The Urbanist Agenda

Yup. Cars are REALLY expensive, and they're getting more expensive. And yet, most car owners seem completely oblivious to it.

• Canadians estimated to pay over $1,300 a month to own a car, report finds
• Car ownership cost me a LOT of money. I'm done. (YouTube)

RMTransit: https://youtube.com/@rmtransit

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Europe is known for its train networks, and the EU has been promoting trains as the preferred mode of travel. But the train networks are not functioning well, and it's not a coincidence that many EU countries are spending twice as much on roads than they do on rails.

• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/19/european-governments-railways-road-building-report-motorways-funding-rail
• https://www.railtech.com/infrastructure/2023/09/19/deutsche-bahn-and-german-government-launch-infrastructure-programme-on-unprecedented-scale/?gdpr=deny
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOzy1Ok58gI

Real Time History: https://www.youtube.com/@realtimehistory

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It occurred to us the other day that we have lived 10 years without owning a car. This didn't happen intentionally, we just moved to a walkable neighbourhood and living car-free just made the most sense. In this episode, I talk with Mrs. NJB about what it's been like to live without a car, how it made more sense for us even with two kids, and about why we'll likely never own one.

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Can rural people understand city folk and vice-versa? American Fietser thinks so. He went from being a die-hard truck driver to a cargo-bike riding urbanist, and it all started with a trip to the Netherlands.

American Fietser: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFietser

American Fietser (Twitter): https://twitter.com/AmericanFietser

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City Simulators, such as SimCity and Cities: Skylines are very popular, both among gamers and the general public. But these are just games: they don't accurately model real cities, and that can result in misleading assumptions about what a city is, and how it functions.

Cities by Diana: https://www.youtube.com/@CitiesByDiana

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The "War on Cars" is a phrase that comes up every few years whenever some right-wing politician wants to get elected. But this phrase is nothing new, and has been around almost as long as cars themselves. In this episode, I talk to Doug Gordon from the War on Cars podcast, who has been following this phrase in the media for several years.

https://thewaroncars.org/2021/11/30/not-just-bikes-with-jason-slaughter/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/28/the-war-on-motorists-the-secret-history-of-a-myth-as-old-as-cars-themselves

https://nebula.tv/agenda/toronto-needs-a-new-mayor-with-rmtransit

https://art19.com/shows/the-urbanist-agenda/episodes/d6da1bc2-eb11-48f3-8512-90cafdaaa7b2

Not Just Bikes: https://youtube.com/notjustbikes

The War on Cars Podcast: https://thewaroncars.org/

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Not Just Bikes, normally a champion of all things Amsterdam, talks to RMTransit about why the Amsterdam Metro isn't good enough. And if GVB has their way, it might become even worse.

https://www.at5.nl/artikelen/219864/metrolijnen-50-en-53-worden-samengevoegd-30000-passagiers-zullen-moeten-overstappen

https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/major-overhaul-amsterdam-public-transport-fewer-trams-more-transfers

https://www.dewestkrant.nl/tram-19-en-3-voorlopig-gered-gvb-broedt-op-ander-plan/

https://over.gvb.nl/nieuws/geen-netwerkwijzigingen-in-aangepast-vervoerplan-2024/

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RMTransit: https://youtube.com/@rmtransit

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America has Traffic Engineers. The Netherlands has Transportation Engineers. One is concerned with moving as many cars as possible, the other builds transportation systems. In this podcast, I'm joined by Steffen Berr, an American Traffic Engineer turned Transportation Engineer who now lives in the Netherlands. We discuss the myopic approach taken by Traffic Engineers in America, and how it ultimately ruins cities.

Steffen has a great article that is worth reading:

https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/america-has-no-transportation-engineers

Strong Towns Conversation with an Engineer: https://youtu.be/P9BUyWVg1xI

Wonderland Road: https://youtu.be/Ds-v2-qyCc8

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Build the Lanes: https://www.youtube.com/@buildthelanes

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Our family has lived in the Netherlands for 5 years now. In this episode, I have a conversation with my wife, Mrs. NJB, about our experiences and how it compares to other places we've lived before.

Listen to the next episode early on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/agenda

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I was recently asked to comment on a news story in my hometown of Fake London in Canada: a single mom had her car break down and she couldn't afford to fix it, so she asked people how feasible it was to go car-free. In the end, she had to spend $6000 on a new transmission because living car-free was effectively impossible.

It got me thinking how crazy this situation is, especially compared to where I've lived in Europe. So I've brought back certified European Adam Something to discuss how this is unlikely to happen to most Europeans, but how that could change, if right wing politicians get their way.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/london-would-you-give-up-your-car-1.6877193

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/26/cyclists-berlin-right-wing-mayor-bans-new-cycle-paths/

https://www.world-today-news.com/data-prague-has-twice-as-many-cars-per-inhabitant-as-vienna-or-berlin-and-they-are-old/

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Not Just Bikes: https://youtube.com/@notjustbikes

Adam Something: https://youtube.com/@adamsomething

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Rowhouses have been around for literally thousands of years: a house that's connected to the house next to it. This type of housing is illegal in huge swaths of the US and Canada, but it's extremely common elsewhere because it is the greatest form of housing.

