors and how zoning is truly impacting cities. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Is Exclusionary Zoning a Good Thing?” by Michael Lewyn, Planetizen (January 2023). “Two Cheers for Zoning,” by Judge Glock, American Affairs (Winter 2022). Abby Kinney (Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Where do planners get their information? How do they learn and stay relevent? One fabulous source is Planetizen. We sit down with the Editorial Director, James Brasuell and learn all about content dissemination and what's popular among us planners.Check em out: https://www.planetizen.com/Check out our Facebook page and YouTube Channel for more episodes and announcements.

Congress has failed to fund the government on time again. In this episode, Graham Elwood joins Jen as she geeks out on all the dingleberries attached to the new law extending Congress's funding deadline until December 16th. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! View the shownotes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd260-failure-to-fund-with-graham-elwood Graham Elwood Government Secrets Podcast with Lee Camp and Graham Elwood Political Vigilante Podcast Executive Producer Recommended Sources “From the Archive: Joe Hickman Blew the Whistle on Burn Pits 5 Years Ago.” August 8, 2022. The Peter Collins Show. Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD248: Understanding the Enemy CD244: Keeping Ukraine CD238: Losing Afghanistan CD087: Run for Congress with Chris Clemmons FDA User Fees Katie Hobbins. Oct 3, 2022. “FDA User Fee CR Passed, Questions on Policy and Reform Riders Remain.” Medical Device + Diagnostic Industry (MD+DI). New Mexico Fire Ryan Boetel. Sept 29, 2022. “$2.5 billion for fire damage relief included in spending bill.” Albuquerque Journal. Associated Press. Jun 21, 2022. “US Forest Service admits ‘multiple miscalculations' caused New Mexico fire.” The Guardian. Elizabeth Miller and Jason Samenow. May 5, 2022. “Large fires are raging in New Mexico, and the worst may be coming.” The Washington Post. Republicans and Disaster Relief Funding Sharon Zhang. Oct 3, 2022. “Every Single Florida House Republican Voted Against Disaster Relief Funding.” Truthout. Zach Schonfeld. Oct 3, 2022. “Gaetz asks for Florida hurricane aid after voting against CR with FEMA funding.” Lauren Book. Oct 3, 2022. “Today, President Biden included additional Florida counties as those considered major disaster areas…” [tweet] Sanjana Karanth. Oct 2, 2022. “Florida Senators Request More Federal Aid Despite Not Voting For Hurricane Relief.” HuffPost. Anna Skinner. Sept 30, 2022. “Matt Gaetz Votes Against Disaster Relief Days After Hurricane Ian Hits.” Newsweek. Sergio Bustos. Sept 30, 2022. “Marco Rubio, Rick Scott urge Senate leaders for more funds to recover, rebuild Florida after Hurricane Ian.” Tallahassee Democrat. Patrick Leahy. Sept 9, 2022. “Hurricane Ian shows reason for FEMA Disaster Relief Fund.” Vermont Biz. Jackson Water Crisis Anthony Warren. Sept 30, 2022. “$20 million federal allocation for Jackson water clears House of Representatives.” Jackson WLBT. Michael Goldberg. Sept 27, 2022. “Funds to aid Jackson's water system held up as governor rose.” Yahoo News. Annie Snider and Lara Priluck. Sept 21, 2022. “House appropriators eye as much as $200M for Jackson water crisis.” Politico. James Brasuell. Aug 20, 2022. “Water Supply Failure in Jackson, Mississippi.” Planetizen. Continuing Resolution Aidan Quigley. Sept 30, 2022. “Stopgap funding bill clears House; next stop is Biden's desk.” Roll Call. David Hawkings. Sept 7, 2016. “What Is a Continuing Resolution?” Roll Call. Ukraine James Bradley. Oct 4, 2022. “Why does a hurricane relief bill have money for Ukraine in it? Seriously.” [tweet] Emily Cochrane. Sept 29, 2022. “Senate Passes Bill to Aid Ukraine and Avert Government Shutdown.” The New York Times. Chelsey Cox. Sept 29, 2022. “Senate passes stopgap funding bill to avert government shutdown, provide more Ukraine aid.” CNBC. Jackie Walorski Crash Marek Mazurek. Sept 16, 2022. “Crash that killed U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, 3 others due in part to 'excessive speed.'” Appropriations “Appropriations Status Table: FY2023.” Congressional Research Service. Jeff Sachs Jeff Sachs on Bloomberg Global Financial News LIVE. Oct 3, 2022. “This is a path of dangerous escalation.” Bono. Apr 18, 2005. “The 2005 TIME 100: Jeffrey Sachs.” TIME. Peter Passell. Jun 27, 1993. “Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Shock Therapist.” The New York Times. Campaign Contributions from the Defense Industry “Defense: Top Recipients: 2020” Open Secrets. Afghanistan Craig Whitlock. The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War. Simon & Schuster: 2021. Spencer Ackerman. Apr 29, 2013. “How the CIA's Bags of Cash Undermined the Afghanistan War.” U.S. Infrastructure and Global Rankings “United Nations Sustainable Development Report Rankings.” “The Global Competitiveness Report, 2019.” Contaminated Water in the United States Gloria Oladipo. Sep 6, 2022. “Toxic arsenic levels make tap water unsafe for thousands in New York City.” The Guardian. Emily Holden et. al. Feb 26, 2021. “More Than 25 Million Americans Drink From the Worst Water Systems.” The Guardian. Maura Allaire. Feb 12, 2018. “National trends in drinking water quality violations.” The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 115(9). Paul Pelosi Chip Stock Caroline Vakil. Jul 27, 2022. “Pelosi's husband sells off up to $5 million worth of chipmaker stock ahead of semiconductor bill vote.” The Hill. Starbucks Unionization “Current Starbucks Statistics.” Union Election Data. Laws and Treaties H.R.6833: Making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2023, and for other purposes Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the accession of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic Vote breakdown Audio Sources Jeff Sachs on Bloomberg Global Financial News LIVE Oct 3, 2022 Jeff Sachs: The main fact is that the European economy is getting hammered by this by the sudden cut off of energy. And now to make it definitive the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline, which I would bet was a US action, perhaps the US and Poland. This is a speculation — Bloomberg Host: That's quite a statement. Why do you feel that that was a US action? What evidence do you have of that? Jeff Sachs: Well, first of all, there's direct radar evidence that US helicopters, military helicopters that are normally based in Gdansk, we're circling over this area. We also had the threats from the United States earlier in this year that one way or another, we are going to end Nord Stream. We also have a remarkable statement by Secretary Blinken, last Friday in a press conference, he says this is also a tremendous opportunity. It's a strange way to talk if you're worried about piracy on international infrastructure of vital significance. I know this runs counter to our narrative, that you're not allowed to say these things in the West, but the fact of the matter is, all over the world, when I talk to people, they think the US did it. And by the way, even reporters on our papers that are involved tell me privately, “Well, of course,” but it doesn't show up in our media. 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Our guest this week is Alexandra Lange, famed architecture and design critic, and author of the brand new best-seller Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall. In a wide-ranging interview we get Alexandra's perspectives on the history and cultural significant of shopping malls. We dig into the fascinating story of Victor Gruen and how his design ideas shaped the evolution of regional malls for decades. Then we explore how malls began to lose their relevance, particularly as department stores increasingly found themselves stuck in the boring middle. Lastly wonder what's next for malls and what it might take for them to have a remarkable future.But first we give our hot-takes on the latest retail news, including shaky earnings reports from several wobbly unicorns: Warby Parker, Allbirds and The Real Real, contrasting their performance with Yeti's wholesale first growth strategy. We also discuss Signet's fire sale priced acquisition of one of the OG's of DTC, Blue Nile, before wrapping up with Bed, Bath & Beyond's decision to bail on one of its new private brands ("Wild Sage") after its rookie season.GroceryShop discount offer:Valid for Retailers and Brands only, use code RBR1950  to access our special rate / ticket price is $US1950.  Offer code  expires 9/22/22.Past podcast episodes of note:Understanding Warby Parker and Customer-Based Valuation with Dan McCarthyThe Great Wholesale v. DTC Debate with Simeon Siegel About AlexandraAlexandra Lange is a design critic. Her essays, reviews and profiles have appeared in numerous design publications including Architect, Harvard Design Magazine, and Metropolis, as well as in The Atlantic, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. She is a columnist for Bloomberg CityLab, and has been a featured writer at Design Observer, an opinion columnist at Dezeen, and the architecture critic for Curbed.Her latest book, Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall, was published by Bloomsbury USA in June 2022.Her previous book, The Design of Childhood: How the Material World Shapes Independent Kids was published by Bloomsbury USA in 2018. Research for the book was supported by a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. Design of Childhood was named one of Planetizen's Top 10 Urban Planning Books of 2018 and has been an assigned text in art and architecture studios at ASU, Columbia, Harvard, MIT, UPenn, VCU and Yale.Alexandra is also the author of Writing About Architecture: Mastering the Language of Buildings and Cities (Princeton Architectural Press, 2012), a primer on how to read and write architecture criticism, as well as the e-book The Dot-Com City: Silicon Valley Urbanism (Strelka, 2012), which considers the message of the physical spaces of Facebook, Google, and Apple.In 2021, Alexandra became editorial advisor to the podcast New Angle: Voice, produced by the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. The podcast showcases the work of pioneering women of American architecture, and the first five-episode season featured Julia Morgan, Natalie de Blois, Helen Fong, Norma Sklarek and Florence Knoll. Several episodes were broadcast on 99 Percent Invisible.Alexandra co-wrote and co-produced “Masters of Modern Design: The Art of the Japanese American Experience,” a 2019 KCET Artbound documentary on Japanese American designers in the postwar era, which was based on one of her Curbed columns. “Masters of Modern Design” won a 2020 LA Area Emmy Award.Radio and podcast appearances include NPR Weekend Edition and Marketplace, as well as Studio 360, 99 Percent Invisible, Decoder Ring, The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC and Think on KERA. Alexandra has lectured widely at universities, museums and design conferences on topics ranging from the history of women architecture critics to the opulent modernism of Alexander Girard to the best use of social media by architects. She has also taught design criticism at New York University and the School of Visual Arts.Alexandra was a 2014 Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She won a 2018 New York Press Club Award for Feature Reporting – Internet for her Curbed story, “No Loitering, No Skateboarding, No Baggy Pants,” on teens and public space. In 2019, she was awarded a Steven Heller Prize for Cultural Commentary by AIGA. In 2020, Alexandra was the recipient of the Stephen A. Kliment Oculus Award from AIA New York, given to architectural journalists. She was also awarded the 2020 BRIO Prize by the eponymous Swedish toy company, which honors researchers and non-profits focused on creating a better world through play.Alexandra has long been interested in the creation of modern domestic life, a theme running through Design Research: The Store that Brought Modern Living to American Homes (Chronicle, 2010), which she co-authored with Jane Thompson, as well as her contributions to Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America (Yale, 2018), Alexander Girard: A Designer's Universe (Vitra, 2016), Formica Forever (Metropolis, 2013), and Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future (Yale, 2006). Her latest contributions on the topic include a chapter on design for children in Scandinavian Design and the United States, 1890 – 1980 (Prestel, 2020) and the foreword to Designing Motherhood (MIT Press, 2021). Her 2005 dissertation, “Tower Typewriter and Trademark: Architects, Designers and the Corporate Utopia, 1956-1964,” discussed the design programs and design networks at postwar American corporations. About UsSteve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his       website.    The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book  Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is now available at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a      Forbes senior contributor and on       Twitter and       LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel      here.Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada's top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus  Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  ,      The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and now in its second season, Conversations with CommerceNext!  You can learn more about Michael   here  or on     LinkedIn. Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue,  his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!

