Four Degrees to the Streets

Thank you to all of our listeners for a great season 4! In this bonus episode, Nimo and Jas recap the season, memorable moments, special guests, and our accomplishments over the last four years. We’ve reached over 10,000 total downloads, 27 countries, and over 6,000 unique listeners. The Podcast will be back with new episodes for season 5 in Fall 2024.

News for next season: Nimo will be taking a break. However, Jas will continue to host Season 5. 

Thank you for listening and tune in every other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on X and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

It's difficult to argue Tyler Perry's influence in the entertainment industry and Black media. Twenty-four feature films, 20 stage plays, 17 television shows, and two New York Times bestselling books. In this episode, Nimo and Jas uncover the impact of Tyler Perry Studios (TPS) and the physical footprint implications in Atlanta. TPS opened its 330 acres in 2019 after purchasing land that was the former Fort McPherson military base. Press play to hear: 

• History of Fort McPherson and Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) that led to closing multiple bases across the country
• Examples of other military base redevelopments, consistent themes, and community concerns
• A review of the benefits and consequences of Tyler Perry Studios over the past five years 

Thank you for a great Season Four! Episodes will return in Fall 2024.  

Thank you for listening and tune in every other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on X and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources

The effect of film production studios on housing prices in Atlanta, the Hollywood of the South

Oakland City Fort Mac 

Fort McPherson Draft Master Plan 2021 

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 

Once feared, redevelopment of Myrtle Beach Air Force Base has been resounding success

Governor Murphy and Netflix Announce Plans to Build State-of-the-Art East Coast Production Facility at Fort Monmouth

Netflix moving ahead with plan to build N.J. mega studio

'Hollywood of the South:' After a decade, industry leaders succeed in making Atlanta a hub for filmmakers of color

Tyler Perry on Building an Entertainment Empire in Atlanta - BNN Bloomberg

Nina Simone sang, "To be young, gifted, and Black." For today's episode, we'll add one more: to be young, gifted, Black, and a planner! Nimo and Jas sat down with Kamau As-Salaam, the Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning for Henry County, Georgia, part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, where the population is expected to increase by 1.8 million by 2050. Kamau participated in and facilitated Henry County's 2045 Comprehensive Plan, zoning code updates, housing affordability measures, and diversification of Henry County's housing stock. Kamau has a bachelor's degree in History with a minor in Geography from Tennessee State University and a master's degree in City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Press play to hear: 

• Unique challenges and solutions when working at the county level with competing growth priorities
• Kamau's motivation for working in the planning field and local government experience
• Navigating the industry as a Black male planner and recommendations for diversifying future generations of planners 
• Planning hot takes in 30 seconds or less

Questions for Kamau? Send him an email: [email protected]

Thank you for listening. Tune in every other Tuesday, when Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on X and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Announcements

Smart Growth America's Equity Summit is March 27-28. Nimo will moderate the panel: "Building momentum: Lessons from frontline advocates & government leaders"

Stay tuned for APA Women Entrepreneurs in Urban Planning March 14 recording featuring Jas and fellow women entrepreneurs

You may remember our first in-person episode, “Where The Money Reside,” from Season 1. In it, we explained the budgeting process in local governments and briefly mentioned examples of how cities can incorporate equity into the budget process. Today, we’re following up with a deeper dive into budget equity as a tool to address historic and present inequalities throughout programs and plans that lead to effective change and implementation. PolicyLink’s Equity Manifesto defines equity as just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Press play to hear:

• An overview of budget equity best practices and how to use it
• Explanations of how six cities across the country used a budget equity tool: Dallas, Seattle, Nashville, Tacoma, Portland, New York City

Thank you for listening and tune in every other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on X and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Where to find us this month:

March 14:  Women Entrepreneurs in Urban Planning - Zoom (American Planning Association Women and Planning Division)

March 28: Smart Growth America Equity Summit - In-Person

Resources:

Where The Money Reside (S1E8): Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Instagram Visuals

