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Former mayor of Salisbury, Maryland, and now the state's Secretary of Housing and Community Development, Jake Day shares his plans for addressing housing issues at scale. A former Urban3 client, he speaks to the importance of smart growth policies to build a resilient fiscal future and the urgent need to repair past wrongs, such as the effects of redlining.
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Bryan Barnett is running in his third campaign for mayor as a write-in candidate, proof that at the local level, partisan labels and tired political tribalism are less interesting to people than getting things accomplished. Mayor Barnett's political skills are so renowened that he was chosen to chair the prestiguous U.S. Conference of Mayors, but his proudest moments are still the small wins that have a big impact on his hometown of Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Referenced in this episode:
Ben's orange suit.
Bryan's red suit.
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"I term limited myself!" Despite being a popular and nationally well-regarded mayor of a fast-growing midwestern metro, G.T. Bynum is sticking to his word and choosing to retire after two successful terms in office. In this conversation with Ben and Cate, he talks about his family's legacy with public service, his relentless commitment to engaging people in shaping Tulsa's priorities, and why local government is the best kind of government. He's got fourteen months left in his dream job - and intends to make the most of it.
Referenced in this episode:
Ted.com, February 2017: "A Republican mayor's plan to replace partisanship with policy"
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Cate went to Copenhagen, Ben went to Central America, and Kerry spent a few days in Music City, USA. Three different regions of the world, three very distinct approaches to planning, placemaking, development, and design. Hear what the Possible City crew did with our summer vacations and what we're reading as we head into the fall.
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Aja Brown became mayor of Compton, California in 2013 after winning an upset election against and incumbent and a former mayor, and used her eight years in office to bring unprecedented transparency, economic development, big ideas, and hope to her community.
Referenced in this episode:Fox 11 Los Angeles, November 6, 2020: "Compton Mayor Aja Brown bringing change to her community"
The Appeal, January 28, 2021: "Compton Joins the Growing Number of U.S. Cities to Launch a Guaranteed Income Program" -
"My granddaughter thinks that all I do is widen footpaths." Rob Adams gave Ben and Cate a number of different descriptions of exactly what he does in his role as City Architect of Melbourne, Australia, but we think that may be our favorite.
To call Rob a legend in the urban design world may be an understatement. Alongside Jan Gehl and others, his groundbreaking work to transform the city center (ahem, centre) of Melbourne in the 1980s and 90s created a veritable blueprint for struggling urban areas to follow. For years, Melborune has been routinely written up as one of the planet's most "livable" cities - but what does that actually mean to people who live there?
Rob reflects with us on the tricky politics of urban revitalization, why walkability matters during a global pandemic, and what comes next for Melbourne and cities everywhere.Referenced in this episode:
Auckland Council, Ministry for the Environment, July 1, 2005: "The Value of Urban Design."
The Daily Maverick, July 1, 2022: “The rise and (slight) fall of a liveable city”
The Fifth Estate, July 3, 2023: “Adelaide: solvable problems, but are our leaders up for it?”The Kathmandu Post, July 29, 2023: “How Melbourne rescheduled its future”
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Ben and Cate chat with a luminary from the worlds of planning and politics - Rick Cole, formerly the city manager of Azusa, Ventura, and Santa Monica, former Mayor of Pasadena, and currently Los Angeles' Chief Deputy City Controller. He also served as the executive director for the Congress For the New Urbanism for two years and right now is running for Pasadena City Council. The breadth and depth of his experience in fiscal policy, affordalbe housing, public transportation, and how the built environment shapes peoples' lives is practically unparalleled anywhere in the country, and is particularly important in the predominantly auto-centric communities of Southern California where he has lived and worked for decades. In this conversation, Rick talks about his views on the unappreciated amounts of walkabilty in Pasadena, what the heck a City Controller does and can do, and how democracy often means listening closely to people who disagree with you.
Referenced in this episode:
Pasadena Now, November 29, 2022: "Former Pasadena Mayor Rick Cole is returning to City Government – in Los Angeles."
Spectrum News 1, January 6, 2023: "A unique pairing in the LA city’s controller’s office."
Pasadena Star-News, January 7, 2023: "We can solve our toughest problems — if we find common-sense solutions: Rick Cole."
Pasadena Star-News, May 10, 2023: "Former Pasadena Mayor Rick Cole announces bid for District 2 City Council seat."
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"Zoning's not for everybody." Brooke Thomas, the Senior Director of Strategic Planning for the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation, better known as IndyGo, knows what she's talking about. Having fought for some truly remarkable and progressive zoning reforms in a growing midwestern capitol, she's spent more time than most talking about the importance of land use and how what we build today will determine a city's economic future. In this episode, Cate and Ben talk with Brooke about what the Blue Line rapid transit line is doing for Indianapolis now and the many links between public transit, climate change, good jobs, and quality of life at the neighborhood level.
Referenced in this episode:
Urban3 Indianpolis, IN case study
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A special bonus episode, and something a little different: our intrepid hosts were recently in Charlotte, North Carolina for the 31st convening of the Congress for the New Urbanism, an organization that advocates for people-centered design in cities all over the country. In this episode, we catch up on what what we liked, what we saw, and what we learned at CNU this year. If you were there or if you’ve got any other thoughts on how urbanism influences local leadership, politics, and activism, shoot us an email at [email protected].
