The Sidewalk Weekly

First and foremost, we stand with the millions of Black Americans and allies across the country fighting for racial justice and equality. The murder of Mr. George Floyd is only the latest example of America's structural racism. We cannot build inclusive cities until we confront this reality.

We're going to recommit to elevating the voices of people of color on this show, not just on today's episode, but on all our platforms from now on. In that spirit, today's format is slightly different.

In the first segment [3:41-9:08], hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss Bryan Lee Jr.'s great piece on how urban planners can help build cities that are more just. (CityLab) https://bit.ly/2MAj9aG

In the second segment [9:08-14:13], the hosts read quotes from a handful of other compelling perspectives shared this week:

• "We often call on technology to help solve problems. But when society defines, frames, and represents people of color as "the problem," those solutions often do more harm than good." — Charlton McIlwain, MIT Tech Review https://bit.ly/2MuKJWC
• "So when we get into these Vision Zero plans, often we talk like we're doing people a favor; we're making streets safe! But then, in practice, we just use Vision Zero approaches to laser in on minor infractions in a way that hurts communities." — Kristen Jeffers, Streetsblog https://bit.ly/2z4SZcK
• "As we call people to peace but not to patience, we should not be patient with the structural inequities and racism and microaggressions, and certainly not with the legal or court precedents or the obstacles in police-union contracts all over the country, that prevent us from holding people accountable when this happens." — Mayor Melvin Carter, New Yorker https://bit.ly/2Y8dMob
• "So, to white people who care about maintaining a habitable planet, I need you to become actively anti-racist. I need you to understand that our racial inequality crisis is intertwined with our climate crisis. If we don't work on both, we will succeed at neither." — Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, WaPo https://wapo.st/3cFxVr0

In the third segment [14:31-26:14] the hosts chat with Chicago-based urban planner and author of the Corner Side Yard blog, Pete Saunders, about the history of urban policing http://cornersideyard.blogspot.com/

And in the final segment [26:18 - 28:26], the hosts share what made them smile this week.

• 8 police policy changes that together could decrease police violence by 72% https://8cantwait.org/ 

Deeply Rooted Heritage podcast's first episode, which spotlights the Finding Kenyon Barr exhibit https://spoti.fi/3h0U5r0

A special episode this week! Featuring an extended interview with renowned urban economist Richard Florida.

In the first segment [1:18-6:31], hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss this week's top story:

• Estonia Already Lives Online—Why Can't the US? (Nina Jankowicz, Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2Aofv0M

In the second segment [6:52 - 22:21], the hosts ask Florida about inclusive growth and the future of cities post-Covid. (Sidewalk Talk) https://bit.ly/2Ag0BcJ

And in the final segment [22:27 - 25:09], the hosts share what made them smile this week.

• Cleveland building the US's largest tall timber building (Konrad Putzier, WSJ) https://on.wsj.com/3eAWozj
• AI Maestro creates soundtrack for life (Steven Levy, Wired) https://bit.ly/3gucvQZ

In the first segment [1:39-16:17], hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss this week's top stories:

• Can America's cities be engines of opportunity again? (NYT Editorial board) https://nyti.ms/364AZLN / What opportunity looks like (David Leonhardt and Yaryna Serkez, NYT) https://nyti.ms/2LyiMgg) 
• Needed: Main Street Regenerators (Bruce Katz, Frances Kern Mennone, Michael Saadine, and Colin Higgins, New Localism) https://bit.ly/2AoHDk7
• Why online voting isn't safe yet (Lily Hay Newman, Wired) https://bit.ly/3dT9x6t

In the second segment [16:44 - 23:26], the hosts ask housing expert Carol Galante why it's time for cities to embrace density. (NYT) https://nyti.ms/3bDC3au

And in the final segment [23:31 - 26:16], the hosts share what made them smile this week.

