Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 528: The California State Rail Plan Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

This week we're listening in on a conversation hosted by Seamless Bay Area 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 YouTube.

Find the slides from this discussion here.

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Episode 527: Planning Connections in Panther City Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

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 comprehensive transportation plan, plans for Panther Island and Butler Place as well as dreams for high speed rail.

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Support the show on Patreon

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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

Episode 168: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - Lego Not Legos Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

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!

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Show Notes:

States push shift to active modes - Associated Press

Apartment complex built like Lego - Fast Company

State capacity crisis - Niskanen Center

Paris roads car free - Reuters

Battery foes radicalized - Heatmap

E-bike love - The Atlantic

User pay myth - Union of Concerned Scientists

Bonds non taxable - Tax Policy Center

When climate adaptation goes private - Moving Day

Minimalism suffocating architecture - NSS Magazine

Clearing in the Woods - Landzine

Bonus Items

Milwaukee could create transit authority - Urban Milwaukee

Recycling buildings - The Guardian

Amtrak CEO steps down - Associated Press

Saving fireplace tiles - New York Times

Quick build Sacramento - Sacramento Bee

Sound transit picks Dow Constantine - Urbanist

Bill for new transit authority in Charlotte - Charlotte Observer

Council member to FTA - WFAE Charlotte

Rivian Spinoff - Heatmap

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Support the show on Patreon

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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

Episode 526: American Oasis Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

This week we're joined by Kyle Paoletta to talk about his book American Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest. 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.

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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

Episode 525: The Public Works Director for Democrats Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

This week we're joined by Congressman Rick Larsen of Washington State, Ranking Member for the Democrats on the House Transportation Committee. 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 here. Find the TNI Democrats page here.

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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

Episode 167: Mondays at The Overhead Wire - No Takings! Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

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 - Max Mautner on YouTube

Utah Legislature steals Salt Lake power - Building Salt Lake

Shutting down Northstar - Trains.com

Procurement and infra costs - SSRN

Single stairway safe - Pew Trusts

El Paso water recycling - Inside Climate News

No takings - Bloomberg Law

No takings 2 - Law Prof Blog

German cities transition - Progress Playbook

Michigan car free home buyer - Realtor.com

Nation of homebodies - The Conversation

Parametric insurance - Insurance Journal

BONUS ITEMS

Transfer development rights - The Chosun Daily

Fast food from traffic - Fast Company

Valley fever - Vox

ODOT Budget fumble - Willamette Week

Embassy air monitors - NY Times

ULEZ cleaner - BBC News

Colorado barrier - Equipment World

Mexico Panama Canal competetor - We Build Value

Euro HSR - Fast Company

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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

Episode 524: Yonah Freemark Part 2 Mar 13, 2025

Show notes

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.

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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

Episode 523: Yonah Freemark Part 1 Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

This week we're joined once again by Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute to discuss his annual transit project updates at Transit Explorer. 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.

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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

Episode 522: Stuck with Yoni Appelbaum Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

This week we're joined by Yoni Appelbaum to discuss his book Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity. 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.

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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

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

Show notes

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 - Streetsblog NYC

Seattle social housing gets yes vote - Cascade PBS

Canada plans HSR - CBC News

Woodlands eco-burb - Planetizen

Denver bike experiment - Denverite

Microplastics - Washington Post

Vehicle plastics found in Alps - Guardian

100 fewer killed with 20mph speed limits - BBC

Right on red danger for peds - Smart Cities Dive

Capital Gains slowing housing? - Fortune

Miami's trash nightmare - Washington Post