Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast

This week we're joined for a second time by Shared Use Mobility Center Executive Director Sharon Feigon. Sharon talks to us about the newest trends in shared mobility including scooters and e-bikes and we talk about whether the animosity towards ride hailing has waned. We also chat about the issues cities and transportation companies are coming across as they try to create mobility platforms and whether car share usage is going down due to more options in the market.

Recently we moderated a panel in Austin during South by Southwest hosted by moovel and the Rocky Mountain Institute. The panel featured a number of folks from all different backgrounds discussing the future of mobility platforms in cities. We had representatives from the private sector, public sector, and advocacy voices to balance out the discussion and I think it was a good one folks will enjoy.  Jason JonMichael - City of Austin Hilary Norton - FastLA Karina Ricks - City of Pittsburgh Nat Parker - Moovel Tim McHugh - Portland Tri-Met Jules Kortenhorst - CEO Rocky Mountain Institute Meg Merritt - Nelson Nygaard  

This week we’re joined by the Executive Director of the KC Streetcar Authority, Tom Gerend. Tom talks about some of the challenges in creating the streetcar and a broader regional transit network. He explains the value capture funding mechanism that’s funds 100 percent of the streetcar’s operations and maintenance—as well as some of the project design and construction). The KC Streetcar is unique in a lot of ways, including its lack of a fare. Tom explains the rationale behind the decision to make the streetcar free.

This week we're joined by LA Metro CEO Phil Washington to talk about the many interesting things the agency is working on. He discusses building affordable housing near transit, testing new ideas like microtransit, and the origins of Metro's Office of Extraordinary Innovation.

This week on the podcast we’re joined by Joe DiStefano of Urban Footprint.  We talk about Joe’s work with Calthorpe Associates doing regional planning as well as creating digital tools for big planning ideas.  Joe also talks about the importance of planners having information at their fingertips in order to make decisions as well as being the ones in the room to remind everyone plans are about people.

This week we're joined by Shannon Mattern, Associate Professor of Media Studies at the New School in New York City. Shannon discusses her new book Code+Clay ... Data+Dirt: 5,000 Years of Urban Media. We talk about how she came up with the idea to teach a class on the intersection of media studies, architecture, and cities, her favorite research, and how the perfect future interface humans are looking for does not exist. There's also a discussion about mapping and how digital mapping can leave out aspects of space that should be considered.

This week, we’re joined by Somerville MA Mayor Joseph Curtatone. The mayor talks about Somerville’s proximity to Boston, its amazing density and variable housing types, and how the community is working together on plans for future transit-oriented development around the Green Line Extension. Mayor Curtatone also talks about how that process is being monitored and can be recreated in the future. Finally, the mayor looks back at how the city has transformed yet maintained its unique character over his 14 years in office.

This week we're joined again by Mariia Zimmerman of MZ Strategies. Mariia discusses how she got into transportation and urban planning after growing up in rural Minnesota and how livability policy has changed over time at the federal level. She also talks about the evolution of discussions about transit oriented development from initial proof of concept to a greater discussion on equity.

This week we’re joined by Los Angeles DOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds.  We chat about how she got into transportation planning and how we can innovate for everyone.  There’s also a discussion about the future of streets, air rights of way, and how cities can handle partnerships with mobility providers that benefit cities.  And finally we talk about pricing and what that means for cities as well as how to address changing revenue sources as cities evolve.

This week we're joined by Daniel Sperling to talk about his new book Three Revolutions. We talk about the possible sea changes happening in the transportation world with electrification, automation, and shared rides. I ask him about the importance of regulations, how he got his epiphany that shared rides are the future, and what this revolutions means for auto manufacturers.

This week Jarrett Walker of Jarrett Walker and Associates joins the podcast to talk about communicating difficult issues in transportation and planning. We talk about Jarrett’s excitement about urban change in Portland Oregon where he grew up and the importance of humanities majors in the transportation profession. We also talk about why NIMBYs feel the way they do and how we can think differently about our language and approach to housing and transportation.

This week we’re at the National Shared Mobility Summit in Chicago.  Jeff Tumlin of Nelson Nygaard moderates a panel of experts on new mobility including Carla Bailo from the Center for Automotive Research, Krista Huhtala-Jenks from the Finland Ministry of Transport and Communications, Dick Alexander from Trandev, and Justin Erlich from Uber.  They talk about the new business model of shared mobility, actually moving people versus selling things, what are the pieces that go into transportation and mobility services as well as the future of moving people around.  You might also hear amazing references to MacGyver and heavy metal bands.

This week we chat with Brian Reilly, former Economic Development Director in Buffalo, NY and Cleveland, OH and the Principal of the planning consultancy Doing Good, about integrating transportation and land use in Albuquerque. As Reilly explains, the city’s new bus rapid transit line ART is just one project but it forms a frequent and reliable backbone for Albuquerque's entire transportation system. Today, the city is focused on redevelopment along the Central Avenue corridor where ART runs, part of the historic Route 66. Reilly also talks about how the city is approaching poverty reduction from a transportation angle.

This week we’re joined by Jonathan Sage Martinson, former Director of the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative in the Twin Cities.  We talk about how the collaborative got started, how they supported planning in the Green Line light rail corridor between Minneapolis and St. Paul, and how one member even got the FTA to change a much discussed cost effectiveness rule.

This week we’re joined by Robert Cervero, Erick Guerra, and Stefan Al to talk about their new book called Beyond Mobility. They talk about the idea of recalibrating cities and how we can put people first when we think about transportation and the built environment. We also talk about silly regulations such as one parking space per toilet seat and some of the examples of good transportation and planning we can borrow from around the world.   Interested in checking out the book? Use the code “4Beyond” at IslandPress.org and get 20% off. 

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we’re joined by George Karayannis, Vice President of CityNow, a smart city arm of Panasonic Corporation. George talks about smart cities and how to think beyond shiny technology and what it means to think about the future. George also discusses what CityNow is setting up at Pena Station Next, a new smart city concept on Denver RTD's A Line commuter rail that incorporates ideas such as district energy, smarter streetlights, and intelligent power management in buildings. He talks about how and why the station location was chosen for this innovative project.

This week we’re joined by Christof Hellmis, Vice President of Strategic Program at Here Technologies in Berlin Germany.  I was invited to CES in Las Vegas by HERE to check out the next generation in data and maps and got to sit down with Christof to talk about data and transportation.  We chatted about how mapping and location will be important for new transportation technologies and old and I ask questions about equity and data and potential privacy concerns.  At one point Christof goes on to say this isn’t just mapping for humans, it’s maps for everything. 

This week on the podcast we’re joined by Kyle Shelton of the Kinder Institute to talk about his new book Power Moves: Transportation, Politics, and Development in Houston.  I ask Kyle why he wrote the book and his feelings about looking back at history knowing about potentially better transportation outcomes.  We also talk about the idea of “infrastructure citizenship” and how local advocacy groups wielded power in past fights between road builders and transit advocates.

This week we’re joined by Yonah Freemark of the Transport Politic for our annual prediction extravaganza!  Find out how last year’s predictions held up and whether you agree with this year’s thoughts on Montreal transit and Bus Rapid Transit in Boston. We also discuss the leaked infrastructure plan from the new administration and talk about our favorite writers focused on urban issues. 

This week’s episode features Fehr and Peers Ron Milam and me discussing the differences between the Transportation Research Board conference in Washington DC and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, both of which took place on the second week in January. We discuss all the interesting topics that emerged from both conferences including delivery drones, curb management, massive data collection from autonomous vehicles, and the potential uses and rights issues that might arise in the built environment from the use of augmented reality.