Booked on Planning

 In a world where urban planning has often sidelined the needs and contributions of women, a groundbreaking book by Melissa and Chris Bruntlett sheds light on how women are transforming cities across the globe. Their book, "Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation," explores the impactful stories of female leaders in urban planning and how their unique perspectives are reshaping environments to be more inclusive and livable for everyone. 

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Wild Cities: Discovering New Ways of Living in the Modern Urban Jungle by Chris Fitch
  • Movement: New York's Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car by Nicole Gelinas
  • The Nature of our Cities: Harnessing the Power of the Natural World to Survive a Changing Planet – An Environmental Science Guide to Urban Resilience and Hope by Nadina Galle
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/ 

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In the realm of policymaking, the temptation to focus solely on logistics and economic outcomes often overshadows the human stories affected by these decisions. Ebony Walden's approach to drafting policies diverges from this norm by emphasizing a human-centered methodology. This perspective challenges us to consider not just what a policy aims to achieve, but how it affects the individuals it touches—a critical shift towards more empathetic and effective governance. These lessons are gleaned from Walden's travels to 17 countries in 8 months, the premise of her book Where I'm From: A Poetic Journey Across Five Continents and this conversation.

Show Notes:

• Further Watching:  
  • “13th” a documentary by Avery DuVernay on the 13th amendment: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5895028/; a follow up called “14th” will be coming out soon
  • Coded Bias, a documentary about bias in AI and other digital tools: https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/coded-bias/ 
  • Brook Warner’s “Green-Light Revolution,” a Ted Talk about green lighting yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a0w4KgWyP8 
• Ebony’s Website: https://ebonywalden.com/ 
• The Op Ed Project: https://www.theopedproject.org/ 
• Beyond Borders Substack: https://substack.com/profile/91407611-ebony-walden 
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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In an era dominated by debates over infrastructure and urban planning, Megan Kimble's book City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways offers a timely and thought-provoking examination of highway expansions in Texas and their wider implications. Highways were originally sold to the public as urban revitalization projects that would draw people back to city centers. Yet, as Kimble deftly explains, these projects have often resulted in the opposite effect—prompting congestion, dividing communities, and accelerating the suburban sprawl they once sought to curb. One of the most inspiring elements of City Limits is the reflection on local activism. Stories of grassroots movements challenging these vast projects underscore the power of community efforts in redefining urban landscapes.

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Break Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money by Zephyr Teachout 
  • Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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This discussion unveils how urban environments can be reimagined through an open-ended, adaptive lens that balances top-down and bottom-up approaches rather than picking one or the other as the way to support cities. Author Elena Porqueddu advocates in "Designing the Complex City: A Systemic Approach to Spatial Design" for a design methodology that fosters self-regeneration and adapts to the dynamic, unpredictable nature of urban environments. Unlike rigid master plans, this approach views cities as evolving entities where incremental design interventions catalyze positive change.

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Action, Property, and Beauty: Planning with and for Emergent Urban Complexity by Stefano Cozzolino and Stefano Moroni 
  • A Planners Encounter with Complexity by Gert De Roo and Elisabete A Silva 
  • A Critical Introduction to Planning Theory: Complexity, Institutions and Justice in Cities by Stefano Moroni 
  • Minding the City: Field Notes on Neuroscience and the Poetics of Sustainable Public Space by Harrison Fraker, Peter Siostrom, Atanaska Foteva
  • Becoming Places: Urbanism / Architecture / Identity / Power by Kim Dovey
  • Architecture and Embodiment: The Implications of the New Sciences and Humanities for Design by Dr Harry Francis Mallgrave 
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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In an engaging conversation with author Benjamin Schneider we explore transformative ideas in urban planning culminating from a wealth of recent literature in the field. His book, The Unfinished Metropolis: Igniting the City Building Revolution, is a compelling guide for emerging planners and those curious about the evolving nature of urban spaces. We touch on office to housing conversions, enlivening downtowns, a new industrial architecture, pre-emption and more as we grapple with how cities can revisit their roots of continuous growth and building. 

Show Notes:

• Further Reading:
  • All That Is Solid Melts into Air: The Experience of Modernity by Marshall Berman
  • The Decorated TenementsHow Immigrant Builders and Architects Transformed the Slum in the Gilded Age by Zachary J. Violette
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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This episode provides an exploration into the urban fabric beneath our feet—sidewalks. These concrete pathways, often overlooked, hold a tapestry of legal, social, and economic narratives as revealed in during the conversation with author Michael Pollack on his book "Sidewalk Nation: The Life and Law of America's Most Overlooked Resource." Pollack's research traverses various states—New York, Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana—to uncover both shared challenges and unique approaches in sidewalk management. Despite the diversity, the common thread remains the universal demand for high-quality sidewalk space and the limitations posed by existing legal and financial structures.

