City Beautiful en City Beautiful is a YouTube channel dedicated to educating everyone about cities and city planning. Cities are amazing! I cover topics such as transportation, land use planning, and urban design. I post new videos regularly.Links:Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/citybeautifulNebula: https://nebula.tv/citybeautifulInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/citybeautifulyt/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/citybeautiful.nebula.tv https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/26324c12-a894-11f1-b2c3-cb1b98aa8c7e/image/dd321ad4c44b9b5e1495eadc8b48b807.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress City Beautiful no episodic City Beautiful City Beautiful is a YouTube channel dedicated to educating everyone about cities and city planning. Cities are amazing! I cover topics such as transportation, land use planning, and urban design. I post new videos regularly.Links:Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/citybeautifulNebula: https://nebula.tv/citybeautifulInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/citybeautifulyt/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/citybeautiful.nebula.tv City Beautiful is a YouTube channel dedicated to educating everyone about cities and city planning. Cities are amazing! I cover topics such as transportation, land use planning, and urban design. I post new videos regularly.

Links:
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/citybeautiful
Nebula: https://nebula.tv/citybeautiful
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/citybeautifulyt/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/citybeautiful.nebula.tv

]]> City Beautiful lenfrfr@gmail.com How Frank Lloyd Wright Predicted Modern Suburbs (Broadacre City) Click https://saily.com/citybeautiful or use the code CityBeautiful to get an exclusive 15% off your first Saily purchase!U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright proposed Broadacre City in the 1930s. It was a vision for a decentralized, low-density city that presaged the exurbs, or the most rural of the suburbs. What did Broadacre City get right, and what did it miss?Resources on this topic:- The Disappearing City by FLW: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015047936219- The Suburbanite of FLW's Broadacre City: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0096144218797923?casa_token=Ym9IPiU9YloAAAAA%3AXniSCLN0XfasavCJ2xLoH8R8ZMlJoJJlWLD483Sb_JpeZ7Ph3R9Lu83YHoJA8n7bPAKhduI-CPYUProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Wed, 14 Oct 2026 04:54:32 -0000 full City Beautiful Click https://saily.com/citybeautiful or use the code CityBeautiful to get an exclusive 15% off your first Saily purchase!U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright proposed Broadacre City in the 1930s. It was a vision for a decentralized, low-density city that presaged the exurbs, or the most rural of the suburbs. What did Broadacre City get right, and what did it miss?Resources on this topic:- The Disappearing City by FLW: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015047936219- The Suburbanite of FLW's Broadacre City: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0096144218797923?casa_token=Ym9IPiU9YloAAAAA%3AXniSCLN0XfasavCJ2xLoH8R8ZMlJoJJlWLD483Sb_JpeZ7Ph3R9Lu83YHoJA8n7bPAKhduI-CPYUProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Click https://saily.com/citybeautiful or use the code CityBeautiful to get an exclusive 15% off your first Saily purchase!

U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright proposed Broadacre City in the 1930s. It was a vision for a decentralized, low-density city that presaged the exurbs, or the most rural of the suburbs. What did Broadacre City get right, and what did it miss?

Resources on this topic:

- The Disappearing City by FLW: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015047936219

- The Suburbanite of FLW's Broadacre City: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0096144218797923?casa_token=Ym9IPiU9YloAAAAA%3AXniSCLN0XfasavCJ2xLoH8R8ZMlJoJJlWLD483Sb_JpeZ7Ph3R9Lu83YHoJA8n7bPAKhduI-CPYU

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 1040 no The Hidden Benefits of Street Trees I'm on Patreon! Consider supporting this channel: https://www.patreon.com/citybeautifulI live in Sacramento, and when I moved here I learned two things quickly. First, Sacramento summers are hot. Like really hot. Many days are over 100 degrees. The second thing I learned is that Sacramento is livable, even with those high temperatures, thanks to its extensive tree canopy. The trees provide shade that makes me feel about 10-15 degrees cooler, and without them I probably would’ve moved a long time ago. Shade is just one of the many many benefits trees provide in urban areas, and I’m going to count down my favorites, as well talk about what it takes to maintain a verdant urban forest.Information gathered from these excellent websites:The Arbor Day Foundation: https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfmFriends of the Urban Forest: https://www.fuf.net/benefits-of-urban-greening/Sources:A. Wolf, Kathleen L, PhD, University of Washington (2007) City Trees and Property Values. Arborist News. 16, 4:34-36.B. Donovan, G.H.; Butry, D.T. (2010). Trees in the City: Valuing Street Trees in Portland, Oregon. Landscape and Urban Planning 94:77-83C. McPherson, Greg, Center for Urban Forest Research via https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfmD. U.S. Department of Agriculture via https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfmE. Naderi, Jody Rosenblatt, Young Suk Kweon, and Praveen Maghelal (2008). The Street Tree Effect and Driver Safety. ITE Journal on the Web. http://www.naturewithin.info/Roadside/Tree&Driver_ITE.pdfF. Global Status Report on Road Safety (2015). World Health Organization. (https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=wV40DgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=road+safety+and+speed&ots=DJSBBThVnn&sig=I3zRpXGQVhaEUoonWoi-EGPX2TI#v=onepage&q=road%20safety%20and%20speed&f=falseG. Benefits of Urban Greening. Friends of the Urban Forest. https://www.fuf.net/benefits-of-urban-greening/H. McPherson, Gregory, James Simpson, Paula Peper, Aaron Crowell, and Qingfu Xiao (2010). Northern California Coast Community Tree Guide: Benefits, Costs, and Strategic Planting. United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/topics/urban_forestry/products/2/psw_cufr790_psw_gtr228.pdfI. Wolf, Kathy (1998). Urban Forest Values: Economic Benefits of Trees in Cities. Center for Urban Horticulture. https://www.naturewithin.info/Policy/EconBens-FS3.pdfJ. Benefits of Urban Greening. Friends of the Urban Forest. https://www.fuf.net/benefits-of-urban-greening/K. Lovasi, Gina, James Quinn, Kathryn Neckerman, Matthew Perzanowski, and Andrew Rundle (2008). Children living in areas with more street trees have lower asthma prevalence. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. http://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2008/05/01/jech.2007.071894L. New Varieties of Elm Raise Hope of Rebirth for Devastated Tree (1989). The New York Times. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1989/12/05/303289.html?action=click&contentCollection=Archives&module=LedeAsset®ion=ArchiveBody&pgtype=article&pageNumber=64M. Turner, Rob (2015). Nightmare on Elm Streets. Sactown Magazine. http://www.sactownmag.com/April-May-2015/Nightmare-on-Elm-Streets/Produced in sunny Sacramento, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Wed, 14 Oct 2026 03:51:49 -0000 full City Beautiful I'm on Patreon! Consider supporting this channel: https://www.patreon.com/citybeautifulI live in Sacramento, and when I moved here I learned two things quickly. First, Sacramento summers are hot. Like really hot. Many days are over 100 degrees. The second thing I learned is that Sacramento is livable, even with those high temperatures, thanks to its extensive tree canopy. The trees provide shade that makes me feel about 10-15 degrees cooler, and without them I probably would’ve moved a long time ago. Shade is just one of the many many benefits trees provide in urban areas, and I’m going to count down my favorites, as well talk about what it takes to maintain a verdant urban forest.Information gathered from these excellent websites:The Arbor Day Foundation: https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfmFriends of the Urban Forest: https://www.fuf.net/benefits-of-urban-greening/Sources:A. Wolf, Kathleen L, PhD, University of Washington (2007) City Trees and Property Values. Arborist News. 16, 4:34-36.B. Donovan, G.H.; Butry, D.T. (2010). Trees in the City: Valuing Street Trees in Portland, Oregon. Landscape and Urban Planning 94:77-83C. McPherson, Greg, Center for Urban Forest Research via https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfmD. U.S. Department of Agriculture via https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfmE. Naderi, Jody Rosenblatt, Young Suk Kweon, and Praveen Maghelal (2008). The Street Tree Effect and Driver Safety. ITE Journal on the Web. http://www.naturewithin.info/Roadside/Tree&Driver_ITE.pdfF. Global Status Report on Road Safety (2015). World Health Organization. (https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=wV40DgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=road+safety+and+speed&ots=DJSBBThVnn&sig=I3zRpXGQVhaEUoonWoi-EGPX2TI#v=onepage&q=road%20safety%20and%20speed&f=falseG. Benefits of Urban Greening. Friends of the Urban Forest. https://www.fuf.net/benefits-of-urban-greening/H. McPherson, Gregory, James Simpson, Paula Peper, Aaron Crowell, and Qingfu Xiao (2010). Northern California Coast Community Tree Guide: Benefits, Costs, and Strategic Planting. United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/topics/urban_forestry/products/2/psw_cufr790_psw_gtr228.pdfI. Wolf, Kathy (1998). Urban Forest Values: Economic Benefits of Trees in Cities. Center for Urban Horticulture. https://www.naturewithin.info/Policy/EconBens-FS3.pdfJ. Benefits of Urban Greening. Friends of the Urban Forest. https://www.fuf.net/benefits-of-urban-greening/K. Lovasi, Gina, James Quinn, Kathryn Neckerman, Matthew Perzanowski, and Andrew Rundle (2008). Children living in areas with more street trees have lower asthma prevalence. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. http://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2008/05/01/jech.2007.071894L. New Varieties of Elm Raise Hope of Rebirth for Devastated Tree (1989). The New York Times. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1989/12/05/303289.html?action=click&contentCollection=Archives&module=LedeAsset®ion=ArchiveBody&pgtype=article&pageNumber=64M. Turner, Rob (2015). Nightmare on Elm Streets. Sactown Magazine. http://www.sactownmag.com/April-May-2015/Nightmare-on-Elm-Streets/Produced in sunny Sacramento, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices I'm on Patreon! Consider supporting this channel: https://www.patreon.com/citybeautiful

I live in Sacramento, and when I moved here I learned two things quickly. First, Sacramento summers are hot. Like really hot. Many days are over 100 degrees. The second thing I learned is that Sacramento is livable, even with those high temperatures, thanks to its extensive tree canopy. The trees provide shade that makes me feel about 10-15 degrees cooler, and without them I probably would’ve moved a long time ago. Shade is just one of the many many benefits trees provide in urban areas, and I’m going to count down my favorites, as well talk about what it takes to maintain a verdant urban forest.

