Like many downtowns, suburbanization wiped much of the life out of Greenville SC’s downtown by the 1970s. Today it is a thriving, award-winning destination largely due to the 30-year leadership of Mayor Knox White. Why has it been so successful and what can other cities learn from its multi-layered strategies to attract people downtown and celebrate gathering at new iconic parks (including removing a four-lane highway bridge to do so?) Mayor White explains and Michael Messner and Ellen Dunham-Jones lead the follow-up conversation on the implementation and impacts of this remarkable redesign. 

Autonomous vehicles are here – but which mode best serves cities? Private AVs like Tesla? Privately-owned and operated robotaxis like Waymo? Or publicly supported on-demand AV shuttle buses? Are on-demand AV shuttles a more efficient way to provide transit service in lower-density areas where regular bus service is infeasible – and if so how should cities plan for them? This summer Boca Rotan, Florida began a three-year roll-out of AV shuttles. An affluent city struggling to attract service-industry workers, the city sees the shuttles as a means of connecting affordable housing to affordable transportation. Is it working? Jun Wang, Assistant Professor at FAU in Boca Rotan shares her dissertation research on planning for AV shuttles before Mark Wigder, Boca Raton Council Member tells us why he championed the AV shuttle and how it’s doing so far. Noted transit urbanist Peter Calthorpe also makes a surprise appearance.  

How did Oklahoma City go from being one of America’s most obese and least walkable cities in 2008 to an award-winning thriving downtown attracting an influx of jobs, dining, recreation, and young adults? Through the implementation of a complete redesign of the public streets and parks in the 50-block downtown core. Defying fears of gridlock, the one-way street system and a third of the driving lanes were eliminated while on-street parking was doubled, a bike network established, and over 2,500 street trees planted. Then Mayor Mick Cornett and urban designer Jeff Speck discuss how they pulled this off and lessons learned.   

Autonomous vehicles are here – but which mode best serves cities? Private AVs like Tesla? Privately-owned and operated robotaxis like Waymo? Or publicly supported on-demand AV shuttle buses? Are on-demand AV shuttles a more efficient way to provide transit service in lower-density areas where regular bus service is infeasible – and if so how should cities plan for them? This summer Boca Rotan, Florida began a three-year roll-out of AV shuttles. An affluent city struggling to attract service-industry workers, the city sees the shuttles as a means of connecting affordable housing to affordable transportation. Is it working? Jun Wang, Assistant Professor at FAU in Boca Rotan shares her dissertation research on planning for AV shuttles before Mark Wigder, Boca Raton Council Member tells us why he championed the AV shuttle and how it’s doing so far. Noted transit urbanist Peter Calthorpe also makes a surprise appearance.  

Is it possible for a suburban community to invest in long-term amenities like a walkable downtown, a symphony hall and award-winning public spaces while reducing property taxes? Jim Brainard did just that - and more - during his 28 years as Mayor of Carmel, IN. His presentation shows how he freed up redevelopment opportunities by using Tax Increment Financing to build public parking and elevate design quality. In a follow-up conversation Ellen Dunham-Jones asks him to discuss the health, energy, and climate impacts of these changes - as well as his conversion of over 150 Carmel intersections into roundabouts. Listeners may want to visit the Redesigning Cities website to watch the video to see Jim’s slides.  

As listeners and viewers to Redesigning Cities 40+ episodes should have figured out – urban design is complicated business! It requires integrating a wide range of social, transportation, energy, and environmental collaborators, infrastructures, networks, and design details into a spatial framework. Luckily Nico Larco, lead author of the Sustainable Urban Design Handbook talks us through this matrix of issues, as well as his research on emerging technologies and new mobility. 

What roles do homeownership, the affordable housing crisis, and the law play in achieving the goals of Dr. Martin Luther King’s beloved community? Can housing design, land use policy, and activism overcome political and social barriers to enrich connectedness, neighboring, and belonging – especially today? Drawing on her extensive experience managing transformational change in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, Natosha Reid Rice speaks to these challenges and shares lessons on how to leverage the power of proximity to curate thriving communities now. 

Can Urban AI activate human agency in the performance and design of cities, particularly in relation to climate change? Can the unfair systems that produce climate vulnerability in the first place, expand the role of marginalized stakeholders in climate adaptation? Leading urban tech researcher, Dr. Anthony Townsend examines the role that artificial intelligence innovations could and are playing in empowering such communities. From resilience planning chatbots to synthetic visualizations of flood threats, he maps the possibilities and risks presented by these emerging technologies for the urgent work of responsible participatory climate adaptation. Debra Lam leads a follow-up conversation.

Why are more and more cities buying their dead shopping malls and taking on the role of master (re)developer - rather than leaving that job to experienced real estate developers? Downtown Westminster is an excellent example of this kind of suburban retrofit. Its lead designer, Neal Payton, Senior Principal with Torti-Gallas + Partners and Sarah Nurmela, Mayor Pro Tem of Westminster, CO present the project and discuss both the advantages and challenges of such an approach. 

Wildfires, urban heat, sea level rise, and the many other impacts of climate change are starting to turn desirable communities into high-risk locations and threatening food and water supplies. How, when, and where will displaced people move? How are cities preparing for the loss or gain of climate migrants? Award-winning author and investigative reporter Abrahm Lustgarten shares research from his new book on these questions. Host Ellen Dunham-Jones leads a follow-up discussion with Abrahm, Jairo Garcia of Georgia Tech, and Camille Cortes and Matt Lambert, both of DPZ-Co-Design and leaders of PLACE Initiative.