This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we talk state preemption, pandemic era block parties that continue on, and warehouse transportation regulations in California. Below are the show notes! Speed limiters - Streetsblog USA Block party - WHYY State preemption law in Idaho - Idaho Statesman Federal preemption - Streetsblog USA CA warehouse regul…

This week we’re joined by Leah Rothstein to chat about her book she wrote with her father Richard entitled Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law. We discuss building wealth and ideas for building more equitable housing policies as well as convincing people why they are important. +++ Get the show ad free on Patreo…

This week we’re joined by journalist and host of KQED’s Forum Alexis Madrigal to discuss his book The Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City. Alexis connects containerization to globalization and its direct impacts on an Oakland neighborhood. We also chat about histories of determining blight, silicon v…

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 Electr…

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. Get the show ad free on Patreon! Follow us on Bluesky, Thre…

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 s…

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. …

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 Democra…

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 Neighb…

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. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon [email protected] Support…

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 offici…

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 …

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 - St…

This week we’re chatting with Stacy Mitchell of the Institute of Local Self Reliance about her recent article in the Atlantic entitled The Great Grocery Squeeze. We chat about the deregulation mood of the 70s and 80s and what that’s meant for shopping, access, and how much we drive. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Sub…

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we’re joined by Ren Yee of UN Studio at the Mpact Transit + Community conference in Philadelphia. We chat about the cognitive workload of pedestrians and creating safe opportunities for mind wandering and absorbing information. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @the…

This week at Mondays at The Overhead Wire, we're joined by Streetsblog USA's Kea Wilson to chat about the new USDOT directives from the Trump administration. We talk about rescinded memos, funding memos, and Kea thinks Jeff might be trying to hard to find logic in the reasoning for using birth and marriage rates to steer transportation funding. Bel…

This week on Talking Headways we’re joined by Member of the Welsh Senedd (Parliament) Lee Waters and Dr. Jennifer Kent of The University of Sydney. They talk about how Wales set climate targets, did a roads review, got to a 20 mile per hour speed limit across the country, and what it might take for other places to do the same. They share the import…