Jason from Not Just Bikes is joined by Justin Roczniak from the Well There's Your Problem podcast to discuss why rowhouses are the superior form of housing, and why we should bulldoze every city to build them.

References and further reading:

https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia/East-Passyunk/Population

https://www.phila.gov/media/20190521124726/Philadelphia_Rowhouse_Manual.pdf

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Paying for public transit is way too complicated, especially if you're an occasional user or tourist. Can open payments make this process easier for everyone?

In this conversation, Jason from Not Just Bikes and Thea from Urban Caffeine discuss recent developments in open payments. If we're going to charge for public transit (which is a whole other conversation), how should payments be collected? Why are we still using obtuse way s of paying when credit cards and debit cards exist?

References and further reading:

https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-better-payment-systems-can-improve-public-transportation/

https://www.bytemark.co/bytes-of-knowledge/what-are-open-loop-payments-in-public-transit

https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-articles/78096/open-loop-payments-united-states/

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Toronto's mayor stepped down, which gives the city a unique opportunity to make a meaningful change. Without an incumbent in the race, the field is wide open for someone new to take charge. Will Toronto choose good urbanism, or will it continue down its car-centric trajectory?

In this episode, Jason from Not Just Bikes and Reece from RMTransit go through the top candidates in the Toronto mayoral election and give our takes on who we think should be (or shouldn't be) the next mayor of Toronto.

Relevant articles:

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/06/11/toronto-election-reality-check-how-the-mayoral-hopefuls-would-unclog-city-streets.html

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/why-does-doug-ford-care-who-becomes-mayor-of-toronto-1.6436389

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Traffic engineers in the US and Canada have complex guidebooks and formulas for everything they do, but somehow they still build places that are dangerous, expensive, ugly, and terrible at actually moving people. Jason (Not Just Bikes) and Ray (CityNerd) discuss how all this engineering still results in bad outcomes.

All Traffic Models are Wrong (Strong Towns)

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2021/9/7/all-traffic-models-are-wrong

WSDOT VS. REALITY

https://www.sightline.org/2011/07/13/wsdot-vs-reality/

https://riskcenter.wharton.upenn.edu/climate-risk-solutions-2/its-time-to-rethink-our-roads/

https://www.pps.org/article/levels-of-service-and-travel-projections-the-wrong-tools-for-planning-our-streets

https://www.pps.org/article/levels-of-service-and-travel-projections-the-wrong-tools-for-planning-our-streets

https://cityobservatory.org/the-limits-of-data-driven-approaches-to-planning/

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During the covid-19 pandemic, many US cities made streets off-limits to cars and opened them to people walking an cycling. These "open streets" were loved by urbanists everywhere, but now that the lockdowns are over, many of these places are being given back to motor vehicle traffic. In this episode, I talk to Dave from the YouTube channel City Beautiful about these closed open streets and what the future of "open streets" might look like in the US and Canada.

How New York City Lost 63 Miles of Pedestrian-Friendly 'Open Streets'

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/11/nyregion/open-streets-nyc.html

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Toronto has almost completely stopped issuing parking tickets to drivers, even as it faces critical budget problems. But this is just one more decision in a long line that allow drivers in Toronto to get away with almost any behaviour. From running red lights to driving literally twice the speed limit, the Toronto Police have proven, time and time again, that Toronto drivers are above the law.

• https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2023/03/07/the-number-of-parking-tickets-has-plunged-in-cash-strapped-toronto-why-the-lax-enforcement.html
• https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/11/22/even-as-collisions-rise-toronto-police-traffic-enforcement-falls-to-lowest-level-since-amalgamation.html
• https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2023/03/15/ttcs-fare-crackdown-demands-vigilance.html
• https://www.narcity.com/toronto/toronto-police-officer-sparks-debate-over-ttc-fare-evasion-people-think-fines-are-too-high

Want to do something about it? Join Friends and Families for Safe Streets: https://www.cycleto.ca/friends-and-families-safe-streets

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The 15-minute cities conspiracy has almost nothing to do with urban planning, and everything to do with climate change denialism. Urban planning has just become the latest topic to get caught up in the culture war.

Relevant articles & links:

• https://www.desmog.com/2023/02/16/revealed-the-science-denial-network-behind-oxfords-climate-lockdown-backlash/
• https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/02/21/what-is-a-15-minute-city-the-eco-concept-that-has-been-jumped-on-by-conspiracy-theorists
• https://twitter.com/AdamBarnett13/status/1626188798269747201
• https://twitter.com/davidrvetter/status/1626962580190248961

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A podcast by the creator of the popular YouTube channel Not Just Bikes, The Urbanist Agenda is an exploration of the latest topics in urban planning and urban mobility from your favourite urbanist YouTubers.

Each month we'll put another important topic on the agenda and pull back the curtain to discover how online urbanists plot and scheme to make cities work better for everyone.

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