Advocating For Cities Of All Sizes To Be Safe, Livable, and Inviting with Charles MarohnCharles Marohn, known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues, is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He is a land use planner and (retired) professional engineer with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota.Strong Towns is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media advocacy organization. They produce content that analyzes the failures of the post-war North American development pattern while giving citizens the knowledge and tools to start making our places better today.They seek to replace America's post-war pattern of development, the Suburban Experiment, with a pattern of development that is financially strong and resilient. They advocate for cities of all sizes to be safe, livable, and inviting. They work to elevate local government to be the highest level of collaboration for people working together in a place, not merely the lowest level in a hierarchy of governments.Chuck offers an insightful look into the paradigm shift of development and how through education we can all become better stewards of the communities we work and live in.Strong Towns is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media advocacy organization. We produce content that analyzes the failures of the post-war North American development pattern while giving citizens the knowledge and tools to start making our places better today.We seek to replace America's post-war pattern of development, the Suburban Experiment, with a pattern of development that is financially strong and resilient. We advocate for cities of all sizes to be safe, livable, and inviting.We work to elevate local government to be the highest level of collaboration for people working together in a place, not merely the lowest level in a hierarchy of governments.Charles Marohn, known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues, is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He is a land use planner and (retired) professional engineer with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota.Marohn is the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity (Wiley, 2019) and Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town (Wiley 2021). He hosts the Strong Towns Podcast and is a primary writer for Strong Towns' web content.He has presented Strong Towns concepts in hundreds of cities and towns across North America. Planetizen named him one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time.Mac and Bleu is the hot new podcast dedicated to all things related to building Arizona. Topics discussed range from construction, economic development, supply chain, and market segments.Mac & Bleu also includes diversity in construction, local politics affecting construction, women in construction, construction technology, and more.The host JJ Levenske of Bleuwave have their finger on the pulse of the people building Arizona.The show brings in the brightest minds in their perspective positions and industries and JJ has the unique ability to touch on the subject matter that you want to hear.If you want to know who's building Arizona, tune in and subscribe to Mac and Bleu today!___________________________________________________________________________________JJ Levenske is a seasoned construction executive with over 30 years of experience in the commercial and industrial sectors.From pre-construction services to complex quality controls and close-outs, he brings a commitment to delivering the highest levels of professionalism and customer service.

