PODCAST · society
Cities in Motion
by Jacob
Cities in Motion is a podcast about what it’s really like to get around — walking, biking, riding transit, or living with fewer cars. We talk sidewalks that vanish, stadiums you can’t walk to, “paint-only” bike lanes, and cities where transit works like magic (plus the ones where it doesn’t).Each episode asks how the design of a city affects real life — our time, stress, safety, money, and independence. We celebrate places that get it right, call out places that don’t, and imagine what it would look like if moving through a city felt easy again.Join us as we explore cities built for people
Episodes
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Ep 24 | Transforming McGuinness Boulevard with Ben Wolf, Director of Changing Lanes
What does it take to redesign a deadly street — and who stands in the way? In this season finale of Cities in Motion, we sit down with Ben Wolf, director of Changing Lanes, a new documentary following the grassroots battle to transform McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn after a...
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Ep 23 | Inside Austin's Yellow Bike Project with Marcelina Gray
Since 1997, Austin's Yellow Bike Project has been turning donated and discarded bicycles into transportation, independence, and community for thousands of Central Texans. Run entirely by volunteers operating as a consensus-based collective, the nonprofit teaches anyone who walks through their...
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Ep 22 | Noah Kaplan from Vibrant Englewood
Englewood, Colorado hadn't let residents vote for their own mayor in nearly 50 years. Then a small group of volunteers changed that — with no staff, no budget, and a whole lot of community organizing. Noah Kaplan, founder of Vibrant Englewood, sits down with Cities in Motion to share how a...
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Ep 21 | Diane Alisa Tuft on Restoring the American Village
What if suburbia didn't have to be a dead end? Diane Alisa Tuft, author of A Love Letter to Suburbia: How to Restore the American Village, joins Cities in Motion to make the case that the sprawling, car-dependent neighborhoods most Americans call home don't have to stay that way. Diane's book is...
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Ep 20 | Fighting for Livable Streets in NYC with Sara Lind of Open Plans
Sara Lind, co-executive director of Open Plans, joins the show to talk about what it actually takes to redesign New York City's streets around people instead of cars. From the near-miss with a car while pushing her son in a stroller that sparked her advocacy, to running for city council, to…
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Ep 19 | Can San Antonio Build Rail? SART Makes the Case
NOTE: I apologize for the audio, I had some new LAV mics and the sensitivity was too high. San Antonio is one of the largest cities in the U.S. without a rail transit system — but a growing coalition wants to change that. San Antonians for Rail Transit (SART) joins Cities in Motion to talk about...
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Ep 18 | Planning San Antonio's Future with Prof. Sarah Serpas, UTSA Department of Planning
What does it take to plan a city that actually works for people? I go on a tour with Prof. Sarah Serpas of the UTSA Department of Planning to explore how the next generation of planners is being trained — and what that means for the future of San Antonio and beyond. UTSA Urband and Regional...
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Ep 17 | Car-Free Community Trusts: Building Intentional Urban Living
What if your neighborhood was designed around people and not cars? Brett "Hans" McMurdy joins the show to unpack the Car-Free Community Trust model: a bold approach to urban living that combines cohousing, coworking, and car-free design into intentional communities built on renovated urban...
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Ep 16 | Fixing the Alamo City: Joey Pawlik from Activate SA
San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing cities in America but is it growing in the right direction? Joey Pawlik, founder of ActivateSA, joins the show to talk about what it takes to build an urban advocacy movement from the ground up, why San Antonio's car-dependent development pattern is…
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Ep 15 | Hyperlocal Hero: Hexel Colorado from Dallas Urbanist
In this episode, we sit down with Hexel Colorado, the founder of Dallas Urbanist and a leading voice in the Texas transit scene. Hexel isn't just a content creator; he’s an advocate who transitioned from viral "Dallas 1939" history videos to chairing the DART Citizens Advisory Committee. We dive...
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Ep 14 | The Rio Grande Plan, How Citizens Are Fixing Salt Lake City's Biggest Transportation Problem
What does it take for two citizens to propose moving a city's entire railroad underground — and actually get people to listen? Christian Lenhart is a civil engineer who saw Salt Lake City's west side cut off from downtown by freight rail lines that have divided the city since 1870. His answer…
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Ep 13 | The 32-Mile Vision with Tom Wald from Red Line Parkway
In this episode of Cities in Motion, we sit down with Tom Wald, Executive Director of the Red Line Parkway Initiative, to discuss the future of active transportation in Central Texas. The Red Line Parkway is a planned 32-mile linear park and public trail network that will eventually connect...
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Ep 12 | Building a Bike-Friendly Austin with the Ghisallo Cycling Initiative (Derek Hansen)
What does it actually take to make biking feel safe, accessible, and normal for people of all ages and abilities? In this season-finale episode of Cities in Motion, I’m joined by Darek Hanson, Austin Team Lead for the Ghisallo Cycling Initiative, to talk about how biking education, community...
