Booked on Planning

Epizódy

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  The Unfinished Metropolis 08.09.2026 37min

  In an engaging conversation with author Benjamin Schneider we explore transformative ideas in urban planning culminating from a wealth of recent literature in the field. His book, The Unfinished Metropolis: Igniting the City Building Revolution, is a compelling guide for emerging planners and those curious about the evolving nature of urban spaces. We touch on office to housing conversions, enlivening downtowns, a new industrial architecture, pre-emption and more as we grapple with how cities...
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  Sidewalk Nation 25.08.2026 50min

  This episode provides an exploration into the urban fabric beneath our feet—sidewalks. These concrete pathways, often overlooked, hold a tapestry of legal, social, and economic narratives as revealed in during the conversation with author Michael Pollack on his book "Sidewalk Nation: The Life and Law of America's Most Overlooked Resource." Pollack's research traverses various states—New York, Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana—to uncover both shared challenges and unique approaches in sidewalk ma...
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  Arrested Mobility 11.08.2026 49min

  In Episode 109 of the Booked on Planning podcast, listeners are invited into a crucial conversation with Charles T. Brown, author of "Arrested Mobility: Overcoming the Threat to Black Movement." This dialogue dives deep into the systemic obstacles that restrict Black freedom of movement, providing a critical lens on how urban planning can either hinder or help create equitable communities. At the core of Brown's discussion is the concept of "arrested mobility" — a term he uses to descri...
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  Fortunate People in a Fortunate Land 28.07.2026 35min

  Housing stability is a pressing concern for many communities, particularly during times when constructing new housing can be financially daunting. Lauren Everett emphasizes a straightforward solution in her book Fortunate People in a Fortunate Land: at home in Santa Monica’s rent-controlled housing. Rent control policies can be implemented at no cost, an approach that not only provides an immediate mechanism to stabilize housing but ensures fairness and sustainability. Show Notes: New Y...
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  Squirrel 14.07.2026 31min

  "Squirrel: How a Backyard Forager Shapes Our World" highlights the fascinating history and ecological importance of squirrels, revealing how these ubiquitous creatures play a vital role in our environments, both urban and rural. As the conversation continued, Castaldo explored the complicated human-squirrel relationship. While many admire squirrels for their agility and intelligence, others find them frustrating garden and bird feeder raiders. Castaldo emphasizes that this tension stems from ...
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  The Lost and The Found 23.06.2026 43min

  In an era where stories of triumph and redemption often stem from unlikely beginnings, "The Lost and The Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second Chances" presents a poignant narrative that resonates deeply with its audience. Authored by Kevin Fagan, the tale unfolds with an exploration of the human spirit's indomitable will to find belonging and transformation amidst life's adversities. Homelessness, a multifaceted crisis affecting millions worldwide, forms the foundatio...
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  Homes for Living 09.06.2026 49min

  This episode delves into the intricate world of limited equity cooperatives, social narratives, and the constantly evolving landscape of housing in America with Jonathan Tarleton, exploring his book "Homes for Living: The Fight for Social Housing and a New American Commons." Tarleton begins by describing the concept of limited equity co-ops, which function as a form of de-commodified housing insulated from current market pressures. This concept comes to life in his book and our conversation t...
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  Managing the Magic of Old Places 26.05.2026 44min

  Historic preservation is a field dedicated to safeguarding our cultural heritage, but the stability of jobs within this sector often hinges on government involvement. According to author Jeremy Wells, nearly three-quarters of all jobs in historic preservation are fundamentally designed to meet the needs of local, state, and federal government. This statistic underscores the dependence of the industry on government funding and initiatives and the need for preservation education to reflect this...
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  Preserving with Purpose 12.05.2026 41min

  In this episode architect and author Amy Hetletvedt discusses her thought-provoking book, "Preserving With Purpose: Re-Imagining Buildings for Community Benefit." This conversation delves into innovative approaches to historical preservation, particularly around the idea of reimagining how communities can benefit from existing structures. A number of the book’s case studies are discussed to illustrate her concepts that offer a new way to ensure building maintenance and reuse that diverges fro...
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  An Even Better Way to Zone 28.04.2026 46min

  In our latest episode we interview zoning attorney and author Donald Elliott about his book An Even Better Way to Zone: Achieving More Affordable, Equitable, and Sustainable Communities. Elliott’s work comes alongside other recent zoning books covered on the show, including M. Nolan Gray's Arbitrary Lines (arguing for getting rid of zoning) and Sarah Bronin’s Key to the City, his approach aligning with reforming zoning rather than eliminating it. Elliott explains that his earlier book, A Bett...
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  Folk Engineering 14.04.2026 36min

