Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast

Talking Headways is a podcast hosted by Streetsblog USA and Jeff Wood of The Overhead Wire. We explore the intersection of transportation, urban planning, city living, and anything else that piques our interest.

Episode 532: Normal is Not Correct, Someone Died Here 05/08/2025

Episode 532: Normal is Not Correct, Someone Died Here This week I’m joined by Kevin Krizek and Tila Duhaime to chat about an idea called Emergency Streets which focuses on the proper response from cities after a fatal crash. We chat about traffic deaths as an epidemic, and how an Emergency Streets protocol could alert people to the traffic deaths happening in their communities. +++ Get the show ad free ! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/36481545

Episode 170: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Those Dang Squirrels 05/06/2025

Episode 170: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Those Dang Squirrels This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we're Han Solo but don't worry, we've got you covered with lots of great news about cities and transportation. We cover Texas preemption against bike and bus lanes, the short sightedness of housing people in parking lots, and what makes cities more walkable. Below are the items we shared on the show: Main Items Texas preemption - Students living in cars - Colorado workers in parking lots - The good car tax guide - The critics love congestion pricing - Dutch climate policy - What makes walkability - Dallas building code - ABC of mobility - Bonus Items Caltrain air pollution - Paris air maps - Pike place car free - Toronto bike lanes - Duffy's cuts - Dave Matthews Band public housing - Supersize SUVs - Metrolink expansion - Detroit tax auctions - +++ Get the show ad free ! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/36450170

Episode 531: Behind the Mayor's Desk 05/01/2025

Episode 531: Behind the Mayor's Desk This week on the Talking Headways podcast we're joined by Anthony Flint of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to talk about his book . We chat about the future of cities through the eyes of a mayor, those who operate like urban mechanics, and the challenges that connect cities around the world. +++ Get the show ad free ! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/36384545

Episode 530: Just Action Under the Color of Law 04/24/2025

Episode 530: Just Action Under the Color of Law This week we’re joined by Leah Rothstein to chat about her book she wrote with her father Richard entitled . We discuss building wealth and ideas for building more equitable housing policies as well as convincing people why they are important. +++ Get the show ad free ! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/36290345

Episode 169: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Taking Care 04/22/2025

Episode 169: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Taking Care This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we talk state preemption, pandemic era block parties that continue on, and warehouse transportation regulations in California. Below are the show notes! Speed limiters - Block party - State preemption law in Idaho - Federal preemption - CA warehouse regulations - When staying warm kills - Bonus Items 6ppd filtering - Galveston Homes - Carney housing plans - Net zero workplace - Cycling more efficient - SF upzoning plan - Direct vision trucks - Human heat capacity - Where parking is allowed - +++ Get the show ad free ! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/36258980

Episode 529: The Pacific Circuit 04/17/2025

Episode 529: The Pacific Circuit This week we’re joined by journalist and host of KQED’s Forum Alexis Madrigal to discuss his book Alexis connects containerization to globalization and its direct impacts on an Oakland neighborhood. We also chat about histories of determining blight, silicon valley's part in global trade, and why we need new thinking about urban change. +++ Get the show ad free ! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/36202580

Episode 528: The California State Rail Plan 04/10/2025

Episode 528: The California State Rail Plan This week we’re listening in on a conversation hosted by about the 2024 update to the California State Rail Plan. Adina Levin of Seamless Bay Area hosts Shannon Simonds Chief, Office of Rail Planning & Implementation at Caltrans, Eric Goldwyn of the Marron Institute of Urban Management, and Adriana Rizzo of Californians for Electric Rail in discussion. Find the video of this discussion on . Find the slides from this discussion . +++ Get the show ad free ! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/36079560

Episode 527: Planning Connections in Panther City 04/03/2025

Episode 527: Planning Connections in Panther City This week we’re joined by Kelly Porter, Assistant Director Tranportation & Public Works for the City of Fort Worth. We talk about the city’s incredible growth, its first ever , plans for Panther Island and Butler Place as well as dreams for high speed rail. Get the show ad free ! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35986105

Episode 168: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Lego Not Legos 04/01/2025

Episode 168: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Lego Not Legos This week on Monday's we're Han Solo, but don't let the smuggler fool you, we've got some great loot in the cargo hold. We chat about states focusing on shifting road funds to active transportation, a Brooklyn apartment building put together like a lego set, and a battery fire used to oppose batteries. Lots of great items this week, below are the show notes! Get the show ad free ! Show Notes: States push shift to active modes - Apartment complex built like Lego - State capacity crisis - Paris roads car free - Battery foes radicalized - E-bike love - User pay myth - Bonds non taxable - When climate adaptation goes private - Minimalism suffocating architecture - Clearing in the Woods - Bonus Items Milwaukee could create transit authority - Recycling buildings - Amtrak CEO steps down - Saving fireplace tiles - Quick build Sacramento - Sound transit picks Dow Constantine - Bill for new transit authority in Charlotte - Council member to FTA - Rivian Spinoff - +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35955040

