Richard Florida is a University Professor and Director of Cities at the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto, he's a writer and journalist, and he serves as senior editor for The Atlantic , where he co-founded and serves as Editor-at-Large for CityLab . He's also the author of a new book, The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class-and What We Can Do About It . In this interview with Chuck Marohn, Florida...
May 11, 2017•55 min•Ep. 332
Chuck and Rachel discuss upcoming events in Brainerd, MN and Asheville, NC, and recap the recent CNU25 in Seattle. Mentioned in this podcast: Event in Brainerd, MN Event in Asheville, NC The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire by Stephen Kinzer "Poverty, Partisanship and the Land Tax" (3 videos) This week's open slackchat with Chuck will be at 1pm CT on Wednesday (May 10). More info here....
May 08, 2017•26 min•Ep. 331
Jarrett Walker is a transit planning consultant and the author of a book, Human Transit: How clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and our lives . He also writes a blog called Human Transit . In this conversation with Chuck Marohn, Walker considers, "What is the problem for which transit is the solution?" and "What does it mean for transit to work well?" Mentioned in this podcast: Human Transit: How clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and o...
May 04, 2017•35 min•Ep. 330
Chuck and Rachel discuss upcoming Strong Towns events as part of the 25th Congress for the New Urbanism in Seattle this week. They also chat about historic preservation, red light cameras and Richard Florida. Mentioned in this podcast: "Is nothing sacred?" by Chuck Marohn CNU25 event info . RSVP for Beers with Engineers here . Apply to be a debater here . FEEcon event in Atlanta, GA. Use the code "MU40off" to get 40% off the ticket price. "An Embarrassing Mess" by Chuck Marohn Lucas Davenport se...
May 01, 2017•30 min•Ep. 329
This week, Kea Wilson and Chuck Marohn began a conversation about the merits and pitfalls of Amazon with dueling articles (read Chuck's piece here and Kea's piece here ). Today, we're sharing a podcast conversation in which these two Strong Towns staff members explain their differing perspectives on Amazon's place within a Strong Town. Is Amazon helpful or harmful to authors? Does Amazon support or discourage small businesses? Most importantly, does Amazon help towns become stronger or less stro...
Apr 26, 2017•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 328
Rachel Quednau interviews Matt Tyrnauer and Robert Hammond, directors of a new movie called Citizen Jane: Battle for the City , which is coming out this week (April 21) in select theaters and on demand. In this conversation, they discuss the power of Jacobs' message, her role as a non-professional female urban activist, and their goals for the film.
Apr 20, 2017•27 min•Ep. 326
Chuck and Rachel discuss several recent and upcoming events, as well as Chuck's recent article, "Cargo Cult Planning." Mentioned in this podcast: Eau Claire, WI event , April 20 Omaha, NE event , April 21 "Cargo Cult Planning" by Chuck Marohn Shreveport campaign "Towards a Liberal Approach to Urban Form" by Nolan Gray FEEcon in Atlanta, GA "Is nothing sacred?" by Chuck Marohn Podcast: The Big Short (featuring Joe Minicozzi) ASCE Infrastructure Report Card Portland housing series , October 2016 S...
Apr 17, 2017•37 min•Ep. 325
Joyce Mandell is a mom, community organizer, sociologist, community development specialist, and urban studies professor who has lived in Worcester, Massachusetts for over twenty years. She blogs at Jane Jacobs in the Woo where she looks at her city through the eyes of the famous urban activist. Chuck Marohn interviews Joyce to discuss the energy and community growth happening in Worcester, the fight against the impending destruction of a historic church in Worcester, and how her daily morning wa...
Apr 14, 2017•40 min•Ep. 324
Chuck and Rachel discuss Chuck's travel woes amidst the Delta airlines disaster last week. (Spoiler: He did eventually make it home.) Chuck turns it into a broader lesson about fragility and efficiency . Mentioned in this podcast: " Lessons from the Delta Implosion " by Chuck Marohn " How Fire Chiefs and Traffic Engineers Make Places Less Safe " by Steve Mouzon Events in Mount Pleasant, MI this Thursday The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem by Marcus ...
Apr 10, 2017•32 min•Ep. 323
In this podcast interview, recorded live at the Strong Towns Summit last week, Chuck Marohn speaks with Joey Durel—a Republican former mayor of Lafayette, LA—and Michael McGinn—a Democrat former mayor of Seattle, WA. They discuss what led them to run for office, the transportation issues they handled as mayors, and what lessons they learned during their time in leadership.
