good traffic.

Brad Biehl
  • 5.0 (19)
  • Places & Travel
  • Updated Weekly

A workshop for American urban design and urban planning. Join a prolific collective of city and neighborhood staples as we look to better brand American urbanism. New conversations, each week.

  1. Jun 10

    113 / Bike parking blunders.

    In Portland for the summer and reflecting once more on the most underrated piece of bike infrastructure: parking. While we rightfully obsess over bike lanes and protected paths, we ignore the fact that transportation sits parked 95% of the time. This quick-hit episode breaks down what makes a good rack, why installation matters, and why bike parking is actually a gateway to widening bike culture. We also touch on: The Portland standard for staple racks. Spacing and positioning failures. U-lock strategies against tire theft. Testing neighborhood bikeability through their racks. Why Shabazz Stuart and others center parking in the conversation. The difference between leisure cycling and transportation cycling. Friction points that keep people in cars. Timeline: 00:00 Intro. 02:16 In Portland for the summer, thinking about design details. 02:45 Mid-block crosswalks as a litmus test for pedestrian priority. 04:48 99% of bike infrastructure talk focuses on movement between A and B. 05:40 The problem: bikes are parked 95% of the time. 07:24 We spend almost no time talking about bike parking. 08:47 Every friction point is someone choosing to drive instead. 10:26 Bike racks in Portland, Columbus, Dallas, Phoenix. 12:08 Staple racks as the gold standard. 12:28 U-lock technique: through frame, tire, and rack. 13:15 Installation guides aren't being followed. 13:49 Real example: moving truck blocking the rack access. 14:54 Bike parking as a public realm and urban design question. 16:29 Wrapping up. Links: On Portland's bike staple racks.

    18 min
  2. 112 / Middle housing university / with Alkarim Devani

    May 27

    112 / Middle housing university / with Alkarim Devani

    Alkarim Devani — developer and founder of mddl — is in good traffic this week for a conversation on how Canada's housing realities compare/contrast with that of the U.S., and how we can better prepare developers to address our continental crisis. Timeline: 00:00 Alkarim Devani is in good traffic. 02:47 Canada's housing crisis. 04:36 Cities not sharing solutions with each other. 05:14 The competitive silence in real estate development. 05:51 Al's background as a developer in Calgary. 06:43 The Plus 15 downtown system and its failures. 07:31 Downtown office conversions and retrofitting. 08:23 Starting infill development with his brother. 09:14 From luxury duplexes to more attainable housing. 10:16 Realizing the market sucks and social impact matters. 11:33 Founding Roundsquare to bring families back. 12:43 The first fourplex proposal that no one had done. 13:39 Meeting resistance and finding city support. 16:54 Why missing middle isn't happening at scale. 25:31 The regulatory framework problem. 28:27 How to make economics work for missing middle. 31:15 Building at the right price point. 34:12 The slow-growth lesson from setbacks. 37:00 Sometimes you don't get the outcome you want. 40:15 Iterative change and incremental progress. 43:03 Solving for community impact. 46:33 A 350-square-foot cafe. 49:21 Revenue-sharing lease structures. 52:24 Building a heated vestibule for winter survival. 55:12 Doubling revenue per square foot through design. 56:01 The General Block and Village Ice Cream. 58:04 Why the right tenant anchor matters. 59:35 University District and the 99-year lease model. 1:01:23 Inglewood and Calgary's coffee culture. 1:03:02 The commute question and river path biking. 1:05:26 Wrapping up. Links: mddl. mddl U. Mddl, on Instagram.

    1h 4m
  3. 111 / Is data center NIMBYism uniting the populace? / with Avani Adhikari

