Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast

This week we're joined by Amy Silbermann, Director of Planning for Port Authority of Allegheny County, the transit agency in Pittsburgh, and Steven Higashide and Mary Buchanan of TransitCenter. They are here to talk about a report called Who's On Board 2019 which discusses transit ridership trends around the country. They talk about what we should understand about understanding riders, Pittsburgh's work to improve routes (downtown and to suburban communities) and the need for political and public support for changes to improve transit systems. This episode first appeared on the Rail~Volution podcast. Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week we're joined by freelance urban issue writer Nate Berg. Nate talks to us about his love of writing about highways for good or bad, his piece for Curbed on the history of the Bauhaus, our collaborative piece on urban transportation data, writing about housing in Japan, and his process for writing articles.

This week on the podcast we're joined by Candace Brakewood a Civil Engineering Professor of the University of Tennessee and Jonny Simkin of Co-Founder and CEO of Swiftly. We talk about real time transit information including its history, benefits, shortcomings, and potential futures.

This week Chrissy joins the show and we have a blast chatting about the definition of suburbs, electric buses, and Ian McHarg's Design with Nature. News Portland considers bus lanes - Willamette Week Ian McHarg's Design with Nature turns 50 - CityLab Money laundering pilot surprising in its effect - Quartz Odds and Ends Transbay Terminal opening again? Curbed SF Riyahd opens transit system - Cision Sagrada Familia gets building permit - Fast Company Story of the Week How do we define suburbs? - CityLab Why aren't electric buses taking over the world? - Wired Listener Questions and Comments Children in Autonomous Vehicles - Blue Ribbon Panel Puppies and Butterflies Every NIMBY's speech at a public hearing - McSweeney's

This week we're joined by Shailen Bhatt, President and CEO of ITS America. He talks about how we can use technology to reduce collisions, how we should spend infrastructure money, and what policy should focus on and change from a transportation and technology standpoint. He also talks about the problems with the communications spectrum and how conflicts are arising as technology improves vehicle communications.

This week we're joined by Chrissy Mancini Nichols to talk about drones, zero passenger vehicles, CAFE standards and more! Enjoy the podcast? Support us on Patreon! Your help keeps us able to put out the podcasts we do each week. News New York's new payment systems - Wired Magazine 6/10 Californians want upzoning near transit - LA Times Seattle looks at pricing - Seattle Transit Blog Odds and Ends Plans to take federal USDA workers out of DC - McClatchy Auto companies send letter to Trump Admin - NY Times Paris accords can save lives - NY Times Story of the Week NASA tests drone traffic - NASA Planning for zero occupancy vehicles - Fast Company Puppies and Butterflies Vancouver's plastic bags - Vancouver is Awesome Sending lentil soup on the subway - Gothamist On demand pogo sticks - Curbed SF

This week on Talking Headways we're joined by Maritza Pechin, a planner with AECOM who works with city staff in Richmond on long-range planning. On the podcast, Maritza talks about the Pulse BRT and the broader bus network redesign that was rolled out at the same time. She also discusses how the new system is bringing people back to transit, how the city might tackle housing affordability, and what big ideas the city is considering for the future.

This week we chat with Kendra Freeman of the Chicago Metropolitan Planning Council, an independent non-profit focused on shaping the Chicago region. Kendra talks about her work with Elevated Chicago and how they are trying to bring equitable TOD to rail and bus corridors around the region as well as the original impact of the city's TOD ordinance. She also chats about next steps in pushing the city to consider equity in its update of the ordinance and how they can support entrepreneurs with strategic investments.

This week we're joined by Maurice Jones, President and CEO of LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation). Maurice talks about working with communities and existing businesses to develop talent in the workforce, breaking down barriers to entry in certain professions such as property development, and the history of policies and practices that intentionally excluded certain populations from opportunity.

Chrissy Mancini Nichols joins the show again and we chat a lot about SB50! We also talk about infrastructure and bike lanes. News SB 50 Tabled until January - Los Angeles Times SB50 Urban Footprint Analysis - UF Kim-Mai Cutler tweet thread - KMC Twitter Infrastructure Week PIRG releases report - Frontier Group Repair Priorities - T4America Odds and Ends CA HSR Funding Dropped by FRA- Reuters IM Pei passes away - NPR Facial recognition banned in SF - Vox Thanks to our Patreon supporters! Patreon.com/theoverheadwire Story of the Week Bike lanes need barriers not just paint - Curbed Puppies and Butterflies Tram Bowling - Wired Magazine