Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast

This week we're joined by Ryan Avent to discuss his new book In Good Faith: How the Nature of Belief Shapes the Fate of Societies. We discuss human evolution and the impact of collective knowledge and culture and the need to create a new story about the future of society. We also discuss grass is greener thinking on infrastructure, the nature of belief without the need for evidence, and the fact that there is no perfect past. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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

Chrissy Mancini Nichols joins the show again and we have a blast talking about all kinds of urban topics.  We discuss the rise of electro-states, a new way to measure accessibility from Wendy Zhao, short versus long term thinking on BRT alignments, and thoughts on how we should fund transportation considering our new world of deliveries and electric vehicles. Lots of great stuff, listen in here.   Discussion Items Dawn of the Electric World Order - Phenomenal World A new way of measuring accessibility - USC Price Colfax: to center run or side run BRT - Westword | Denverite Funding transportation - will we miss the gas tax? KQED | Governing Bonus Items Hormuz Jeff - Saturday Night Live Women Changing Cities - Talking Headways +++ Many thanks to Bob Nanna for our intro/outro music. Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 <a href="http://theoverheadwire.com"

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we're joined by Jaime Benavides and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou of Brown University to discuss their new paper showing how community severance by road infrastructure and traffic has led to more mental health related hospital visits in New York City. We talk about the role of roads cutting people off from social connections and how impacts of roads on mental health were separated out from air quality. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 Dabney Sanders, Project Manager of the Greensboro Downtown Greenway. We chat about opening the final section of the Greenway after 25 years of work, the amazing art projects on the route, and lessons for other cities wanting to build greenways. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 Cardozo Law professor Michael Pollack to talk about his new book Sidewalk Nation: The Life and Law of America's Most Overlooked Resource. Michael discusses who manages, owns, and feels ownership of sidewalks and advocates for a Department dedicated to them. We also talk about the nexus between sidewalks and roads, the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Denver's successful funding and maintenance referendum. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 joined once again by Tracy McMillan to discuss a number of super interesting news items. We discuss the future of New Orleans in a time of Sea Level rise, getting amphibians across the road safely during mating season, food insecurity amidst transit deserts, the importance of weekend transit service, and a bit on meeting people where they are when planning. Below are the News items that were discussed and links to resources mentioned. Main Items SafeTrec street story - University of California at Berkeley New Orleans point of no return - The Guardian How Americans in transit deserts get groceries - The Guardian The weekend transit problem - Car Free America How planners could reduce the cost of living - Planetizen Amphibian crossings - Grist Extra Items Maul Shadow Lord Janix Transit Map YouTube Ecology Bingeing China releases horses to stop desertification - Ground Zero Channel Scotland's 250 year forest plan - Make Tech Future Nevada let five Beavers back into a dead desert - Daily Discoveries Do Redwoods Only Grow in California? - Atlas Pro Referenced Talking Headways Episodes 521: Food Deserts and Policy - Stacy Mitchell of ILSR 459: Crossings - Ben Goldfarb 325: Transport Justice - Karel Martens +++ Many thanks to Bob Nanna for our intro/outro music. Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on <a href= "https://www.y

This week we're joined by Stephanie Dockery to discuss the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge.  Stephanie discusses how a bus art can get a cult following, how artists are creating attention in their cities with temporary art, and what happens after the projects disappear. Find the Bloomberg Connects art app here which contains audio, video, and written resources. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 doing a bit of a crossover episode this week as I wanted to do two things, promote the amazing podcast The Brake hosted by Kea Wilson at Streetsblog USA and Dr. Anat Caspi at The University of Washington and her work focused on creating a platform that inventories Washington State's sidewalks. This is a reproduction of The Brake's February 24th episode What It Would Take to Map Every Sidewalk In Your State.    The Washington State sidewalk inventory is now 100% complete but if you'd like to be part of the coalition to get legislative support for continued maintenance make sure to contact the folks working on OS Connect. +++ Many thanks to Bob Nanna for our intro/outro music. Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 Arizona State Professor Benjamin Fong to discuss an item he wrote in Urban Omnibus entitled Where's My Package? We discuss his work trying to suss out how e-commerce companies like Amazon have built their logistics systems and the difficulties of last mile deliveries. Benjamin also shares potentially beneficial legislation, movements that could benefit workers, and the process of siting warehouses that impact small towns to the benefit of big corporations. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 have a lot of great news items to share including SRO legislation, Japan's rail expertise, the idea of onboarding residents to a city, and the quiet that came from the solar eclipse. Below are the show notes including links to the articles that we discussed. MAIN ITEMS SRO legislation - Niskanen Center Older drivers - Carbon Upfront! Japan's railways - Works in Progress The warehouse in plain sight - Places Journal Onboarding residents - National League of Cities Free range parenting - The Dispatch Total eclipse silence - ScienceDaily Sacramento parking legend - Sacramento Bee Way-mo cars on the road - Streetsblog NYC BONUS ITEMS Boom and bust built into the system - Kings College Mamdani curb management - Streetsblog NYC Credit card charges going up for Clipper - SFGate Federal home loan bank system reform - New York Times Local government staffing shortages - Smart Cities Dive City owned grocery - 6sqft Automated speed enforcement - Global News Robotaxi polls - The Verge Water conservation overshadowed by drought - <a href= "htt