  There’s regionalism as we all learned in planning school led by Louis Mumford at the Regional Planning Association of America (RPAA) and then there’s southern regionalism that Howard W. Odum and his Institute for Research in Social Science (IRSS) led from the University of North Carolina. The history of the southern regionalists was largely overlooked until Stephen Ramos published “Folk Engineering: Planning Southern Regionalism.” Sadly, Stephen passed away shortly after publishing this book,...
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  2026 Trend Report 24.03.2026 31min

  Planning for the future can feel overwhelming, yet essential. The American Planning Association’s (APA) 2026 Trend Report offers planners foresight into upcoming trends that could shape our world. In our latest episode, we talked with Petra Hurtado, APA’s Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer, to delve into these trends. Now in it’s fifth year (coincidentally…or not….this was our 100th episode in the fifth year of our show), we have covered every trend report from the first so you can really ...
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  Bittersweet Lane 10.03.2026 38min

  In the latest episode of the Booked On Planning podcast, hosts Stephanie Rouse and Jennifer Hiatt sat down with author and developer Jamie Madden to discuss his new book, Bittersweet Lane: Creating Home(s) in the American Affordable Housing Crisis. Part memoir and part educational guide, the book offers a rare look at the housing crisis from someone who grew up in affordable housing and now spends his career building it. Madden’s unique background allows him to bridge the gap between resident...
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  Why Nothing Works 24.02.2026 44min

  Progressivism struggles with a never ending pendulum swing between Jeffersonian and Hamiltonian impulses, bringing us to our current problem of inaction. Author Mark Dunkelman in his book, "Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress—and How to Bring It Back", explains the origins of American progressivism as a response to the upheaval created by railroads and national-scale economic power, outlining these two competing impulses within the movement: the Jeffersonian push to break up big institutio...
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  Messy Cities 10.02.2026 43min

  In this episode of Booked on Planning, we dive into a conversation with Zahra Ebrahim, author of 'Messy Cities: Why We Can't Plan Everything.' Ibrahim discusses the inspiration and collaborative effort behind her book, a collection of 42 essays that challenge the traditional notions of urban order and highlight the benefits of urban 'messiness'. The episode explores themes such as ecological benefits, social infrastructure, cultural heritage, and the dynamic interactions that define city livi...
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  Road to Nowhere 27.01.2026 55min

  A road that was never built still managed to hollow out a neighborhood. We sit down with historian Emily Lieb to unpack how Baltimore’s “Road to Nowhere” took shape on paper, and why that was enough to destabilize Rosemont—a Black middle-class community of sturdy daylight rowhouses—through years of uncertainty, disinvestment, and policy misfires. This conversation isn’t just about Baltimore. It’s about how plans, incentives, and vague labels shape markets and lives long before construction b...
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  Livable Streets 2.0 13.01.2026 35min

  Streets can be good friends or quiet bullies. We talk with author and planner Bruce Appleyard about Livable Streets 2.0 and how design choices—lane widths, speeds, buffers, sidewalks, and bike protection—shape safety, community bonds, and the energy we feel the moment our feet touch the curb. Bruce shares the personal story behind the book’s legacy and why traffic’s “invisible harms” still fracture neighborhoods, then maps a clear path to build streets that give back. We dig into cognitive m...
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  Spiritual Wellness and the Built Environment 23.12.2025 43min

  What if city design could prevent harm before it happens—and even lift our sense of purpose? We sat down with architect and planner Phillip Tabb to explore spiritual wellness as a practical, universal lens for shaping healthier streets, homes, and public spaces. Phill draws a clear line between spirituality and religion to focus on experiences we all share: safety, serenity, awe, belonging, and meaning. We unpack the wellness pillars—physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental, spiritu...
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  Choosing to Succeed 09.12.2025 36min

  Climate action isn’t only written in federal legislation or international agreements. It’s shaped block by block through local land use law—where homes are built, how streets connect, what landscapes we preserve, and which energy systems we permit. In this episode, we chatted with Professor John Nolan to unpack the “land use wedge,” a practical way cities can influence up to 75 percent of CO2 emissions through buildings, transportation, sequestration, distributed energy, and renewables. Along...
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  Going for Zero 25.11.2025 49min

  Forget the shiny renderings—our path to climate-ready cities starts with what already stands. We talked with architect and preservationist Carl Elefante, author of Going for Zero: Decarbonizing the Built Environment on the Path to Our Urban Future, to explore how City 3.0 can emerge by reusing buildings, redesigning streets, and resetting our standards of care. Carl breaks down Modern City 1.0 and 2.0, then lays out a hopeful, practical framework for what comes next: reconnecting with communi...