Episode 526: American Oasis 03/26/2025

Episode 526: American Oasis This week we’re joined by Kyle Paoletta to talk about his book . We discuss the growth and history of southwestern US cities, how indigenous people didn't disappear but adapted, the importance of language and identity, and climate adaptation lessons for cities from the driest region. Get the show ad free ! +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35880080

Episode 525: The Public Works Director for Democrats 03/20/2025

Episode 525: The Public Works Director for Democrats This week we’re joined by Congressman Rick Larsen of Washington State, Ranking Member for the Democrats on the . We chat about USDOT’s recent guidance for stripping sustainable projects of funding and why active transportation advocates should focus on safety. Find committee hearing schedules . Find the TNI Democrats page . +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35786270

Episode 167: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - No Takings! 03/18/2025

Episode 167: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - No Takings! This week we're Han Solo, but we talk about trends in state preemption, state capacity and road project costs, the possible death of the North Star commuter rail line, and how utility companies in California can't cry takings when transit projects ask them to move equipment. Links to the items we chatted about below the fold How to Meet Your Neighbor - Utah Legislature steals Salt Lake power - Shutting down Northstar - Procurement and infra costs - Single stairway safe - El Paso water recycling - No takings - No takings 2 - German cities transition - Michigan car free home buyer - Nation of homebodies - Parametric insurance - BONUS ITEMS Transfer development rights - Fast food from traffic - Valley fever - ODOT Budget fumble - Embassy air monitors - ULEZ cleaner - Colorado barrier - Mexico Panama Canal competetor - Euro HSR - +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35741945

Episode 524: Yonah Freemark Part 2 03/13/2025

Episode 524: Yonah Freemark Part 2 This week Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute is back again for Part 2 of our annual discussion. This week we make predictions! We look at what we predicted last year and what might happen in 2025. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35664375

Episode 523: Yonah Freemark Part 1 03/06/2025

Episode 523: Yonah Freemark Part 1 This week we’re joined once again by Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute to discuss his annual transit project updates at . In Part 1, we talk about housing strategies for properties near transit, exciting transit openings in 2025, and which cities could use a subway project. We also talk about government deference to local officials and how we can better use public assets to create more housing. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35555970

Episode 522: Stuck with Yoni Appelbaum 02/27/2025

Episode 522: Stuck with Yoni Appelbaum This week we’re joined by Yoni Appelbaum to discuss his book . We talk about the history of moving in the US and how the different traditions of land ownership and management in the US evolved. We also talk about how much people loved apartments at the turn of the 19th century and zoning's targeted groups. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35447385

Episode 166: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - More Trains, Less Kings 02/25/2025

Episode 166: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - More Trains, Less Kings This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we're Han Solo! But don't worry, we cover a lot of ground including congestion pricing's sparing match with a wannabe King, Canada's high speed rail plans, microplastics, and a big bike experiment in Denver. For more links to items discussed on the show, see below: USDOT wants end to congestion pricing - Seattle social housing gets yes vote - Canada plans HSR - Woodlands eco-burb - Denver bike experiment - Microplastics - Vehicle plastics found in Alps - 100 fewer killed with 20mph speed limits - Right on red danger for peds - Capital Gains slowing housing? - Miami's trash nightmare - BONUS ITEMS Caltrain More Efficient - Black residents pay price for climate change - Languages lost to climate change - Brake dust more harmful now - EVs generally produce less non-exhaust emissions - (Thanks Nick for that one!) Autonomous cars don't understand blind - Safe planning for women - Better barriers needed - Atlanta's housing plans - Rail accuses trucking of road subsidies - Cambridge ends single family zoning - Senators wants $1K EV tax - Cairo's garbage city the envy of world - +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35419325

Episode 521: Why Stores Require You to Drive 02/20/2025

Episode 521: Why Stores Require You to Drive This week we’re chatting with Stacy Mitchell of the e about her recent article in the Atlantic entitled . We chat about the deregulation mood of the 70s and 80s and what that’s meant for shopping, access, and how much we drive. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35358830

Episode 520: The Cognitive Experience of a Transit User 02/13/2025

Episode 520: The Cognitive Experience of a Transit User This week on the Talking Headways podcast we’re joined by at the Mpact Transit + Community conference in Philadelphia. We chat about the cognitive workload of pedestrians and creating safe opportunities for mind wandering and absorbing information. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35267035

Episode 165: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Memos within Memos 02/11/2025

Episode 165: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Memos within Memos This week at Mondays at The Overhead Wire, we're joined by Streetsblog USA's Kea Wilson to chat about the new USDOT directives from the Trump administration. We talk about rescinded memos, funding memos, and Kea thinks Jeff might be trying to hard to find logic in the reasoning for using birth and marriage rates to steer transportation funding. Below are items we chatted about on the show.... Donald Shoup was about more than just parking - Unflooding the zone - Why DOT is promising more money for higher birthrates - Rescinding DOT policy Memo - Weird funding mechanisms and edicts Memo - Social cost of carbon - Birth rate funding would leave communities behind - The Brake Podcast at +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35234740

