Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share good traffic.
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
good traffic.
good traffic. episodes
- 31 / Scalable development patterns vs. personal lifestyle choices, & a weekend in SLC.
This week, we briefly touch base on three prevailing sentiments, from recent comment sections:
- There is a massive difference between a personal lifestyle choice, and a scalable development pattern.
- Folks seem to think the only kind of real estate or housing that one can buy is a detached, single-family home on a large lot. Of course, this is not true.
- "Not everyone wants to live in a city!" Yes, correct. Just as not everyone wants to live in any specific place. Yet, more people live in cities than anywhere else (>80% of the U.S. population (via Census.gov, UMich)). We need to plan, design, and build accordingly.
We also reflect on a weekend trip spent walking Salt Lake City neighborhoods, and observing positive infrastructure improvements amidst a sprawling metro.
One note: in this episode, we referenced episode 29, in conjunction with recent comment sections. We meant episode 28. Catch up on that audio here.
For context:
On Salt Lake City bike infrastructure improvements (via The Salt Lake Tribune).
A new SLC bus stop + buffered bike lane, approaching an intersection.
A protected intersection, in downtown Salt Lake City.
A UTA train pic (underrated, and greatly enjoyed).
Connecting with me, Brad:
On Instagram.
On TikTok.
On LinkedIn.
30 min - 30 / Getting the U.S. back on its feet / with walkability expert Dan Burden
Dan Burden — America’s most legendary walkability and bikeability expert, and director of innovation at Blue Zones — is in good traffic to share a lifetime’s worth of work on making cities and streets more livable. He’s played a role in walkable design projects in thousands of communities, in all 50 states.
Dan is also the mastermind behind the 4,300 mile long TransAmerica bike route, and leader of the famous bike journey from Alaska to Argentina.
We discuss:
00:00 Dan Burden is in good traffic.
00:45 Dan’s first autonomous vehicle (Waymo) ride.
04:06 Biking into a career in urban planning and design.
13:35 Getting tapped to be the nation’s first bike and pedestrian coordinator… in Florida.
18:50 Walkability gaining momentum in American cities.
36:33 The three stages of cultural bike adoption.
37:38 Maintaining optimism throughout a long career in city planning.
43:37 Planning for the future of urban transportation.
52:35 Navigating political and social landscapes in city building.
01:00:37 Urban planners are storytellers.
01:12:22 Reflecting on a 50+ year career.
For content:
Biking across the U.S., thanks to Dan.
Dan’s work archive.
Blue Zones.
Connecting with Dan:
On LinkedIn.
Connecting with me, Brad:
On Instagram.
On TikTok.
On LinkedIn.
1 hr 18 min - 29 / A Texas-sized mistake: highway expansion in Austin (& other lone star cities) / with author Megan Kimble
Megan Kimble — Journalist and author of new book City Limits: infrastructure, inequality, and the future of American highways — is in good traffic to discuss the most infamous part of our cities. Megan contextualizes the current fight over the widening of I-35 through downtown Austin, navigating a freeway-crazed Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), and extensive research into the relationships between American cities and their highways. We talk the history, present struggles, and future ramifications of investing in auto-centric infrastructure.
Megan’s new book is out today, April 2nd, wherever you buy your books.
We discuss:
00:00 Megan Kimble is in good traffic.
01:34 Urbanist origin story: Tucson to Austin.
03:24 Texas' current highway expansion fights (in Austin, Dallas, and Houston).
05:08 I-35 expansion in Austin.
08:33 Funding transit vs. highways in Texas.
11:31 Grassroots movements and state decisions.
17:56 The case for removing urban highways.
19:41 Model highway removal projects in Rochester, New York.
27:09 More on Tucson urbanism.
29:55 The racial context of American highways.
35:49 A walkable collegiate commute in Tucson.
37:34 Where to find Megan’s new book.
For context:
Megan’s book — City Limits: infrastructure, inequality, and the future of American highways — out now.
On Austin’s current I-35 challenge.
Connect with Megan:
On Twitter.
On Instagram.
Connecting with me, Brad:
On Instagram.
On TikTok.
On LinkedIn.
38 min - 28 / Suburban subcategories, rural & urban common ground, & conservative urbanists.