We’ll be back soon with more interviews about what’s possible in America’s cities. For now, thanks for listening and please share this episode with all the city-builders you know. -
While the World Health Organization recommends around 30 to 35 square meters of green space per person, the standard in Mexico is currently around 4 to 5 square meters. San Pedro, a thriving suburb of Monterrey, surpasses this standard with six times the amount of green space per resident - a fact that doubtlessly factors into its reputation as having the highest quality of life in the entire country. Today's guest on The Possible City, German Enriquez, leads the NGO that manages and maintains these incredible public spaces, San Pedro Parques.
An industrial engineer by training, he initially wanted to focus on energy as a way to contribute to improving the environment. He soon found himself drawn to the importance of high quality, accessible public spaces as a way to both protect the planet and build community from the ground up. According to German, parks are not just "the lungs of the city," as they're often described - they are tools for mitigating climate change, enhancing public safety, and making people healthier. In today's episode, German talks about what he does to help local governments understand the value of these tools and invest in them appropriately.
Referenced in this episode:
News & Tribune, September 24, 2021: "Part of the bigger picture: Parks leaders in Indiana, Mexico support connection." -
"How can we ensure that we look at every opporutnity possible to make sure that everyone can thrive?"
Michele Martinez is one of the Golden State's most accomplished and thoughtful policymakers. In her capacity as special master to an Orange County federal judge, she works diligently find humane, innovative, and effective legal solutions to southern California's homelessness crisis. As a member of the California Transportation Commission, she is committed to leveraging state and federal transportation dollars to help local governments make more responsible land use and transportation choices. Drawing on her long career in local politics and government affairs, Michele has a unique ability to see the connections between land use, tax revenue, housing, transportation, and quality of life for California's most vulnerable populations. In this inspiring conversation, she makes it clear that leaders need to prioritze small changes and a bottom up approach to drive bigger changes - and once they start to think and act systemically, a financially stronger and more equitable state is possible.
Referenced in this episode:Streetsblog, August 6, 2020: New California Transportation Commissioner Michele Martinez Wants “Everybody at the Table”
Streetsblog, August 17, 2020: Representation on the California Transportation Commission Is Shifting
Forbes, July 21, 2021: To Help End Homelessness In Her City, She Had A Radical Idea: Sue Us
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Fritz Kaegi took over an office that was literally legendary for being opaque, outdated, and at times, downright hostile to the constituents its meant to serve: the Cook County Assessor's Office. At the time of his election in 2018, the office was under federal monitoring and politically-connected downtown landlords seemed to be running roughshod over homeowners. This in episode, Fritz - fresh off relection to his second term - takes us behind the scenes to talk about how he found the technology, talent, and tenacity to reform a massive, inert bureaucracy. Along the way, we learn why a transaparent, ethical property tax system matters to Chicagoland's future.
Referenced in this episode:
Route Fifty, February 21, 2023: How One County Fixed Its Broken Property Tax System - Route Fifty
Axios, February 16, 2023: Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi pushes back against tax appeals
WTTW-FM, May 16, 2022: New Chicago Property Assessment Pushes Tax Burden from Homeowners to Businesses, Assessor Fritz Kaegi Says
ProPublica, December 7, 2017: How the Cook County Assessor Failed Taxpayers
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In the eyes of the court, Commissioner Ted Terry may technically call himself "aggreived," but you wouldn't know it to speak with him. A dedicated environmentalist in the sprawling Atlanta suburbs and a committed progressive in the American southeast, Terry is used to being a bit of a contrarian, albeit a highly productive one. As a two-term Mayor of Clarkston, Georgia, Terry made headway on issues from LBGTQ+ and immigrant rights to adaptive reuse of a local mall. Now that he's on the DeKalb County Commission, he finds himself squarely in the middle of one of the most contentious and high-profile political stories in the country: the proposed Atlanta Police Training Facility in the South River Forest. On this episode of The Possible City, Commissioner Terry talks with Cate and Kerry about his entry into politics working on pedestrian safety issues and how we weaves housing, economic stability, the environment, and public safety - all hot button issues! - into a coherent and practical political worldview.
Referenced in this episode:
Decaturish.com, May 26, 2022: “DeKalb County Commission approves North DeKalb Mall redevelopment described as ‘generational’ project“
Saporta Report, August 7, 2022: “Creating middle housing in DeKalb County”
WABE, February 2, 2023: “Commissioner Ted Terry on Cop City; Atlanta’s Chief Operating Officer discusses her role; Journalist Josie Duffy discusses new investigative podcast”
Atlanta Community Press Collective, February 13, 2023: “Work Continues at Cop City Site, Injunctive Relief Filed with Ted Terry and Watershed Alliance” -
Media outlets from coast to coast have been sounding the alarm about how downtowns are dying since the beginning of the pandemic, most infamously in the New York Times' essay about the coming "urban doom loop." Luckily, nobody's told Cate Irvin that downtowns are dying. As the director of economic development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Cate is fervent in her belief that your city's downtown not only isn't dying, but is poised for a terrific and sustainable comeback. Specifically, Cate is drawing on her background as a public health specialist and sociologist to lead their efforts to convert some office towers into residential use, while also making sure downtown stays vibrant through a series of placemaking projects, market analyses, unique live events, and lots and lots of pickles.