Information gathered from these excellent websites:

The Arbor Day Foundation: https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfm

Friends of the Urban Forest: https://www.fuf.net/benefits-of-urban-greening/

Sources:

A. Wolf, Kathleen L, PhD, University of Washington (2007) City Trees and Property Values. Arborist News. 16, 4:34-36.

B. Donovan, G.H.; Butry, D.T. (2010). Trees in the City: Valuing Street Trees in Portland, Oregon. Landscape and Urban Planning 94:77-83

C. McPherson, Greg, Center for Urban Forest Research via https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfm

D. U.S. Department of Agriculture via https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfm

E. Naderi, Jody Rosenblatt, Young Suk Kweon, and Praveen Maghelal (2008). The Street Tree Effect and Driver Safety. ITE Journal on the Web. http://www.naturewithin.info/Roadside/Tree&Driver_ITE.pdf

F. Global Status Report on Road Safety (2015). World Health Organization. (https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=wV40DgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=road+safety+and+speed&ots=DJSBBThVnn&sig=I3zRpXGQVhaEUoonWoi-EGPX2TI#v=onepage&q=road%20safety%20and%20speed&f=false

G. Benefits of Urban Greening. Friends of the Urban Forest. https://www.fuf.net/benefits-of-urban-greening/

H. McPherson, Gregory, James Simpson, Paula Peper, Aaron Crowell, and Qingfu Xiao (2010). Northern California Coast Community Tree Guide: Benefits, Costs, and Strategic Planting. United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/topics/urban_forestry/products/2/psw_cufr790_psw_gtr228.pdf

I. Wolf, Kathy (1998). Urban Forest Values: Economic Benefits of Trees in Cities. Center for Urban Horticulture. https://www.naturewithin.info/Policy/EconBens-FS3.pdf

J. Benefits of Urban Greening. Friends of the Urban Forest. https://www.fuf.net/benefits-of-urban-greening/

K. Lovasi, Gina, James Quinn, Kathryn Neckerman, Matthew Perzanowski, and Andrew Rundle (2008). Children living in areas with more street trees have lower asthma prevalence. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. http://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2008/05/01/jech.2007.071894

L. New Varieties of Elm Raise Hope of Rebirth for Devastated Tree (1989). The New York Times. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1989/12/05/303289.html?action=click&contentCollection=Archives&module=LedeAsset®ion=ArchiveBody&pgtype=article&pageNumber=64

M. Turner, Rob (2015). Nightmare on Elm Streets. Sactown Magazine. http://www.sactownmag.com/April-May-2015/Nightmare-on-Elm-Streets/


Produced in sunny Sacramento, California.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 453 no How planners plan cities (in Star Wars and real life) I just created a Patreon! If you want to support City Beautiful, consider becoming a patron: http://www.patreon.com/citybeautifulResources on this topic:Rational Comprehensive Model: More info here: http://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/en/v/geolearning/watershed_management/introduction_wm/natural_resource_management_planning/how_to_plan/planning_models/rational_planning/index.htmlIncrementalism: “The Science of Muddling Through” by Charles Lindblom. http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/subjects/ims5042/stuff/readings/lindblom.pdfAdvocacy Planning: “Advocacy and Pluralism in Planning” by Paul Davidoff. http://urbanpolicy.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Davidoff_1965_Advocacy-and-pluralism-in-planning.pdfImages copyright 20th Century Fox/Disney/don't sue me, it's fair useProduced in sunny Sacramento, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Wed, 14 Oct 2026 02:49:05 -0000 full City Beautiful I just created a Patreon! If you want to support City Beautiful, consider becoming a patron: http://www.patreon.com/citybeautifulResources on this topic:Rational Comprehensive Model: More info here: http://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/en/v/geolearning/watershed_management/introduction_wm/natural_resource_management_planning/how_to_plan/planning_models/rational_planning/index.htmlIncrementalism: “The Science of Muddling Through” by Charles Lindblom. http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/subjects/ims5042/stuff/readings/lindblom.pdfAdvocacy Planning: “Advocacy and Pluralism in Planning” by Paul Davidoff. http://urbanpolicy.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Davidoff_1965_Advocacy-and-pluralism-in-planning.pdfImages copyright 20th Century Fox/Disney/don't sue me, it's fair useProduced in sunny Sacramento, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices I just created a Patreon! If you want to support City Beautiful, consider becoming a patron: http://www.patreon.com/citybeautiful

Resources on this topic:

Rational Comprehensive Model: More info here: http://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/en/v/geolearning/watershed_management/introduction_wm/natural_resource_management_planning/how_to_plan/planning_models/rational_planning/index.html

Incrementalism: “The Science of Muddling Through” by Charles Lindblom. http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/subjects/ims5042/stuff/readings/lindblom.pdf

Advocacy Planning: “Advocacy and Pluralism in Planning” by Paul Davidoff. http://urbanpolicy.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Davidoff_1965_Advocacy-and-pluralism-in-planning.pdf

Images copyright 20th Century Fox/Disney/don't sue me, it's fair use

Produced in sunny Sacramento, California.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 480 no Do we need futuristic tunnels? | Elon Musk and The Boring Company I have a Patreon! If you want to support City Beautiful, consider becoming a patron: http://www.patreon.com/citybeautifulOn Friday, Elon Musk tweeted: “Adjusting The Boring Company plan. All tunnels and hyper loop will prioritize pedestrians and cyclists over cars. Will still transport cars, but only after all personalized mass transit needs are met. It’s a matter of courtesy and fairness. If someone can’t afford a car, they should go first.” his is a shift from his original plan, where cars would be the primary vehicle traveling through underground tunnels in urban areas. That plan had received lots of criticism from transit advocates and planners. What does this planner think of Elon’s change of course? Stay tuned to find out.Sources:https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/972233079342297088https://www.boringcompany.com/faq/Photo and video sources:- The Boring Company- Omaha World-Herald- Corevette- Mariordo- Maurizio PesceProduced in sunny Sacramento, California Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Wed, 14 Oct 2026 01:46:21 -0000 full City Beautiful I have a Patreon! If you want to support City Beautiful, consider becoming a patron: http://www.patreon.com/citybeautifulOn Friday, Elon Musk tweeted: “Adjusting The Boring Company plan. All tunnels and hyper loop will prioritize pedestrians and cyclists over cars. Will still transport cars, but only after all personalized mass transit needs are met. It’s a matter of courtesy and fairness. If someone can’t afford a car, they should go first.” his is a shift from his original plan, where cars would be the primary vehicle traveling through underground tunnels in urban areas. That plan had received lots of criticism from transit advocates and planners. What does this planner think of Elon’s change of course? Stay tuned to find out.Sources:https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/972233079342297088https://www.boringcompany.com/faq/Photo and video sources:- The Boring Company- Omaha World-Herald- Corevette- Mariordo- Maurizio PesceProduced in sunny Sacramento, California Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices I have a Patreon! If you want to support City Beautiful, consider becoming a patron: http://www.patreon.com/citybeautiful

On Friday, Elon Musk tweeted:

“Adjusting The Boring Company plan. All tunnels and hyper loop will prioritize pedestrians and cyclists over cars. Will still transport cars, but only after all personalized mass transit needs are met. It’s a matter of courtesy and fairness. If someone can’t afford a car, they should go first.”

his is a shift from his original plan, where cars would be the primary vehicle traveling through underground tunnels in urban areas. That plan had received lots of criticism from transit advocates and planners. What does this planner think of Elon’s change of course? Stay tuned to find out.

Sources:

https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/972233079342297088

https://www.boringcompany.com/faq/

Photo and video sources:
- The Boring Company
- Omaha World-Herald
- Corevette
- Mariordo
- Maurizio Pesce

Produced in sunny Sacramento, California

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 369 no Why Are City Boundaries So Weird? Check out “Beyond the Bleachers”! https://nebula.tv/maapify/beyond-the-bleachers?ref=citybeautifulSubscribe to Nebula and get 50% off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-why-are-city-boundaries-so-weirdMany city limits look like a tangled mess. Why? The answer is a combination of politics, taxes, autonomy, systemic racism, contiguity, and topography.Resources on this topic:The Most Segregated City in America: https://www.amazon.com/Most-Segregated-City-America-Birmingham/dp/0813923344Fiscal case for annexation: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Evgenia-Gorina/publication/326867365_Fiscal_effects_of_municipal_annexation_Evidence_from_a_large_national_sample_of_urban_municipalities/links/652ef34a0ebf091c48fd4511/Fiscal-effects-of-municipal-annexation-Evidence-from-a-large-national-sample-of-urban-municipalities.pdfPolitics in annexation: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/D-Austin/publication/4889705_Politics_vs_Economics_Evidence_from_Municipal_Annexation/links/602d4769299bf1cc26d22040/Politics-vs-Economics-Evidence-from-Municipal-Annexation.pdfBirmingham info: https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/1970s-1980s_Birmingham_annexationshttps://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/10/us/growing-birmingham-irks-neighbors.htmlVestavia Hills info: https://vestaviavoice.com/news/road-to-prosperity-how-two-boundary-crossing-annexations-ves/Interesting contract cities info I didn't get to in the video: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2683&context=uljProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:43:38 -0000 full City Beautiful Check out “Beyond the Bleachers”! https://nebula.tv/maapify/beyond-the-bleachers?ref=citybeautifulSubscribe to Nebula and get 50% off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-why-are-city-boundaries-so-weirdMany city limits look like a tangled mess. Why? The answer is a combination of politics, taxes, autonomy, systemic racism, contiguity, and topography.Resources on this topic:The Most Segregated City in America: https://www.amazon.com/Most-Segregated-City-America-Birmingham/dp/0813923344Fiscal case for annexation: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Evgenia-Gorina/publication/326867365_Fiscal_effects_of_municipal_annexation_Evidence_from_a_large_national_sample_of_urban_municipalities/links/652ef34a0ebf091c48fd4511/Fiscal-effects-of-municipal-annexation-Evidence-from-a-large-national-sample-of-urban-municipalities.pdfPolitics in annexation: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/D-Austin/publication/4889705_Politics_vs_Economics_Evidence_from_Municipal_Annexation/links/602d4769299bf1cc26d22040/Politics-vs-Economics-Evidence-from-Municipal-Annexation.pdfBirmingham info: https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/1970s-1980s_Birmingham_annexationshttps://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/10/us/growing-birmingham-irks-neighbors.htmlVestavia Hills info: https://vestaviavoice.com/news/road-to-prosperity-how-two-boundary-crossing-annexations-ves/Interesting contract cities info I didn't get to in the video: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2683&context=uljProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Check out “Beyond the Bleachers”! https://nebula.tv/maapify/beyond-the-bleachers?ref=citybeautiful
Subscribe to Nebula and get 50% off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautiful
Watch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-why-are-city-boundaries-so-weird

Many city limits look like a tangled mess. Why? The answer is a combination of politics, taxes, autonomy, systemic racism, contiguity, and topography.