• German cafe asks customers to wear 'noodle hats' (Ewan Somerville, Evening Standard) https://bit.ly/2LvsuzR
• Philly makes it easier to turn blocks into playgrounds (Catalina Jaramillo, WHYY) https://bit.ly/2yQRHCk

In the first segment [1:11-16:30], hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss this week's top stories:

• Why we're no longer pursuing the Quayside project in Toronto (Dan Doctoroff, Sidewalk Talk) https://bit.ly/2L4Ntcz
• The death of the office? (Catherine Nixey, 1843) https://bit.ly/2LatRng
• The startup trying to crack safe autonomous driving (Alex Davies, Wired) https://bit.ly/2zqXOwL

In the second segment [16:52 - 23:21], the hosts bring on Sidewalk Labs' Director of Mobility for Streets, Willa Ng, to answer a listener question about a controversial road diet in Alexandria, Virginia. (Hat tip to these reporters: Jordan Pascuale for WAMU https://bit.ly/2WCayIV / Beth Lawton for Alexandria Living Magazine https://bit.ly/3fz3Mw6 / Canaan Merchant for Greater Greater Washington https://bit.ly/2zhgZct)

And in the final segment [23:24 - 26:01], the hosts share what made them smile this week.

• "Yuppie" turns 40 (Phoebe Mogharei, Chicago Mag) https://bit.ly/3dkL4GS
• Quarantine Bolero (Tim Teeman, Daily Beast) https://bit.ly/2ywKlUm

In the first segment [1:20-15:36], hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss this week's top stories:

• The Pandemic Will Change American Retail Forever (Derek Thompson, Atlantic) https://bit.ly/2xoTyxe
•  The case for putting restaurants outside (Henry Grabar, Slate) https://bit.ly/2yhnko9
• Retail Covid-19 testing is failing black communities (Aaron Ross Coleman, Vox) https://bit.ly/35lU37X

In the second segment [15:58-21:39], the hosts interview Olga Stella, the host of the Detroit City of Design podcast and the executive director of Design Core Detroit, who wrote about an innovative, affordable leasing program that attracted creative-sector entrepreneurs to an underutilized landmark in Detroit. (Brookings) https://brook.gs/3fcnMo6

And in the final segment [22:02-24:10], the hosts share what made them smile this week.

• Discover the history of your neighborhood, without leaving home (Ariel Aberg-Riger, CityLab) https://bit.ly/2VUuqIc
• The hidden history of some NYC skyscrapers (Michael Kimmelman, NYT) https://nyti.ms/2xmPu0q
• And a BONUS this week: a parrot singing Stairway to Heaven (Facebook) https://bit.ly/2KSUYTL

In the first segment [0:59-15:52], hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss this week's top stories:

• Cities face challenges putting homeless populations into hotels (Alissa Walker, Curbed) https://bit.ly/2KJ4sRL / (Sarah Holder and Kriston Capps, CityLab) https://bit.ly/2Kt9AJz
• 9 ways to revive transit (Eric Jaffe, Sidewalk Talk) https://bit.ly/2Kt9FNn
• Tech needs to enter the real world (Ben Thompson, Stratechery) https://stratechery.com/

In the second segment [16:12-22:12], the hosts interview economist Issi Romem describes the pros and cons of a new housing financing model that combines renting and buying. (NYT's Upshot) https://nyti.ms/3bBqTDT

And in the final segment [22:24-24:50], the hosts share what made them smile this week.

• NYC sidewalk width tool http://www.sidewalkwidths.nyc/ (Caroline Spivack, Curbed) https://bit.ly/2Ky3tUg
• Ukulele song captures life in quarantine (Makeshift.Macaroni, Tik Tok) https://bit.ly/2zkIgL1
•  

In the first segment [1:39-16:17], hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss this week's top stories:

• Covid is cleansing India's air — can it last? (Raghu Karnad, New Yorker) https://bit.ly/34HFrQ1 / China's real-time pollution data (Eric Jaffe, Sidewalk Talk) https://bit.ly/2KeybBG
• How NYC can rebound from Covid (Dan Doctoroff, New York Times) https://nyti.ms/2RI3KYv / Lessons from Pittsburgh 1918 (Eric Jaffe, Sidewalk Talk) https://bit.ly/34HhyrA
• Bringing industrial use back to neighborhoods (Ray Dubicki, Urbanist) https://bit.ly/2wRy8sw

In the second segment [16:40-22:54], the hosts interview Newsha Ghaeli, co-founder of the epidemiology start-up Biobot about tracking Covid through city wastewater. (Gregory Barber, Wired) https://bit.ly/2VfotVN 

And in the final segment [23:10-25:08], the hosts share what made them smile this week.

