As Chief Deputy Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, David Howard must balance not only the needs of both urban and rural transportation users, but also the potential of innovation with the foundation of transit networks.

The principles of good strength training that Paul Supawanich teaches moonlighting also have served him well in his day jobs as a transportation planner, consultant, technology executive, and, most recently, transportation advisor to San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

As co-founder of community engagement software, PublicInput.com, Graham Stone believes that equity is at the root of the success of any community, and to achieve that, those in power must listen obsessively to the people they serve.

From tactical applications on community engagement and a new car-free development in North Carolina to racial inequities in the streets of Portland and Los Angeles, L’erin Jensen and Josh Cohen cover the week’s news and learn just how much it costs to build a single parking spot.

As a former consultant himself, David Fields knows the risks of communities not aligning around clear goals and values before starting a project, a lesson he’s bringing to his new role as Houston’s first Chief Transportation Planner.

While once thought to be a problem for our grandchildren, climate change is here now. Amanda Eaken of the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge shares how the best leaders are not only attacking climate change today, but rethinking community engagement for the long term.

Josh and L’erin discuss connections between Leadership Upside Down and recent news stories, including how advocacy groups engage with their communities, Denver’s reckoning with environmental racism, California going electric, and how we price our streets.

Amenities that make communities more attractive, more walkable, and better places to live can also lead to gentrification. Dr. Mariela Alfonzo of State of Place shares why using data to make better decisions—and thus create better policy—can mitigate the perils of rising housing costs and displacement.

Dr. Tom Sanchez has spent over two decades studying how to create more livable cities. In that time, he’s learned that the traditional ways we’ve approached problem-solving hasn’t worked, and it’s time for experts of all areas to combine their knowledge to create the equitable cities that work for everyone.

Delegate Robbyn Lewis believes we’re valuing the wrong things like how fast cars can move instead of how healthy our communities are. She shares her advocacy story and what she’s doing now in the Maryland House of Delegates to ensure that our streets are places of community, not division.