Los Angeles Budget Review: How-to video

The Equity Manifesto | PolicyLink

Dallas: Big Audacious Goals

Dallas Equity Indicators Report

Dallas Racial Equity Plan 

Dallas 2022-2023 Budget 

Dallas Equity Dashboard + Equity Budget Allocations   

Seattle Racial Equity Toolkit

Nashville Budget Equity Tool

Tacoma 2025

Tacoma Participatory Budgeting

Tacoma Equity and Human Rights

Portland Bureau Racial Equity Plans

Portland Budget Equity Assessment Tool

Portland Budget Equity Resolution

NYC Parks Framework for an Equitable Future 2014

Happy Black History Month! This week, we have a special guest, Ross Murph, aka MORFBOSS, a professional genealogist born in New York with Southern roots. He uses his research to uplift people and uncover overlooked parts of history. Ross shares examples from Los Angeles, CA, and Washington, DC, to tell the history of Black and Latino land loss. According to the American Bar Association, as an example, by 1997, Black farmers lost more than 90 percent of the 16 million acres they owned in 1910. This massive decline was possible through white privilege, power, and influence with local government officials to exploit laws. This presents itself in urban planning and real estate through government misuse of eminent domain, compensation below market value, discriminatory tax assessments, and coordinated discrimination. Press play to hear: 

• Nimo & Jas share personal stories of ancestry and land ownership  
• Arlington Freedman’s Village (now Arlington National Cemetery) and its history of slavery and emancipation
• Land loss related to Pio Pico, the last governor of Alta California under Mexican rule

Learn more from Ross and follow him @morfboss on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

Thank you for listening and tune in every other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on X and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources

Property Rights: The Neglected Theme of 20th-Century American Planning

Property Rights in American History - Hillsdale College

Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities (Book)

Taking on State Law in Defense of Family Farms - The Piedmont Environmental Council

Freedman's Village - Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)

Whose Land? Claims at Arlington Estate - Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)

John Bryce Syphax 

Freedman's Village

Vast Swaths of Southern California Once Belonged to Pío Pico

Pilar (Bernal) Pico will regarding land (Newspaper Article)

The podcast often discusses how human activity and policies impact the natural and built environment. In today’s episode, Nimo and Jas share vital tools and resources to help you understand the environmental condition of your community and how to use the tools to make decisions in your personal life. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, is the source for most of the tools below. EPA's mission is to protect human health and the environment by ensuring clean air, land, and water with federal regulations. Press play to hear: 

• Walk Score: An online tool that allows you to determine the pedestrian, biker, and transit user accessibility of a location.
• EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator: Helps you calculate your home or small business carbon footprint and identify ways to reduce it.
• CoolClimate Maps: An analysis of household carbon profiles for each zip code, city, county, and state.
• EPA Environmental Justice (EJ) Screen: A mapping tool that helps identify areas where residents may be disproportionately affected by environmental pollution.
• EPA How’s My Waterway?: Interactive data/mapping about the condition of local waters based on federal, state, and local government reporting

Thank you for listening and tune in every other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on X and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources

Walk Score

EJScreen Tool

What is EJScreen? | US EPA

Carbon Footprint Calculator | Climate Change | US EPA

Simplified GHG Emissions Calculator | US EPA

CoolClimate Maps

The Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour was more than ticket sales, metallic outfits, horses in outer space, and a showcase of a timeless album. In this special in-person episode, Nimo and Jas discuss the tour's impact on urban planning and local economies. The Renaissance World Tour influenced ten countries, with 56 shows in total. As the highest-grossing tour for any female artist and the highest ever of any artist per show, averaging $10.3 million per show. The New York Times estimated the tour generated $4.5 billion dollars for the US economy. As our listeners know, places and spaces don’t come together without resources. Press play to hear: 

• A closer look at a few cities and their transportation plans for the concert, including Santa Clara, DC, and Houston, to accommodate the influx of visitors
• The importance of addressing urban design and providing safe and equitable transit options for all riders during events
• An Urban Planning Renaissance: Recommendations for planners and policymakers based on the economic impact of Beyoncé's concerts on local economies and the direction of the field in 2024

You can watch this full episode on our YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe!  

