PREVIEW: Women Changing Cities with Melissa and Chris Bruntlett
The War on Cars
***This is a preview of a . For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, presale tickets to live shows, and more, .*** When it comes to transforming cities and reclaiming space from the automobile, some of the best and boldest leaders are women. There's Mayor Anne Hidalgo in Paris and former Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, just to name two. Why is that so? That’s the question explored by our guests, urban mobility experts , in their new book: . The Bruntletts discuss the qualities that have allowed these...
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The Importance of Livable Streets with Bruce Appleyard
The War on Cars
We talked with Dr. Bruce Appleyard, who has spent a lifetime thinking about what we mean when we talk about liveable streets—and why it is so important that we build our cities with human beings in mind, first and foremost. Bruce’s research makes an appearance in Life After Cars, and his father, Donald Appleyard, was a legend in this field for his work that led to the indispensable book Livable Streets, published in 1981. In 2020 Bruce published Livable Streets 2.0, which brings his father’s book up to date while preserving its core principles and teachings. We talked with him about how...
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The Creation of America's Car Culture, Part 2
The War on Cars
Signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, otherwise known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, ushered in an unprecedented era of roadbuilding in the United States, becoming the largest public works project in the country’s history. Designed to spread freedom and prosperity — and, as the name implies, provide for the national defense — these highways tore through urban neighborhoods, destroying once-thriving communities and displacing countless citizens, many of them people of color. In this special report, we examine just...
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PREVIEW: Hanging Out with Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland
The War on Cars
***This is a preview of a . For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, presale tickets to live shows, and more, .*** We were out in Portland, Oregon, for our book tour in November, and spent a lot of great time hanging out with Jonathan Maus, the legendary founder of . We sat down with Jonathan in his backyard shed/studio and talked about how a great bike city can get even better, the importance of transit, and how media is an important part of the movement for more human cities. Order our new book, . And...
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Dispatches from Book Tour, Part 2
The War on Cars
We are back home in Brooklyn but we can’t stop talking about everything we saw out on the road on our Life After Cars book tour. Listen for our takes on the second leg of our trip, which took us from Providence to Austin to Houston to Denver to Boulder…and then ended with a surprise diversion to an unexpected destination. We’ve seen so much along the way—like just how destructive freeway expansions can be. But also how cities can reclaim automobile infrastructure for humans! Plus, a shout-out to all the people who took such good care of us along the way. Our book tour continues!...
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Dispatches from Book Tour
The War on Cars
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind as we hit the road (not in a car) to promote our new book, , in some of the greatest cities of North America including San Francisco, Washington, DC, Seattle, Vancouver, BC, Nanaimo, BC, Portland, OR, San Diego, and Los Angeles (as well as our home base of NYC, of course). Getting to visit all these cities in person, often walking and riding the streets accompanied by local advocates and elected officials, was a real joy and a privilege. We saw a lot! And maybe not surprisingly for a couple of podcasters, we had some thoughts about all of it—from...
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The Creation of America's Car Culture
The War on Cars
This episode is part of a special series called "Changing American Car Culture" funded with the generous support of The Helen and William Mazer Foundation. As historian Peter Norton documents in his book, , the death and destruction caused by the introduction of automobiles into U.S. cities in the early part of the 20th century caused a lot of people to challenge the notion that such machines would ever become popular. In response, autmobile companies, car dealers, driving enthuisasts, and others went on the offense, creating the culture that gave rise to the mass adoption of cars and the...
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PREVIEW: A Talk with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo
The War on Cars
This is a preview of a . For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, presale tickets to live shows, and more, . Back in September, Sarah moderated a conversation with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo as part of Climate Week events in New York City. The event was presented by the and , a Paris-based nonprofit that focuses on improving air quality. We talked about her work removing cars from the city, reducing air pollution, and cleaning up the Seine. for access to the entire episode. Order our new book, , out now...
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Welcome to Life After Cars
The War on Cars
Today we celebrate the publication of our new book, . In this episode, we serve up a sample of the audiobook and talk about some of the things we learned and that surprised us during the process of bringing Life After Cars to publication. Also, who should play us in the movie version? Listen to hear our thoughts and let us know your opinion. We are so grateful to all of our listeners and supporters for making this day possible. Go out there and . . Please support independent booksellers! and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of regular episodes, Patreon-only bonus content,...
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The War on the War on Cars with Ted Mann
The War on Cars
In this episode, we talk about the Trump Administration’s full-on financial assault on all the modes of transportation we hold dear here at The War on Cars. Biking, walking, public transit—basically, anything deemed “hostile to cars” or that has something to do with sustainability and equity is under attack. Ted Mann, a reporter at Bloomberg News , joins us to explain what is going on with federal transportation funding for active transportation projects and more. You can find more of Ted’s work or follow him on . and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of...
info_outlineWhy do Americans spend lots of money to visit walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly European cities, only to come back to the U.S. and oppose all those things where they live? Rick Steves has some thoughts.
Countless people know and love the popular travel writer for his guidebooks and long-running television programs, which encourage people to explore Europe’s “backdoor” destinations—those off-the-beaten-path locations that have just as much or more to offer than its more touristy cities and sights.
Rick takes a thoughtful and philosophical approach to travel and believes it offers people important lessons for becoming better global citizens. He is also an activist and philanthropist who believes in the power of local advocacy; he has funded affordable housing in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, and is pursuing a one-man effort to turn a downtown roundabout into an Italian-style piazza.
Please note: This episode was recorded before Rick announced his recent cancer diagnosis. We wish him all the best and many more years of inspiring people to explore the world.
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***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive ad-free versions of regular episodes and exclusive bonus content. Plus, we’ll send you stickers.***
This episode was produced with support from Pinhead Locks and Cleverhood. Listen for the latest discount codes.
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LINKS
- Learn more about all things Rick Steves.
- Pick up a copy of Rick’s book Travel as a Political Act and the 40th edition of his travel guide Europe Through the Back Door as well as books by other podcast guests at our official Bookshop.org page.
- “When he’s not traveling around Europe, writing about Europe or running his multimillion-dollar European tour company, the prolific TV host and author likes to squeeze in some local activism.” (Washington Post)
- Rick Steves Wants to Set You Free (New York Times)
- The Future in our Hands, the Norwegian movement Rick mentions in the episode.
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Follow The War on Cars on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Bluesky and Mastodon.
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This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded by Justin Fernandez at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear.