Podcast: High Speed Rail Lessons for California from France and Germany

Eric Eidlin joins the podcast to talk about his German Marshall Fund research on High Speed Rail in France and Germany.  Definitely check it out as there are lots of great discussions about station land uses, station locations, and last mile connections.

Podcast: Janne Flisrand Talks Raising Community Voices

This week on the podcast, Janne Flisrand, an Urban Anthropologist, Network Weaver, and writer at Streets.mn talks about which voices we are including in city discussions, community meetings, equity and more.  Join us!  And don't forget you can find us on iTunes and Stitcher.  Just type in Talking Headways.

Podcast: Mary Newsom Talks Charlotte's Appetite for Growth

On this week's talking headways podcast, the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute's Mary Newsom talks about Charlotte's history, urban growth, and transportation.

An Urban Issue Podcast Library

I started doing a podcast with Streetsblog just over a year and a half ago.  It was a way to do something without having to think through a whole blog and just have a general conversation about all the news I was finding each week with my friend Tanya.  It has since evolved to one where I'm the host and we have guests from week to week to talk about what's going on in cities. 

But I'd been listening to sports, comedy, and the usual NPR style podcasts for a long time.  Some of my favorites I still listen to today are the Men in Blazers who mix in pop culture with US and International Soccer and the Scott Mills daily from the BBC.  Random I know. 

But urban issue specific podcasts were few and far between.  And still kind of are, but the list is growing.  I though I would put together a list folks might find interesting but I also hope more will try their hand at interviewing friends and colleagues who have something interesting to say.  Ira Glass says not everyone has an interesting story, but in this world of transit and cities, I imagine most of the people who work in the field have a strong knowledge of their field and can share experiences.

I know I probably missed some so add your favorites to the comments section and I'll add them to the list.  Also, I tried not to post podcasts that were not ongoing at this time.  There's quite a few that have started and fizzled out. 

The Urban Issues Podcast List

APA Planning Podcast - his one is a little bit of everything in the planning world.  It's likely you'll be able to find something to enjoy, but it might be hit or miss week to week.
iTunes | Stitcher
 

Cascadiacast - This podcast based in the Pacific NW and housed at the Urbanist. 
iTunes


Civic Strategies Podcast - Otis White talks with urban leaders about what's going on with their cities once a month.  You can listen to it on his website.
  

Damien Talks - Streetsblog LA's Damien Newton has California guests on to talk about transportation and livable streets issues.
Libsyn


Monocle Urbanist Podcast - Monocle is a British magazine and this podcast takes you to different parts of the world to discuss urban policy and design.  I really enjoy this one because it's great each week.
iTunes | Stitcher | Soundcloud


Live @ SPUR Podcast - SPUR has great evening and lunchtime speaker events and they just recently started putting them together in podcast form.
Soundcloud


Urban Solutions Audio -  Audio Clips produced for the NRDC Urban Solutions program.  Covering urban issues from transportation to water.
Soundcloud


Streets.mn Podcast - Bill Lindeke puts together a great informational podcast about the comings and goings of urban issues in the Twin Cities.
iTunes


Strong Towns Podcast - Chuck Marohn sometimes talks on his own, and sometimes has guests.  Mostly they talk transportation and cities, sometimes they talk the Hunger Games.
iTunes | Stitcher


Talking Headways Podcast - I'm biased of course but I think it's pretty great.  Hosted at Streetsblog we talk about transportation and urban issues each week with a new guest.  Early episodes included the wonderful Tanya Snyder as co-host.
iTunes | Stitcher


The Infrastructure Show - Professor Joseph Schofer of Northwestern University talks infrastructure of all kinds.  Panama Canal or Bust!
iTunes


The Indy Show - The folks at Urban Indy have just dipped their toes into the podcasting waters, let's hope they keep it going.  Great first episode.
Episode 1


This is the Nature of Cities Podcast - Accompanying the Nature of Cities blog, this audio series discusses the ecology of cities.
iTunes


Transit Matters Podcast - Broadcasting from Boston about transportation issues, Jeremy Mendelson talks MBTA and more.
iTunes |


Urban Cincy Podcast - The guys at Urban Cincy put on a great podcast talking about local Cincinnati issues with a panel of guests.  Super enjoyable.
iTunes | Stitcher


Urbanism Speakeasy - Host Andy Boenau has guests each show talking about urban issues such as transportation and urban design.
iTunes | Stitcher 


The Urbanophile - Aaron Renn has various guests on his audio podcast usually connected to either his site the Urbanophile or City Journal.
Soundcloud


99% Invisible - Roman Mars and company discuss design in all it's forms.  Not quite a city focused podcast but lots of elements and one of the most popular on the planet.
iTunes | Stitcher | Soundcloud

Podcast: The Sharing Economy

This week Brooks Rainwater from the National League of Cities joins us to talk about what city leaders think about the sharing economy. We also talk some robots and singularity. Fun times. Enjoy!