This week we're joined by Tom Flood, Grant Ennis, and Brent Toderian to discuss their new communications project, The Urban Truth Collective.  We discuss pushing back on falsehoods and conspiracies through positive messaging around cities. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 Calvin Thigpen of Toole Design and Ysabel Hoogeveen of Upway to discuss a report entitled Refurbished E-bikes: An Affordable Transportation Solution for Cities and Consumers. We chat about costs for used e-bikes and what could help grow the industry. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 got some great and interesting news for everyone. We look at a model base for disabled Olympians in Milan, the economic security of American households, and how reverse game theory can create win win situations in cities. All the items we covered are in the notes below. Main items: Accessible cities can exist - Teen Vogue Economic security of Americans - Governing City doesn't need a dashboard - Route Fifty Texas' clean energy future - Grist BART parking rentals - Metro Magazine Disorder in the liberal city - City of Yes Climate gentrification in Atlanta - Capital B News Reverse game theory - Noema Bonus Items Akron Innerbelt plan - Signal Akron Rail trails and housing markets - Joint Center for Housing Policy Safer streets for women and girls - The Guardian Fixing what annoys commuters in NJ - NJ.com Overriding local zoning - Boulder Reporting Lab Climate damage impacts - BBC Science Focus A regional innovation engine - China Daily Hands off the wheel bad for safety - <a href= "https://www.ksl.com/article/51475277/systems-that-let-drivers-take-their-hands-off-the-wheel-dont-improve-safety-ntsb

Hey everyone!  We're on Spring Break this week (and posting a little early) but I wanted to do a fun flashback so here we're chatting with David Hensher of the University of Sydney (Episode 425) about his thoughts on Mobility as a Service renamed mobility as a feature.  It's super interesting and thought provoking so I hope you enjoy it.  We'll see you next week! +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 once again by Laurel Paget-Seekins of Public Advocates. Laurel discusses transit agency power dynamics, loss of public sector capacity, and how the administration is looking to gut civil rights enforcement mechanisms for transportation projects. Links to Laurel's website Laurel in Transit and the Transit Data Primer +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 Stephen Crim, Director, Policy & Analytical Reporting, Central Business District Tolling Program (CBDTP) at the NYMTA. We chat about the MTA's one year data report on congestion pricing including some of the results and how the data was collected. Stephen also discusses the numerous government data partnerships and enhancements including air quality monitoring and what other cities can look to in order to consider future pricing schemes. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 joined once again by Chrissy Mancini Nichols and Tracy McMillan to tackle a whole host of topics including the connection between VMT and safety, chrono urbanism, how navigating cities protects your brain, and Austin's housing construction success.   Main Discussion Chrono urbanism - Landzine Lower VMT means safer roads - SSTI Austin housing growth - Pew DC road pricing - Greater Greater Washington Brains on streets - Medical Xpress Connect Bay Area info +++ Many thanks to Bob Nanna for our intro/outro music. Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 Vanessa Cooksey, President and CEO of the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and Chris Hansen, Executive Director at Kranzberg Arts Foundation. We chat about growth and investment in St. Louis' Grand Center Arts District and talk about the people that make it work. We also discuss ensuring that the public can enjoy the arts while making sure artists benefit from their work in the community. Regional Arts Commission St. Louis Kranzberg Arts Foundation +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 <a href= "https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/34429251-cars-are-cholesterol?store_id=948514" target="_blank" rel="n