    May 15

    111 / Is data center NIMBYism uniting the populace? / with Avani Adhikari

    Avani Adhikari — head of insights at GatherGov — is in good traffic this week for a conversation about mapping America's data center development pipeline, what happens when you analyze millions of hours of municipal meeting recordings, and the most controversial topics in local government. As cities hear proposals they don't fully understand and residents voice opposition to infrastructure they've never encountered before, Avani's work sits at the intersection of technology, and civic engagement. Avani walks through how GatherGov listens to and analyzes meetings from over 7,800 jurisdictions to extract entitlements data and assess development risk. She explains the sharp uptick in data center construction spending since 2022 — a timeline that directly correlates with ChatGPT and large language models — and breaks down why these projects spark such intense community opposition despite their often-invisible presence. From water usage concerns to property value fears to fundamental questions about who benefits from AI infrastructure, the conversation explores how communication gaps between tech companies and residents create friction that could be avoided. She also discusses why the Northeast consistently shows up as the most civically engaged region in her data, the challenge of making complex information accessible, and what it means to be a tech optimist working on projects that generate genuine controversy. Timeline: 00:00 Avani Adhikari and GatherGov. 02:47 Mapping the development pipeline of America. 04:36 Entitlements data as early project signals. 05:14 Analyzing 7800+ jurisdictions' public meetings. 05:51 Extracting patterns from millions of hours of recordings. 06:43 Data centers as a recent fascination. 07:31 Nuclear energy as another controversial asset class. 08:23 How often these topics show up in council meetings. 09:14 Monthly construction spending jumped in 2022. 10:16 ChatGPT and data center discourse correlation. 11:33 Community opposition to data centers. 12:43 Water usage and environmental concerns. 16:54 Property value fears and NIMBY dynamics. 21:10 Communication gaps between tech companies and residents. 25:31 Why transparency matters more than people think. 28:27 The tech optimist perspective on controversial projects. 31:15 Who benefits from AI infrastructure? 34:12 Making complex data accessible through storytelling. 37:00 Personal interest in civic tech applications. 40:15 The most civically engaged regions in America. 43:03 Northeast towns showing up constantly in the data. 46:33 Small New England towns and per capita engagement. 49:21 Where to follow GatherGov's work. 52:24 Newsletter and LinkedIn posts. 55:12 Upcoming white paper on data centers. 56:01 The commute question. 58:04 Living in Tokyo as a teenager. 59:35 Hour-long train commute to school. 1:00:25 Reading books and buying snacks on the way. 1:01:23 Wrapping up. Links: On data centers, from GatherGov. GatherGov homebase. Follow Avani, on LinkedIn.

    51 min
  4. 110 / A walkable algorithm / with Paul Stout

    May 11

    110 / A walkable algorithm / with Paul Stout

    Paul Stout — urbanist creator and landscape designer — is back in good traffic this week for a conversation about making urbanism foundational, why the most successful design work often goes unnoticed, and what it takes to translate complex spatial ideas into social media messages that resonate. After a content hiatus and returning with videos that've caught fire, Paul reflects on how the standardized suburban American experience creates a massively untapped audience waiting to discover their daily frustrations have names — and sometimes solutions. Timeline: 00:00 Paul Stout returns to the show. 02:47 Back making videos on Instagram after time away. 03:35 Making urbanism accessible. 04:21 The suburban teen Bloomberg CityLab article. 05:12 Why the standardized US experience creates relatability. 06:36 Building a precedent library for video content. 08:23 Reading and being interested for years. 09:14 Reverse engineering for people with no education on the topic. 10:16 The Central Park "they just left it as is" misconception. 11:33 Every square inch of Central Park is planned and maintained. 12:43 You don't know what you don't know. 13:39 Why landscape architecture is ripe for storytelling. 16:54 The best work goes unnoticed when it feels natural. 21:10 Showcasing expensive neighborhoods. 25:31 Learning to see the world differently. 28:27 Parks that receive less funding than Central Park. 31:15 People still love their local park despite underfunding. 34:12 The sleeper pick: Inwood Hill Park. 37:00 Topography making you forget you're in a city. 40:15 The commute question returns. 43:03 Best commute ever: biking to University of Salzburg. 46:33 Fully separated bike infrastructure next to a river with Alps backdrop. 49:21 Why Salzburg might not be on your TripAdvisor list. 52:24 No map shows architecturally interesting spaces within cities. 55:12 Ryan Johnson's advice: go to the oldest part of town. 56:01 The tightest streets and most walkable areas. 58:04 Urban renewal contrast near historic districts. 59:35 Wrapping up and following Paul's work. Links: Follow Paul, on Instagram. Follow Paul, on TikTok. Follow Paul, on YouTube.

    39 min
  5. 109 / The missing middle of our food infrastructure / with Caitlin Taylor

