Choices for all. Spencer Gardner, the Planning Director for the City of Spokane, Washington joined the podcast to discuss their innovative Building Opportunity and Choices for All program. He discussed the use of an interim zoning ordinance, what things in the city code need to be addressed to achieve more equitable housing, and tax credit programs the City offers to support their housing goals.

Host: Ben Kittelson

The future is now. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in local government. Parth Shah is the CEO and co-founder of Polimorphic and Scott Attaway is the City Manager for the City of Lowell, North Carolina. They shared the use case and benefits of AI, how AI can improve local government processes, and how employees feel about the implementation of AI. 

Host: Lauren Palmer

Condensing the process. Kyle Dombrowski, a Lieutenant with the City of South Bend, Indiana Police Department joined the podcast to talk about police officer recruitment and Prospect Days. He shared the department's old hiring process and how they streamlined the process from a six to nine month process to completing most of the process in one day. He discussed Prospect Days where potential candidates can complete the physical agility, written test, oral board, and personal interview in one day. He also talked about the importance of sharing the story of proactive policing and ongoing recruitment.

Host: Ben Kittelson

Adventures in Stockton. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about their award-winning planning project in Stockton, Illinois. Both guests work for All Together, Marisa Schulz is the Principal and Abigail Rose is the Senior Planner and Designer. They shared what made the project special, lessons learned, and the importance of creative placemaking. They also responded to audience questions.

This episode was recorded at the American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter Annual Conference.

Host: Dan Bolin and Andy Cross

The civic infrastructure of the futrure. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about using technology to better engage residents and improve trust in local government. Dan Ault is the Assistant Town Manager and Chief Innovation Officer for the Town of Cary, North Carolina. Eyal Feder-Levy is the CEO and Co-Founder of Zencity, a community engagement platform. Dan discussed using community engagement data to inform decision-making - even the decision not to act. Eyal talked about the launch of Zencity 360 and expanding the number of people that participate in local government.

Host: Lauren Palmer

The case against required parking. Catie Gould, Climate and Transportation Researcher for the Sightline Institute, joined the podcast to talk about trends in parking reform. Catie shared the problem with minimum parking mandates and how abolishing them impacted the cities of Seattle and Buffalo. She also discussed how parking regulations impact housing supply and how State legislatures have been getting involved with challenging parking mandates.

Host: Ben Kittelson

Great design for a great river. Carol Coletta, President and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership, joined the podcast to talk about managing the City of Memphis Riverfront and the grand opening of Tom Lee Park. Carol shared the background about the redevelopment of Tom Lee Park, mitigating flood risk at the park, and ensuring equal access and programming for all.

Host: Ben Kittelson

Getting the job done for the future. Laurel Paget-Seekins, author of People First a report from TransitCenter, joined the podcast to talk about how transit agencies need a more strategic human resources function to attract and retain talent. Laurel shared the workforce challenges transit agencies are experiencing, how staffing is impacting operations, and what strategies agencies can pursue to address these challenges. She discussed the need for human resources to be more than transactional and the importance of retention and organizational culture.

Host: Ben Kittelson

Committed to inclusive economic growth. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about a new inclusive recovery toolkit, Deirdre Shaw is an Inclusive Economic Growth Associate and Betsey Suchanic is an Inclusive Economic Development Advisor both with the New Growth Innovation Network. They shared what is in the toolkit, the target audience, outcomes for the toolkit, and what other additional resources can be used.

Host: Lauren Palmer

Fresh urbanism takes with a side of dad. Barry Greene Jr., Transportation Justice Fellow for the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and author of Density Dad joined the podcast to talk about family-focused urbanism. He shared why he started writing about urbanism, how the built environment affects families, and shared advice for new parents.

Host: Ben Kittelson