Vancouver continues to be the favorite city I've ever been to, largely due to what is arguably the best city park in North America: Stanley Park.

Plus, a non-sponsored holiday gift guide for urbanists, listed below.

We discuss:

00:00 Vancouver is the best.

00:49 The marvel of Stanley Park.

02:17 Density and nature.

03:19 Vancouver's natural setting.

07:20 Winter challenges and urban mobility.

08:09 Embracing weather with proper clothing.

10:08 Holiday gift guide and final thoughts.

For context:

On Stanley Park (via City of Vancouver).

Vancouver density map (via Census Mapper).

A NON-SPONSORED HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE FOR URBANISTS (short, to make it easier on you).

Walking boots — Blundstones.

Versatile down jacket — Patagonia (higher price), or LL Bean (lower cost).

Pocket-sized journal — Field Notes.

Layers + basics — Muji.

Cheap headphones that allow you to still hear your surroundings — basic-ass apple earpods.

Tote bag that zips — you choose.

Transit pass — from your local transit authority.

Bikeshare membership — from your local bikeshare.

Sam Balto — cofounder of Bike Bus World, and leader of the Portland Bike Bus — is back in good traffic for an updated chat on children’s mobility, the failure that is school carlines, and the paradox of prompting local-level progress via a national community.



We discuss:

00:00 Bike bus year in review.

01:19 The global bike bus community.

04:08 Bike commuting infrastructure for families.

07:02 Empowering children's independence and risky play.

11:19 Balancing local, national, and global advocacy.

33:08 White House invitation and future plans.

37:59 Wrapping up.




For context:

bikebus.world.

Connect with Sam:

On Instagram.

On TikTok.

Coby Lefkowitz is back in good traffic. Amidst leading Backyard in developing housing in Southern California (and tweeting up a pleasant storm), Coby has written a new book.

Building optimism is available now. We get into it, in this conversation.

We discuss:

00:00 Building Optimism: the new book.

02:12 The genesis of the book.

05:42 Challenges and realities of American urban development.

10:27 Historical inspirations and modern applications.

17:13 A younger generation of developers.

26:40 Civics and urban planning in U.S. education.

28:41 Balancing optimism with realism.

33:42 Bridging city and rural perspectives.

34:14 Common goals.

35:09 Understanding density and development.

44:47 The human element in development.

50:05 Balancing growth and community concerns.

55:13 The role of specialists and community members.

59:46 Broader participation in urban planning.

For context:

The book.

Backyard (Coby's development firm).⁠

Connect with Coby:

On Twitter.

Connect with me, Brad:

On Instagram.

On TikTok.

Thankful for you all. Pardon a slight deviation from our usual Tuesday release.

We discuss:

00:00 Thanksgiving and urbanism.

04:35 A journaling exercise.

10:01 Upcoming guests and episodes.

11:21 A note on black friday and parking minimums.

A sample journal exercise.

First, the point of gratitude, followed by a summarized root-cause analysis. Apologies for brevity, these were transcribed from my field notes.

Aly – got to know each other on walks, solve problems on walks, stay fit on walks, save money on walks, all of which are made possible by living in walkable pockets of American cities. also, even met on a dating app in Dallas, which exists/thrives because of a decline in serendipitous interactions and third-place prevalence.

Simple routines that define home – the walk to school in 45 minutes, through beautiful tree-covered brick streets lined with gorgeous architecture – to the grocery store, through goodale park – to coffee, any number of possible routes.

Urban nature, and small moments of natural respite – made possible via breaks in car-dominated infrastructure.

Bikes – only able to ride in effectively-designed places.

Travel to places like portland, boston, new york, and tempe – all made endlessly enjoyable due to their various brands of strong or emerging urbanism.

Sunrises + sunsets – only able to be experienced fully because I don’t have to sit in traffic anywhere close to the american average of 30-min one-way commutes.

Rich memories from formative times like high school and college – physical proximity and socialization. re: colleges, campuses are the largest collection of continuous car-free spaces we have in the U.S.

Gentle-density – the best photos, views, and future home aspirations.

Parents – started walking with me from a young age, which instilled autonomy; sense of direction, and forever fuels rich nostalgia.

My health (physical + mental) – walking powers this. Even when the gym gets notched out of a day, I always have long walks, because they are built into my commute + lifestyle. This is also where I breath, think, reflect, and ideate.

Quick hits re: the federal-level implications of the recent election on transportation, housing, and urbanism in the U.S.

No political post-mortems or predictions, but rather look at existing policies and their potential impacts. Surface level breakdown of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), detailing the combined $566 billion in federal transportation spending through 2026. Heading into Thanksgiving, we also stress the importance of communicating urbanism ideas effectively across political divides at the family gathering.

