Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast

Hey everybody!  I want to wish everyone a happy new year!  We're doing our second replay episode at the end of the year featuring one of my favorite discussions over the last few years with David Schleicher about his book In a Bad State. This is one of the foundational ideas for me of late because of how we fund transportation infrastructure with bonds but also how those bonds are backed up!  I think about the Tri-lemma often and how many of the fiscal issues with climate change and transportation can be traced back to the topics in this discussion. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy hopping back to 2023 and Episode 439.  This week we're joined by Yale Law professor David Schleicher to talk about his new book, In a Bad State: Responding to State and Local Budget Crises. We chat about how historic fiscal crisis shape similar responses today and how infrastructure funding plays out in the United States. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @the

We're joined by Professor Michael Neuman to talk about his book Sustainable Infrastructure for Cities and Societies.  We chat about why trees are important models for infrastructure development, the important lessons of Barcelona for the world, and why infrastructure is lately seen as a monetary asset instead of a public good.  This week we're going back in time to Episode 392 from July of 2022.  I really loved this book and hope that more people would read it.  It's an academic title but Professor Neuman really shared a lot of new ideas and thoughts in here.  And I love the discussion about trees as beings way wiser than us humans…. Also I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  We might have something for you next week but I'm not going to guarantee it.  We do have some AMAZING things coming next year so stay tuned! +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.so

This week we're joined by Carter Lavin to discuss his new book If You Want to Win You've Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy. We discuss the mess and practice of politics, how we have more power than we think as advocates, and how we can get the policy results we deserve. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com    

This week on the Talking Headways podcast, we're joined by Benjamin Schneider to talk about his book The Unfinished Metropolis: Igniting the City-Building Revolution. Ben chats about the unfinishedness of cities, the larger origins of NIMBYism, and how much our economy and built environment cater to cars. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com

This week we're Han Solo but we're sharing news about fire departments and their impacts on cities, how Boston and Denver are considering putting housing together with other public services like libraries and police stations, and a bill that would allow transit agencies to get projects environmentally certified in state. And much much more!!! Below the fold are the article links we chatted about on the show: News Items Fire Department vs traffic safety - The Discourse Lounge Do we really love driving? Psychology Today Libraries and affordable housing - Christian Science Monitor Bipartisan transit bill  for environmental regs - Deseret News Toronto narrowing the lanes - CityNews Bonus Items Raccoons domesticating? The Guardian Midwest vs sunbelt news - Neiman Lab German light budgets - Brussels Signal Road user charge for UK EVs - Traffic Technology Today Zipcar to leave UK - BBC News Street parking for free buses - New York Times Zillow ditches climate maps - Moving Day +++ Get the show ad free on

This week we're joined by Tony Jordan, President of the Parking Reform Network at the Mpact Transit + mobility conference in Portland. We talk about getting rid of our cars, the arbitrary requirements for parking around the country, and Donald Shoup's legacy. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com

This week we're going back to Episode 459 exactly two years ago to chat with author Ben Goldfarb to talk about his book, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. We discuss how roads cut off ecosystems, wildlife crossings, and animal mobility at different scales. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we're Han Solo, but we've got some interesting news from the world of transportation and urban planning to share.  We talk briefly about tram trains, the NAVI electric vehicle program, Chicago's big win, and much much more!  Below the fold are the show notes with all the items we cover in our digest show.   Main items Single stairway - Pew Stateline Tram trains - Works in Progress Mall as climate shelter - NextCity Chicago transit funded - Streetsblog Chicago TXDOT says state needs transit - KERA Developing world needs roads - Works in Progress Brussels Pedestrian Zone shuts out bikes - Bloomberg CityLab Scott Weiner's next steps - Mother Jones Teens make housing portal - New York Times IIJA's NEVI sets table for EV future - Politico Magazine Will cities ditch DART? Dallas Observer Bonus Items California's shamful DUI record - CalMatters Pollution and memory diseases - New York Times Park City bus drivers may lose jobs - KPCW LA to double recycled water -

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we're joined by Olivia Plotnick, Founder of Wai Social in Shanghai China. We discuss her summer trip to over 30 different Chinese cities to experience different retail, the impacts of high speed rail, and the social e-commerce ecosystem. We also discuss how competition has made Chinese retail sharper, electric vehicle saturation, and emotional consumption.  +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com

This week we're joined by Cortni Desir, Executive Program Manager for Public Transportation at the Connecticut Department of Transportation at the Mpact transit + community conference in Portland. We discuss her international influences, upgrading bus stops, customer experience, homelessness and transit, and being curious. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com