Episode Summary:  Listen to national experts and certified planners, Keli Kemp, and Kirsten Mote, both with Modern Mobility Partners, talk about what planners can do to plan for parking in a changing transportation ecosystem. Listeners will learn the following in Episode 15: Effects of advent of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) on parking needs. Components that affect parking demand. Potential implications of digitization and increase use of CAVs on general public. Role of transportation planners around parking in the changing ecosystem. Parking count standards and calculating parking demand. Shared parking strategies and effect of transit availability. Zoning and land use regulations for parking requirements. Design and configuration of parking lots and decks. Use of technology and sustainability in parking uses. Links: The future of parking – Can providers find a space in the new mobility ecosystem? – Deloitte Consulting LLP, 2018 https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/future-of-mobility/future-of-parking-new-mobility-ecosystem.html Searching for Parking Costs Americans $73 Billion a Year - INRIX, 2017 https://inrix.com/press-releases/parking-pain-us/ A Space for Parking in the Future of Mobility – Firas Suqi, 2020 https://www.citytech.org/a-space-for-parking-in-the-future-of-mobility Parking's Role in the New Transportation Ecosystem – Brett Wood, IPMI, 2018 https://www.parking-mobility.org/2019/04/05/parkings-role-in-the-new-transportation-ecosystem/ How self-driving cars could shrink parking lots – University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, 2018 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180328182441.htm#:~:text=shrink%20parking%20lots-,Researchers%20find%20that%20optimizing%20for%20autonomous%20vehicles%20could%20increase%20the,lot%20by%2062%20per%20cent&text=Summary%3A,urban%20space%20dedicated%20to%20parking. How Self-Driving Cars Might Transform City Parking – Charles Choi, IEEE Spectrum, 2019 https://spectrum.ieee.org/autonomous-parking Driverless cars could spell the end for downtown parking – and cities need to plan ahead – Corey Harper, City Monitor, 2019 https://citymonitor.ai/transport/driverless-cars-could-spell-end-downtown-parking-and-cities-need-plan-ahead-4767 Autonomous Vehicles: Where We Are, Where We're Going, And What It Means For Parking - IMPARK https://www.impark.com/parking-insight/autonomous-vehicles-parking/ Further Reading: From Chaos to Order: A Brief Cultural History of the Parking Lot – Eran Ben-Joseph, The MIT Press Reader, 2020 https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/brief-cultural-history-of-the-parking-lot/ The Trouble With Minimum Parking Requirements – Donald Shoup, Transportation Research Part A Vol. 33 (1999) https://www.vtpi.org/shoup.pdf What are Parking Requirements? - Planetizen https://www.planetizen.com/definition/parking-requirements How Parking Destroys Cities, Michael Manville, The Atlantic, 2021 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/parking-drives-housing-prices/618910/ People Over Parking – Jeffrey Spivak, Planetizen, 2018 https://www.planning.org/planning/2018/oct/peopleoverparking/ Future-Proofing Parking – Jake Blumgart, Planetizen, 2018 https://www.planning.org/planning/2018/mar/futureproofparking/   Co-Hosts: Keli Kemp, AICP, PTP has almost 25 years of experience in transportation planning and consulting and co-founded Modern Mobility Partners in in early 2018 with Jennifer Zhan. Keli holds a M.S. degree in Urban Planning from Texas A&M University. Kirsten Mote, AICP has over 13 years of experience in transportation planning and most recently got certified by MIT's Media Lab in their Beyond Smart Cities program. Kirsten holds a M.S. in City Planning from Georgia Tech. Guest Speaker: Chirag Date, AICP Candidate, LEED GA, has over 6 years of experience in working on master plans, corridor revitalization plans, mixed-use and multi-acre developments, land use planning, and urban design projects. Chirag is a licensed architect in India and holds a M.S in City Planning from Georgia Tech. Modern Mobility Partners is an Atlanta-based women and minority-owned transportation planning and traffic engineering consulting firm.  Service areas include transportation planning, travel demand modeling, traffic and revenue forecasting, traffic engineering, project prioritization and performance measures, funding strategies and grant applications, all looking through a lens of new and emerging technologies. If you are interested in learning more about Modern Mobility Partners, please visit www.modernmobilitypartners.com.  If you are interested in becoming a guest on our podcast, please email podcast@modernmobilitypartners.com.