Even a 5 Year Old Knows to Skip the Drive

After getting rid of my car about 5 years ago, I often miss being able to do certain things like driving up the coast or heading out to a great trailhead. I can still do those things but now there's a bit of a mental burden to paying $10 per hour for that privilege. Of course that's what keeps me from more VMT, but I also forget what driving was sometimes like. For many it's a necessity, but also a burden. This commercial might be a good representation of the reason why younger folks are waiting until later to get a driver's license. Because while enjoyable on the open road, driving often can be a pain.

Become a Patron of The Overhead Wire and The Direct Transfer Daily

Hey All!

Thanks for keeping up with The Overhead Wire and The Direct Transfer in your RSS feeds or by checking back in to the website. Many of you are using the RSS instead of getting the daily email and that's awesome. As many of you know, for nine years I've put together The Direct Transfer Daily (formerly The Other Side of the Tracks) and for the last few months (and a year+ with Tanya Snyder) have been doing the Talking Headways Podcast at StreetsblogUSA. In my previous job there was a bit of support for these projects however now that I'm working on my own as a consultant that isn't as sustainable. It probably wasn't sustainable before but I love doing it and still do.

I'd like to keep collecting news and podcasting to share information with folks who love cities. Hopefully I can also write more at The Overhead Wire and here. My intern Kelly has been loading news and writing posts and I need to keep paying her for that great work and pay for some of my time creating these resources.

So if you're so inclined I would really appreciate your support. The Patreon is a monthly subscription donation that you choose. It can range from cents to $150 a month. That higher level will allow someone to co-host the podcast with me once a year. $2 a month gets you a sticker with our loveable Overhead Wire logo on it.

You can pledge continuing support for The Overhead Wire on Patreon here.

Folks have also been asking if they can give one time. I'm more than happy to have your support that way too. You can click on the PayPal Link Below.

So let's keep this going. Thanks so much for continued reading of our link collections and listening to the podcast. We really appreciate it and I hope they help you as well.

Podcast: Tara Pham Discusses St. Louis and Civic Innovation

This week on the podcast, Tara Pham joins the podcast to talk about St. Louis.  We talk about the music scene, civic innovation, the internet service economy, and her company's focus on collecting better data for cities.  Check it out!

Podcast: Bruce Katz Discusses UK devolution and the Power of Metro Regions

This week Bruce Katz from the Brookings Institution joins us to talk about plans for devolution in the United Kingdom and how the lessons from that process can be applied here in the United States by the federal and state governments.  Lots of great quotes in this one, so you'll want to take a listen.

The Next Big Tech Hub?

With the tech-driven growth that many places have seen, cities all over the US are trying to become the next big tech hub. Cities are trying to woo developers, incentivize start-up development, or become the next city with Google Fiber. However, Chattanooga, with its superfast fiber-optic broadband network, knows that high speed Internet isn’t the only thing that’s needed to attract tech companies. They’ve already seen economic growth from the higher broadband speeds, but they’re also trying to increase density and strategize ways to continue growing sustainably by diversifying development.

But while other cities strive to attract large tech companies, Mountain View is growing wary of them. Recently, the city denied a Google plan to build its new headquarters there, despite Google offering $240 million in community benefits for the development rights. Instead, Mountain View awarded LinkedIn the rights to develop in North Bayshore, in order to avoid becoming dependent on one big company.

There is some reason to their fears. Silicon Valley’s rapid growth has transformed nearby cities, and it’s spilling over. Demand for housing is high, and it’s driving up rents. The existing infrastructure is nowhere near sufficient to handle the volume of users, resulting in traffic congestion and constant transit woes. Bay Area cities have grown rapidly, and there is definite backlash. Even cities in the East Bay have seen dramatic and rapid development. Many cities located near BART stations have seen an influx of housing and retail development.

One developer, Lennar, is counting on the continued spillover of tech workers into neighboring cities. They’ve bought an 11-acre chunk of land in Fremont that they intend to develop into 2200 houses, apartments and offices. This is in addition to two other large housing developments that Lennar is intending to build in San Francisco. Other developers have followed suit and bought parcels of land, albeit smaller. While these developments will take over a decade to complete, demand is high, and still growing.