Resources on this topic:

The Most Segregated City in America: https://www.amazon.com/Most-Segregated-City-America-Birmingham/dp/0813923344

Fiscal case for annexation: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Evgenia-Gorina/publication/326867365_Fiscal_effects_of_municipal_annexation_Evidence_from_a_large_national_sample_of_urban_municipalities/links/652ef34a0ebf091c48fd4511/Fiscal-effects-of-municipal-annexation-Evidence-from-a-large-national-sample-of-urban-municipalities.pdf

Politics in annexation: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/D-Austin/publication/4889705_Politics_vs_Economics_Evidence_from_Municipal_Annexation/links/602d4769299bf1cc26d22040/Politics-vs-Economics-Evidence-from-Municipal-Annexation.pdf

Birmingham info: https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/1970s-1980s_Birmingham_annexations

https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/10/us/growing-birmingham-irks-neighbors.html

Vestavia Hills info: https://vestaviavoice.com/news/road-to-prosperity-how-two-boundary-crossing-annexations-ves/

Interesting contract cities info I didn't get to in the video: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2683&context=ulj

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 1000 no The Best Map of a City: The Nolli Map of Rome Go crazy and buy this huge map: https://www.amazon.com/1748-Nolli-Laminated-Archival-Paper/dp/B018JDSO8E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1529294019&sr=8-2&keywords=nolli+map+romeCheck out the Nolli website: nolli.uoregon.eduI'm on Patreon! Consider supporting this channel: https://www.patreon.com/citybeautifulThe 1748 Nolli Map of Rome is the best map of any city ever for three reasons: accuracy, detail, and influence. I’m not going to say it’s THE MOST accurate, detailed, or influential map ever, but it has all three attributes in spades. It’s one of the most important historical documents we have about the eternal city, Rome. A. Ceen, Allan. “Nuova Pianta di Roma Data in Luce da Giambattista Nolli l’Anno MDCCXLVIII.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/nuovaPianta.htmlB. Ceen, Allan. “Nuova Pianta di Roma Data in Luce da Giambattista Nolli l’Anno MDCCXLVIII.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/nuovaPianta.htmlC. Nice, James. “The Nolli Map and Urban Theory.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/urbanTheory.htmlD. Ceen, Allan. “Nuova Pianta di Roma Data in Luce da Giambattista Nolli l’Anno MDCCXLVIII.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/nuovaPianta.htmlProduced in sunny Sacramento, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:30:00 -0000 full City Beautiful Go crazy and buy this huge map: https://www.amazon.com/1748-Nolli-Laminated-Archival-Paper/dp/B018JDSO8E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1529294019&sr=8-2&keywords=nolli+map+romeCheck out the Nolli website: nolli.uoregon.eduI'm on Patreon! Consider supporting this channel: https://www.patreon.com/citybeautifulThe 1748 Nolli Map of Rome is the best map of any city ever for three reasons: accuracy, detail, and influence. I’m not going to say it’s THE MOST accurate, detailed, or influential map ever, but it has all three attributes in spades. It’s one of the most important historical documents we have about the eternal city, Rome. A. Ceen, Allan. “Nuova Pianta di Roma Data in Luce da Giambattista Nolli l’Anno MDCCXLVIII.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/nuovaPianta.htmlB. Ceen, Allan. “Nuova Pianta di Roma Data in Luce da Giambattista Nolli l’Anno MDCCXLVIII.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/nuovaPianta.htmlC. Nice, James. “The Nolli Map and Urban Theory.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/urbanTheory.htmlD. Ceen, Allan. “Nuova Pianta di Roma Data in Luce da Giambattista Nolli l’Anno MDCCXLVIII.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/nuovaPianta.htmlProduced in sunny Sacramento, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Go crazy and buy this huge map: https://www.amazon.com/1748-Nolli-Laminated-Archival-Paper/dp/B018JDSO8E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1529294019&sr=8-2&keywords=nolli+map+rome

Check out the Nolli website: nolli.uoregon.edu

I'm on Patreon! Consider supporting this channel: https://www.patreon.com/citybeautiful

The 1748 Nolli Map of Rome is the best map of any city ever for three reasons: accuracy, detail, and influence. I’m not going to say it’s THE MOST accurate, detailed, or influential map ever, but it has all three attributes in spades. It’s one of the most important historical documents we have about the eternal city, Rome.

A. Ceen, Allan. “Nuova Pianta di Roma Data in Luce da Giambattista Nolli l’Anno MDCCXLVIII.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/nuovaPianta.html

B. Ceen, Allan. “Nuova Pianta di Roma Data in Luce da Giambattista Nolli l’Anno MDCCXLVIII.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/nuovaPianta.html

C. Nice, James. “The Nolli Map and Urban Theory.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/urbanTheory.html

D. Ceen, Allan. “Nuova Pianta di Roma Data in Luce da Giambattista Nolli l’Anno MDCCXLVIII.” http://nolli.uoregon.edu/nuovaPianta.html

Produced in sunny Sacramento, California.

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]]> 429 no How to Get Involved in City Planning — City Beautiful Basics Watching videos can introduce you to the world of city planning, but if you want to make change in your community, you need to get involved! This guide discusses all of the ways you can make a difference where you live.Here are some more videos about social issues:https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-the-highway-fight-that-changed-cities-foreverhttps://nebula.tv/videos/city-beautiful-the-most-miserable-city-in-americaThis video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Co-written by Sullivan IsraelSelect images and video from Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 23:40:54 -0000 full City Beautiful Watching videos can introduce you to the world of city planning, but if you want to make change in your community, you need to get involved! This guide discusses all of the ways you can make a difference where you live.Here are some more videos about social issues:https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-the-highway-fight-that-changed-cities-foreverhttps://nebula.tv/videos/city-beautiful-the-most-miserable-city-in-americaThis video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Co-written by Sullivan IsraelSelect images and video from Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Watching videos can introduce you to the world of city planning, but if you want to make change in your community, you need to get involved! This guide discusses all of the ways you can make a difference where you live.

Here are some more videos about social issues:

https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-the-highway-fight-that-changed-cities-forever

https://nebula.tv/videos/city-beautiful-the-most-miserable-city-in-america

This video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.

Co-written by Sullivan Israel
Select images and video from Getty Images.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 949 no Can I Design the Perfect Neighborhood Street? Check out Tom Scott here: https://nebula.tv/tomscott?ref=citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-can-i-design-the-perfect-neighborhood-streetWe are used to the usual street in front of our houses: wide, parking, driveways, maybe sidewalks. But is there an optimal design? One that improves safety and makes it nicer to live along?# Resources mentioned in this video- Oregon Neighborhood Street Design Guidelines# Other stuff!Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 22:38:10 -0000 full City Beautiful Check out Tom Scott here: https://nebula.tv/tomscott?ref=citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-can-i-design-the-perfect-neighborhood-streetWe are used to the usual street in front of our houses: wide, parking, driveways, maybe sidewalks. But is there an optimal design? One that improves safety and makes it nicer to live along?# Resources mentioned in this video- Oregon Neighborhood Street Design Guidelines# Other stuff!Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Check out Tom Scott here: https://nebula.tv/tomscott?ref=citybeautiful
Watch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-can-i-design-the-perfect-neighborhood-street

We are used to the usual street in front of our houses: wide, parking, driveways, maybe sidewalks. But is there an optimal design? One that improves safety and makes it nicer to live along?

# Resources mentioned in this video

- Oregon Neighborhood Street Design Guidelines

# Other stuff!

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 971 no Introduction to Housing - City Beautiful Basics People need places to live, but providing quality, affordable housing in the right size and location can be challenging. This video explains the basics of planning for housing and housing policy.This is part of the new "Basics" series. Two more videos to come!This video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 21:35:27 -0000 full City Beautiful People need places to live, but providing quality, affordable housing in the right size and location can be challenging. This video explains the basics of planning for housing and housing policy.This is part of the new "Basics" series. Two more videos to come!This video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices People need places to live, but providing quality, affordable housing in the right size and location can be challenging. This video explains the basics of planning for housing and housing policy.

This is part of the new "Basics" series. Two more videos to come!

This video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 774 no Chicago sold the Chicago Skyway for $1.8 billion This episode is the unlikely story of a public toll road sold to private interests for $1.8 billion dollars, the story of the Chicago Skyway.Resources on this topic:http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/doi/pdf/10.3141/2297-15http://www.chicagoroads.com/roads/chicago-skyway/https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-blogs/chicagos-highway-in-the-sky/b38ffc79-0a1b-4d4b-985f-c5a1225f2c10http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Chicago-Skyway-Toll-Increases-Take-Effect-in-New-Year-408833865.htmlhttp://ibtta.org/sites/default/files/unrestricted/38250_Section1.pdfDashcam video provided by Paul Donovan: https://www.youtube.com/user/PaulNDonovanOther videos courtesy of Archive.org's Moving Image ArchivePhoto Sources: - Great photographers from Flickr: Grant, Ian Friemuth, Ken Lund, Marc Buehler, Matt Buck, phvolmer, vxla- Wikimedia Commons- Chicago Tribune- University of Illinois, Chicago Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 20:32:43 -0000 full City Beautiful This episode is the unlikely story of a public toll road sold to private interests for $1.8 billion dollars, the story of the Chicago Skyway.Resources on this topic:http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/doi/pdf/10.3141/2297-15http://www.chicagoroads.com/roads/chicago-skyway/https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-blogs/chicagos-highway-in-the-sky/b38ffc79-0a1b-4d4b-985f-c5a1225f2c10http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Chicago-Skyway-Toll-Increases-Take-Effect-in-New-Year-408833865.htmlhttp://ibtta.org/sites/default/files/unrestricted/38250_Section1.pdfDashcam video provided by Paul Donovan: https://www.youtube.com/user/PaulNDonovanOther videos courtesy of Archive.org's Moving Image ArchivePhoto Sources: - Great photographers from Flickr: Grant, Ian Friemuth, Ken Lund, Marc Buehler, Matt Buck, phvolmer, vxla- Wikimedia Commons- Chicago Tribune- University of Illinois, Chicago Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices This episode is the unlikely story of a public toll road sold to private interests for $1.8 billion dollars, the story of the Chicago Skyway.

Resources on this topic:
http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/doi/pdf/10.3141/2297-15
http://www.chicagoroads.com/roads/chicago-skyway/
https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-blogs/chicagos-highway-in-the-sky/b38ffc79-0a1b-4d4b-985f-c5a1225f2c10
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Chicago-Skyway-Toll-Increases-Take-Effect-in-New-Year-408833865.html
http://ibtta.org/sites/default/files/unrestricted/38250_Section1.pdf

Dashcam video provided by Paul Donovan: https://www.youtube.com/user/PaulNDonovan

Other videos courtesy of Archive.org's Moving Image Archive

Photo Sources:
- Great photographers from Flickr: Grant, Ian Friemuth, Ken Lund, Marc Buehler, Matt Buck, phvolmer, vxla
- Wikimedia Commons
- Chicago Tribune
- University of Illinois, Chicago

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]]> 691 no Introduction to Transportation - City Beautiful Basics People need to get from origins to destinations in cities, and they do that by using different modes of transportation: cars, bikes, buses, and feet. Transportation planning makes sure people can get places safely, efficiently, and quickly.This is part of the new "Basics" series. Three more videos to come!This video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos and Sullivan Israel.Motion Graphics by Anagha Kulkarni and Subha Eranki.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 19:30:00 -0000 full City Beautiful People need to get from origins to destinations in cities, and they do that by using different modes of transportation: cars, bikes, buses, and feet. Transportation planning makes sure people can get places safely, efficiently, and quickly.This is part of the new "Basics" series. Three more videos to come!This video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos and Sullivan Israel.Motion Graphics by Anagha Kulkarni and Subha Eranki.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices People need to get from origins to destinations in cities, and they do that by using different modes of transportation: cars, bikes, buses, and feet. Transportation planning makes sure people can get places safely, efficiently, and quickly.

This is part of the new "Basics" series. Three more videos to come!