Show Notes:

• Further Reading:
  • Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar
  • Street Fight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution by Janette Sadik-Khan
  • Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck
  • Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure REinforces RAcial Inequality by Deborah Archer 
  • Segregation by Design: Local Politics and Inequity in American Cities by Jessica Trounstine
  • Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities by Veronica Davis
• Vital City oped mentioned in the episode: https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-department-of-sidewalks-agenda/ 
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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In Episode 109 of the Booked on Planning podcast, listeners are invited into a crucial conversation with Charles T. Brown, author of "Arrested Mobility: Overcoming the Threat to Black Movement." This dialogue dives deep into the systemic obstacles that restrict Black freedom of movement, providing a critical lens on how urban planning can either hinder or help create equitable communities. 

At the core of Brown's discussion is the concept of "arrested mobility" — a term he uses to describe the systemic restrictions placed on Black communities, impeding their ability to navigate spaces freely and safely. The conversation contextualizes how these restrictions aren't just about physical mobility, but also encompass social and economic mobility, propelled by historical and ongoing inequities. 

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities by Veronica Davis
  • Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
  • The Black Butterfly: The Harmful Politics of Race and Space in America by Dr. Lawrence T. Brown
  • Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America by Angie Schmidtt
  • Bicycle Race: Transportation, Culture, & Resistance by Adonia Lugo
  • Books by Robert Green: The 48 Laws of Power, The Laws of Human Nature, The Art of Subduction
• The Lessons of Hayti Documentary, The Pruitt Igoe Myth Documentary, anything from Pro Publica and Vice News 
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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Housing stability is a pressing concern for many communities, particularly during times when constructing new housing can be financially daunting. Lauren Everett emphasizes a straightforward solution in her book Fortunate People in a Fortunate Land: at home in Santa Monica’s rent-controlled housing. Rent control policies can be implemented at no cost, an approach that not only provides an immediate mechanism to stabilize housing but ensures fairness and sustainability. 

Show Notes:

• New York Times article on the New York City Rent Freeze mentioned in the episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/nyregion/nyc-rent-freeze-vote-mamdani.html 
• If you are looking for more evidence that rent-stabilized apartments don't have a higher instance of habitability issues than non-stabilized this report from NYC is a good resource.
• The NLIHC just came out with their national renter survey, which is really exciting. It has data on the percentage of renters who experience maintenance issues, who report them, who get them addressed, etc. 
• Further Reading: 
  • In Defence of Housing: The Politics of Crisis by David Madden and Peter Marcuse
  • Carving Out the Commons: Tenant Organizing and Housing Cooperatives in Washington, D.C. by Amanda Huron
  • Abolish Rent: How Tenants Can End the Housing Crisis by Tracey Rosenthal and Leonardo Vilchis
  • Against Landlords: How to Solve the Housing Crisis by Nick Bano
  • The Underserving Poor: America's Enduring Confrontation with Poverty: Fully Updated and Revised by Michael Katz
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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"Squirrel: How a Backyard Forager Shapes Our World" highlights the fascinating history and ecological importance of squirrels, revealing how these ubiquitous creatures play a vital role in our environments, both urban and rural. As the conversation continued, Castaldo explored the complicated human-squirrel relationship. While many admire squirrels for their agility and intelligence, others find them frustrating garden and bird feeder raiders. Castaldo emphasizes that this tension stems from squirrels being one of the few wild animals regularly interacting with humans, leading to mixed emotions about these neighborhood residents. Recognizing planners' critical role in shaping wildlife-friendly cities, Castaldo advocates for creating green corridors and connected natural spaces. These efforts are essential not only for squirrels but for entire ecological communities, ensuring both urban and natural environments thrive together. 

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Buildings that Breathe: Greening the World’s Cities by Nancy Castaldo
  • Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
  • Green Obsession: Trees Towards Cities, Humans Towards Forests by Stefano Boeri
  • Urban Ecology: Detroit and Beyond by Kyŏng Pak
  • Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb
• Learn more about the Central Park Squirrel Census at https://www.thesquirrelcensus.com/ 
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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In an era where stories of triumph and redemption often stem from unlikely beginnings, "The Lost and The Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second Chances" presents a poignant narrative that resonates deeply with its audience. Authored by Kevin Fagan, the tale unfolds with an exploration of the human spirit's indomitable will to find belonging and transformation amidst life's adversities. Homelessness, a multifaceted crisis affecting millions worldwide, forms the foundational backdrop of this narrative. In this episode we dive into the intricacies of life without a permanent home, shedding light on the societal factors that contribute to this pervasive issue.

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O'Connell's urgent mission to bring healing to homeless people by Tracey Kidder
  • Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
  • The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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