Cities rarely break all at once; more often they fray through policy choices that seem technical, neutral, even benevolent. Our conversation with historian Emily Lieb traces how Baltimore’s “Road to Nowhere” never reached a ribbon cutting yet still carved deep wounds into Rosemont, a Black middle-class neighborhood. The damage began with a pencil stroke: a highway alignment shifted in the late 1950s to run through Rosemont just as school board actions accelerated racial trans

Streets shape daily life more than any other civic asset, yet most American cities still treat them like narrow pipes for cars. This episode explores a different frame: streets as social infrastructure.

Parking sounds mundane until you realize it acts like an operating system for the modern city. On our live episode recorded at the APA Nebraska Fall Workshop with journalist and author Henry Grabar, we trace how a space designed for storing cars came to shape housing, transit, budgets, safety, climate resilience, and even what kinds of buildings are legal to construct. From early street management to mid‑century mandates, parking policy filters into everything residents notic

In "Before Gentrification: The Creation of DC's Racial Wealth Gap," author Tanya Maria Golash-Boza challenges the common misconception that the racial wealth gap in Washington DC primarily stems from Black families' inability to access homeownership.

Climate resilience has evolved significantly over the past decade, transitioning from a buzzword to a comprehensive framework for addressing the escalating challenges of climate change. In our conversation with Lori we gain valuable insights into how our understanding of resilience has matured and the critical factors that contribute to truly resilient communities.

Historic preservation has long followed a binary approach: Is a building historically significant enough to be listed, or isn’t it? This seemingly simple question forms the foundation of preservation policy across the United States and has shaped our built environment for decades.

“When Driving Is Not An Option: Steering Away From Car Dependency,” presents a compelling case for embracing alternative modes of transportation that cater to the diverse needs of our communities.

“From the Ground Up: Local Efforts to Create Resilient Cities,” brings to light the vital role of community-led efforts in combating climate change and systemic racism in urban environments.

In this months article episode we're taking a deep dive into the transformative Sister Cities Project. The brainchild of Sean McClondon, this groundbreaking initiative began with a straightforward social media post and has since grown into a powerful platform that breaks down racial divides, fostering tolerance and unity.

Ever wondered how mobility justice could revolutionize city planning and transportation strategy? Get ready to challenge the status quo as we dive into the fascinating world of human-centered transportation systems by reviewing a few recent American Planning Association interviews with Naomi Dorner and Tamika Butler.

Transportation is a vital part of urban life, but its history in the United States is often one of division. In her book, Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities, transportation expert Veronica O. Davis argues that the transportation systems we have today were never designed to be equitable.

In this quick 10 minute episode, we discuss the APA article In Defense of Local Zoning which holds up our 100 year old tradition of land regulation. Earlier this month we talked with author M. Nolan Gray on his recent book Arbitrary Lines which makes the bold statement that we should do away with zoning regulations.

Zoning is a fundamental part of urban planning, but what if it's the very thing holding our cities back? We discuss with M. Nolan Gray the provocative ideas in his book Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It.

Since 2015, the Island Press Urban Resilience Project (URP) has worked to imagine and inspire the sustainable, equitable, resilient cities of the future. The project brings together thought leaders with a broad range of expertise to generate and cross-pollinate ideas.

Rothstein's central argument, powerfully explored in the podcast, is that racial segregation in the U.S. is not accidental. It wasn't simply a matter of individual choices or economic factors.

Geography of Urban Transportation traces the historical evolution of urban form as it was shaped by transportation technology. It explains how ancient cities were built around walking, while the introduction of technologies like streetcars, railways, and—most significantly—the automobile completely reshaped our modern metropolises.