This video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos and Sullivan Israel.
Motion Graphics by Anagha Kulkarni and Subha Eranki.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 720 no Why don't more U.S. cities have metro systems like New York? The subway was my favorite part of living New York. The New York subway has more stations than any other metro system in the world (472), meaning I could just pop up just about anywhere in the city and live there entirely without a car. It was great. When I moved away, I couldn’t help but wonder — why do so few U.S. cities have subways? Resources on this topic:How Much Does Rail Transit Cost to Build and Operate:https://www.thoughtco.com/rail-transit-projects-costs-2798796Urban Densities and Transit: A Multi-dimensional Perspective:http://www.its.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/publications/UCB/2011/VWP/UCB-ITS-VWP-2011-6.pdfLoo, B. P. Y., & Cheng, A. H. T. (2010). Are there useful yardsticks of population size and income level for building metro systems? Some worldwide evidence. Cities, 27(5), 299–306. Video sources:- Videoblocks.com- Archive.org, Prelinger ArchivesPhoto sources:- Flickr user A Diamond Fell From the Sky- Flickr user Atomic Taco- Flickr user Canadian Pacific- Flickr user Ian Fuller- Flickr user Michael B- Flickr user Michael Semensohn- Flickr user Paul Sullivan- Flickr user Susanne- New York MTA- Oregon Department of Transportation- Trimet- Virginia Department of TransportationFilmed in sunny Sacramento, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 17:27:16 -0000 full City Beautiful The subway was my favorite part of living New York. The New York subway has more stations than any other metro system in the world (472), meaning I could just pop up just about anywhere in the city and live there entirely without a car. It was great. When I moved away, I couldn’t help but wonder — why do so few U.S. cities have subways? Resources on this topic:How Much Does Rail Transit Cost to Build and Operate:https://www.thoughtco.com/rail-transit-projects-costs-2798796Urban Densities and Transit: A Multi-dimensional Perspective:http://www.its.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/publications/UCB/2011/VWP/UCB-ITS-VWP-2011-6.pdfLoo, B. P. Y., & Cheng, A. H. T. (2010). Are there useful yardsticks of population size and income level for building metro systems? Some worldwide evidence. Cities, 27(5), 299–306. Video sources:- Videoblocks.com- Archive.org, Prelinger ArchivesPhoto sources:- Flickr user A Diamond Fell From the Sky- Flickr user Atomic Taco- Flickr user Canadian Pacific- Flickr user Ian Fuller- Flickr user Michael B- Flickr user Michael Semensohn- Flickr user Paul Sullivan- Flickr user Susanne- New York MTA- Oregon Department of Transportation- Trimet- Virginia Department of TransportationFilmed in sunny Sacramento, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices The subway was my favorite part of living New York. The New York subway has more stations than any other metro system in the world (472), meaning I could just pop up just about anywhere in the city and live there entirely without a car. It was great. When I moved away, I couldn’t help but wonder — why do so few U.S. cities have subways?

Resources on this topic:

How Much Does Rail Transit Cost to Build and Operate:
https://www.thoughtco.com/rail-transit-projects-costs-2798796

Urban Densities and Transit: A Multi-dimensional Perspective:
http://www.its.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/publications/UCB/2011/VWP/UCB-ITS-VWP-2011-6.pdf

Loo, B. P. Y., & Cheng, A. H. T. (2010). Are there useful yardsticks of population size and income level for building metro systems? Some worldwide evidence. Cities, 27(5), 299–306.

Video sources:
- Videoblocks.com
- Archive.org, Prelinger Archives

Photo sources:
- Flickr user A Diamond Fell From the Sky
- Flickr user Atomic Taco
- Flickr user Canadian Pacific
- Flickr user Ian Fuller
- Flickr user Michael B
- Flickr user Michael Semensohn
- Flickr user Paul Sullivan
- Flickr user Susanne
- New York MTA
- Oregon Department of Transportation
- Trimet
- Virginia Department of Transportation

Filmed in sunny Sacramento, California.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 508 no The Alaskan Way Viaduct: How Seattle chose the Bertha tunnel alternative In April of 2017, Bertha, the massive tunnel-boring machine successfully completed digging a nearly 2 mile deep-bore tunnel under Seattle. The tunnel will carry traffic from the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which had been damaged and deemed seismically unsafe after an earthquake. The tunnel will be much less intrusive than the wall-like Viaduct structure, which cuts Seattle off from its waterfront, and the tunnel, new surface street, and transit will take care of the Viaduct’s 110,000 vehicles per day.Why did Seattle move the highway from above ground to below ground? What we're the replacement options considered? How did Seattle settle on the deep bore tunnel, one of the most expensive options possible, as a replacement for the Viaduct? What was that process like? Resources on this topic:Bloomberg: "Stuck in Seattle": https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-bertha/Seattle Times: "Bertha's woes grind on":http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/berthas-woes-grind-on-more-delay-higher-cost-for-highway-99-tunnel/Seattle Times: '8-lane highway' on Seattle's waterfront:http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/8-lane-highway-for-seattles-future-alaskan-way-challenged/A special thanks to the Washington State Department of Transportation for the video and many wonderful photos of the project!Other photo sources:- Wikimedia Commons- Flickr user Brad-514- Flickr user Eric Fidler- Flickr user Nic McPhee- Flickr user Oran Viriyincy- Flickr user Rene Schwietzke- Flickr user SounderBruce- Flickr user Stephen Bruce- Flickr user tdlucas5000- Flickr user Victor R Ruiz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 16:24:32 -0000 full City Beautiful In April of 2017, Bertha, the massive tunnel-boring machine successfully completed digging a nearly 2 mile deep-bore tunnel under Seattle. The tunnel will carry traffic from the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which had been damaged and deemed seismically unsafe after an earthquake. The tunnel will be much less intrusive than the wall-like Viaduct structure, which cuts Seattle off from its waterfront, and the tunnel, new surface street, and transit will take care of the Viaduct’s 110,000 vehicles per day.Why did Seattle move the highway from above ground to below ground? What we're the replacement options considered? How did Seattle settle on the deep bore tunnel, one of the most expensive options possible, as a replacement for the Viaduct? What was that process like? Resources on this topic:Bloomberg: "Stuck in Seattle": https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-bertha/Seattle Times: "Bertha's woes grind on":http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/berthas-woes-grind-on-more-delay-higher-cost-for-highway-99-tunnel/Seattle Times: '8-lane highway' on Seattle's waterfront:http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/8-lane-highway-for-seattles-future-alaskan-way-challenged/A special thanks to the Washington State Department of Transportation for the video and many wonderful photos of the project!Other photo sources:- Wikimedia Commons- Flickr user Brad-514- Flickr user Eric Fidler- Flickr user Nic McPhee- Flickr user Oran Viriyincy- Flickr user Rene Schwietzke- Flickr user SounderBruce- Flickr user Stephen Bruce- Flickr user tdlucas5000- Flickr user Victor R Ruiz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices In April of 2017, Bertha, the massive tunnel-boring machine successfully completed digging a nearly 2 mile deep-bore tunnel under Seattle. The tunnel will carry traffic from the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which had been damaged and deemed seismically unsafe after an earthquake. The tunnel will be much less intrusive than the wall-like Viaduct structure, which cuts Seattle off from its waterfront, and the tunnel, new surface street, and transit will take care of the Viaduct’s 110,000 vehicles per day.Why did Seattle move the highway from above ground to below ground? What we're the replacement options considered? How did Seattle settle on the deep bore tunnel, one of the most expensive options possible, as a replacement for the Viaduct? What was that process like?

Resources on this topic:

Bloomberg: "Stuck in Seattle": https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-bertha/

Seattle Times: "Bertha's woes grind on":
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/berthas-woes-grind-on-more-delay-higher-cost-for-highway-99-tunnel/

Seattle Times: '8-lane highway' on Seattle's waterfront:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/8-lane-highway-for-seattles-future-alaskan-way-challenged/

A special thanks to the Washington State Department of Transportation for the video and many wonderful photos of the project!

Other photo sources:
- Wikimedia Commons
- Flickr user Brad-514
- Flickr user Eric Fidler
- Flickr user Nic McPhee
- Flickr user Oran Viriyincy
- Flickr user Rene Schwietzke
- Flickr user SounderBruce
- Flickr user Stephen Bruce
- Flickr user tdlucas5000
- Flickr user Victor R Ruiz

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 679 no What is the BEST Density for Cities? Check out Tom Scott here: https://nebula.tv/tomscott?ref=citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-what-is-the-best-density-for-citiesSome cities are incredibly dense, filled with towering skyscrapers. Others are spread out, filled with single family homes. Which is better? Is there a best density? Spoiler: it has something to do with transportation.# Resources mentioned in this video- A Pattern Language: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pattern_Language- Transit-Supportive Density in Greater Boston: https://www.tbf.org/-/media/indicators/boston-indicators-reports/report-files/transit-supportive-density-report-2025_01_30.pdf- Transit-Supportive Densities and Land Uses: https://www.psrc.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/tsdluguidancepaper.pdf- Urban Densities and Transit: A Multi-dimensional Perspective: https://escholarship.org/content/qt3mb598qr/qt3mb598qr.pdfProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 15:21:49 -0000 full City Beautiful Check out Tom Scott here: https://nebula.tv/tomscott?ref=citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-what-is-the-best-density-for-citiesSome cities are incredibly dense, filled with towering skyscrapers. Others are spread out, filled with single family homes. Which is better? Is there a best density? Spoiler: it has something to do with transportation.# Resources mentioned in this video- A Pattern Language: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pattern_Language- Transit-Supportive Density in Greater Boston: https://www.tbf.org/-/media/indicators/boston-indicators-reports/report-files/transit-supportive-density-report-2025_01_30.pdf- Transit-Supportive Densities and Land Uses: https://www.psrc.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/tsdluguidancepaper.pdf- Urban Densities and Transit: A Multi-dimensional Perspective: https://escholarship.org/content/qt3mb598qr/qt3mb598qr.pdfProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Check out Tom Scott here: https://nebula.tv/tomscott?ref=citybeautiful
Watch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-what-is-the-best-density-for-cities

Some cities are incredibly dense, filled with towering skyscrapers. Others are spread out, filled with single family homes. Which is better? Is there a best density? Spoiler: it has something to do with transportation.