Apr 06, 2017•56 min•Ep. 322
Chuck and Rachel discuss Chuck's packed event schedule including events in Eau Claire, WI and Omaha, NE last week, and one in Wabash, IN this week . They also talk about a legal case against dangerous road design. Mentioned in this podcast: Event in Wabash, IN " L.A. agrees to pay $9.5 million in wrongful death case" from the Los Angeles Times After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split by Lesley Hazleton The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days in Jeru...
Apr 04, 2017•29 min•Ep. 327
Chuck and Rachel debrief about the Strong Towns Summit and share the highlights of the event, including a smart, #DotheMath-related presentation by government staff from Fate, TX . Chuck and Rachel also discuss an upcoming event in Austin, TX (with a bonus public meet-up) and some recent favorite books. Mentioned in this podcast: "A Fateful Summit" (reflections on Fate, TX's presentation at the Summit) April 6 event in Austin, TX Watch videos from the Strong Towns Summit The Apache Wars: The Hun...
Apr 03, 2017•25 min•Ep. 321
Chuck and Rachel discuss the Strong Towns Summit , which begins on Thursday (and a few tickets remain for purchase !), plus they announce the winner of the #StrongestTown Contest . Chuck also discusses a documentary film he's being featured in. Mentioned in this episode: Strong Towns Summit Summit transportation document: "A Transportation Revolution" Strongest Town Contest The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver The Road by Cormac McCarthy "Almost half of Americans have dogs. Do they also need cars?" b...
Mar 27, 2017•30 min•Ep. 320
Today we’re sharing the audio from a webcast we recorded earlier this week with representatives from the two final towns competing in our StrongestTown Contest—Traverse City, Michigan and Guelph, Ontario. You can view the webcast here if you prefer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjqrxgoiLuc Make sure to vote for the Strongest Town in this final match-up by 5pm CT on Friday, March 24. Cast your vote here: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017/3/20/the-final-strongesttown-contest-showdown-a-l...
Mar 23, 2017•41 min•Ep. 319
Kea Wilson (Strong Towns' Director of Community Engagement) fills in for Chuck Marohn on this weekly podcast hosted by Rachel Quednau. They discuss Kea's recent writing and an upcoming article she's working on about time banking in St. Louis, MO. They also provide some behind the scenes info about the impending Strong Towns Summit in Tulsa, OK and an update on the Strongest Town Contest . Mentioned in this podcast: The Cowry Collective in St. Louis, MO Nebraska Bike Walk Summit and Meet Up where...
Mar 20, 2017•21 min•Ep. 318
Welcome to our third round of the Strongest Town Competition . We invite you to listen to this interview that Rachel Quednau, Communications Director for Strong Towns, conducted with representatives from a town in our contest, then make sure to listen to their competitors' podcast (Lafayette, LA). Once you've finished listening to the episodes, please visit www.strongtowns.org/strongtesttown to vote for the strongest. Mayor Cam Guthrie and resident Mike Watt share about their town's fantastic lo...
Mar 17, 2017•15 min•Ep. 317
Welcome to our third round of the Strongest Town Competition . We invite you to listen to this interview that Rachel Quednau, Communications Director for Strong Towns, conducted with representatives from a town in our contest, then make sure to listen to their competitors' podcast (Guelph, ON, Canada). Once you've finished listening to the episodes, please visit www.strongtowns.org/strongtesttown to vote for the strongest. Carlee Alm-LaBar, Director of Planning, Zoning, and Development for the L...
Mar 13, 2017•13 min•Ep. 316
Welcome to our third round of the Strongest Town Competition . We invite you to listen to this interview that Rachel Quednau, Communications Director for Strong Towns, conducted with representatives from a town in our contest, then make sure to listen to their competitors' podcast (Traverse City, MI). Once you've finished listening to the episodes, please visit www.strongtowns.org/strongtesttown to vote for the strongest. In this episode, Mayor Jon Costas of Valparaiso, IN discusses his town's c...
Mar 13, 2017•20 min•Ep. 315
Welcome to our third round of the Strongest Town Competition . We invite you to listen to this interview that Rachel Quednau, Communications Director for Strong Towns, conducted with representatives from a town in our contest, then make sure to listen to their competitors' podcast (Valparaiso, IN). Once you've finished listening to the episodes, please visit www.strongtowns.org/strongtesttown to vote for the strongest. In this episode, Rick Brown and Russ Soyring of Traverse City, MI explain why...
Mar 13, 2017•14 min•Ep. 314
In a solo podcast, Chuck Marohn continues an ongoing conversation about infrastructure spending. (Listen to the first episode in this conversation, "Is there a crisis?" .) Chuck discusses his letter to President Trump and the need to create a new infrastructure funding system, not keep dumping more money into the existing system. The key is giving local leaders the power to choose how that money is spent....