This week I'm joined by Jeremy Wells to discuss his book Managing the Magic of Old Places: Crafting Public Policies for People-Centered Historic Preservation.  We chat the impact of old places on people's emotions and the current state of the preservation profession. We also discuss the struggle in the field to legitimize the impact of environmental psychology on the built environment, classical architecture and white supremacy, and the differences between cultures in preservation approaches. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 Zurich's green roofs, zoning at 100, RTD's missing service, and Madison's electric bus lessons. This and much much more. Below are links to the items we discussed on the show: Main News FRA's potential shakeup - The Travel Zurich's climate shield - Reasons to be Cheerful Truck pollution in Australia - Guardian Madison electric buses - Grist How zoning won - Bloomberg CityLab LA pavement may be unnecessary - LA Times Denver missing transit service - Denver Post What urban highways cost - Bloomberg CityLab What makes a city beautiful - The Conversation Bonus Items Traffic tickets up in SF - San Francisco Chronicle Decoding economic development corruption - Lincoln Institute DART reorganization - KERA The equity of trees - MIT News Traffic signal tech - Tennessean Squamish urban project - Globe and Mail Carbon i

This week we're joined once again by Yonah Freemark. In Part 2, we talk about our predictions from last year and what we got right and wrong on high speed rail and transportation funding, then we make new ones for the coming year that include Seattle and Mexico. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 once again by Yonah Freemark to discuss the state of transit in the US and around the world. In Part 1, we talk about the longer term impacts of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, improving TOD, what the future of transportation should look like, and discuss updates to Transit Explorer. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 do chat about new pedestrian models in New York, how much people walk when they move to a new city, the thought that Fastracks in Denver might never be finished as advertised, and a program where Colorado renters are getting equity for renting. Lots more on the show so listen in! Below are the items we shared on the show: Fastracks may never finish - Colorado Public Radio Social housing tax receipts double expected - PubliCola Colorado kicks off cash-back program for renters - Multi-Housing News Utah takes aim at SLC traffic calming - Streetsblog USA | Cycling West Moving to walkable cities - Scientific American Model maps foot traffic - MIT News More money for regional transport - USA Streetsblog Ring commercial backfires - 404 Media South gains population faster - Future of Where High cost of throwing things away - Ethos Bonus Items Ideas for battery fueling stations - The Cool Down Dutch package lockers - NL Times BART faregates generate revenue - SF Chronicle Curbed reporting goes dark - Architect's Newspaper Ada County blocks Boise transit tax - <a href= "

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we're joined by Chris and Melissa Bruntlett to discuss their newest book Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation. We discuss the mobility of care work and the unpaid labor the undergirds the economy, elevating the voices of people with experience, and the women getting elected to get things done. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 Dr. Lawrence Frank to talk about how the built environment and the way we get around connect to public health outcomes. We also discuss the shortcomings of cost benefit analysis, and the systematic externalization of health benefits. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 got some great and interesting news for all the sickos out there. We talk about the legacy of Hope VI, tracking Amazon packages, trash can politics, and the silliness of letting protestors kill something before they've even protested for real. MAIN ITEMS USDOT wants AI to write rules - ProPublica EVs make air cleaner - Autopian LAMetro Board opposes SB79 - LA Streetsblog Rankings are bunk - Jeff-alytics Trash cans are expensive - The Hustle Hope VI wins - Harvard Gazette Amazon package routes - Urban Omnibus Energy star not dead - NPR BONUS ITEMS LA Metro Supulveda Pass - Daily Bruin EPA to stop considering lives lost - New York Times Medical debt linked to housing insecurity - Consumer Affairs New Jersey e-bike regulations - GovTech Data center emissions - Bloomberg Richmond DOT - Commonwealth Times Homeless youth universal basic income - <a href= "https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2026/0