# Resources mentioned in this video

- A Pattern Language: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pattern_Language

- Transit-Supportive Density in Greater Boston: https://www.tbf.org/-/media/indicators/boston-indicators-reports/report-files/transit-supportive-density-report-2025_01_30.pdf

- Transit-Supportive Densities and Land Uses: https://www.psrc.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/tsdluguidancepaper.pdf

- Urban Densities and Transit: A Multi-dimensional Perspective: https://escholarship.org/content/qt3mb598qr/qt3mb598qr.pdf

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 965 no Can Churches End the Housing Crisis? (YIGBY) Check out “Beyond the Bleachers”! https://nebula.tv/maapify/beyond-the-bleachers?ref=citybeautifulSubscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-can-churches-end-the-housing-crisis-yigbyFaith-based organizations often have more land than they need. They also may want to build housing on that land to further their mission. But they aren't always allowed to. But if they could build housing, it could help end the housing crisis.Donate to St. John's (if you like): https://www.moreformadison.orgResources on this topic:About the amount of church-owned land:https://ltams.org/what-to-know-when-handling-transactions-involving-church-owned-property/YIGBY article in Christianity Today:https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/09/church-buildings-size-sale-development-multiuse-empty/Terner Center report on California's YIGBY law:https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Faith-Based-Housing-Updated-October-2023.pdfFlorida's YIGBY law:https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/sarasota/2025/08/04/yes-in-gods-back-yard-law-churches-could-address-housing-crunch/85411086007/Cities and YIGBY:https://stateline.org/2025/10/14/can-states-and-a-little-bit-of-faith-convert-church-land-into-affordable-housing/Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 14:19:05 -0000 full City Beautiful Check out “Beyond the Bleachers”! https://nebula.tv/maapify/beyond-the-bleachers?ref=citybeautifulSubscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-can-churches-end-the-housing-crisis-yigbyFaith-based organizations often have more land than they need. They also may want to build housing on that land to further their mission. But they aren't always allowed to. But if they could build housing, it could help end the housing crisis.Donate to St. John's (if you like): https://www.moreformadison.orgResources on this topic:About the amount of church-owned land:https://ltams.org/what-to-know-when-handling-transactions-involving-church-owned-property/YIGBY article in Christianity Today:https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/09/church-buildings-size-sale-development-multiuse-empty/Terner Center report on California's YIGBY law:https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Faith-Based-Housing-Updated-October-2023.pdfFlorida's YIGBY law:https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/sarasota/2025/08/04/yes-in-gods-back-yard-law-churches-could-address-housing-crunch/85411086007/Cities and YIGBY:https://stateline.org/2025/10/14/can-states-and-a-little-bit-of-faith-convert-church-land-into-affordable-housing/Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Check out “Beyond the Bleachers”! https://nebula.tv/maapify/beyond-the-bleachers?ref=citybeautiful
Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautiful
Watch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-can-churches-end-the-housing-crisis-yigby

Faith-based organizations often have more land than they need. They also may want to build housing on that land to further their mission. But they aren't always allowed to. But if they could build housing, it could help end the housing crisis.

Donate to St. John's (if you like): https://www.moreformadison.org

Resources on this topic:

About the amount of church-owned land:

https://ltams.org/what-to-know-when-handling-transactions-involving-church-owned-property/

YIGBY article in Christianity Today:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/09/church-buildings-size-sale-development-multiuse-empty/

Terner Center report on California's YIGBY law:

https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Faith-Based-Housing-Updated-October-2023.pdf

Florida's YIGBY law:

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/sarasota/2025/08/04/yes-in-gods-back-yard-law-churches-could-address-housing-crunch/85411086007/

Cities and YIGBY:

https://stateline.org/2025/10/14/can-states-and-a-little-bit-of-faith-convert-church-land-into-affordable-housing/


Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 1014 no Why Do Some Countries Only Have One Big City? Want to restore the planet’s ecosystems and see your impact in monthly videos? The first 100 people to join Planet Wild with my code BEAUTIFUL10 will get the first month for free at: https://planetwild.com/r/citybeautiful/joinIf you want to get to know them better first, check out their project about fungi: https://planetwild.com/r/citybeautiful/m28Some countries only have one major city—the city where just about everyone lives. This city can dominate the cultural and economic landscape of that country. Urban geographers refer to them as "primate cities." Can they tell us anything about urban planning? Are they a good thing?Link to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primate_cityProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:16:21 -0000 full City Beautiful Want to restore the planet’s ecosystems and see your impact in monthly videos? The first 100 people to join Planet Wild with my code BEAUTIFUL10 will get the first month for free at: https://planetwild.com/r/citybeautiful/joinIf you want to get to know them better first, check out their project about fungi: https://planetwild.com/r/citybeautiful/m28Some countries only have one major city—the city where just about everyone lives. This city can dominate the cultural and economic landscape of that country. Urban geographers refer to them as "primate cities." Can they tell us anything about urban planning? Are they a good thing?Link to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primate_cityProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Want to restore the planet’s ecosystems and see your impact in monthly videos? The first 100 people to join Planet Wild with my code BEAUTIFUL10 will get the first month for free at: https://planetwild.com/r/citybeautiful/join
If you want to get to know them better first, check out their project about fungi: https://planetwild.com/r/citybeautiful/m28

Some countries only have one major city—the city where just about everyone lives. This city can dominate the cultural and economic landscape of that country. Urban geographers refer to them as "primate cities." Can they tell us anything about urban planning? Are they a good thing?

Link to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primate_city

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 963 no Are Streets Too Complicated Now? Receive 10% off on anything at Bellroy.com: https://bit.ly/4pIYlynStreets have more lines, lights, lanes, and complications than ever before. Is it too complicated, or should it have been this way all along?Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:13:38 -0000 full City Beautiful Receive 10% off on anything at Bellroy.com: https://bit.ly/4pIYlynStreets have more lines, lights, lanes, and complications than ever before. Is it too complicated, or should it have been this way all along?Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Receive 10% off on anything at Bellroy.com: https://bit.ly/4pIYlyn

Streets have more lines, lights, lanes, and complications than ever before. Is it too complicated, or should it have been this way all along?

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 982 no An Introduction to Zoning Zoning may seem boring, but it dictates what can and can't be built in your city. I go through the basics of the zoning code (zoning ordinance), describe the pros and cons, and tell you how you can influence changes to your community's zoning code.For more information:http://dcoz.dc.gov/about/Zoning%20Basics06.06.11.pdfhttp://plannersweb.com/2001/04/zoning-basics/Photo credits:Bettercities.netDialogDesign.caChris Brown on FlickrCity of TorontoForm Based Codes InstituteGary J. Wood on FlickrMike Mozart on FlickrPaul Sableman on FlickrState of CaliforniaUnsplash.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:10:54 -0000 full City Beautiful Zoning may seem boring, but it dictates what can and can't be built in your city. I go through the basics of the zoning code (zoning ordinance), describe the pros and cons, and tell you how you can influence changes to your community's zoning code.For more information:http://dcoz.dc.gov/about/Zoning%20Basics06.06.11.pdfhttp://plannersweb.com/2001/04/zoning-basics/Photo credits:Bettercities.netDialogDesign.caChris Brown on FlickrCity of TorontoForm Based Codes InstituteGary J. Wood on FlickrMike Mozart on FlickrPaul Sableman on FlickrState of CaliforniaUnsplash.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Zoning may seem boring, but it dictates what can and can't be built in your city. I go through the basics of the zoning code (zoning ordinance), describe the pros and cons, and tell you how you can influence changes to your community's zoning code.

For more information:
http://dcoz.dc.gov/about/Zoning%20Basics06.06.11.pdf
http://plannersweb.com/2001/04/zoning-basics/

Photo credits:
Bettercities.net
DialogDesign.ca
Chris Brown on Flickr
City of Toronto
Form Based Codes Institute
Gary J. Wood on Flickr
Mike Mozart on Flickr
Paul Sableman on Flickr
State of California
Unsplash.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 462 no Urban Sprawl: Which U.S. City Sprawls the Most? Urban sprawl — we’ve all seen it — the strip malls, residential subdivisions, clogged streets. But which U.S metro area sprawls the most? Is it Los Angeles, a city built around the car? Or is it another sunbelt city like Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Antonio, or Atlanta? Resources on this topic:Ewing, R., Pendall, R., & Chen, D. (2003). Measuring Sprawl and Its Transportation Impacts. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1831, 175–183. https://doi.org/10.3141/1831-20Sutton, P. C. (2003). A scale-adjusted measure of  Urban sprawl using nighttime satellite imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment, 86(3), 353–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(03)00078-6New York Times: "Seattle Climbs but Austin Sprawls: The Myth of the Return to Cities" https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/upshot/seattle-climbs-but-austin-sprawls-the-myth-of-the-return-to-cities.html?_r=1Media sources:- Google Earth- Flickr user Daniel Ramirez- Flickr user Social media:Website/Tumblr: http://citybeautiful.cityInstagram: citybeautifulcity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 10:08:10 -0000 full City Beautiful Urban sprawl — we’ve all seen it — the strip malls, residential subdivisions, clogged streets. But which U.S metro area sprawls the most? Is it Los Angeles, a city built around the car? Or is it another sunbelt city like Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Antonio, or Atlanta? Resources on this topic:Ewing, R., Pendall, R., & Chen, D. (2003). Measuring Sprawl and Its Transportation Impacts. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1831, 175–183. https://doi.org/10.3141/1831-20Sutton, P. C. (2003). A scale-adjusted measure of  Urban sprawl using nighttime satellite imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment, 86(3), 353–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(03)00078-6New York Times: "Seattle Climbs but Austin Sprawls: The Myth of the Return to Cities" https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/upshot/seattle-climbs-but-austin-sprawls-the-myth-of-the-return-to-cities.html?_r=1Media sources:- Google Earth- Flickr user Daniel Ramirez- Flickr user Social media:Website/Tumblr: http://citybeautiful.cityInstagram: citybeautifulcity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Urban sprawl — we’ve all seen it — the strip malls, residential subdivisions, clogged streets. But which U.S metro area sprawls the most? Is it Los Angeles, a city built around the car? Or is it another sunbelt city like Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Antonio, or Atlanta?

Resources on this topic:

Ewing, R., Pendall, R., & Chen, D. (2003). Measuring Sprawl and Its Transportation Impacts. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1831, 175–183. https://doi.org/10.3141/1831-20

Sutton, P. C. (2003). A scale-adjusted measure of  Urban sprawl using nighttime satellite imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment, 86(3), 353–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(03)00078-6

New York Times: "Seattle Climbs but Austin Sprawls: The Myth of the Return to Cities" https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/upshot/seattle-climbs-but-austin-sprawls-the-myth-of-the-return-to-cities.html?_r=1

Media sources:
- Google Earth
- Flickr user Daniel Ramirez
- Flickr user

Social media:

Website/Tumblr: http://citybeautiful.city
Instagram: citybeautifulcity

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 416 no Residential streets are too wide. Here's why. In many places in the United States, residential streets were as wide as busy city streets. I understand why urban streets might need to be wide — parking, buses, traffic, and bike lanes all need the room. But why do quiet residential streets need to be so wide? Why do they need parking when all of the houses on the streets have garages and driveways? Why do they need wide lanes when most of the traffic is just cars and minivans? Why are we building residential streets as wide as big city streets?Resources on this topic:I based this video on my Master's thesis, which my advisor and I turned into a book chapter. You can buy the book, Retrofitting Sprawl, on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0820345458/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0820345458&linkCode=as2&tag=cityb-20&linkId=fd656b3efd3b9143ed3a413a9e2ea148Video sources:- Videoblocks.comPhoto sources:- AASHTO- Blake Wheeler (via Unsplash.com)- Drew DeVitis https://psudelft2015drewdevitis.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/the-woonerf-living-streets-for-people/- Google Maps- NASA- Wikimedia CommonsFilmed in sunny Sacramento, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:05:27 -0000 full City Beautiful In many places in the United States, residential streets were as wide as busy city streets. I understand why urban streets might need to be wide — parking, buses, traffic, and bike lanes all need the room. But why do quiet residential streets need to be so wide? Why do they need parking when all of the houses on the streets have garages and driveways? Why do they need wide lanes when most of the traffic is just cars and minivans? Why are we building residential streets as wide as big city streets?Resources on this topic:I based this video on my Master's thesis, which my advisor and I turned into a book chapter. You can buy the book, Retrofitting Sprawl, on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0820345458/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0820345458&linkCode=as2&tag=cityb-20&linkId=fd656b3efd3b9143ed3a413a9e2ea148Video sources:- Videoblocks.comPhoto sources:- AASHTO- Blake Wheeler (via Unsplash.com)- Drew DeVitis https://psudelft2015drewdevitis.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/the-woonerf-living-streets-for-people/- Google Maps- NASA- Wikimedia CommonsFilmed in sunny Sacramento, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices In many places in the United States, residential streets were as wide as busy city streets. I understand why urban streets might need to be wide — parking, buses, traffic, and bike lanes all need the room. But why do quiet residential streets need to be so wide? Why do they need parking when all of the houses on the streets have garages and driveways? Why do they need wide lanes when most of the traffic is just cars and minivans? Why are we building residential streets as wide as big city streets?