Mar 09, 2017•38 min•Ep. 313
In their weekly update podcast, Chuck and Rachel discuss the final article in Chuck's series about the economic impacts of the Shreveport highway project . They also dish about the current standings in the Strongest Town Contest and reveal how their brackets have fared. Mentioned in this podcast: "The Economics of the I-49 Connector, Part 3" by Chuck Marohn Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones Strongest Town Contest...
Mar 07, 2017•30 min•Ep. 312
Rachel and Chuck discuss last week's campaign against an inner-city highway in Shreveport, plus the beginning of the 2017 #StrongestTown Contest. Mentioned in this podcast: Shreveport content from last week The Economics of the I-49 Connector: Part I and Part II Strong Talk - a video conversation with two Shreveport residents Strongest Town Contest (see the entries and vote here) Download a Strongest Town bracket The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins The Lego Batman Movie...
Feb 27, 2017•19 min•Ep. 311
Steve Shultis is a long-time member of Strong Towns, a blogger at RationalUrbanism.com , a resident of inner-city Springfield, MA, and a frequent guest on the Strong Towns podcast. He and Chuck talk about traffic deaths and his interactive graphic Death Race 2016 which compares criminal homicides with traffic deaths. He also discusses media coverage about homicides vs. traffic deaths. Read Steve's past articles on Strong Towns. Listen to Steve's previous podcast interviews on urban schooling fro...
Feb 16, 2017•45 min•Ep. 310
Rachel and Chuck discuss the 2016 Strong Towns Annual Report . They also invite submissions for the Strongest Town Contest (deadline is Friday, Feb. 17). Mentioned in this podcast: 2016 Strong Towns Annual Report Strongest Town Contest Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert Cialdini The Content Trap by Bharat Anand...
Feb 13, 2017•32 min•Ep. 309
Josef Bray-Ali is a Los Angeles resident, bike shop owner, long-time Strong Towns member and current candidate for city council. In this interview with Chuck Marohn, he discusses his experience as a small business owner and a community organizer for safe streets. He also talks about what motivated him to run for city council and the ways he's implemented Strong Towns ideas in his city. Joe Bray-Ali's writing and videos on our site: "A Strong Citizen in Los Angeles" "Making my City More Bike-Frie...
Feb 09, 2017•50 min•Ep. 308
Chuck and Rachel discuss the recent Strong Towns Staff & Board Meeting in Chicago, which included lots of planning and assessment, plus some authentic Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. They also discuss Jonathan Haidt's work on moral foundations and a technique to clean up a toxic Facebook feed. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE "Our Contentious Culture" Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999 movie) We Eat Our Own by Kea Wilson This week's slackchat is hosted by Kea Wilson and it'll be at 1pm CT on Thursday....
Feb 07, 2017•34 min•Ep. 307
Our nation has an infrastructure funding crisis.....or do we? Related Posts: What clearly makes us richer The real reason your city has no money Poor neighborhoods make the best investments Gladwell's question to Thaler (YouTube)...
Jan 26, 2017•48 min•Ep. 306
Chuck and Rachel discuss Chuck's letter to President Trump and ways to encourage investment in small-scale infrastructure projects instead of big ones. They also talk about recent books they've enjoyed and the growth of the Strong Towns movement. Mentioned in this episode: " A Letter to POTUS on Infrastructure " and an upcoming Slackchat to discuss that letter #InfrastructureCrisis stories on our site "New Milwaukee Housing Program Takes the Easy Route" "Strong Talk: How do we create more housin...
Jan 24, 2017•29 min•Ep. 305
Chuck and Rachel chat about recent articles which have garnered a ton of attention on the internet over the past week. They also discuss the non-partisan nature of Strong Towns, particularly in light of new readers coming to the site in the last week (as evidenced by the quote above). Finally, they announce that public tickets are now available for the Strong Towns Summit . Get yours before they're gone. Mentioned in this podcast: "The Real Reason Your City has no Money" "Poor Neighborhoods Make...
Jan 17, 2017•30 min•Ep. 304
Chuck and Rachel discuss Chuck's recent writing on federal infrastructure spending and today's article, " A Utah Republican Might Have the Best Urban Transportation Plan. " They also discuss books they're reading (Rachel finally got around to starting Hillbilly Elegy ) and political language in the context of Strong Towns. Mentioned in this podcast: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance The Road to Ruin: The Global Elites' Secret Plan for the Next Financial C...
Jan 09, 2017•32 min•Ep. 303