    May 5

    109 / The missing middle of our food infrastructure / with Caitlin Taylor

    Caitlin Taylor — architect, farmer, and founder of Midcourse Design & Development — is in good traffic this week for a conversation about the missing middle of America's food system, and why architects need to understand farming, supply chains, and retail, en route to rebuilding regional infrastructure. We also touch on: Why architects rarely work on food infrastructure. The lived experience of running a certified organic farm. How Mass Design Group shaped her practice model. The missing middle between industrial and direct-to-consumer. Why most food businesses operate despite the built environment, not because of it. Regional processing as the bottleneck. Fiddleheads co-op in New London, Connecticut as an exemplar. Why independently owned grocery stores are so rare. Grocery store layout and fresh versus shelf-stable ratios. Projects coming soon that will demonstrate the Midcourse model. Timeline: 00:00 Caitlin Taylor is in good traffic. 05:35 The multidisciplinary studio model. 07:24 Weaving architecture, operations, planning, and finance. 08:02 How Caitlin started Midcourse. 08:39 Being both an architect and a farmer. 09:31 Living on a certified organic farm. 10:19 The food world as a small, networked community. 11:11 Only architect in a room of farmers, only farmer in a room of architects. 12:02 When the realization happened. 13:04 Husband becoming a farmer while Caitlin was in grad school. 13:39 The wacky idea that food system architecture mattered. 14:21 Joining Mass Design Group in 2016. 14:41 Founding the Food Systems Design Lab. 16:59 Testing what role architecture plays in regional food systems. 20:53 Why Caitlin left Mass to start Midcourse. 25:31 The missing middle of food infrastructure. 31:15 Processing, storage, distribution, aggregation. 37:00 Why regional infrastructure disappeared. 43:03 Globalized consolidation and economies of scale. 49:21 Making regional systems economically viable. 55:12 How architects can help food businesses. 56:01 Grocery stores as museums of regional food. 56:48 Seasonal eating and living with the seasons. 57:17 Fresh versus packaged shelf ratios. 58:04 Where to see this in action. 58:27 Fiddleheads co-op in New London, Connecticut. 59:35 Independently owned cooperative grocery stores. 1:00:25 Why co-ops are so rare and often fail. 1:01:23 The commute question. 1:01:55 200 feet from kitchen to farm wash station. 1:03:02 Wrapping up. Links: More on Midcourse.

    1h 3m
  6. 108 / The single-family starter home trap / with Tahra Hoops

    Apr 25

    108 / The single-family starter home trap / with Tahra Hoops

    Tahra Hoops — director of economic analysis at the Chamber of Progress and writer of The Rebuild — is back in good traffic this week for a conversation about financial nihilism, what happens when an entire generation stops believing homeownership is possible, and why the definition of "starter home" desperately needs an update. As Gen-Z watches record spending on concerts and short-term consumption coexist with near complete abandonment of long-term financial planning, Tahra breaks down the policy failures that created this mess, as well as the middle housing opportunities sitting right in front of us. And, how the politics of the likes of both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Moreno are missing the moment in producing tangible housing policy solutions. The conversation dives into California's condo construction defect laws — arcane legislation that makes it financially impossible for developers to build the middle housing units that could actually serve as starter homes for young people. From townhomes to small condos, the housing types that used to be entry points into ownership have virtually disappeared, leaving renters stuck between unaffordable single-family homes and corporate-owned apartment buildings with no path to equity. We also touch on: The boomer economy and lack of investment in young generations. Why people spend $6,000 on Coachella but can't imagine owning a home. How fintech enables short-term consumption while destroying long-term planning. What a starter home actually means today. The Cost of Living Blueprint report. Why better Democrats need to enter the California governor race. City council as the sweet spot for policy wonks. Banning millennial gray hardwood floors. Timeline: 00:00 Intro. 07:44 Tahra Hoops returns to the show. 08:03 What prompted the starter home piece. 08:38 The boomer economy and lack of youth investment. 09:37 Gen Z one versus Gen Z two split. 10:16 Financial nihilism and scaling back. 10:41 Evolving the starter home conversation. 11:01 What is a starter home anymore? 11:36 Coachella spending versus housing realities. 12:19 Short-term consumption and long-term collapse. 13:07 California condo defect laws. 14:55 Why developers won't build condos. 18:11 The missing middle housing shortage. 22:26 Starter homes as typologies other than single-family. 27:02 Financing and construction cost barriers. 32:15 Rethinking what ownership looks like. 37:43 Policy solutions beyond zoning reform. 43:16 The Cost of Living Blueprint report. 47:52 California governor race and runoff dynamics. 53:33 State level politics as Parks and Rec documentary. 54:30 City council as policy wonk sweet spot. 56:41 Boomers love progress until it moves next door. 58:07 Design and sneaking units past NIMBYs. 58:51 Landscape architecture consultation requirements. 59:42 Millennial gray hardwood floor ban proposal. 1:00:51 The Rebuild newsletter and upcoming work. 1:01:48 Wrapping up. Read more: A Starter Home is Whatever We Want it to Be. Subscribe to The Rebuild. Chamber of Progress Cost Of Living Policy Blueprint for 2026 Midterms. Follow: Tahra, on X.