Episode 519: 20 is Plenty 02/06/2025

Episode 519: 20 is Plenty This week on Talking Headways we’re joined by Member of the Welsh Senedd (Parliament) Lee Waters and Dr. Jennifer Kent of The University of Sydney. They talk about how Wales set climate targets, did a roads review, got to a 20 mile per hour speed limit across the country, and what it might take for other places to do the same. They share the importance of leadership, the data around benefits related to 20mph, and how waiting to long for change might doom it. Some relevant items: Wales 2021 Transport Strategy - Welsh roads review - Welsh roads review - Lee Waters' blog on the process - +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35170330

Episode 518: Not Eating Exhaust with Your Beer 01/30/2025

Episode 518: Not Eating Exhaust with Your Beer This week on Talking Headways we’re joined by Mike Eliason of larch lab to discuss his new book . We chat about single stair buildings, development on arterials, building back after climate disasters, and the problem with RFPs. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35076445

Episode 164: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Learning from the Redwoods 01/28/2025

Episode 164: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Learning from the Redwoods This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we're Han Solo, but that doesn't stop us from talking about all the podcasts we've got coming up, news about the LA wildfires, modular homes, and surveillance technology. More news than you can use this week on the Talking Headways podcast feed. Main News Items Essential eternal apartment - Rethining wildfires - Experts on the wildfires - Modular homes - Surveillance changing brains - 100 year anniversary of auto dependence - Rethinking e-bike regulations - Weak web of LA Government - MDUs - Bonus Items Montreal drivers get huge bills - City grocery Stores - Pricing stems traffic - Walgreens admits failures - GM banned from sharing driving data - Property tax system reform - LBJ cancelled moon base for subways - Berlin housing loophole - Austin rents fall on home building - +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/35043280

Episode 517: Intern to CEO 01/23/2025

Episode 517: Intern to CEO This week on Talking Headways we’re joined by , CEO of engineering and planning firm OHM Advisors. Jon chats about going from Intern to CEO over a 30 year period, competing against large engineering firms, and the state of engineering education. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/34968070

Episode 516: Reimagining the Civic Commons 01/16/2025

Episode 516: Reimagining the Civic Commons This week on Talking Headways we’re joined by Bridget Marquis, Director of . Bridget chats with us about connecting public assets, the importance of creating metrics that matter, and better ways to think about community engagement. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/34875680

Episode 163: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Welcome to 2025 01/14/2025

Episode 163: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Welcome to 2025 We're Han Solo this week but have a lot to share from the end of December and the start of 2025. As we get back into the new year we cover new ways to think about housing construction, transit expansion from Yonah Freemark, and worries about the brightness of headlights. Check out the show notes below. Transit Openings 2025 - Radical construction rethink - Property tax rethink - Intergenerational living arrangement - Forever chemicals in drinking water - Why it's hard to stop driving - Headlights getting brighter - The great abandonment - Hidden cause of Food Deserts - Bonus Items Virtual power purchase agreements - Car dependence and life satisfaction - Illegal to stop in Philly bike lanes - Location key to walking more - DC tackled a child care crunch - Universal Pre-K - Miami condos sinking - AT&T to end landline service - MNDOT won't remove I-94 - Corn isn't a good solar panel - NACTO Launches urban bikeway guide - Raleigh can't find BRT contractor - +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/34846995

Episode 515: Highway Robbery 01/09/2025

Episode 515: Highway Robbery This week on the Talking Headways podcast we're joined by Ben Ross and Joe Cortright to discuss discussing how modeling is being used to expand highways around the country. We chat about their critiques of highway modeling, politics, and some potential solutions to the problem. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/34784410

Episode 514: Zoning for Vermicelli 01/02/2025

Episode 514: Zoning for Vermicelli This week we’re joined by Professor Sara Bronin to talk about her book . We chat about all the ways that land is regulated. And why zoning is an opportunity for people to reshape their communities. We also chat about food policy, connecting the street to property, and the relationship between land and natural systems. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/34694075

Flashback: Mapping the Smells and Sounds of the Sensory City 12/27/2024

Flashback: Mapping the Smells and Sounds of the Sensory City This week for our holiday break we’re going back in time to episode 108 which we recorded in Cambridge England with Daniele Quercia and Luca Aiello of Bell Labs. We chatted about using social media to map sensory experiences in cities including smells and soundscapes. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/34634780

Episode 513: Indianapolis' Blossoming BRT Network 12/19/2024

Episode 513: Indianapolis' Blossoming BRT Network This week we’re joined by Austin Gibble, currently of Stantec but formerly of the City of Indianapolis and IndyGo. We chat about the history of planning for BRT in Indy, the Cultural Trail bike network, transit and infrastructure costs, and the interpersonal relationships that can make or break projects. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/34528085

Mondays Flashback: Street Commerce 12/17/2024

Mondays Flashback: Street Commerce This week we’re going back to 2021 to chat with Professor Andres Sevtsuk of MIT about his book . I really liked this discussion and he just had an out yesterday about his work so I thought it might be of interest to folks. We chat the importance of location in urban retail, the city factors that might determine a store’s success, and why urban retail should be studied more in planning school. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... Follow us on Mastadon Support the show on Patreon on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at ! And everything else at /episode/index/show/streetsblog/id/34482520

Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast

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