Resources on this topic:

I based this video on my Master's thesis, which my advisor and I turned into a book chapter. You can buy the book, Retrofitting Sprawl, on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0820345458/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0820345458&linkCode=as2&tag=cityb-20&linkId=fd656b3efd3b9143ed3a413a9e2ea148

Video sources:
- Videoblocks.com

Photo sources:
- AASHTO
- Blake Wheeler (via Unsplash.com)
- Drew DeVitis https://psudelft2015drewdevitis.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/the-woonerf-living-streets-for-people/
- Google Maps
- NASA
- Wikimedia Commons

Filmed in sunny Sacramento, California.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 439 no How Can Cities Fix Big Box Stores? Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-how-can-cities-fix-big-box-storesBig box stores like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and Costco dominate the suburban retail landscape. What impact do they have on cities, and are there ways local governments can reduce their negative impacts?Resources on this topic:- Growth of Target, 1962-2008 | FlowingData​- https://www.statista.com/statistics/255965/total-number-of-target-stores-in-north-america/https://www.statista.com/statistics/256172/total-number-of-walmart-stores-worldwide/- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8r_q50XPRY- https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2024/09/target-small-format-data.html?page=all- https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/costco-housing-apartments-south-la-19541521.php- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQqbXbUrP34- https://www.sightline.org/2021/12/16/yes-even-walmart-wants-to-build-smaller-parking-lots/- https://www.sightline.org/2022/01/11/to-stop-building-heat-islands-stop-overbuilding-parking-lots/- https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/18/business/ev-chargers-store-parking-lots.html- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204601001967?casa_token=mTNICLDzaiIAAAAA:TpMxknWL7wiGFA7qWmp79m04q8MPBS7msfdWXvixmb7VpjwRyl-y7Z-iE8HzjnKm8U5BRc3H- https://lawreview.colorado.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/9.-Schindler-FINAL_s.pdf- https://inhabitat.com/big-box-supermarket-transformed-into-gorgeous-eden-prairie-library-in-minnesota/- https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26202645.pdf?casa_token=fB4tCcvYh9cAAAAA:ZhoZQrHJZ_1LfkM-mA-xxpA7Bic56mMsrYzAK4Vp400NhHhTI-D8g4QLsw4RBZ7Ccd91b4-E316yvBLQGqpM2cLkl-f6HSCPp0YQE9PSH3Ux_e3kcA- https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26202645.pdf?casa_token=fB4tCcvYh9cAAAAA:ZhoZQrHJZ_1LfkM-mA-xxpA7Bic56mMsrYzAK4Vp400NhHhTI-D8g4QLsw4RBZ7Ccd91b4-E316yvBLQGqpM2cLkl-f6HSCPp0YQE9PSH3Ux_e3kcAProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 08:02:43 -0000 full City Beautiful Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-how-can-cities-fix-big-box-storesBig box stores like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and Costco dominate the suburban retail landscape. What impact do they have on cities, and are there ways local governments can reduce their negative impacts?Resources on this topic:- Growth of Target, 1962-2008 | FlowingData​- https://www.statista.com/statistics/255965/total-number-of-target-stores-in-north-america/https://www.statista.com/statistics/256172/total-number-of-walmart-stores-worldwide/- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8r_q50XPRY- https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2024/09/target-small-format-data.html?page=all- https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/costco-housing-apartments-south-la-19541521.php- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQqbXbUrP34- https://www.sightline.org/2021/12/16/yes-even-walmart-wants-to-build-smaller-parking-lots/- https://www.sightline.org/2022/01/11/to-stop-building-heat-islands-stop-overbuilding-parking-lots/- https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/18/business/ev-chargers-store-parking-lots.html- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204601001967?casa_token=mTNICLDzaiIAAAAA:TpMxknWL7wiGFA7qWmp79m04q8MPBS7msfdWXvixmb7VpjwRyl-y7Z-iE8HzjnKm8U5BRc3H- https://lawreview.colorado.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/9.-Schindler-FINAL_s.pdf- https://inhabitat.com/big-box-supermarket-transformed-into-gorgeous-eden-prairie-library-in-minnesota/- https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26202645.pdf?casa_token=fB4tCcvYh9cAAAAA:ZhoZQrHJZ_1LfkM-mA-xxpA7Bic56mMsrYzAK4Vp400NhHhTI-D8g4QLsw4RBZ7Ccd91b4-E316yvBLQGqpM2cLkl-f6HSCPp0YQE9PSH3Ux_e3kcA- https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26202645.pdf?casa_token=fB4tCcvYh9cAAAAA:ZhoZQrHJZ_1LfkM-mA-xxpA7Bic56mMsrYzAK4Vp400NhHhTI-D8g4QLsw4RBZ7Ccd91b4-E316yvBLQGqpM2cLkl-f6HSCPp0YQE9PSH3Ux_e3kcAProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautiful
Watch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-how-can-cities-fix-big-box-stores

Big box stores like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and Costco dominate the suburban retail landscape. What impact do they have on cities, and are there ways local governments can reduce their negative impacts?

Resources on this topic:

- Growth of Target, 1962-2008 | FlowingData​

- https://www.statista.com/statistics/255965/total-number-of-target-stores-in-north-america/https://www.statista.com/statistics/256172/total-number-of-walmart-stores-worldwide/

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8r_q50XPRY

- https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2024/09/target-small-format-data.html?page=all

- https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/costco-housing-apartments-south-la-19541521.php

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQqbXbUrP34

- https://www.sightline.org/2021/12/16/yes-even-walmart-wants-to-build-smaller-parking-lots/

- https://www.sightline.org/2022/01/11/to-stop-building-heat-islands-stop-overbuilding-parking-lots/

- https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/18/business/ev-chargers-store-parking-lots.html

- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204601001967?casa_token=mTNICLDzaiIAAAAA:TpMxknWL7wiGFA7qWmp79m04q8MPBS7msfdWXvixmb7VpjwRyl-y7Z-iE8HzjnKm8U5BRc3H

- https://lawreview.colorado.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/9.-Schindler-FINAL_s.pdf

- https://inhabitat.com/big-box-supermarket-transformed-into-gorgeous-eden-prairie-library-in-minnesota/

- https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26202645.pdf?casa_token=fB4tCcvYh9cAAAAA:ZhoZQrHJZ_1LfkM-mA-xxpA7Bic56mMsrYzAK4Vp400NhHhTI-D8g4QLsw4RBZ7Ccd91b4-E316yvBLQGqpM2cLkl-f6HSCPp0YQE9PSH3Ux_e3kcA

- https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26202645.pdf?casa_token=fB4tCcvYh9cAAAAA:ZhoZQrHJZ_1LfkM-mA-xxpA7Bic56mMsrYzAK4Vp400NhHhTI-D8g4QLsw4RBZ7Ccd91b4-E316yvBLQGqpM2cLkl-f6HSCPp0YQE9PSH3Ux_e3kcA

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

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]]> 1536 no How to Punish Bad Drivers Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-how-to-punish-bad-driversRoad deaths are on the rise, and dash cams are catching drivers do crazy and dangerous things. What is the best way to punish drivers that cause crashes, particularly those that cause serious injury or death? Is justice even possible?Resources on this topic:- https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D176;jsessionid=B5D158EC5FC4AEC58A85A15A6407- https://abc7ny.com/dj-jinx-paul-driver-killed-hit-and-run-in-brooklyn/5301601/- https://abcnews.go.com/US/hit-run-drivers-kill-people-jail-time-rarely/story?id=61845988- https://archive.ph/mSach- https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/arz64&id=722&men_tab=srchresults- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7500576/- https://trid.trb.org/View/850023- https://www4.courts.ca.gov/documents/dmv_handout.pdf- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7500576/- https://calmatters.org/justice/2021/01/california-drivers-licenses-traffic-ticket/- https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/occupational-driver-license- https://www.hfkylawyers.com/blog/2022/04/madd-statistics-show-the-true-scope-of-drunk-driving/- https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/marqlr106&id=499&men_tab=srchresults- https://www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures-that-work/distracted-driving/understanding-problem- https://www.chp.ca.gov/Documents/TextingItCanWait.pdf- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457524001532#b0170- https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/spc3.12586- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027273580500142X- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3109/00952990.2014.966199- https://journals.copmadrid.org/ejpalc/archivos/1889_1861_ejpalc_11_2_0081.pdfProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0000 full City Beautiful Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-how-to-punish-bad-driversRoad deaths are on the rise, and dash cams are catching drivers do crazy and dangerous things. What is the best way to punish drivers that cause crashes, particularly those that cause serious injury or death? Is justice even possible?Resources on this topic:- https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D176;jsessionid=B5D158EC5FC4AEC58A85A15A6407- https://abc7ny.com/dj-jinx-paul-driver-killed-hit-and-run-in-brooklyn/5301601/- https://abcnews.go.com/US/hit-run-drivers-kill-people-jail-time-rarely/story?id=61845988- https://archive.ph/mSach- https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/arz64&id=722&men_tab=srchresults- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7500576/- https://trid.trb.org/View/850023- https://www4.courts.ca.gov/documents/dmv_handout.pdf- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7500576/- https://calmatters.org/justice/2021/01/california-drivers-licenses-traffic-ticket/- https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/occupational-driver-license- https://www.hfkylawyers.com/blog/2022/04/madd-statistics-show-the-true-scope-of-drunk-driving/- https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/marqlr106&id=499&men_tab=srchresults- https://www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures-that-work/distracted-driving/understanding-problem- https://www.chp.ca.gov/Documents/TextingItCanWait.pdf- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457524001532#b0170- https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/spc3.12586- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027273580500142X- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3109/00952990.2014.966199- https://journals.copmadrid.org/ejpalc/archivos/1889_1861_ejpalc_11_2_0081.pdfProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautiful
Watch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-how-to-punish-bad-drivers

Road deaths are on the rise, and dash cams are catching drivers do crazy and dangerous things. What is the best way to punish drivers that cause crashes, particularly those that cause serious injury or death? Is justice even possible?


