The Resurgence of the Walkable American Downtown | Jeff Speck

In episode 77 of the TBD Podcast, Garrett sits down with Jeff Speck, a renowned city planner, writer, and lecturer who serves as the principal at the urban design and consultancy firm Speck Dempsey. Together, they delve into a range of intriguing topics, including how Seaside, FL revolutionized urban design, the reasons behind U.S. cities' rejection of European-style planning, and the creation of the master plan for Water Street. Tune in for an engaging episode that explores the nuances of city planning. Jeff Speck is an internationally recognized city planner known for advocating walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts (2003-2007), he launched the Mayors' Institute on City Design and the Governors' Institute on Community Design. Previously, he spent a decade as Director of Town Planning at DPZ & Co., a key player in the New Urbanism movement. Speck co-authored *Suburban Nation* with Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, hailed by the Wall Street Journal as the "urbanist's bible," and authored the best-selling *Walkable City*. His works include *The Smart Growth Manual* and *Walkable City Rules*. His TED talks and YouTube videos have surpassed five million views. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:01:13 - How Jeff Speck got his start in urban design 0:07:09 - How Seaside, FL revolutionized urban design 0:12:08 - The Mayors Institute on City Design 0:15:52 - The history of street cars 0:19:08 - Why did U.S. cities reject European styled urban planning? 0:27:52 - The importance of a contributing society 0:36:14 - FDOT and Street Safety 0:50:02 - Creating the Master Plan for the Water Street District 0:56:20 - Why the grid system is superior to other city systems 1:01:06 - Outro