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Ep 11 | Cody Boyd of Edmond Urbanist on Walkability, Housing, and Edmond’s Future
In this episode of Cities in Motion, Jacob talks with Cody Boyd, founder of Edmond Urbanist, about walkability, housing, and people-centered development in Edmond, Oklahoma and the greater Oklahoma City metro. As central Oklahoma grows rapidly, Edmond is at a turning point. We discuss zoning...
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Ep 10 | Strong Towns Houston on Safer Streets, Local Advocacy, and the Future of Urban Growth
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the U.S., and the choices it makes today affect millions of people every single day. In this episode of Cities in Motion, I’m joined by Ruben and Matthew from Strong Towns Houston to talk about what people-centered change looks like in a city known for doing...
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Ep 9 | How Walkable Streets and Active Mobility Improve Community Health (John Simmerman)
In this episode of Cities in Motion, I sit down with John Simmerman, creator of Active Towns, to talk about how walking, biking, and everyday movement shape community health and quality of life. John shares his journey from corporate health promotion into documenting and advocating for active…
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Ep: 8 Building a Better Houston: A Conversation with District C Candidate Joe Panzarella
In this episode of Cities in Motion, I’m joined by Joe Panzarella, a candidate for Houston City Council representing District C. We talk about what it means to govern and advocate in the fourth-largest city in the U.S., and how local decisions around transportation, infrastructure, land use, and...
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Ep 7: Chicanes, Code Reform, and the Fight for Safer Streets in Pflugerville
In this episode, I sit down with Shane from Strong Towns Pflugerville to explore how a small group of residents is working to reshape the future of their city — one code update, one traffic cone, and one public comment at a time. We discuss Pflugerville’s ongoing Unified Development Code update…
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Ep 6: Why Texas Still Doesn’t Have High-Speed Rail
Texas has been trying to build a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston for more than 15 years and it still doesn’t exist. In this episode of Cities in Motion, we look at what happened to the Texas Bullet Train: why it was proposed, who supported it, who fought it, and what ultimately...
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Ep 5: How Bikes Deliver Food and Dignity with Kelly from Austin Bicycle Meals
In this episode of Cities in Motion, I sit down with Kelly from Austin Bicycle Meals on the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge in downtown Austin to talk about how a small, volunteer run group is using bicycles to fight food insecurity across the city. Austin Bicycle Meals delivers free, homemade meals by...
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Ep 4: How urban economics can put people first
What happens when we stop talking about cities and economies as abstract systems—and start talking about people? In this episode of Cities in Motion, I’m joined by Isaac, the voice behind People Over Numbers, a podcast that breaks down current economic issues through a deeply human lens. Isaac...
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Ep 3: Stopping the I-35 expansion: a conversation with Rethink35
In this episode of Cities in Motion, I sit down with Dr. Miriam Schoenfield — Associate Professor at UT Austin and President of Rethink35. Miriam breaks down the latest developments in the push to rethink the I-35 expansion through Austin, including the ongoing lawsuit, environmental concerns…
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Ep 2: How fuel economy rules reshaped the U.S. car market
A single policy decision from the 1970s reshaped today’s car market. This episode explains how CAFE fuel-economy rules pushed automakers toward bigger SUVs and trucks — and why those incentives still shape vehicle size, safety, and design today. References Whitefoot, K., & Skerlos, S. (2014)....
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Ep 1 | Why sidewalks disappear in American cities
Ever taken a short walk only to find the sidewalk suddenly ends, leaving you on grass, near traffic, or completely stranded? In this episode, we explore the curious case of disappearing sidewalks and the reasons behind them—from suburban design and jurisdiction gaps to ADA compliance and safety...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Cities in Motion is a podcast about what it’s really like to get around — walking, biking, riding transit, or living with fewer cars. We talk sidewalks that vanish, stadiums you can’t walk to, “paint-only” bike lanes, and cities where transit works like magic (plus the ones where it doesn’t).Each episode asks how the design of a city affects real life — our time, stress, safety, money, and independence. We celebrate places that get it right, call out places that don’t, and imagine what it would look like if moving through a city felt easy again.Join us as we explore cities built for people
HOSTED BY
Jacob
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Cities in Motion have?
Cities in Motion currently has 24 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Cities in Motion about?
Cities in Motion is a podcast about what it’s really like to get around — walking, biking, riding transit, or living with fewer cars. We talk sidewalks that vanish, stadiums you can’t walk to, “paint-only” bike lanes, and cities where transit works like magic (plus the ones where it doesn’t).Each...
How often does Cities in Motion release new episodes?
Cities in Motion has 24 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Cities in Motion?
You can listen to Cities in Motion on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Cities in Motion?
Cities in Motion is created and hosted by Jacob.
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