The Possible City Coeo Media

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. 

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.

"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"

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.

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”