Learn more and register for the Profitable Syntropic Agroforestry course today! Fill out this form to receive free trees and planting support as well as a consultation call with Oliver I've often wondered what in the world goes on in the thought process behind the planning and design of the newer towns that I've lived in. In the case of really old places, the layout and architecture always made more sense to me. Streets are laid out with orientations to sun patterns or for ease of access to important markets or buildings, and the homes reflect the integral relationship between extended family or workers, animals, and the processing of food and household goods, and the simple natural materials with which much of it is built is integrated with art, gardens, and water features which also serve important cultural functions In contrast, while modern civic planning is very utilitarian, the utility appears to ignore many essential human functions for the ease of machinery and transport. I knew neighbors who would drive to get their mail at the end of the street because there were no walkways, and who spent countless hours maintaining lawns that their children rarely walked on. There were few if any gathering spaces or community activity centers unless you count shopping malls or gyms.  When you grow up in those environments they seem pretty normal, but once I got to travel and see the contrast of places that were built before cars, concrete, and steel, I began to wonder why we ever abandoned that style of building.  I'll put in a disclaimer here that I will stop short of over romanticizing the past. I've learned enough about history that I don't envy the sanitary or living conditions of almost any previous century, nor do I want to gloss over the challenges that these old places are having in integrating with the modern world. There are many complex and contextual reasons why these places are both heralded for their picturesque tourist value while the younger generations flee to find work and opportunities in new developments.  And yet, I wanted to gain some insight about why modern towns abandoned some patterns that we know to be more conducive to connected living and what can be done to retrofit and redesign the infrastructure we have.  For this I spoke to Charles Marohn, professional engineer and a land use planner with decades of experience. Marohn is the author of both Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity, and Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town. He hosts the Strong Towns Podcast and is a primary writer for Strong Towns' web content. He has presented Strong Towns concepts in hundreds of cities and towns across North America and Planetizen named him one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time. In this interview we explore the transformation of urban planning over the last few decades and Charles gives vivid examples from well known studies of major cities around the United States of both the dire consequences of poor planning and the potential of better design. We also look into the simple steps that anyone can take to begin to reverse the disconnection of their community and begin to create connections and deeper relationships that can set their community on a new trajectory.  Join the discord discussion channel to answer the weekly questions and learn new skills with the whole community Links: https://www.strongtowns.org/ https://twitter.com/clmarohn https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesmarohn/ https://www.facebook.com/marohn https://regenerativeskills.com/abundantedge-mark-lakeman/ https://regenerativeskills.com/abundantedge-city-repair/ https://regenerativeskills.com/david-holmrgren-on-the-hidden-regeneration-potential-of-the-suburbs/

America's history of bigotry and racism have left wounds that fester to this day.  How might the country make amends to those racial minorities who were harmed?  To what extent are white Americans responsible for addressing wrongs perpetrated by their ancestors?  To what extent can the effects of these past sins be measured and known?   These are not easy questions, nor is there much consensus on where we go from here.  But there is one area where both conservatives and liberals may be able to find common ground: addressing historic wrongs committed by the practice of redlining at the local level.  Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined again by Charles Marohn to discuss the history of redlining, its effect on American minorities, and a possible path forward to making restitutions consistent with conservative principles.   About Charles Marohn Charles (or “Chuck” to friends and colleagues) Marohn is the founder and president of Strong Towns, a nonprofit that supports thousands of people across the United States and Canada who are advocating for a radically new way of thinking about the way we build our world. Marohn is a professional engineer and a land use planner with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota.   Marohn is the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity (Wiley, 2019). He hosts the Strong Towns Podcast and is a primary writer for Strong Towns' web content. He has presented Strong Towns concepts in hundreds of cities and towns across North America. Planetizen named him one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time. He is a long-time commentator on KAXE Northern Community Radio. He currently co-hosts KAXE's Dig Deep program, a monthly examination of public policy issues affecting Minnesotans.   Marohn grew up on a small farm in central Minnesota. The oldest of three sons of two elementary school teachers, he joined the Minnesota National Guard on his seventeenth birthday during his junior year of high school and served in the Guard for nine years. In addition to being passionate about building a stronger America, he loves playing music, is an obsessive reader, and religiously follows his favorite team, the Minnesota Twins. Chuck and his wife live with their two daughters in their hometown of Brainerd, Minnesota. You can find him on Twitter @clmarohn   Listener Mail Josh responds to a listener's message asking if he would encourage his listeners to get the COVID-19 vaccine.  

This week on Leading Voices in Real Estate, Mitchell Silver, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and a global leader in urban planning, joins Matt to discuss his work for the city and his long career in city planning. With his appointed role as Parks Commissioner, Mitchell has been responsible for the management, planning, and operations of nearly 30,000 acres of public space in New York. Matt and Mitchell talk about bringing greater equity to the city's investment in its parks, particularly in neighborhoods of color, and about the challenges brought by COVID to New York's public places. Known as one of the thought leaders in planning and someone with great passion for the importance of a planning approach to the growth of our cities, Mitchell is the past president of the American Planning Association (APA) and is currently president of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) . Mitchell also shares many of his successes throughout his career and current role, including how to make parks and communities more equitable and his experience as a leader of color in urban planning.Mitchell is an award-winning planner with over 35 years of experience. Prior to returning to his native New York City as Parks Commissioner, he served as the Chief Planning & Development Officer and Planning Director for Raleigh, NC. His career has included roles as a policy and planning director for New York City's Department of Planning, a principal of a New York City-based planning firm, a town manager in New Jersey, and deputy planning director in Washington, DC.One of the nation's most celebrated urban thinkers, Commissioner Silver has been elected to Planetizen's list of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists in the world (2017), and named an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (2017), a fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences (2016), an honorary fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia (2015), a fellow of the American Planning Association (2014), and an honorary lifetime member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (2014). In addition, he has been honored as one of the top 100 City Innovators in the world by UBM Future Cities, and in 2012 the Urban Times named him one of the top international thought leaders of the built environment.Mitchell Silver was born in Brooklyn and grew up near Prospect Park. He attended Midwood High School and received a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from Pratt Institute and a Master's Degree in Urban Planning from Hunter College. He is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners and is a licensed Professional Planner in the State of New Jersey.Recommended Resources:AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct“America Needs You to Fall in Love with Planning Again” — APA President Mitchell Silver, AICP (American Planning Association President Mitchell Silver, AICP, gives his opening keynote address at the 2012 National Planning Conference in Los Angeles.)Local Planning: Contemporary Principles and Practice (ICMA 2009)Mitchell Silver, Planning in the 21st Century: “What's Next?” (2013 Harvard Graduate School of Design Lecture)