Podcast: Yonah Freemark on TOD

This week we have Yonah Freemark on the podcast to talk about TOD in Chicago.  How come the population is shrinking even in strong market parts of the city and what can we do about it?  Yonah also mentions why the zoning code is the way that it is and his definition of TOD.  Listen in to hear more.

Podcast: Missing Middle Housing with Dan Parolek

On this week's podcast we have Dan Parolek of Opticos Design.  He talks about different housing types that we don't often think about building such as duplexes and mansion houses.  They even put together a nifty website missingmiddlehousing.com.  

So check it out if you get a chance!

Podcast: Transportation, Festivals, Water, and More! in Milwaukee Wisconsin

On this week's Talking Headways podcast we chat with Jeramey Jannene of Urban Milwaukee about his fair city.  He discusses a whole bunch of topics including the streetcar, transit funding, freeway teardowns, bike share, and water.  So check out this week's episode and find out more about the density of Wisconsin's largest city.  You can also find it on Streetsblog, iTunes, or Stitcher.

Building Livable Cities for Our Aging Population

Cities, for the most part, are built for the young and the mobile. For the elderly, cities can be hostile environments. Walk signals don’t last long enough for them to make it through the crosswalk, pavements are uneven, and lighting is insufficient. This is an urgent problem that will need to be addressed. By 2030, two-thirds of the world will live in cities, and in developed areas, as many as one in four people will be over the age of 60. The World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Cities program sets out to counteract this very problem. Currently, 258 cities have signed up and vowed to become more “age-friendly.”

But as our population ages, what exactly can we do to improve the livability for seniors? For cities like Philadelphia, where one in seven people is over 65, the problem will have to be dealt with sooner rather than later. While the US tends to focus on Social Security and Medicare as big issues for the elderly, one of the biggest problems seniors face is the lack of affordable and accessible housing. Philadelphia has adopted zoning changes so that accessory dwelling units are easier to build. These units can allow the elderly to live in the accessory units while renting out their home for extra income, or letting their family live in their home as caregivers.

Another phenomenon occurring in cities where the elderly population is growing is NORCs, or naturally occurring retirement communities. In some neighborhoods, the senior population may have strong ties to the community and attachment to their homes. As a result, they tend to stay in place rather than move to a smaller home in a better climate, and the community will have a higher number of senior citizens. As communities like this occur more often, the neighborhoods will have to change to adapt to the needs of its residents: better transit, accessible buildings, and pedestrian-friendly streets.

The AARP recently created a livability index that may help measure a community’s suitability for seniors. The index scores neighborhoods in seven different categories on a scale from 1 to 100: housing, transportation, environment, health, engagement, opportunity, and neighborhood. It’s not perfect, but it may help cities improve in areas where they are lacking, and become more livable for their elderly residents.

How Two Way Streets Can Improve Cities

To improve the livability of neighborhoods, cities often turn to methods like building bike and pedestrian infrastructure or adding trees. However, one of the easiest and most affordable ways to improve cities might be to simply get rid of one-way streets. One-way streets became prevalent when cars were being introduced to the American public, as they were better suited to the higher speeds. A car would be able to travel faster along a wide one-way than a similarly wide two-way. But one-way streets might have done American cities more harm than good.

A study of 190 neighborhoods in Louisville shows that the risk of collision and injury in areas with many one-ways is about double that of areas with only two-way streets. Cyclists and pedestrians are also more likely to get injured on one-way streets. Not only that, property values in neighborhoods with one-way streets tend be lower--on average, they were worth half of what homes were worth in neighborhoods that didn’t have one-ways.

One way streets don’t only have higher rates of collisions and injury, they also seem to come with higher rates of crime and neglect. Streets that were converted into one-ways in the 1950s and 1960s seem to have deteriorated more so than two-way streets. It’s far easier to keep an eye out for law enforcement or flee on one-way streets. And because two-way streets are less conducive to high speeds, it is more likely that people passing by would see if a crime was taking place, making one-ways more desirable for breaking the law.

Of course, similar effects could also possibly be created on one-way streets. If the main cause of two-way streets being safer and less crime-ridden is slower speeds, then perhaps one-way streets can be made just as safe using traffic-calming methods.

Podcast: Most Roads Don't Pay for Themselves

Kevin DeGood of the Center for American Progress joins the podcast this week to discuss a recent report that reminds us no transportation pays for itself, even roads. We talk about the study, how 5.5% of the roads get 55% of the travel, and what's going on in DC. You can find it on Stitcher, iTunes, Streetsblog USA or the player below.