good traffic.

Diana Lind — founder & author of The New Urban Order newsletter — joins us to discuss her extensive career writing on urban planning, zoning, and American housing policy. She talks about the evolution of urbanism and architecture media, and how it has shaped public discourse surrounding growth, housing crises, and city development. The conversation reaches into her book Brave New Home, where she tackles alternatives to single-family zoning and the social implications of various housing models.

We get into the specifics of a few recently published newsletters.

We discuss:

00:00 The journey into writing about urban planning.

03:50 On the housing crisis.

05:48 The New Urban Order and writing on Substack.

07:37 The American context in urban planning.

10:41 Montana's housing reforms.

19:39 The role of language in urban policy.

21:26 Writing for different audiences.

25:45 Challenges in writing about housing.

28:49 Federal lands and housing solutions.

30:33 Challenges of single family zoning.

34:56 Alternative housing development models.

39:41 Government property conversions.

46:54 The appeal of Philadelphia.

52:46 The New Urban Order newsletter.

54:32 Favorite commute and final thoughts.

For context:

On converting public lands to housing (the referenced newsletter).

On Montana's sweeping housing reform (via Sightline Institute).

Connect with Diana:

www.dianalind.com.

The newsletter - The New Urban Order.

On LinkedIn.

This week, we survey intricacies and discrepancies in driver and pedestrian safety data. Intermixed are a few recent anecdotes and observations from a week in New York City spent exploring with landscape architects, developers, and friends alike. 

It's always a reinvigorating trip for a pedestrian and transit-adorer; a few of my recs are found in this audio.

We discuss:

00:00 On recent travels to NYC.

02:06 On road safety and traffic fatality data.

05:50 Analyzing traffic data and trends.

11:38 Car bloat, unsafe streets, sprawl, and other contributing factors.

27:33 The pedestrian experience in New York City.

47:37 Upcoming.

For context:

⁠Pedestrian and traffic deaths, compared to other high-income nations (2013-2022) (via the CDC).⁠

⁠NHTSA data projections (via the NHTSA).⁠

⁠On cyclist fatalities, and interpreting the data (via Ken McLeod of the League of American Bicyclists).

Rachel Bardis — COO at California developer Somers West — is in good traffic this week to check on an ambitious project taking shape outside of Sacramento, California.

Rachel shares where Braden's development currently stands, including recent infrastructure work and plans for lot deliveries. We touch historical context of the project, and the importance of creating a community that integrates diverse housing types, walkability, and practical sustainability. Health, connectivity, and engagement is the aim for what hopes to be a model for future suburban developments.

We discuss:

00:00 Rachel Bardis is in good traffic.

00:50 Braden's current development status.

01:44 California development.

03:01 Historical context and a new suburban vision.

06:32 Project timeline and evolution.

08:54 Vision, etc.

10:34 Location and strategic importance.

20:58 Transportation and connectivity.

28:30 Intentional community design elements.

29:17 Multifunctional green spaces.

29:53 Suburban density counterframing.

30:52 Diverse housing types.

32:27 Integrated community planning.

38:35 Construction and management challenges.

45:46 Personal motivation.

50:47 Wrapping up.

Further context:

On Braden.

On Somers West.

Connect with Rachel:

On LinkedIn.

A potential countermove to the fresh auto tariffs, and another dive on bikeshare + micromobility in evolving large American cities like Columbus, Ohio.

We discuss:

00:00 New car and car part tariffs.

01:34 In praise of walking.

04:04 Impact of tariffs on transportation choices.

09:31 Bikeshare programs.

14:11 Columbus' new bikeshare partnership.

17:53 Opportunities in bikeshare adoption.

25:21 Wrapping up.

We're back from a spring break. This week: on how driving cultures vary from city to city, within the U.S. Most importantly, how being a part of those cultures influences how we experience other folks within them.

In short, walking / biking more makes us a better driver. Cities where those driving are not drivers, but rather pedestrians that are just driving in this moment, tend to feel safer to move about. In these places, we are the same people, merely using different tools, for different tasks, at different times.

We discuss:

00:00 We're back.

00:06 Road rage, from today.