placemakingpodcast@gmail.com Facebook-f Twitter Linkedin Instagram Strategies in Building Strong Towns with Incremental Developments with Charles Marohn, P.E. – Ep. 44 About the Guest One of the best shows yet is coming your way! I am excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Charles Marohn is the Founder and President of Strong Towns and the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity. He is a Professional Engineer (PE) licensed in the State of Minnesota and a land use planner with over two decades of experience. He holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota. He has presented the concept of Strong Towns in hundreds of cities and towns across North America. He is featured in the documentary film Owned: A Tale of Two Americans, and was named one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time by Planetizen. “Strong Towns supports thousands of people across the United States and Canada who are advocating for a radically new way of thinking about the way we build our world. Strong Towns believes that in order to truly thrive, our cities and towns must:• Stop valuing efficiency and start valuing resilience• Stop betting our futures on huge, irreversible projects, and start taking small, incremental steps and iterating based on what we learn• Stop fearing change and start embracing a process of continuous adaptation• Stop building our world based on abstract theories, and start building it based on how our places actually work and what our neighbors actually need today• Stop obsessing about future growth and start obsessing about our current financesBut most importantly, they believe that Strong Citizens from all walks of life can and must participate in a Strong Towns approach—from citizens to leaders, professionals to neighbors, and everyone in between.” In this episode, we are going to discuss the mission of the Strong Towns movement, the attributes of successful developments and how they can impact the surrounding neighborhoods and towns, and how developers can learn from the past in order to help build developments that ultimately benefit their cities and communities. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Charles for taking the time out of his extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of Strong Towns with me. As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come. Main Take-Away's From This Show This was another interesting episode to record. I thoroughly enjoyed Charles candidly sharing his story behind founding Strong Towns and the various revelations he came across on his journey. From just beginning to ask questions about “successful” City spending to the formulation of his thoughts on what truly successful developments are and can be. As mentioned in the show, this wasn't just a dive into the history of Cities, but truly a deep dive into understanding humanity as a whole. There were so many great talking points that Charles shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away's this week. The following main topics of the show come from an understanding in City Planning, Engineering, and Development that Charles possesses. As an incremental developer, you are fighting against forces much bigger than yourself. (i.e. subsidized capital) Private Public Partnerships; the good, the bad, the ugly. There are a lot of basic business principles that Cities could very well adopt that will make them much stronger. As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away's” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

In a previous episode of the podcast, we talked about how metro Detroit’s economy is diversifying. But the ways we get around town? We’ve been stuck in the same mode for a lifetime. And that’s almost completely being dependent and investing only in the car. A recent piece in Planetizen talks about how we might, as a region, build a culture of transit. After all, even automakers themselves are embracing ways to get around that aren’t single-person owned vehicles. And maybe it’s time our policies matched up? Joining me to talk about it is Dave Gifford. He runs Transit Guide Detroit and is an advocate for transit in southeast Michigan. He’s the author of this piece: https://www.planetizen.com/features/112361-cultivating-culture-transit  

Planetizen.com recently came out with its annual list of the Top Urban Planning Books of 2020, including contributions from CP&DR's Josh Stephens. The books cover timeless topics like housing and the history of planning as well as vital issues that have received increased attention of late, including those of social justice, race, and gender. Bill Fulton spoke with Josh and Planetizen Managing Editor James Brasuell about this year's list and how it reflects the present and future of urban planning.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown issues orders a pause for all Portland metro area counties; Planetizen reports on potential impacts of Biden win; federal unemployment benefits will expire at year end, and it appears unlikely that Congress will take action before then.

Parks for the People: A Conversation with Mitchell J.Silver Mitchell J. Silver became Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in May 2014. Commissioner Silver is also the immediate past president of the American Planning Association. He is an award-winning planner with more than 30 years of experience and he is internationally recognized for his leadership in the planning profession and his contributions to contemporary planning issues. He specializes in comprehensive planning, place making and implementation strategies.  As Parks Commissioner, Mitchell Silver oversees management, planning and operations of nearly 30,000 acres of parkland, which includes parks, playgrounds, beaches, marinas, recreation centers, wilderness areas and other assets. One of the nation's most celebrated urban thinkers, Commissioner Silver has been elected to Planetizen's list of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists (2017), and named an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (2017), a fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences (2016), an honorary fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia (2015), a fellow of the American Planning Association (2014), and an honorary lifetime member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (2014). In addition, he has been honored as one of the top 100 City Innovators in the world by UBM Future Cities, and in 2012 the Urban Times named him one of the top international thought leaders of the built environment. Bard MBA's Sahara James, Justin McAmmond and Tessa Rainbolt speak with Commissioner Silver for this episode of the Impact Report.  This episode of The Impact Report is sponsored by reSET Social Enterprise Trust, a Hartford based organization advancing the social enterprise sector through its Impact Accelerator, Food Incubator, and advocacy work. reSET invites you to join our virtual Beyond Business as Usual conference on October 8th at 9am. Use code Bard2020 for a special discount. You can find more information at www.resetco.org 

Mike Lydon is a Principal of Street Plans, an award-winning planning, design, and research-advocacy firm. Mike is an internationally recognized advocate for livable cities and was named by Planetizen as one of the 100 most influential urbanists.

Mike Lydon is a Principal of Street Plans, an award-winning planning, design, and research-advocacy firm. Mike is an internationally recognized advocate for livable cities and was named by Planetizen as one of the 100 most influential urbanists.