"Downtown is a neighborhood," Cate insists, "and it's a neighborhood that needs to be alive 24 hours a day." In this episode, she tells us how she's making that happen in Pittsburgh's famed golden triangle.
Referenced in this episode:
The Pitt News, August 25, 2022: “‘The power of art in everyday spaces’: Local poets celebrate Oakland’s past, present and future in new OBID sidewalk poetry project - The Pitt News”
Planetizen, December 4, 2022: "From ‘Urban Exodus’ to ‘Urban Doom Loop’"
Smart Cities Dive, February 8, 2023: “Pittsburgh office-to-residential conversion fund begins to accept bids | Smart Cities Dive” -
Real talk and absolutely honesty and transparency. Good communication and math. Chickens as public art. In this fun and funny conversation with Megan Sladek, mayor of Oviedo, Florida, Ben and Cate heard about the connections between historic preservation and smart growth, better ways that local government and the free market can work together, and the trade-offs between more density and higher taxes. As a small-government conservative in a rapidly growing suburb, Mayor Sladek has developed an uncommonly canny abiliyt of how to communicate the values of walkabilty and sound planning principles - often when people are most reluctant to hear about them.
Come for the shrewd and candid chat about fiscal responsiblity, stay for the funerals for Oviedo's most famous free roaming rooster. -
"A city that works for everyone - and a city that works." Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird's vision for Lincoln sounds simple enough, but as her conversation with us demonstrated, actually requires a tremendous amount of hard work to implement. We caught up with Mayor Gaylor Baird at a uniquely busy time for her and her administration -- in addition to being a wife and mom, she's in the midst of a re-election campaign while also managing the affairs of a community going through a dizzying population boom. In every respect, Mayor Gaylor Baird is intentional about positioning Lincoln as a welcoming place and a city where all residents - natives and newcomers alike - get to benefit from their growth.
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One of eight children and the mother of five - Christina Brooks knows more than a little bit about multi-tasking, finding your own voice, and getting things done. As the Fort Worth's first Chief Equity Officer and Director of the Diversity & Inclusion, she's had a front row seat to this thriving Texas city's efforts to repair community-police relationships and ensure that the benefits of its rapid growth reach all neighborhoods equitably. As DEI roles in City Halls around the country have expanded in both number and influence, she's taking a unique, place-based approach to her work, rooted in research about how the city itself is funded, who is and isn't paying their fair share, and how more targeted investments may unlock even more value for Fort Worth's residents.
Referenced in this episode:CBS DFW: “Christina Brooks Hired As First Diversity And Inclusion Director For City Of Fort Worth.” November 14, 2019.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Police relations, economic development priorities for Fort Worth’s diversity director.” November 14, 2019.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Many of Fort Worth’s most dangerous roads are in minority areas. Here’s a possible fix.” July 18, 2022. -
"Perfection isn't possible but progress always is." After a career as one of the of the country's most innovative and progressive law enforcement officials, Adrian Garcia is now a member of the Harris County Commission, where he represents one of the most diverse and fastet growing districts in the greater Houston area. During our conversation, Commissioner Garcia spoke at length about his personal discontent with bureacracy and the status quo, the importance of collaboration, and his unique approach to improving community safety, mental health, and economic mobilty at the same time.
Referenced in this episode:Houston Chronicle, October 23, 2022: “Editorial: We recommend Adrian Garcia for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 2”
Community Impact, January 3, 2023: “Harris County Jail population, deaths swell in 2022”
KHOU-11, January 24, 2023: “Harris County Pct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia speaks on damage from severe weather, tornado” -
Tim Corcoran is the Director of Planning and Community Resources for the City of South Bend, a community that has undergone some difficult but instructive changes in the last several decades. Tim talks with our hosts about what South Bend has had to learn as its economy has shifted, where it finds opportunities for rejuvenation and redevelopment, and what an award winning reform to their zoning code actually means for people in his city.
Referenced in this episode:Public Square, A CNU Journal: Revitalization begins with cloverleaf demolition plan
WVPE-FM: South Bend wins award for innovative zoning policy — but what does that mean?
University of Notre Dame Stories: Community by Design
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LeVette Fuller has been described by her fans as "an on-the-ground, won't-back-down, pro-bike lane, pro-infill development, pro-creative placemaking, urbanist city councilwoman." She talks to Ben and Cate about her unique journey from librarian to grassroots activist to elected official and her ongoing work to combat the civic avarice that she feels keeps her hometown from reaching its full potential.
Referenced in this episode:
Shreveport Times: Avarice in Shreveport
KTBS: Meet the candidate: LeVette Fuller
KSLA: Mayor-Elect Tom Arceneaux announces transition team
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