Using the word suburb to describe both small towns and endless sprawl seems like a mistake. Small towns — even when on the periphery of a larger city — sometimes do gentle density even better than cities do. Sprawl is the beast that we are up against.
We also touch on the misconception that cities and growth are bad for the environment, and why the rural v. urban debate is a false polarization. A common enemy is involved.
We round out this week’s good traffic by listening to republican governor of North Dakota (recently flirted with as a potential Trump VP pick) Doug Burgum’s recent comments on zoning and walkability at the National Governors Association winter meetings. Many other (perhaps unsuspecting) political figures have shared similar sentiments, as of late. The short of it: republicans and conservatives have plenty of reasons to support walkability and urbanism, too.
00:00 The subcategories of suburbs: small towns and sprawl.
09:30 The false tension between rural and city, and why we may be on the same page.
15:28 Walkability is bipartisan; republican leaders are in favor.
For context:
Doug Burgum on walkability (via National Governers Association).
How much does a mile of road cost? (via Strong Towns).
The cost of sprawl in U.S., summarized (via California YIMBY).
Kansas City’s outsized land area growth, as compared to population growth, in the mid-1900s (via Strong Towns).
30 min - 27 / Your next minivan might be a bike / with @cargobikemomma Maddy Novich
Maddy Novich — @cargobikemomma on Instagram — is in good traffic this week to talk raising and transporting a family by bike. Maddy moves throughout New York City daily via one of her many cargo bikes. We discuss the relationship between parenting and car-reliance in the U.S., and how parents can begin replacing car trips with bike trips sooner than they might think.
In the episode, you might just find your next minivan. Hint: it's not a Honda Oddessey.
We discuss:
00:00 Meeting Maddy, @cargobikemomma.
02:01 How and why Maddy's family started biking everywhere.
06:03 How to gain confidence on a cargo bike or e-bike.
11:21 Cargo biking in different American cities.
14:54 The deeply-rooted relationship between parenting and cars.
27:25 Biking inspires independence, autonomy, and self-sufficiency in children.
29:22 Biking with kids in New York City.
33:08 How parents benefit from their kids biking.
34:46 Preventing e-bike theft using routine activity theory.
43:09 Bike and cargo bike recommendations.
48:58 Wrapping up.
For context:
On routine activity theory (via Simply Psychology).
Different styles of cargo bikes (via Momentum Mag).
Connecting with Maddy:
On Instagram, @cargobikemomma.
Maddy's newsletter.
Connecting with me, Brad:
On Instagram.
On TikTok.
On LinkedIn.
54 min - 26 / Leading one of the most underrated cities in the U.S. / with Tempe Mayor Corey Woods
Corey Woods — Mayor of Tempe, Arizona — is in good traffic while leading a walkable, healthy, and multi-generational college town, suburb, and rapidly-growing city, all at the same time.
We converse on the beauties and challenges of density, tourism, and different forms of transportation in one of the United States’ most underrated cities. Notably, we touch on Prop 478, which is on the table (in March 2024) to positively amend the Tempe General Plan 2050 to empower needed real estate development and more multimodal transportation (bikes, light rail, streetcar, etc.).
We discuss:
00:00 How one becomes a mayor.
04:25 Why Tempe, Arizona?
07:42 Working alongside a university and college campus to plan a walkable city or town.
09:24 Growth and longevity of a city, and understanding differing viewpoints on change.
12:36 On Prop 478 and the Tempe General Plan 2050.
21:47 Urbanism and walkability in Tempe.
27:11 Planning for the seasonality of a college town.
30:48 Regional collaboration for transportation and development in Phoenix.
33:57 Balancing tourism and resident needs.
36:00 Mayor Woods loves kombucha.
36:43 Tourism’s role in economic development.
40:13 A mayor's day-to-day.
45:30 Widening the urban planning and urban design community.
53:49 Wrapping up.
For context:
On Prop 478, and the Tempe General Plan 2050.
Mayor Woods’ re-election campaign.
Connecting with Mayor Corey Woods:
On Instagram.
On X.
Connecting with me, Brad:
On Instagram.
On TikTok.
On LinkedIn.