The episode concludes with a clip from Pete Buttigieg discussing road safety goals, in comparison to the aviation industry. It's a helpful framing.

We'll take a look at state and local-level implications, soon. That edition will be far more optimistic, as many local transit funding measures passed, across the country. Ran out of time, today.

We discuss:

00:00 On transportation and urbanism post-election.

03:14 Infrastructure act and federal funding.

08:19 CAFE standards and pollution metrics.

11:39 Transit-oriented development and housing.

21:07 Private sector progress in transportation, featuring Brightline and Waymo.

23:08 Optimism.

27:37 Coby Lefkowitz returns, next week.

For context:

Yonah Freemark's perfect election thread.

On the IIJA (via The White House).

On the IRA (via EESI).

On CAFE standards (via Reuters).

Waymo passes 150k weekly rides (via The Verge).

Aly's back, and with some recent perspective on third places. Particularly, their significance in expanding our sense of home beyond four walls. We talk devised theatre, childhood restaurants, the power of nostalgia, and how to bring up urbanism at thanksgiving dinner.

We discuss:

00:00 Aly's back.

02:54 Urbanism and nostalgia.

05:20 On third places.

13:35 Defining routine via walking routes.

21:45 The shared value of third places.

29:09 Final thoughts.

Mallory Baches returns for a conversation on the highlights of the 2024 CNU congress in Cincinnati, where restorative urbanism and connected communities policy were focal points. We talk the CNU transect and its application in urban planning, emphasizing the importance of landscape architecture. We also examine the challenges of branding and public perception of new urbanism. The chat finishes with reflections on Providence and Pittsburgh, and positive changes along their urban riverfronts.

We discuss:

00:00 Recapping the CNU congress in Cincinnati.

03:29 Highlights from the congress.

09:28 Upcoming congress in Providence, Rhode Island.

16:36 Landscape architecture X urbanism.

36:59 New urbanism X faux urbanism.

50:00 On Pittsburgh.

54:18 Wrapping up.

For context:

The rural-to-urban transect.

Connecting with Mallory:

Connecting with me, Brad:

Sophia Mohr — Chief Innovation and Technology Officer at the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) — is in good traffic this week ahead of a big vote on November 5. Issue 47 is on the local ballot in Columbus, Ohio — which will help bring BRT to life in the region. We elaborate on the technological advancements ahead, such as traffic signal prioritization, digital payment solutions, and customer experience enhancements. Sophia reiterates the critical role of expanded public and active transit in supporting the region's rapid growth. Public perception and engagement strategies are included.

Apologies for any audio imperfections; we expedited this edition to allow for maximum listening time before election day.

We discuss:

00:00 Sophia’s background and role at COTA.

02:09 Current transportation initiatives in Columbus.

03:55 Future transit plans and challenges.

07:19 Issue 47 and its implications.


12:26 Learning from the likes of Portland, Indianapolis, and Richmond.

18:22 Tech in public transit.

22:03 Public perception and community involvement.

26:08 Wrapping up.

For context:


More on LinkUS and Issue 47 in Columbus, Ohio.

cota.com


Connect with me, Brad:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On Instagram.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On TikTok⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On LinkedIn⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jerome Horne — transit advocate and communications executive — is in good traffic to talk buses, better transit advocacy, and Baltimore (among other places).

We discuss:

00:00 Choosing cities for transit advocacy.

02:36 Career transition to public transportation.

09:37 On community building.

17:36 Youth engagement in urban planning.

21:35 Strategies for promoting bus usage.

23:36 Improving bus systems and user experience.

24:52 Transit bar crawls.

27:13 Comparing transit systems across American cities.

31:45 Infrastructure failures.

34:09 Favorite commute experiences.

Connect with Jerome:

⁠On Instagram.⁠

⁠On LinkedIn.⁠

Connect with me, Brad:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On Instagram.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On TikTok⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On LinkedIn⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Urbanization is a forgone conclusion. Yet, we still hear remnants of the old, more rural American dream being presented as American cultural taste. But, even in our most rural states (like Texas), the vast majority of folks reside in cities. Economic productivity and impact follow suit.

People vote with their feet, and taste/preference account for more than aesthetics. The 'shithole' city narrative is extraordinarily uncomprehensive, and an over-squeezed political talking point.

This is why investing in transportation infrastructure and systems in our great cities should be seen as a state and national priority, as well as local.

We discuss:

00:00 Urbanization trends.

01:57 Election season and sociological implications.

03:33 The American dream.

06:52 Cognitive dissonance in preferences.

09:13 Texas as a case study.

12:26 Urban growth in Ohio.

13:33 On American urbanism.

15:04 The historic value of cities and what they provide.

16:13 Public opinion on in-person work.

17:05 Innovation through collaboration.

18:59 Economic contributions of cities.

19:15 Wrapping up.