Thank you for listening and tune in every other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on X and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources:

Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour Has 'Inconsistent' Hotel Impact From Market to Market

Hotel performance standouts during Beyonce’s world tour | STR 

Beyoncé's "Renaissance World Tour" nears Olympic success with its multibillion-dollar impact on the US economy 

Beyonce at Levi's Stadium: VTA, BART, Caltrain to have extra service - CBS San Francisco

Metrorail Ridership Summary | WMATA

Who Rides Public Transportation

Transit Score Methodology

The Beyoncé Bump

African American Women in the U.S. Economy 

Who is driving Black business growth? Insights from the latest data on Black-owned businesses | Brookings

Black Women Entrepreneurs: Growth and Headwinds | J.P. Morgan

AI and Cities

U.S. DOT Equity Action Plan - January 2022

How old were you when you discovered urban planning? Maybe it was listening to our podcast, attending a community meeting for a proposed development change, or a class you took in school. In today’s episode, Nimo and Jas interview Mr. Kevin Miles, a dynamic teacher and DEI facilitator based in Dallas, Texas. By using the Urban Land Institute’s UrbanPlan curriculum, press play to hear how he cultivated a five-year education path for 8th-12th grade students at Dallas Townview School of Business and Management.

Mr. Miles's lifelong mission is to establish a National Career and Technology Student Leadership Organization (CTSO) and a “feeder pattern” of skilled and diverse Student Leaders to positively impact the future of the built environment that includes the cultural needs of a place, rather than an outdated pipeline model.

In addition to teaching, Mr. Miles serves as the Director of External Relations for Townview School of Business and Management. He is also Chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Dallas Fort Worth Pathways to Inclusion (PTI) Committee and works closely with National ULI’s DEI team to help promote and develop PTI and BIPOC members.

Questions for Kevin Miles? Send him an email at [email protected] or connect with him on LinkedIn.

To volunteer or add UrbanPlan to your school, contact [email protected].

Thank you for listening and tune in every other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on X and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Happy New Year! In this special joint episode, the Four Degrees to the Streets and Urban Planning is Not Boring podcasts come together to discuss Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). Hosts Nimo, Jas, Sam, and Nat use their expertise and experience living in TODs as a backdrop to give a coast-to-coast perspective on this complex subject. Press play to hear:

• TOD defined as a mixed-use community that encourages people to live near transit services and decrease their dependence on driving and its key components and history
• Examples of TOD programs including BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), NJ Transit, the City of Chicago's ETOD (equitable transit-oriented development) plan, and the Federal Transit Administration TOD Pilot Program
• Considerations for the future of TOD 

Learn more about Urban Planning is Not Boring, the podcast that explores the fascinating world of urban planning, at urbanplanningisnotboring.squarespace.com and follow on social media @urbanplanningisnotboring.

Thank you for listening and tune in every other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on X and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources

Histories of Transit-Oriented Development: Perspectives on the Development of the TOD Concept

BART TOD 

Millbrae BART TOD

Elevated Chicago

ETOD | Equitable Transit-Oriented Development

Pennrose Gives Back to Veterans Through Housing

Dover officials open new 70-unit affordable family and veterans housing in downtown

FTA FY 2023 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development

TOD Planning Study (2015-2021) Projects

In this episode of the Four Degrees to the Streets podcast, hosts Nimo and Jas interview Natasha Dowell, a Loan Officer at a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) located in the Southeast US. Natasha has over a decade of public health experience and is passionate about bringing to life community development projects that advance health equity. Her public health experience covers a wide range including behavioral health, nutritional and physical fitness, maternal and child health, and foodborne outbreaks. Natasha brings her planning and public health training as a lender for a variety of projects, including charter schools and affordable housing developments.

Press play to hear:

• Natasha’s background and career path as well as what community development means to her and why it is critical for Black people in the US
• The intersection of public health and the planned + built environment that results in increased access or lack of opportunities
• The lifecycle of a CDFI project and how an organization makes final decisions. She also shares her hot takes on the biggest problems facing cities and potential solutions

This episode provides valuable insights into community development and the role of CDFIs in urban planning. Natasha's experience and expertise make this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in community development and urban planning. Feel free to visit the CDFI 101 Toolkit to learn more about the industry.

Thank you for listening and tune in every other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on X and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | What makes a long life?