    1h 3m
  7. 107 / Streets as a microcosm of democracy / with Ben Wolf

    Apr 17

    107 / Streets as a microcosm of democracy / with Ben Wolf

    Ben Wolf — cinematographer and director of the documentary Changing Lanes — is in good traffic this week for a conversation about using a Brooklyn bike lane project as a lens for understanding democracy, infrastructure, and why America feels politically stuck. As the documentary begins its theatrical release in Los Angeles and prepares to stream on major platforms, Ben reflects on what local stories can teach national audiences and why good information matters more than ever. We also touch on: How the pandemic created space to pursue creative projects. Cycling's transformation from outsider activity to mainstream. Why streets are a proxy for bigger political problems. Mayors Bloomberg, Adams, and Mamdani's approaches to bike infrastructure and street safety. Renters versus owners in infrastructure debates. Car commercials as propaganda for the status quo. Why there's no equivalent marketing for walking and biking. Film festival reception and upcoming theatrical release. Sicily hill towns where streets have stairs, and walking ten minutes to the piazza for coffee. Timeline: 00:00 Ben Wolf and Changing Lanes. 07:23 Three years following a street redesign story. 08:15 The pandemic as catalyst for directing. 09:07 Wanting to explore local transportation and politics. 09:41 Streets as illustrations of democracy. 10:09 The locked public meeting. 11:12 Finding the spine of the story. 11:45 Housing debates bleeding into street fights. 13:58 Renters versus owners and credibility claims. 16:54 The broader political paralysis theme. 16:01 Mamdani election and optimism for change. 17:55 Bloomberg and Janette Sadik-Khan's rapid change era. 19:39 Mayor Eric Adams' record. 21:10 Why compromise feels impossible. 26:21 Corporate car propaganda versus reality. 30:48 Generations of automotive marketing. 36:34 The counter-narrative we don't get. 42:25 Making local stories nationally relevant. 43:06 The problem of bad information. 44:10 Car companies as propaganda experts. 44:51 Documentaries as counter to corporate messaging. 45:55 Theatrical release and streaming plans. 46:47 Hosting screenings in your city. 47:48 LA as the most car-centric place. 48:08 Using Olympics as catalyst for change. 48:33 The commute question. 48:53 A vacation house in Sicily. 49:22 Everything within a ten-minute walk. 49:38 Wrapping up. Further context: Where to view the film, upcoming. Hosting a screening.

    51 min

  8. Apr 6

    106 / Field notes from Oslo, Stockholm, & Copenhagen.

    Back stateside after a week in Scandinavia, and ready to share some field notes! Rather than just repeating what urbanists already know about Nordic bike infrastructure and cafe culture, we'll walk through the specific design choices that make these cities work, the surprising ways they differ from each other, and the sobering reality that even the best examples aren't perfect. For Americans dissatisfied but optimistic about what their cities could become, this audio offers part blueprint, part reality check. We start in Oslo, on to Stockholm, then Copenhagen. We also touch on: Why Oslo defers to pedestrians at every turn. Density without excessive height. Taking skis on the metro to the slopes from city center. Stockholm's Pittsburgh-like topography with bright buildings. Comparing car presence across Scandinavian cities. Copenhagen's bike rush hour. Simple gathering spots. How infrastructure enables social vibrancy. What US cities can learn from imperfect examples with common frictions. Timeline: 00:00 Back from Scandinavia with quick takeaways. 03:37 Oslo: the safest pedestrian experience ever. 04:49 Speed limits never over 25 mph. 05:11 Building heights: 3-6 stories, palatable density. 06:26 Instant pedestrian signals at every crossing. 07:14 Taking skis on the metro to the slopes. 07:37 Stockholm: the most intriguing pedestrian experience. 08:12 The archipelago geography and constant water views. 09:01 Pittsburgh comparison. 11:34 Stockholm as the most car-present Nordic city. 13:28 Copenhagen: the bike capital reality check. 16:45 Bike rush hour on Friday. 18:22 Time-competitive transportation alternatives. 20:37 Head on a swivel: navigating heavy bike traffic. 22:06 Different speeds creating friction and attention. 24:03 Building heights comparable to Stockholm. 24:30 Surprisingly narrow sidewalks in many places. 25:54 The most vibrant social environment ever witnessed. 26:47 Window ledges as seating and gathering spots. 27:32 How little it takes to facilitate social vibrancy. 28:00 Wrapping up.

    28 min
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About

A workshop for American urban design and urban planning. Join a prolific collective of city and neighborhood staples as we look to better brand American urbanism. New conversations, each week.

Information

  • Creator
    Brad Biehl
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    114
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Brad Biehl
  • Show Website
    good traffic.

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