Resources on this topic:

- https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D176;jsessionid=B5D158EC5FC4AEC58A85A15A6407

- https://abc7ny.com/dj-jinx-paul-driver-killed-hit-and-run-in-brooklyn/5301601/

- https://abcnews.go.com/US/hit-run-drivers-kill-people-jail-time-rarely/story?id=61845988

- https://archive.ph/mSach

- https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/arz64&id=722&men_tab=srchresults

- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7500576/

- https://trid.trb.org/View/850023

- https://www4.courts.ca.gov/documents/dmv_handout.pdf

- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7500576/

- https://calmatters.org/justice/2021/01/california-drivers-licenses-traffic-ticket/

- https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/occupational-driver-license

- https://www.hfkylawyers.com/blog/2022/04/madd-statistics-show-the-true-scope-of-drunk-driving/

- https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/marqlr106&id=499&men_tab=srchresults

- https://www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures-that-work/distracted-driving/understanding-problem

- https://www.chp.ca.gov/Documents/TextingItCanWait.pdf

- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457524001532#b0170

- https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/spc3.12586

- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027273580500142X

- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3109/00952990.2014.966199

- https://journals.copmadrid.org/ejpalc/archivos/1889_1861_ejpalc_11_2_0081.pdf

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 1558 no Can ADUs Solve the Housing Crisis? Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-can-adus-solve-the-housing-crisisADUs are small backyard cottages that can provide affordable housing in underused areas of the suburbs. Their numbers have been growing on the west coast of the U.S., and this video discusses the reasons why.Link to the Discord: https://discord.gg/7Fgyjx52B3Resources on this topic:- Decker, N. (2023). How landlords of small rental properties decide who gets housed and who gets evicted. Urban Affairs Review, 59(1), 170-199. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/10780874211041513- Pilkauskas, N. V., Amorim, M., & Dunifon, R. E. (2020). Historical trends in children living in multigenerational households in the United States: 1870–2018. Demography, 57, 2269-2296.- https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2018/10/01/Build_Small_Coalition_2018_ADU_code_audit_report_final.pdf- https://www.buildinganadu.com/adu-blog/thebigwestcoastdataset- https://architecturaltherapy.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/portland-adus-permitted-and-not-2009-10-13.pdf- https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/accessory-dwelling-units-adus-in-california/- https://www.ocregister.com/2024/01/12/californias-7-year-housing-push-has-yet-to-boost-building-experts-say/- https://www.santamariasun.com/news/santa-maria-amends-adu-ordinance-amid-lingering-frustrations-15567323- https://www.smartsharehousingsolutions.org/demo-cottage/Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 05:57:16 -0000 full City Beautiful Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-can-adus-solve-the-housing-crisisADUs are small backyard cottages that can provide affordable housing in underused areas of the suburbs. Their numbers have been growing on the west coast of the U.S., and this video discusses the reasons why.Link to the Discord: https://discord.gg/7Fgyjx52B3Resources on this topic:- Decker, N. (2023). How landlords of small rental properties decide who gets housed and who gets evicted. Urban Affairs Review, 59(1), 170-199. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/10780874211041513- Pilkauskas, N. V., Amorim, M., & Dunifon, R. E. (2020). Historical trends in children living in multigenerational households in the United States: 1870–2018. Demography, 57, 2269-2296.- https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2018/10/01/Build_Small_Coalition_2018_ADU_code_audit_report_final.pdf- https://www.buildinganadu.com/adu-blog/thebigwestcoastdataset- https://architecturaltherapy.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/portland-adus-permitted-and-not-2009-10-13.pdf- https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/accessory-dwelling-units-adus-in-california/- https://www.ocregister.com/2024/01/12/californias-7-year-housing-push-has-yet-to-boost-building-experts-say/- https://www.santamariasun.com/news/santa-maria-amends-adu-ordinance-amid-lingering-frustrations-15567323- https://www.smartsharehousingsolutions.org/demo-cottage/Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautiful
Watch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-can-adus-solve-the-housing-crisis

ADUs are small backyard cottages that can provide affordable housing in underused areas of the suburbs. Their numbers have been growing on the west coast of the U.S., and this video discusses the reasons why.

Link to the Discord: https://discord.gg/7Fgyjx52B3

Resources on this topic:

- Decker, N. (2023). How landlords of small rental properties decide who gets housed and who gets evicted. Urban Affairs Review, 59(1), 170-199. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/10780874211041513

- Pilkauskas, N. V., Amorim, M., & Dunifon, R. E. (2020). Historical trends in children living in multigenerational households in the United States: 1870–2018. Demography, 57, 2269-2296.

- https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2018/10/01/Build_Small_Coalition_2018_ADU_code_audit_report_final.pdf

- https://www.buildinganadu.com/adu-blog/thebigwestcoastdataset

- https://architecturaltherapy.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/portland-adus-permitted-and-not-2009-10-13.pdf

- https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/accessory-dwelling-units-adus-in-california/

- https://www.ocregister.com/2024/01/12/californias-7-year-housing-push-has-yet-to-boost-building-experts-say/

- https://www.santamariasun.com/news/santa-maria-amends-adu-ordinance-amid-lingering-frustrations-15567323

- https://www.smartsharehousingsolutions.org/demo-cottage/

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 1567 no How Did We Create the Housing Crisis? Learn more about Eastern Washington University's programs here: https://www.ewu.edu/cahss/political-science-public-policy/urban-regional-planning/The housing crisis: how did we get into this mess? This video looks at the last 100 years of housing policy to try to understand how.Resources on this topic:https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w18852/w18852.pdfhttps://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/research/files/harvard_jchs_homeownership_rate_layton_2021.pdfhttps://journals-sagepub-com.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/doi/epdf/10.1177/1538513205278372https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2010/03/18/the-return-of-the-multi-generational-family-household/https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/03/24/the-demographics-of-multigenerational-households/https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/dl-transcript/m00-1_alexander.pdfhttps://www.marketplace.org/2018/10/31/why-do-we-have-30-year-mortgage-anyway/https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w18821/w18821.pdfhttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FEDFUNDShttps://shelterforce.org/2022/08/08/what-is-the-financialization-of-housing/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02673037.2020.1762847https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/rental-housing-unaffordability-how-did-we-get-herehttps://calmatters.org/housing/2024/03/institutional-investors-corporate-landlords/_https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/8/4/93https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/09516298211044852?casa_token=_ETy6ZWc0YMAAAAA:Be2fsf2Y6KPNBb2bIxAaPXe-NzcmaLoHo0dyDOlw9s5Tm9BF3DvQN0RUoRgBwVLD-AFmjw0imnV7gQhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26895803.pdf?casa_token=hxb25C-6iegAAAAA:tVWP2e_FoXhGNTgl7XT4dltFxzpC9Z9VOVBO3MvssvxN5vLAOWGBHzBqXV7MwOV9PWa-yyVQg9ir1qJku_SgctaeAr4gfoIszEsbrb4t_Vrx0nCRwdKQProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 04:54:32 -0000 full City Beautiful Learn more about Eastern Washington University's programs here: https://www.ewu.edu/cahss/political-science-public-policy/urban-regional-planning/The housing crisis: how did we get into this mess? This video looks at the last 100 years of housing policy to try to understand how.Resources on this topic:https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w18852/w18852.pdfhttps://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/research/files/harvard_jchs_homeownership_rate_layton_2021.pdfhttps://journals-sagepub-com.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/doi/epdf/10.1177/1538513205278372https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2010/03/18/the-return-of-the-multi-generational-family-household/https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/03/24/the-demographics-of-multigenerational-households/https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/dl-transcript/m00-1_alexander.pdfhttps://www.marketplace.org/2018/10/31/why-do-we-have-30-year-mortgage-anyway/https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w18821/w18821.pdfhttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FEDFUNDShttps://shelterforce.org/2022/08/08/what-is-the-financialization-of-housing/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02673037.2020.1762847https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/rental-housing-unaffordability-how-did-we-get-herehttps://calmatters.org/housing/2024/03/institutional-investors-corporate-landlords/_https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/8/4/93https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/09516298211044852?casa_token=_ETy6ZWc0YMAAAAA:Be2fsf2Y6KPNBb2bIxAaPXe-NzcmaLoHo0dyDOlw9s5Tm9BF3DvQN0RUoRgBwVLD-AFmjw0imnV7gQhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26895803.pdf?casa_token=hxb25C-6iegAAAAA:tVWP2e_FoXhGNTgl7XT4dltFxzpC9Z9VOVBO3MvssvxN5vLAOWGBHzBqXV7MwOV9PWa-yyVQg9ir1qJku_SgctaeAr4gfoIszEsbrb4t_Vrx0nCRwdKQProduced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about Eastern Washington University's programs here: https://www.ewu.edu/cahss/political-science-public-policy/urban-regional-planning/

The housing crisis: how did we get into this mess? This video looks at the last 100 years of housing policy to try to understand how.

Resources on this topic:

https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w18852/w18852.pdf
https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/research/files/harvard_jchs_homeownership_rate_layton_2021.pdf
https://journals-sagepub-com.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/doi/epdf/10.1177/1538513205278372
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2010/03/18/the-return-of-the-multi-generational-family-household/
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/03/24/the-demographics-of-multigenerational-households/
https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/dl-transcript/m00-1_alexander.pdf
https://www.marketplace.org/2018/10/31/why-do-we-have-30-year-mortgage-anyway/
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w18821/w18821.pdf
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FEDFUNDS
https://shelterforce.org/2022/08/08/what-is-the-financialization-of-housing/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02673037.2020.1762847
https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/rental-housing-unaffordability-how-did-we-get-here
https://calmatters.org/housing/2024/03/institutional-investors-corporate-landlords/_
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/8/4/93
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/09516298211044852?casa_token=_ETy6ZWc0YMAAAAA:Be2fsf2Y6KPNBb2bIxAaPXe-NzcmaLoHo0dyDOlw9s5Tm9BF3DvQN0RUoRgBwVLD-AFmjw0imnV7gQ
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26895803.pdf?casa_token=hxb25C-6iegAAAAA:tVWP2e_FoXhGNTgl7XT4dltFxzpC9Z9VOVBO3MvssvxN5vLAOWGBHzBqXV7MwOV9PWa-yyVQg9ir1qJku_SgctaeAr4gfoIszEsbrb4t_Vrx0nCRwdKQ

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

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]]> 1545 no Introduction to Land Use — City Beautiful Basics City planners, community members, and decision makers all must decide how the land within their cities should be used. This video discusses the tools and plans used to make those decisions.This is part of the new "Basics" series. Four more videos to come!This video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos and Sullivan Israel.Motion Graphics by Anagha Kulkarni and Subha Eranki.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 04:30:00 -0000 full City Beautiful City planners, community members, and decision makers all must decide how the land within their cities should be used. This video discusses the tools and plans used to make those decisions.This is part of the new "Basics" series. Four more videos to come!This video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos and Sullivan Israel.Motion Graphics by Anagha Kulkarni and Subha Eranki.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices City planners, community members, and decision makers all must decide how the land within their cities should be used. This video discusses the tools and plans used to make those decisions.

This is part of the new "Basics" series. Four more videos to come!

This video is funded by the Cal Poly Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant program. Thanks!