This week we're joined by Professor Scot Danforth of Chapman University to discuss his book An Independent Man: Ed Roberts and the Fight for Disability Rights. We chat about Ed's life, the origins of the disability movement, and creating access for all. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 I'm joined by Danny Pearlstein of the Riders Alliance to Talk About the One Year Anniversary of Congestion Pricing in New York City. We chat about the history of the idea, the mobilization of activists to turn the cameras on, and sour grapes from New Jersey and USDOT. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 joined by Kate Gasparro, host of the Building Better Cities podcast! We talk about the first transit system invented by mathematician Blaise Pascal, whether design is making the housing shortage worse, LA Metro's new Care Based Services Division, and whether Chicago should have taken back it's parking meters from private equity.  Below are the items we discussed in greater detail: The first transit system - France Today LA Metro's new Care Based Services Division - Los Angeles Sentinel Ugly buildings and the design shortage - Vox Mayor Johnson won't try to buy back parking meters - Chicago Tribune Denmark's red lights - Daily Galaxy | Frank Markowitz and Leni Schwendinger's Lighting Episode 379 Puppies and Butterflies  Star Wars Maul Trailer The Pitt is an example of "Competancy Porn" - Washington Post Many thanks to Bob Nanna for our music. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 <a href= "https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/34429251-cars-are-cholesterol?store_id=9

This week Talking Headways is being hosted by our friend Anna Zivarts who guides a panel of elected officials and advocates to talk about the impacts of the Week Without Driving. They look back at 2025's activities and look forward to this year's version. Featured guests include: Arizona State Senator Analise Ortiz (Referenced Videos on TikTok and Instagram) Rochester MN City Council Member Nick Miller Alice Hilton and Quinn Mulholland Living Streets Lexington Kai Hall of Greater Greater Washington Ruth Rosas of Nondrivers Alliance   Listen to Anna speak previously on Episodes 366 & 488 +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 Jake Berman to talk about his book, The Lost Subways of North America: A Cartographic Guide to the Past, Present, and What Might Have Been. We discuss transit histories through the lens of racial dynamics, monopolies, ballot measures, and overlooked cities. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Find out about our newsletter and archive on YouTube! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 back for a new year of Mondays at The Overhead Wire! This week we're chatting about faster transit, cable cars in the Paris region, congestion pricing and more! Below you'll find links to the items we discuss during the show... Closing labor force gap - Los Angeles Times Congestion pricing air pollution - Phys.org Congestion pricing benefits - NYT Leaving DART is hard - D Magazine Paris cable car - Metro Speed matters - Italian (urban) letters Quiet sells - Wall Street Journal Road salt remains - WHYY California speeding penalties - Los Angeles Times Pusing green can backfire - Grist Misinformation - Volts Bonus Items Carmakers and operators liable in China - Cleantechnica Euro cities clamp down on big cars - AS Eileen Higgins wins Miami Mayorship - Talking Headways episode LA Streamlining - Los Angeles Times Oldes social housing - Deutsche Welle Dutch answer to water - Inside Cli

This week we're back at the Mpact Transit + Community Conference in Portland Oregon at the Mpact Innovators Poster Sessions. We talk with young professionals about the transportation implementation and policy work they've been doing in the field including designing new transportation hubs, rethinking parking, and improving bus service. This week we're at the 2025 Mpact Transit + Community Conference in Portland Oregon and we're chatting with young professionals about their work that they presented at the Mpact Innovators poster session. The Innovators is an all-volunteer national networking group that organizes events and networking at the conference each year. Each of the interviews is about five minutes and we have a link to the posters in the show notes in case you want to follow along with the visuals. I will note that the poster sessions occurred during one of the evening gatherings so you may hear a bit of background noise. But there are some pretty cool ideas in here so hopefully you all stick around to check all 8 of them out. Cameron Thompson - Sisters East Portal Transportation Hub Veronica Mandasari - Reimagining Mill Avenue: What Tempe can Learn from Portland's Walkable Street Design Emily D'Antonio - TriMet Better Bus: Improving Reliability at Greeley and Going Eric Gasper - Bridgeless to Better Burnside Daniel Lambert - Pathways Transit Assistance Team (PTAT): A Trauma-Informed Alternative to Object-Oriented Security on Transit Systems Ryan Martyn - Wasted Space: Using Parking Lots to Improve Neighborhood Completeness Jules Plotts - Employer-Centered Accessibility Model to Non-Dayshift Work Maddy Belden - Development & Datasets +++ Get the show ad free <a href=

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 ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 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 [email protected] 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 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] Support the show on Patreon</p

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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 - Governing Valencia flood risk and auto dependence -

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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 Secret to Norway's EV success - <a href= "https://energydi

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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 dedicated to saving it. We lost a lot in the dark ages, we don't need to go back there again. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] 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 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 [email protected] 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 - <a href= "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/04/fine-particulate-air-pollution-trigger-forms-dementia