This week we're joined by Corrigan Salerno of Transportation For America. We discuss three transportation principles for a better federal transportation bill, how to create better reporting data for MPOs, and better bus manufacturing. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com    

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we chat about signal timing tinkering in Houston, the impact of commute times on sleep disorders, Phoenix's lack of water for sprawl, and how many times Raleigh had to bid for contractors to build bus rapid transit. Below are the show notes: Houston signal timing off - Rice Thresher Whitmire thinks he knows - New York Times Sleep impacted by commutes - SciTechDaily Lifting the smog in Santiago - Guardian Raleigh BRT contracting - News and Observer Phoenix has no water for sprawl - High Country News Crypto noise - The Texas Tribune Caltrain puts energy in the grid - Metro Magazine China's lower tier cities and retail - Campaign  The retail hits different - The Overhead Wire Everything SB79 - Arbitrary Lines Urban hoofprints - University of Michigan Highway repair better than expansion - SSTI US dangerous car standards - Transport and Environment Land trust affortability - Realtor.com Waymo and accepting death - Futurism New census data - Niskanen Center S

This week we're back live for another show from Manny's in the Mission featuring Streetsblog SF editor Roger Rudick interviewing California High Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri. They chat about reducing costs, systems in other countries, and take questions from the audience. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com  

This week Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon of the War on Cars podcast join the show to talk about their new book: Life After Cars – Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile. We discuss opposing views, Turtle Jesus, and potential offramps towards car free cities. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com      

This week on Talking Headways we’re flashing back to exactly ten years ago to Episode 78 with Dr. Kevin Gurney, now at Northern Arizona University. We chat about measuring emissions at the street, block, and neighborhood level and the data that enables it.  I wanted to flash back to this one this week because I recently saw Kevin pop up in a New York Times article discussing all the work that the administration is cutting, including three of his projects. I’ll link the article in the show notes.  But we talked about his work on the podcast ten years ago and it’s important to understand what we may be losing, which is the measurement of emissions from cars and buildings in cities. In listening back to this episode, there are lots of things that are evergreen about it, in fact I would argue we still need policy that allows us to collect data and measure emissions so we can make better decisions as advocates and operators. I hope folks can listen to this one and be inspired by the work, but also become more ded

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we’re joined by Ben Donsky of Agora Partners to discuss City Walk BHAM in Birmingham Alabama, a public space project that connects two sides of the city separated by a highway. We chat about positive public space and what it takes to make projects like this happen. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com

We're Han Solo again but this time I'm sharing some thoughts from my trip to China in addition to the news.  We've got stories about traffic lights in Japan, the creation of a new electric company, and housing costs. And of course there's much much more. Below are the show notes: Middle class housing - National Housing Conference China builds quickly - Vox Ann Arbor reinvinting power company - Fast Company Dutch look to regulate bigger vehicles - Dutchnews.nl Mosquito borne illnesses - Vox Seattle light rail testing - Seattle Times New Mexico free childcare - NM Source Dallas heat island - KERA News CA passes SB79 TOD bill - Los Angeles Times Return to pre-covid routines brings bad air - Atlanta Journal Constitution Flint poverty reduction for babies - Guardian Japan's blue stop lights - Jalopnik Low fares underused - Smart Cities Dive Rent eats more - Joint Center for Housing Studies BONUS ITEMS Sweden's secondhand stores - The Conversation Particulate matter drives devastating dimentia - Gua

This week we’re joined by Adele Houghton of the Harvard School of Public Health and Carlos Castillo-Salgado of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to discuss their new book Architectural Epidemiology: Architecture as a Mechanism for Designing a Healthier, More Sustainable, and Resilient World. We chat about how to connect the social and architectural determinants of health before projects get off the ground in order to create more healthy neighborhoods. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com

This week we’re on vacation, but we’re flashing back to Episode 391 and chatting with Jonathon Stalls about his wonderful book Walk: Slow Down, Wake Up, and Connect at 1-3 Miles Per Hour. He also talks about Pedestrian Dignity and his 2010 walk across the US. Hope everyone is doing well. I’m in China this month and will be back with new episodes next week, but this week I’m hanging out in Beijing and didn’t have time to produce a new episode. Check out my Instagram @theoverheadwire for pictures, mostly for fun but also including some transportation shots. In the meantime, let’s flash back to 2022 and our discussion with the amazing Jonathon Stalls of Pedestrian Dignity. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And

This week we’re joined by former FHWA Deputy Administrator Andrew Rogers to discuss how congress can help reduce traffic deaths and collisions with the use of technology. We discuss the best time to influence congress on transportation and the crash first, fix later mentality.  Find out more at https://www.marscoalition.org/ +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site!  And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com