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos and Sullivan Israel.
Motion Graphics by Anagha Kulkarni and Subha Eranki.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 834 no Disney World's Private Government Walt Disney World Resort is huge — it consists of four theme parks, 27 hotels with 21 thousand rooms, over 30 thousand parking spaces, shopping, water parks, and all of the backstage areas needed to run such a massive operation. Walt Disney World is set on 27,000 acres in central Florida — roughly the size of the city of San Francisco. It’s also the most visited resort in the world. It’s impressive size and record setting visitor attendance are amazing. For sure. But what might be even more amazing, particularly if you are a city planning nerd like me, is the special district that grants the company unprecedented powers over its land and municipal services. This video was heavily based on:Chad D. Emerson, Merging Public and Private Governance: How Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District "Re-Imagined" The Traditional Division of Local Regulatory Powers, 36 FLA. ST. U. L. REV. 177 (2009). Video sources:- Archive.orgPhoto sources:- Orlando Sentinel- Wikimedia CommonsProduced in sunny Sacramento, California. Filmed on location in Walt Disney World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 03:51:49 -0000 full City Beautiful Walt Disney World Resort is huge — it consists of four theme parks, 27 hotels with 21 thousand rooms, over 30 thousand parking spaces, shopping, water parks, and all of the backstage areas needed to run such a massive operation. Walt Disney World is set on 27,000 acres in central Florida — roughly the size of the city of San Francisco. It’s also the most visited resort in the world. It’s impressive size and record setting visitor attendance are amazing. For sure. But what might be even more amazing, particularly if you are a city planning nerd like me, is the special district that grants the company unprecedented powers over its land and municipal services. This video was heavily based on:Chad D. Emerson, Merging Public and Private Governance: How Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District "Re-Imagined" The Traditional Division of Local Regulatory Powers, 36 FLA. ST. U. L. REV. 177 (2009). Video sources:- Archive.orgPhoto sources:- Orlando Sentinel- Wikimedia CommonsProduced in sunny Sacramento, California. Filmed on location in Walt Disney World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Walt Disney World Resort is huge — it consists of four theme parks, 27 hotels with 21 thousand rooms, over 30 thousand parking spaces, shopping, water parks, and all of the backstage areas needed to run such a massive operation. Walt Disney World is set on 27,000 acres in central Florida — roughly the size of the city of San Francisco. It’s also the most visited resort in the world. It’s impressive size and record setting visitor attendance are amazing. For sure. But what might be even more amazing, particularly if you are a city planning nerd like me, is the special district that grants the company unprecedented powers over its land and municipal services.

This video was heavily based on:

Chad D. Emerson, Merging Public and Private Governance: How Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District "Re-Imagined" The Traditional Division of Local Regulatory Powers, 36 FLA. ST. U. L. REV. 177 (2009).

Video sources:
- Archive.org

Photo sources:
- Orlando Sentinel
- Wikimedia Commons

Produced in sunny Sacramento, California. Filmed on location in Walt Disney World.

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]]> 674 no The Case AGAINST One-Way Streets Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-the-case-against-oneway-streetsOne-way streets are everywhere in our street grids, moving cars fast through cities, often to highway on-ramps and off-ramps. But cities have increasingly been converting them back to two-way traffic. Why?Resources on this topic:- Ortigosa, J., Gayah, V. V., & Menendez, M. (2019). Analysis of one-way and two-way street configurations on urban grid networks. Transportmetrica B: transport dynamics.- Riggs, W., & Gilderbloom, J. I. H. (2017). How multi-lane, one-way street design shapes neighbourhood life: collisions, crime and community. Local Environment, 22(8), 917-933.- Riggs, W., & Gilderbloom, J. (2016). Two-way street conversion: Evidence of increased livability in Louisville. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 36(1), 105-118.Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 02:49:05 -0000 full City Beautiful Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-the-case-against-oneway-streetsOne-way streets are everywhere in our street grids, moving cars fast through cities, often to highway on-ramps and off-ramps. But cities have increasingly been converting them back to two-way traffic. Why?Resources on this topic:- Ortigosa, J., Gayah, V. V., & Menendez, M. (2019). Analysis of one-way and two-way street configurations on urban grid networks. Transportmetrica B: transport dynamics.- Riggs, W., & Gilderbloom, J. I. H. (2017). How multi-lane, one-way street design shapes neighbourhood life: collisions, crime and community. Local Environment, 22(8), 917-933.- Riggs, W., & Gilderbloom, J. (2016). Two-way street conversion: Evidence of increased livability in Louisville. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 36(1), 105-118.Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautiful
Watch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-the-case-against-oneway-streets

One-way streets are everywhere in our street grids, moving cars fast through cities, often to highway on-ramps and off-ramps. But cities have increasingly been converting them back to two-way traffic. Why?

Resources on this topic:

- Ortigosa, J., Gayah, V. V., & Menendez, M. (2019). Analysis of one-way and two-way street configurations on urban grid networks. Transportmetrica B: transport dynamics.
- Riggs, W., & Gilderbloom, J. I. H. (2017). How multi-lane, one-way street design shapes neighbourhood life: collisions, crime and community. Local Environment, 22(8), 917-933.
- Riggs, W., & Gilderbloom, J. (2016). Two-way street conversion: Evidence of increased livability in Louisville. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 36(1), 105-118.

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 826 no Savannah's mysterious historic plan There’s an ongoing mystery that planners and urban historians have been trying to solve for over 100 years. How did an amateur planner forego centuries of established city design and implement a pattern that resulted in one of the most charming, walkable historic centers in the U.S.? For many, it’s just too hard to believe that he designed it out of thin air — there must’ve been an obvious precedent. Scholars have been searching for this precedent to solve this mystery since the 1800s. The Making of Urban America, by John Reps: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691006180/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0691006180&linkCode=as2&tag=cookfrie-20&linkId=808173f37c1a1e52494a3541e3e94a88Resources on this topic:http://savannahurbanstudies.blogspot.com/2007/02/urban-planning-in-savannah-past-and.htmlOglethorpe's Sources for the Savannah Plan, Bannister, 1961: http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/988103.pdfSavannah video courtesy of Archive.org's Moving Image ArchivePhoto sources:- Wikimedia Commons- Flickr user Steven Martin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 01:46:21 -0000 full City Beautiful There’s an ongoing mystery that planners and urban historians have been trying to solve for over 100 years. How did an amateur planner forego centuries of established city design and implement a pattern that resulted in one of the most charming, walkable historic centers in the U.S.? For many, it’s just too hard to believe that he designed it out of thin air — there must’ve been an obvious precedent. Scholars have been searching for this precedent to solve this mystery since the 1800s. The Making of Urban America, by John Reps: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691006180/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0691006180&linkCode=as2&tag=cookfrie-20&linkId=808173f37c1a1e52494a3541e3e94a88Resources on this topic:http://savannahurbanstudies.blogspot.com/2007/02/urban-planning-in-savannah-past-and.htmlOglethorpe's Sources for the Savannah Plan, Bannister, 1961: http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/988103.pdfSavannah video courtesy of Archive.org's Moving Image ArchivePhoto sources:- Wikimedia Commons- Flickr user Steven Martin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices There’s an ongoing mystery that planners and urban historians have been trying to solve for over 100 years. How did an amateur planner forego centuries of established city design and implement a pattern that resulted in one of the most charming, walkable historic centers in the U.S.? For many, it’s just too hard to believe that he designed it out of thin air — there must’ve been an obvious precedent. Scholars have been searching for this precedent to solve this mystery since the 1800s.

The Making of Urban America, by John Reps: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691006180/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0691006180&linkCode=as2&tag=cookfrie-20&linkId=808173f37c1a1e52494a3541e3e94a88

Resources on this topic:
http://savannahurbanstudies.blogspot.com/2007/02/urban-planning-in-savannah-past-and.html
Oglethorpe's Sources for the Savannah Plan, Bannister, 1961: http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/988103.pdf

Savannah video courtesy of Archive.org's Moving Image Archive

Photo sources:
- Wikimedia Commons
- Flickr user Steven Martin

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]]> 514 no Why U.S. Cities Don't Build Metro Systems Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-why-us-cities-dont-build-metro-systemsNew York, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia built their metro systems over 100 years ago, and since then there hasn't been a big boom in metro construction. Big cities like Houston, Dallas, and Phoenix don't have one. Why not? And should they?Resources on this topic:https://ggwash.org/view/71583/light-rail-heavy-rail-subway-rail-transit-modes-fall-on-a-continuumhttps://www.metro.net/about/rail-modeshttps://journalistsresource.org/economics/bus-versus-rail/https://policy.tti.tamu.edu/strategy/heavy-rail/https://www.cascadepbs.org/politics/2016/10/how-seattle-blew-its-chance-subway-systemhttps://enotrans.org/article/70-year-trend-federal-infrastructure-spending/Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:43:38 -0000 full City Beautiful Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautifulWatch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-why-us-cities-dont-build-metro-systemsNew York, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia built their metro systems over 100 years ago, and since then there hasn't been a big boom in metro construction. Big cities like Houston, Dallas, and Phoenix don't have one. Why not? And should they?Resources on this topic:https://ggwash.org/view/71583/light-rail-heavy-rail-subway-rail-transit-modes-fall-on-a-continuumhttps://www.metro.net/about/rail-modeshttps://journalistsresource.org/economics/bus-versus-rail/https://policy.tti.tamu.edu/strategy/heavy-rail/https://www.cascadepbs.org/politics/2016/10/how-seattle-blew-its-chance-subway-systemhttps://enotrans.org/article/70-year-trend-federal-infrastructure-spending/Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Subscribe to Nebula and get $20 off at: https://go.nebula.tv/citybeautiful
Watch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/citybeautiful-why-us-cities-dont-build-metro-systems

New York, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia built their metro systems over 100 years ago, and since then there hasn't been a big boom in metro construction. Big cities like Houston, Dallas, and Phoenix don't have one. Why not? And should they?

Resources on this topic:

https://ggwash.org/view/71583/light-rail-heavy-rail-subway-rail-transit-modes-fall-on-a-continuum
https://www.metro.net/about/rail-modes
https://journalistsresource.org/economics/bus-versus-rail/
https://policy.tti.tamu.edu/strategy/heavy-rail/
https://www.cascadepbs.org/politics/2016/10/how-seattle-blew-its-chance-subway-system
https://enotrans.org/article/70-year-trend-federal-infrastructure-spending/

Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

]]> 1027 no How NYC Is Banning Cars on Broadway Register for TomTom MOVE and try it for 30 days: https://www.tomtom.com/citybeautifulBroadway used to be called "Automobile Row," but today, block by block, the City of New York is redesigning the street to minimize or eliminate cars. The stretch between Columbus Circle and Union Square looks completely different than it did in 2000. How are they doing this?Resources on this project:- https://www.nyc.gov/content/getstuffdone/pages/broadway-visionLink to the Discord: https://discord.gg/7Fgyjx52B3Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Mon, 12 Oct 2026 23:40:54 -0000 full City Beautiful Register for TomTom MOVE and try it for 30 days: https://www.tomtom.com/citybeautifulBroadway used to be called "Automobile Row," but today, block by block, the City of New York is redesigning the street to minimize or eliminate cars. The stretch between Columbus Circle and Union Square looks completely different than it did in 2000. How are they doing this?Resources on this project:- https://www.nyc.gov/content/getstuffdone/pages/broadway-visionLink to the Discord: https://discord.gg/7Fgyjx52B3Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.Written by Dave Amos.Select images and video from Getty Images.Black Lives Matter.Trans rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Register for TomTom MOVE and try it for 30 days: https://www.tomtom.com/citybeautiful

Broadway used to be called "Automobile Row," but today, block by block, the City of New York is redesigning the street to minimize or eliminate cars. The stretch between Columbus Circle and Union Square looks completely different than it did in 2000. How are they doing this?

Resources on this project:
- https://www.nyc.gov/content/getstuffdone/pages/broadway-vision

Link to the Discord: https://discord.gg/7Fgyjx52B3
Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Nebula Studios.
Written by Dave Amos.
Select images and video from Getty Images.
Black Lives Matter.
Trans rights.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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