The COVID-19 crisis is ravaging nearly every aspect of the economy, very much including the housing sector. Data tracked by the National Multifamily Housing Council found that nearly one-third of residential tenants didn’t pay rent in April. Even before the pandemic, says James Brasuell, managing editor at Planetizen, Americans “were straining to cover the high cost of housing…creating a pressure point in the economy that was, according to reports, booming.” [Pre-existing] trends were stressing the housing markets and the millions of renters in the country before stay-at-home orders gutted the employment market. On April 1, with millions of Americans suddenly unemployed, and a public health crisis weeks, or potentially months, away from its expected peak, U.S. renters owed a collective $22 billion for rent, according to analysis by CoStar. During the crisis, many tenants have lost income or lost their jobs outright. While some cities and states have allowed tenants to defer rent payments, those tenants face the prospect of having to make up missed payments before the economy is back on its feet. Brausell’s recent article “Rent Crisis Deferred” is the subject of this week’s episode of Upzoned. Host Abby Kinney, a planner at Gould Evans in Kansas City, and Chuck Marohn, founder and president of Strong Towns, discuss how the housing market is responding to massive non-payment, and it is rippling throughout the rest of the economy. They explore why much-lauded “market responsiveness” is not always a happy thing, the historical roots of our volatile housing system, and what happens when a volatile system seeks equilibrium. They also discuss a few ideas (like a debt jubilee) that have been floated to respond to the crisis. Then in the Downzoned, Abby and Chuck take a break from recommending media and offer their “Quarantine Chronicles,” including family walks, bike rides, and the experience of cutting one’s own hair. Additional Shownotes ”Rent Crisis Deferred,” by James Brasuell James Brasuell (Twitter) Abby Kinney (Twitter) Charles Marohn (Twitter) Gould Evans Studio for City Design Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom (Soundcloud) Select Strong Towns Articles about Housing Two Simple Rules For Healthy Neighborhood Change, by Daniel Herriges Skinning Your Knee vs. Breaking Your Leg, by Johnny Sanphillippo Why Housing Is “The Wickedest of Wicked Problems” (Podcast) Jenny Schuetz: Who's To Blame for High Housing Costs? (Podcast) Stuck: Why Rent and Mortgage-Burdened Americans Don’t Always Move to Cheaper Pastures, by Kea Wilson More “Landlords on the Street,” by Gracen Johnson 17 Head-scratcher Housing Terms, Defined, by Rachel Quednau

Robert Gibbs, FASLA, AICP serves as Gibbs Planning Group's president and managing director. He is a registered landscape architect, professional planner and charter member of the American and European Congress for the New Urbanism. Robert teaches at Harvard's Graduate School of Design's Executive Education program and has authored numerous books including Principles for Urban Retail. In 2012, Gibbs was honored by the Clinton Presidential Library for his life's contributions to urban planning and by the City of Auckland, New Zealand for his planning innovations. Robert was recently named as one of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists of the past century by Planetizen and has consulted across the Americas, Europe and Pacific Rim for over 2500 cities, institutions, real estate developments and universities. Robert was inducted into the American Society of Landscape Architects College of Fellows in 2019.Gibbs has a BA from Oakland University, where was named the Distinguished Alumni of 2016 and was granted an Honorary Doctorate of Arts in 2019. He has also earned a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan. Gibbs is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Institute of Certified Planners, the Congress for the New Urbanism and the Urban Land Institute. Prior to founding GPG in 1988, Robert was an urban designer at the Smith-JJR Group and an urban planner at the Taubman Shopping Center Company. Gibbs also hosts Michigan Planning Today, a popular cable program on urban and real estate issues.

If you’re like most working Americans, you probably brave your daily commute by car—and you may well spend a good chunk of that commute trapped in the kind of mind-numbing traffic that no podcast, no matter how excellent, can combat. And according to one new report, your will to live isn’t the only thing being drained when you’re stuck behind the wheel. Your bank account is, too.At least that’s what this year’s INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard claims. And when they say that the average worker is literally losing wages while they crawl up the interstate, they have a very specific number in mind: an average of $1,348 per commuter per year. But not everyone is buying that math. In a new article from Planetizen, author Todd Litman shares his skepticism with how INRIX arrived at their claims about the costs of congestion, and what they really mean for American workers. But Strong Towns wants to take it a step further—and in this episode of Upzoned, we talk about those times when, contrary to our mantra, it’s not always wise to #dothemath. (At least, not the kind of specious math that the INRIX study used to come up with numbers like $1,348.) Join Upzoned host Kea and guest Daniel Herriges as they discuss the real costs of problematic traffic studies like the INRIX scorecard: unnecessarily overbuilt road systems, destroyed neighborhoods, and long-term maintenance obligations that our places can’t afford (and make it a heck of a lot harder to do the kind of things that would really make working Americans richer). Then in the downzone, Kea and Daniel talk about their favorite recent watches, from a very unfortunate children’s show to an Oscar-nominated and artistically innovative documentary about life in rural Alabama.

For as long as they’ve existed, neighborhoods that pride themselves on their exclusive single-family housing landscape have fought back against the notion that they should be forced to change as their city population grows. Call it NIMBYism (not in my backyard) or call it neighborhood pride, but there’s no doubt that these conversations can dominate a local housing debate—and, depending on who you ask, they can be a harmful force that keeps our towns under glass, and affordable housing out of the reach of the citizens who need it most, in the neighborhoods that might provide the most opportunity. That’s why a few corners of the internet are abuzz about an interesting (if not entirely new) idea: a “cap-and-trade” system for single-family strongholds. Cap and trade systems are better known in the environmental policy sphere—think companies in high-polluting industries that face new government emissions limits paying a more sustainable company for the right to use their extra emissions credits that they’ve got lying around. But when applied to the housing conversation, single family neighborhoods aren’t looking to exceed a cap—they’re trading money for the right to keep a cap firmly on their population numbers. New Jersey, for instance, utilized a cap and trade system for twenty years, inspired by their Mount Laurel doctrine, which required all cities to produce a certain quota of affordable housing—even if those cities had a strong identity that didn’t include apartments and renters. Frustrated, they crafted a counter-proposal: gated communities and suburban enclaves could pay the poorer towns down the road to take on their share of the affordable housing mandate for them. The poor town got a little richer; the rich town continued on happily as a utopia of deep front yards and three-car garages. But according to some, this cap and trade arrangement isn’t a clear win-win. And if you believe a recent article from Planetizen, cap and trade systems may not work in the way that we think, and the reason why has to do with some complex psychology that might surprise you. In this episode of Upzoned, Kea and Chuck dive into this intellectually tricky and fascinating idea. Do cap and trade programs keep low income families out of the affluent neighborhoods, when moving the poor into richer areas has been proven to improve their health and financial outcomes for generations? Or is cap and trade a healthy way to move sorely needed capital into the neighborhoods that need it most? Check out their conversation, then weigh in with your thoughts in the comments. Then, in the Downzone, Chuck and Kea talk about the media that’s been filling their winter days. Chuck has been reading along with his eighth grader’s latest school assignment, the very moving Night by Elie Wiesel. And Kea is something of a new mom herself—she just adopted a brand new puppy—but in between cuddles and housebreaking sessions, she’s enjoying the gorgeously shot deep-sea nature documentary series, Blue Planet II.