55 min - 25 / Cults and communes are good at walkability.
Interest in cults is extremely high, at the moment; Americans' Netflix and podcast queues suggest as much. Why are these notorious communities always so walkable and human-centered in their designs? Can we create community-oriented places without another, separate shared purpose?
Aly Marchant - actor, teacher, and my thought-provoking girlfriend - is back in good traffic for a conversation on the cultural zeitgeist. Even Oppenheimer gets a mention on this urban design show.
28 min - 24 / Branding a New Urbanism / with CNU president Mallory Baches
Mallory Baches — President of the Congress for the New Urbanism (or, CNU), and urban designer — is in good traffic to hash out the details of the New Urbanism movement, and the overall progression of urban design, urban planning, and urban development in the U.S.
We discuss:00:00 On Mallory, and the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU).04:10 How have urbanism and urban development evolved in the U.S.?04:43 What is a “congress” for urbanism?06:06 A background on new urbanism.08:36 The history and criticism of the New Urbanist movement, and of urban planning movements as a whole.15:53 On transit-oriented development, and density, in the U.S.21:06 Southern urbanism: walkable cities in the Sun Belt and American south.29:12 Selecting cities for an urban planning and design conference.34:15 A commute into Chicago.A couple of quotes:“Sprawl is continuing. And so 30 years later, [CNU’s] mission to reverse that trend is still as important as ever.”“We call ourselves a Congress and we talk about intentionally being based on the idea of debate, exploration, and critique where necessary. That sort of approach to understanding cities is fundamentally evolutionary in nature.“The idea of connecting transit with new development — transit-oriented development, transit-accessible development — there are a lot of acronyms, a lot of ways to describe the idea of designing your mass transportation systems and your higher intensity development to happen in conjunction with each other.”For context:On New Urbanism.On CNU (the organization).On CNU 32 in Cincinnati, Ohio (the annual conference).Connecting with Mallory:On LinkedIn.On Twitter.Connecting with me, Brad:On Instagram.On TikTok.On LinkedIn.41 min - 23 / Should we be building places for residents or visitors?
A Columbus Dispatch article recently came out discussing why suburbanites aren't visiting the mixed-use Short North neighborhood as often. It prompts the question: should we be depending on suburban residents for the success of our city neighborhoods (especially when they have to drive there)? Or, should we be recalibrating the conversation around density and increased residency in/around these neighborhoods?
In this vein, we touch on Minneapolis' recent progress (via Pew) in deploying the urbanism playbook. A hint: they're doing a great job.
Connecting with me, Brad:
On Instagram.
On TikTok.
On LinkedIn.
24 min - 22 / Financial freedom from cars / with Mr. Money Mustache
Mr. Money Mustache — a leading voice on financial freedom, prolific writer, and conscious craftsman — is in good traffic to survey the impractical costs of cars, ways to cut down on unnecessary expenses, and how to create more environmentally friendly, livable urban spaces. MMM actionably advocates for forging a lifestyle that centers essentials, better transportation options like biking and walking, and conscious choices toward lowering waste.
We discuss:
00:00 At the intersection of personal finance and urban design.
05:45 The personal finance of our transportation choices.
11:17 Frugality in today's economic climate.
14:48 The role of government in urban planning.
20:56 Individual and community financial responsibility.
27:02 Passive housing and sustainable building.
33:47 Incentivizing transportation choices.
35:39 The cost of car dependency and the freedom of bikes.
45:33 Embracing localized living.
48:55 Walking commutes and the luxury of time.
Connecting with MMM:
The blog.
On Instagram.
On Twitter.
Connecting with me, Brad:
On Instagram.
On TikTok.
On LinkedIn.
51 min
About good traffic.
From the publisher's feed
A workshop for American urban design + urban planning. Join a prolific collective of neighborhood staples as we look to better brand American urbanism.
New conversations, each week.
More shows like good traffic.
The Strong Towns Podcast
415 Listeners
Up First from NPR
56,397 Listeners
Upzoned
159 Listeners
The War on Cars
925 Listeners
Active Towns
34 Listeners
The Urbanist Agenda
176 Listeners
Look Both Ways with David & Wes
15 Listeners