01:50 American car culture varies by city.

02:55 Design observations.

05:14 Pedestrian and driver dynamics.

19:29 Congestion pricing successes mount.

24:46 Wrapping up.

For context:

Congestion pricing revenue.

Congestion pricing early results.

Congestion pricing public opinion.

Tesho Akindele — Charlotte real estate developer and former pro soccer player — is back on the show for a catchup re: progress at the Camp North End development in Charlotte, how we maintain the optimism amidst uncertainty in growing cities like Charlotte and Columbus, and an MLS season preview.

The catch: we preview the season through the lens of off-field factors. Included are a few recommendations for urbanists looking to parlay a match with a multimodal vacation in 2025.

We discuss:

00:00 Tesho's back.

01:44 Camp North End, and Charlotte development updates.

06:18 Socials and a career in real estate development.

11:15 Opportunities in development.

14:41 Planning and design trends in Charlotte and Columbus.

19:36 Sustaining optimism in 2025.

24:17 MLS season preview: an urbanist's guide to an American matchday.

35:29 Fusing urbanism and soccer.

Further context:

Camp North End.

Connect with Tesho:

On Twitter.

On Instagram.

A tribute for — and a republish of our August '24 episode with — Donald Shoup.

May he rest in peace. What a life he led.

Scott Snodgrass — Founding Partner and developer at Meristem Communities — is in good traffic this week to discuss progress onIndigo: a walkable neighborhood at the X of agriculture and urbanism. Amidst the Houston sprawl, Scott and his partners are doing things differently by leaning into principles of food cultivation, community, car-free streets, and car-lite routines. This approach is different for the area, and for many future residents.

We discuss:

00:00 Scott's trek into neighborhood development.

02:08 From agriculture to agmenity.

04:48 The birth of Indigo.

07:57 Community engagement and design philosophy.

15:45 Indigo's urban design.

23:58 Multifunctional design of public spaces.

24:43 Navigating parking requirements in suburban and rural Texas.

26:02 Car-lite community initiatives.

28:13 Affordability.

28:43 Parking and planning.

30:09 Walkability.

33:57 Transit and connectivity challenges.

38:19 Agriculture and holistic living.

40:25 Diversity and Houston community breakdown.

42:46 Favorite commutes and final thoughts.

Further context:

Indigo.

Meristem Communities.

The neighborhood's location.

Connect with me, Brad:

⁠On Instagram.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On TikTok⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

On LinkedIn⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Aly's back. We watch some clips of overheard urbanism from throughout pop culture, over the past couple of weeks.

Clips played:

Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright talk walkability.

Chalamet bikes the red carpet.

Gunna runs in the road.

The cat knocked the camera over, and made lots of noise. Apologies!

We discuss:

00:00 Urban design adjacent clips and discussions.

04:57 Colin Cowherd is moving to Chicago for the walkability.

08:56 Stumbling (walking) into new loves in your city.

16:51 Timothée Chalamet's Lime bike ride down the red carpet.

20:08 Gunna's road run.

22:27 How Aly and I plan trips.

28:30 Upcoming guests.

While bleak and gray at times, winter can be the prime time for observational and behavioral learnings in our local environments. Sneckdowns (snow + neckdowns), multi-day snow-covered cars, and unmaintained/disregarded sidewalks each tell us something. We also touch briefly on takeaways from convictions of the Jeffersonian grid: foresight and planning to widen our ideological tent, republican ideals (the governmental structure, not the political party), and balancing differing vantages on housing.

We spend a moment on the recent TikTok events, too.

Apologies for last week's delay. Appreciate your patience!

We discuss:

00:00 We are so back.

07:40 Winter urban design insights.

21:10 Exploring republicanism, the Jeffersonian grid, and the NYC Commissioners' plan.

30:07 Reflections on TikTok, and content creation's fruits and shortfalls.

34:43 Wrapping up.

For context:

Sneckdowns (via a TikTok I made for Better Block).

Design cues taken from snow (via Bloomberg CityLab).

A map of proposed NYC growth, from 1807 (via the Library of Congress).

More on the Jeffersonian grid (via NYT).