DOUGLAS FARR (FAIA, F-CNU, LEED-AP) is an architect, urbanist, author, and passionate advocate for sustainable design thinking. Doug is the founding principal and president of Farr Associates, a Chicago-based firm that plans and designs lovable, aspirational buildings and places. Doug co-chaired the development of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) and has served on the boards of the Congress for the New Urbanism, Bioregional, EcoDistricts, and Elevate Energy. A native Detroiter, he is an architecture graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia University. Doug wrote Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature (November 2007, Wiley) and Sustainable Nation: Urban Design Patterns for the Future (April 2018, Wiley).In 2017, Planetizen readers named him one of "the 100 most influential urbanists of all time.”

Chuck and Rachel begin with some exciting news, then discuss upcoming East Coast events and debt in Puerto Rico (and what it means for all of us). Apologies; we had some issues with Chuck's audio on this one.  Mentioned in this podcast: Planetizen's List of Top 100 Most Influential Urbanists New Haven, CT presentation and meet-up New York City presentation and meet-up "The Spooky Nature of Debt" by Chuck Marohn Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graebe Cognitive Architecture: Designing for How We Respond to the Built Environment by Ann Sussman Send Rachel your ideas and comments: quednau@strongtowns.org

As I travel through the urban sprawl and colorful cultural montage that is mid-city LA I come to a huge Victorian style house where Charles Shaw, the king of the new generation of gonzo-journalism is staying. This is where we do our podcast. Charles and I sit in a sweaty musty corner of this amazing artist complex maze and discuss a wide array of conspiracy theories, reality theories, political contradictions, personal roadblocks, the global security threat and how our own personal relationship got off on the wrong foot. I don't agree with everything Charles says but he is wonderfully intelligent, seductively articulate and exhaustingly well researched. I can't wait for the next one! Charles Shaw is the author of the critically-acclaimed memoir, "Exile Nation: Drugs, Prisons, Politics & Spirituality" (2012, Counterpoint/Soft Skull Press) and the Director of the documentary films, "The Exile Nation Project: An Oral History of the War on Drugs & The American Criminal Justice System" (2011), "Visurreality" (2013), "WHITE PANTHER: The Legacy of John Sinclair" (2013) and "Exile Nation: The Plastic People" (2014 Cinedigm Films: Executive Produced & Narrated by Edward James Olmos). He is currently in post-production on SOLDIERS OF THE VINE, a documentary series about healing war trauma with plant medicine. His work has appeared in Alternet, Grist, Guardian UK, Huffington Post, openDemocracy & The New York Times. He was a contributing author to Planetizen's Contemporary Debates in Urban Planning (2007, Island Press). In 2009 he was recognized by the San Diego Press Club for excellence in journalism. He is the former Editorial Director of Conscious Enlightenment Publishing (Conscious Choice, Common Ground, Whole Life Times, and Seattle's Conscious Choice), and the founder and publisher of Newtopia, former head writer for the nationally syndicated radio show Reality Checks. He holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from Boston University. A native of Chicago, he lives on the West Coast. Please support his crowd fund campaign for his latest project Soldiers of the Vine: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/soldiers-of-the-vine-cannabis#/

In association with the New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI) Annual Conference. Joe Minicozzi, Principal of Urban3, pioneers in geo-spatial representation of economic productivity. This helps communities make better decisions through the understanding of data and design. Joe's work has prompted a paradigm shift in understanding the economic potency of well designed cities. Joe’s multidisciplinary expertise with city planning in the public and private sectors, as well as his ingenuity with real estate finance, prompted the development of his award-winning analytical tools that have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Planetizen, Planning, and New Urban News. Urban3’s research illustrates the benefits of urban density, heritage conservation and mixed-use developments. These have an economic impact that lead to creating sustainable and vibrant cities.

Ross Chapin Design, Body Knowing, and the Inner Life On Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, the imprint of architect Ross Chapin’s vision of enchanting small homes and livable pocket neighborhoods is palpable. Ross came to Whidbey in the 1970s, drawn by the vision of the Chinook Learning Center, founded by Fritz and Vivienne Hull. Chinook later became the Whidbey Institute. Ross designed Thomas Berry Hall, the Woodland Sanctuary, and the Whidbey Island Waldorf School on the Chinook land. In addition to his professional life as an architect and planner, Ross has an inner life enlivened by a sustained engagement with body and spirit. His work has been deeply influenced by the iconoclastic British architect Christopher Alexander. Join Michael Lerner in conversation with Ross about his work, about Christopher Alexander, and about the evolution of his inner life in a wide-ranging conversation. Ross Chapin, FAIA Ross is a passionate advocate for sensibly-sized homes and pocket neighborhoods—a term he coined for small groupings of households around shared common spaces, which he sees as building blocks for vibrant and resilient communities. Ross has designed and partnered in developing six pocket neighborhoods in the Puget Sound region. He and his colleagues have designed dozens of communities for developers across the US, Canada and the UK. Many have received international media coverage and design awards. Ross is a member of the American Institute of Architecture College of Fellows and the William S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence. Ross is author of Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small Scale Community in a Large Scale World (Taunton Press), a Nautilus Book Award Winner and listed by Planetizen as one of the Top Ten Planning and Design Books of 2012. Ross’s work has appeared in more than 35 books, including Sarah Susanka’s Not So Big House series, The Good Green Home, and Solving Sprawl. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Colin Marshall sits down before a live audience at the New Urbanism Film Festival at Los Angeles' ACME Theater with Tim Halbur, Director of Communications at the Congress for the New Urbanism, former Managing Editor at Planetizen, creator of the two-disc DVD set The Story of Sprawl, and author of the children's urban planning book Where Things Are from Near to Far. They discuss the anti-Los Angeles indoctrination he received in San Francisco, and what that indoctrination might have had right; the two "nodes" of Hollywood and the beach that outsiders tend to recognize in Los Angeles, and why people claim to live here even when they live thirty miles away; why cities actually build for the car aren't as often derided as "built for the car"; the hard-to-place unease we grew up with in the suburbs; his past producing museum audio tours, and how he would produce an audio tour of Los Angeles that navigates by subcultures; whether Los Angeles is too big, and what it means that we continually try to define and connect it all; what the Congress for the New Urbanism does, and how it addresses the way we once "carved out" our cities for parking lots and freeways; the Jetsonian vision of the future that carried us away after the Second World War; what Disneyland gets right about urbanism; the constant change that defines a living city, and San Francisco's unhappy experience trying to halt it; the Beverly Hills 90210 model of denser-than-suburbia living he found in Los Angeles; his weekly commute to the CNU in Chicago, and what he learns from living in these two quite different cities at once; how he'd like to see Los Angeles change in the next ten years; how Eric Brightwell's neighborhood maps surprise people, and what that means for neighborhood awareness; and the importance of "theming" urban places.