• Banksy works from home (Christopher Jobson, Colossal) https://bit.ly/2RNikhz
• GOAT 2 Meeting (Paige Leskin, Business Insider) https://bit.ly/3bk5PSn

In the first segment [1:07-15:20], hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss this week's top stories:

• Covid's inequitable impact on low-income communities and people of color (Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, Denise Lu, and Gabriel J.X. Dance, NYT) https://nyti.ms/2JWySPO / (Robert Samuels, WaPo) https://wapo.st/34p0O8w
• The urbanist's guide to the crisis and its potential impact on cities (Dan Bertolet, Sightline) https://bit.ly/2RsFTfv
• The power plant of the future is in your home (Daniel Oberhaus, Wired) https://bit.ly/3c5rmhJ

In the second segment [15:46-22:06], the hosts interview Sidewalk's Head of Engineering, Craig Nevill-Manning, about the resilience of the internet. (Will Douglas Heaven, MIT Tech) https://bit.ly/2y46h8I

And in the final segment [22:12-24:49], the hosts share what made them smile this week.

• Animals take back the world (Laura Millan Lombrana and Eric Roston, Bloomberg) https://bloom.bg/2V0IO17
• Dog delivers wine (Antonia Noori Farzan, WaPo) https://wapo.st/2JZ0YtC

In the first segment [1:40-15:00], hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss this week's top stories:

• Rent-strikes would offer relief now, but at what cost down the line? (Kriston Capps, CityLab) https://bit.ly/2ywBRfu
• A short history of the Census — and why this could be the U.S.'s last (Andrew Whitby, Wired) https://bit.ly/2yomeqf
• Covid has demonstrated just how unevenly public space is distributed (Alissa Walker, Curbed) https://bit.ly/3bNVldJ / In ode of "sociable distancing" (Michael Mehaffy, CNU) https://bit.ly/2wfpKmi

In the second segment [15:25-22:25], the hosts interview reporter Gregory Scruggs about the city of Seattle, which has started using the revenues generated from its controversial soda tax to fund emergency grocery vouchers for families during the Covid-19 outbreak. (Next City) https://bit.ly/2JDcnPS

And in the final segment [23:00-25:05], the hosts share what made them smile this week.

• A history of the Drive-Thru (Adam Chandler, Serious Eats) https://bit.ly/3aGP2J0
• Lori Lightfoot memes (Susan Moskop, Chicago Tribune) https://bit.ly/2Xdb3LH

In the first segment  [1:20-15:15], hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss this week's top stories:

• Density is under attack these days. Should it be? (Emily Badger, Upshot) https://nyti.ms/3bvGKDH /  (Bill Lindeke, Streets.Mn) https://bit.ly/3araTnq

• Is now the time to take cars off streets? (Andrew J. Hawkins, Verge) https://bit.ly/39qnFkO / (Kea Wilson, Streetsblog) https://bit.ly/2JkNDf6

• Where are the delivery robots? (Carolyn Beans, Slate) https://bit.ly/2UJCjhK

In the second segment [15:45 - 22:30], the hosts interview John Brownstein, the Chief Innovation Officer at Boston Children's hospital and a professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School, who talks about crowdsourcing covid symptoms. [16:30 - 22:10] https://cnb.cx/3bobIh8

And in the final segment [22:50-25:00], the hosts share what made them smile this week.

• Sports commentator turns to everyday life (Poke) https://bit.ly/3amAk9W
• Wholesome cowboy tweets (Bored Panda) https://bit.ly/2UEIcwF