The Possible City

Former mayor of Salisbury, Maryland, and now the state's Secretary of Housing and Community Development, Jake Day shares his plans for addressing housing issues at scale. A former Urban3 client, he speaks to the importance of smart growth policies to build a resilient fiscal future and the urgent need to repair past wrongs, such as the effects of redlining. 

Bryan Barnett is running in his third campaign for mayor as a write-in candidate, proof that at the local level, partisan labels and tired political tribalism are less interesting to people than getting things accomplished. Mayor Barnett's political skills are so renowened that he was chosen to chair the prestiguous U.S. Conference of Mayors, but his proudest moments are still the small wins that have a big impact on his hometown of Rochester Hills, Michigan.

Referenced in this episode:

Ben's orange suit.

Bryan's red suit.

"I term limited myself!" Despite being a popular and nationally well-regarded mayor of a fast-growing midwestern metro, G.T. Bynum is sticking to his word and choosing to retire after two successful terms in office. In this conversation with Ben and Cate, he talks about his family's legacy with public service, his relentless commitment to engaging people in shaping Tulsa's priorities, and why local government is the best kind of government. He's got fourteen months left in his dream job - and intends to make the most of it.

Referenced in this episode:

Ted.com, February 2017: "A Republican mayor's plan to replace partisanship with policy"

Cate went to Copenhagen, Ben went to Central America, and Kerry spent a few days in Music City, USA. Three different regions of the world, three very distinct approaches to planning, placemaking, development, and design. Hear what the Possible City crew did with our summer vacations and what we're reading as we head into the fall.

Aja Brown became mayor of Compton, California in 2013 after winning an upset election against and incumbent and a former mayor, and used her eight years in office to bring unprecedented transparency, economic development, big ideas, and hope to her community. Referenced in this episode:

Fox 11 Los Angeles, November 6, 2020: "Compton Mayor Aja Brown bringing change to her community"  The Appeal, January 28, 2021: "Compton Joins the Growing Number of U.S. Cities to Launch a Guaranteed Income Program" 

"My granddaughter thinks that all I do is widen footpaths." Rob Adams gave Ben and Cate a number of different descriptions of exactly what he does in his role as City Architect of Melbourne, Australia, but we think that may be our favorite. To call Rob a legend in the urban design world may be an understatement. Alongside Jan Gehl and others, his groundbreaking work to transform the city center (ahem, centre) of Melbourne in the 1980s and 90s created a veritable blueprint for struggling urban areas to follow. For years, Melborune has been routinely written up as one of the planet's most "livable" cities - but what does that actually mean to people who live there? Rob reflects with us on the tricky politics of urban revitalization, why walkability matters during a global pandemic, and what comes next for Melbourne and cities everywhere.

Referenced in this episode:

Auckland Council, Ministry for the Environment, July 1, 2005: "The Value of Urban Design."  The Daily Maverick, July 1, 2022: “The rise and (slight) fall of a liveable city” The Fifth Estate, July 3, 2023: “Adelaide: solvable problems, but are our leaders up for it?” 

The Kathmandu Post, July 29, 2023: “How Melbourne rescheduled its future”

Ben and Cate chat with a luminary from the worlds of planning and politics - Rick Cole, formerly the city manager of Azusa, Ventura, and Santa Monica, former Mayor of Pasadena, and currently Los Angeles' Chief Deputy City Controller. He also served as the executive director for the Congress For the New Urbanism for two years and right now is running for Pasadena City Council. The breadth and depth of his experience in fiscal policy, affordalbe housing, public transportation, and how the built environment shapes peoples' lives is practically unparalleled anywhere in the country, and is particularly important in the predominantly auto-centric communities of Southern California where he has lived and worked for decades. In this conversation, Rick talks about his views on the unappreciated amounts of walkabilty in Pasadena, what the heck a City Controller does and can do, and how democracy often means listening closely to people who disagree with you. Referenced in this episode: Pasadena Now, November 29, 2022: "Former Pasadena Mayor Rick Cole is returning to City Government – in Los Angeles." Spectrum News 1, January 6, 2023: "A unique pairing in the LA city’s controller’s office." Pasadena Star-News, January 7, 2023: "We can solve our toughest problems — if we find common-sense solutions: Rick Cole." Pasadena Star-News, May 10, 2023: "Former Pasadena Mayor Rick Cole announces bid for District 2 City Council seat."

"Zoning's not for everybody." Brooke Thomas, the Senior Director of Strategic Planning for the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation, better known as IndyGo, knows what she's talking about. Having fought for some truly remarkable and progressive zoning reforms in a growing midwestern capitol, she's spent more time than most talking about the importance of land use and how what we build today will determine a city's economic future. In this episode, Cate and Ben talk with Brooke about what the Blue Line rapid transit line is doing for Indianapolis now and the many links between public transit, climate change, good jobs, and quality of life at the neighborhood level.

Referenced in this episode:

Urban3 Indianpolis, IN case study

A special bonus episode, and something a little different: our intrepid hosts were recently in Charlotte, North Carolina for the 31st convening of the Congress for the New Urbanism, an organization that advocates for people-centered design in cities all over the country. In this episode, we catch up on what what we liked, what we saw, and what we learned at CNU this year. If you were there or if you’ve got any other thoughts on how urbanism influences local leadership, politics, and activism, shoot us an email at [email protected]. We’ll be back soon with more interviews about what’s possible in America’s cities. For now, thanks for listening and please share this episode with all the city-builders you know.

While the World Health Organization recommends around 30 to 35 square meters of green space per person, the standard in Mexico is currently around 4 to 5 square meters. San Pedro, a thriving suburb of Monterrey, surpasses this standard with six times the amount of green space per resident - a fact that doubtlessly factors into its reputation as having the highest quality of life in the entire country. Today's guest on The Possible City, German Enriquez, leads the NGO that manages and maintains these incredible public spaces, San Pedro Parques.

An industrial engineer by training, he initially wanted to focus on energy as a way to contribute to improving the environment. He soon found himself drawn to the importance of high quality, accessible public spaces as a way to both protect the planet and build community from the ground up. According to German, parks are not just "the lungs of the city," as they're often described - they are tools for mitigating climate change, enhancing public safety, and making people healthier. In today's episode, German talks about what he does to help local governments understand the value of these tools and invest in them appropriately.

Referenced in this episode: News & Tribune, September 24, 2021: "Part of the bigger picture: Parks leaders in Indiana, Mexico support connection."