James Howard Kunstler believes that urban design will be the next big philosophical battle for the hearts and minds of Americans. One of the most important tasks we will face is determining the size, scale and shape of the 21st Century city. Kunstler says current cities are not scaled to the energy realities of the future. We must downscale, reform and de-automobilze our cities. Urban thinkers and urban planners will serve as our guides throughout that process. In this episode, Kunstler returns to the list of top 100 urban thinkers complied by Planetizen.com to discuss some of the top names on that list. People discussed on this program include: Christopher Alexander, Frederick Law Olmsted, Daniel Burnham, Lewis Mumford, Leon Krier, Le Corbusier, and Ian McHarg. Sponsor: GrinningPlanet.com

Planetizen, an urban planning website and book publisher, recently conducted a poll about the Top 100 Urban Thinkers. Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, made #1 on the list. Kunstler explains the story and importance of Jacobs. He also recollects interviewing her in 2000. Although at the time Jacobs was writing a book about the coming energy crisis, Dark Age Ahead, Kunstler said she didn't seem interested in talking about "Long Emergency" issues during their conversation. A listener caller tells us why he thinks Seasame Street is a good model for urbanism. Sponsor: GrinningPlanet.com

James Howard Kunstler says one reason why American cities are so dirty is because we do not have a firm agreement about how to treat the public realm in this country. He believes that people will literally trash a place that they don't like or respect. And a lot of American space is difficult to respect. While suburbia contains meticulously groomed private yards, the public highways are often lined with impressive amounts of trash on the shoulder. On a larger scale, many corporations treat the American landscape with a similar disregard. While Kunstler believes that large scale pollution from mega corporations may taper off with the cheap oil supply, he thinks local manufacturing in the future might reintroduce forms of pollution that haven't been seen in the U.S. for a while. Note: The voice of Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk appears in this episode, courtesy of Planetizen, publisher of The Story of Sprawl DVD. KunstlerCast listeners receive a $5 discount when purchasing this DVD by using the discount code FIESTA: http://www.planetizen.com/DVD SPONSOR: This week's sponsor is New Society Publishers, the leading publisher of Peak Oil thinkers such as Dmitry Orlov, Richard Heinberg, Sharon Astyk and Michael Ruppert. NewSociety.com

A listener asks James Howard Kunstler to react to the Feb. 9 fire that destroyed a Beijing building by Dutch starchitect Rem Koolhaas. Kunstler believes many famous architects, including Koolhaas, often strive to confound people in order to appear supernaturally brilliant. It's all in the service of grandiosity and narcissism, though. Rather than attempting to disturb our expectations, architects should strive to give us buildings that are neurologically comprehensible and that satisfy our need for cultural orientation. Kunstler also takes shots at a proposed skyscraper in Boston and the Southern Poverty Law Center. **Tim Halber, managing editor of Planetizen, responds in a listener comment to Duncan's recent comments about the failures of new urbanism.

In this special video podcast edition of the KunstlerCast you can watch and listen to the second half of a commentary track that James Howard Kunstler and Duncan Crary recorded for a soon-to-be-released DVD called The Story of Sprawl. The DVD is being produced by Planetizen.com. Kunstler and Crary comment on The City a 1939 film with a narrative written by the great 20th century generalist Lewis Mumford. In part 2 of the film Mumford pitches the idea for "green cities," but these green cities look an awful lot like suburbia. For information about this film and to watch a version without commentary, visit www.kunstlercast.com

This is the audio only version of KunstlerCast #35. There is a video podcast version of this episode as well.   In this special edition of the KunstlerCast, James Howard Kunstler and Duncan Crary recorded a commentary track for a soon-to-be-released DVD called The Story of Sprawl. The DVD is being produced by Planetizen.com. Kunstler and Crary comment on The City, a 1939 film with a narrative written by the great 20th century generalist Lewis Mumford. In part 1 of the film, Mumford provides a nostalgic view of rural small-town American life in contrast to life in the harsh industrial cities and among the towering skyscrapers of New York. Mumford urges viewers that we can build better environments to live in, especially for our children. But we know where that line of thinking led us to: suburbia.  To watch the video podcast or to watch the original film without commentary, visit www.KunstlerCast.com

In this special video podcast edition of the KunstlerCast you can watch and listen to a commentary track that James Howard Kunstler and Duncan Crary recorded for a soon-to-be-released DVD called The Story of Sprawl. The DVD is being produced by Planetizen.com. Kunstler and Crary comment on The City a 1939 film with a narrative written by the great 20th century generalist Lewis Mumford. In part 1 of the film, Mumford provides a nostalgic view of rural small-town American life in contrast to life in the harsh industrial cities and among the towering skyscrapers of New York. Mumford urges viewers that we can build better environments to live in, especially for our children. But we know where that line of thinking led us to: suburbia. For information about this film and to watch a version without commentary, visit www.kunstlercast.com

James Howard Kunstler takes questions on personal rapid transit, sustainable green buildings and the happy motoring program in America.  He also scolds us for us referring to ourselves as consumers. This show is the result of a special collaboration between The KunstlerCast and Planetizen, the online network for professional planners. (Info about program and theme music at KunstlerCast.com) Direct Download (7.1 MB): KunstlerCast_13.mp3

James Howard Kunstler is one of the most vocal critics of modern urban planning. So it's only fair that in this show Jim fields some questions from the professional planning community. First off, the planners want to know how Jim answers to critics who challenge him on his lack of professional credentials in the planning and architecture fields. Next, a planning professor wants to know: what is the most important thing that cities can do to most improve the quality of the built environment? This show is the result of a special collaboration between The KunstlerCast and Planetizen, the online network for professional planners. (Info about program and theme music at KunstlerCast.com) Direct Download (7.1 MB): KunstlerCast_09.mp3