Neighborhood Matters

Why do people choose to bike?

I talk with Austin bike advocate Alejandro de la Vega about whether it's culture or infrastructure that prevents Americans from biking. And what arguments will make people support taking space away from cars to give to bikes?

What would a fair justice system look like?

I talk with Jessica Brand, executive director of the Wren Collective, about wrongful prosecutions and why America's uniquely punitive justice system hasn't resulted in greater safety. But what does the alternative look like?

Why aren't American apartments built for families?

In many American cities, the only alternative to single family houses are massive apartment complexes. Why aren't we building the beautiful, family-friendly apartments that we admire in Europe? Alicia Pederson of Courtyard Urbanist explains.

An undocumented American

Itzel Hernandez grew up like any other American kid in Red Bank, NJ. She only realized she was undocumented when applying to college. We talk about why anti-immigrant politics doesn't reflect how Americans actually feel about the immigrants who are their neighbors, coworkers, and friends.

AI-enabled urbanism

I talk with Kyle Vansice, founder of Cedar, an Austin-based startup that uses AI to help builders figure out what they can build on a given piece of land. We have a broader conversation about the damage done to American cities by 20th century planning and zoning.