What does it take to redesign a deadly street — and who stands in the way? In this season finale of Cities in Motion, we sit down with Ben Wolf, director of Changing Lanes, a new documentary following the grassroots battle to transform McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn after a hit-and-run tragedy sparked a community to act. From local politics to protected bike lanes, it's a story about democracy at street level.

Watch the trailer at changinglanesdoc.com and subscribe so you don't miss Season 3 — returning October 2nd.

Since 1997, Austin's Yellow Bike Project has been turning donated and discarded bicycles into transportation, independence, and community for thousands of Central Texans. Run entirely by volunteers operating as a consensus-based collective, the nonprofit teaches anyone who walks through their Webberville Road shop how to fix their own bike — no repair experience required.

In this episode, I talk with Marcelina Gray, Yellow Bike Project's Communications and Outreach Director, about how the shop's Earn-a-Bike and Get a Free Bike programs work, how they partner with organizations like Caritas, Integral Care, and Refugee Services to get bikes to people who need them most, and why bike access matters in a city where car dependency shapes so much of daily life. We also get into what it takes to run a nonprofit by full volunteer consensus, and what almost three decades of community bike work has taught the organization about Austin itself.

Englewood, Colorado hadn't let residents vote for their own mayor in nearly 50 years. Then a small group of volunteers changed that — with no staff, no budget, and a whole lot of community organizing.

Noah Kaplan, founder of Vibrant Englewood, sits down with Cities in Motion to share how a grassroots 501(c)(4) became one of the most influential civic voices in a city where local elections rarely make the news.

From publishing the only voter guide in town to restructuring community meetings so anyone could show up — this is the blueprint for what people-powered local democracy actually looks like.

If you've ever felt like local government doesn't listen — this episode will change how you think about getting involved.

🎙️ Guest: Noah Kaplan | Vibrant Englewood
🌐 vibrantenglewood.org
📍 Englewood, Colorado

What if suburbia didn't have to be a dead end? Diane Alisa Tuft, author of A Love Letter to Suburbia: How to Restore the American Village, joins Cities in Motion to make the case that the sprawling, car-dependent neighborhoods most Americans call home don't have to stay that way.

Diane's book is part personal reflection, part urbanist manifesto — exploring how car dependency, corporate consolidation, and the erosion of community have hollowed out the American Dream. But rather than simply critiquing suburban sprawl, she offers a concrete vision: the "American Village," a walkable, community-centered model built from the infrastructure we already have.

Who decides how our streets are built — and who gets left out? In the Season 2 finale of Cities in Motion, filmmaker Ben Wolf joins us to discuss Changing Lanes, his debut documentary about the political and community fight to redesign Brooklyn's notoriously dangerous McGuinness Boulevard. Featuring voices from urban planners, activists, David Byrne, and Janette Sadik-Khan, the film is a must-watch for anyone who cares about cities.

See the trailer and learn more at changinglanesdoc.com. Cities in Motion returns October 2nd.

Who decides how our streets are built — and who gets left out? In the Season 2 finale of Cities in Motion, filmmaker Ben Wolf joins us to discuss Changing Lanes, his debut documentary about the political and community fight to redesign Brooklyn's notoriously dangerous McGuinness Boulevard. Featuring voices from urban planners, activists, David Byrne, and Janette Sadik-Khan, the film is a must-watch for anyone who cares about cities.

See the trailer and learn more at changinglanesdoc.com. Cities in Motion returns October 2nd.

Sara Lind, co-executive director of Open Plans, joins the show to talk about what it actually takes to redesign New York City's streets around people instead of cars. From the near-miss with a car while pushing her son in a stroller that sparked her advocacy, to running for city council, to leading one of NYC's most active livable streets organizations, Sara brings both personal urgency and policy depth to the conversation.

We dig into the state of NYC's bike infrastructure — why a connected network of protected lanes matters more than any single lane — and what congestion pricing has meant for traffic, emissions, and everyday life in Manhattan. Sara also shares Open Plans' work on bike busses and school streets, the ongoing battle over sidewalk trash containerization, and why she thinks more urbanists should consider running for office.

NOTE: I apologize for the audio, I had some new LAV mics and the sensitivity was too high.

San Antonio is one of the largest cities in the U.S. without a rail transit system — but a growing coalition wants to change that. San Antonians for Rail Transit (SART) joins Cities in Motion to talk about what a rail future could look like for the Alamo City, why the political and demographic conditions may finally be aligning, and how grassroots advocacy is building the pressure needed to make it happen.

SART Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/railforsanantonio/

SART Website

What does it take to plan a city that actually works for people? I go on a tour with Prof. Sarah Serpas of the UTSA Department of Planning to explore how the next generation of planners is being trained — and what that means for the future of San Antonio and beyond.

UTSA Urband and Regional Planning Department

https://www.instagram.com/utsa_urbanplanning/

What if your neighborhood was designed around people and not cars?

Brett "Hans" McMurdy joins the show to unpack the Car-Free Community Trust model: a bold approach to urban living that combines cohousing, coworking, and car-free design into intentional communities built on renovated urban properties. We explore how CFCTs tackle affordability, sustainability, and community wealth-building—and why ditching the car might be the key to reimagining how we live together.

Substack

https://carfreecommunities.substack.com/p/what-is-a-cfct-how-a-car-free-community?utm_medium=web

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/car_free_community_trust/