Booked on Planning

This discussion unveils how urban environments can be reimagined through an open-ended, adaptive lens that balances top-down and bottom-up approaches rather than picking one or the other as the way to support cities. Author Elena Porqueddu advocates in "Designing the Complex City: A Systemic Approach to Spatial Design" for a design methodology that fosters self-regeneration and adapts to the dynamic, unpredictable nature of urban environments. Unlike rigid master plans, this approach views cities as evolving entities where incremental design interventions catalyze positive change.
Show Notes:
Further Reading: Action, Property, and Beauty: Planning with and for Emergent Urban Complexity by Stefano Cozzolino and Stefano Moroni 
A Planners Encounter with Complexity by Gert De Roo and Elisabete A Silva 
A Critical Introduction to Planning Theory: Complexity, Institutions and Justice in Cities by Stefano Moroni 
Minding the City: Field Notes on Neuroscience and the Poetics of Sustainable Public Space by Harrison Fraker, Peter Siostrom, Atanaska Foteva
Becoming Places: Urbanism / Architecture / Identity / Power by Kim Dovey
Architecture and Embodiment: The Implications of the New Sciences and Humanities for Design by Dr Harry Francis Mallgrave 

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Ray Planning Solutions
A seasoned planner with experience in land development, zoning admin and community revitalization

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In an engaging conversation with author Benjamin Schneider we explore transformative ideas in urban planning culminating from a wealth of recent literature in the field. His book, The Unfinished Metropolis: Igniting the City Building Revolution, is a compelling guide for emerging planners and those curious about the evolving nature of urban spaces. We touch on office to housing conversions, enlivening downtowns, a new industrial architecture, pre-emption and more as we grapple with how cities can revisit their roots of continuous growth and building. 
Show Notes:
Further Reading:All That Is Solid Melts into Air: The Experience of Modernity by Marshall Berman
The Decorated TenementsHow Immigrant Builders and Architects Transformed the Slum in the Gilded Age by Zachary J. Violette

To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/
 
Olsson
A nationally recognized, employee-owned engineering and design firm with a rich history of success.

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This episode provides an exploration into the urban fabric beneath our feet—sidewalks. These concrete pathways, often overlooked, hold a tapestry of legal, social, and economic narratives as revealed in during the conversation with author Michael Pollack on his book "Sidewalk Nation: The Life and Law of America's Most Overlooked Resource." Pollack's research traverses various states—New York, Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana—to uncover both shared challenges and unique approaches in sidewalk management. Despite the diversity, the common thread remains the universal demand for high-quality sidewalk space and the limitations posed by existing legal and financial structures.
Show Notes:
Further Reading:Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar
Street Fight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution by Janette Sadik-Khan
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck
Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure REinforces RAcial Inequality by Deborah Archer 
Segregation by Design: Local Politics and Inequity in American Cities by Jessica Trounstine
Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities by Veronica Davis

Vital City oped mentioned in the episode: https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-department-of-sidewalks-agenda/ 
To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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In Episode 109 of the Booked on Planning podcast, listeners are invited into a crucial conversation with Charles T. Brown, author of "Arrested Mobility: Overcoming the Threat to Black Movement." This dialogue dives deep into the systemic obstacles that restrict Black freedom of movement, providing a critical lens on how urban planning can either hinder or help create equitable communities. 
At the core of Brown's discussion is the concept of "arrested mobility" — a term he uses to describe the systemic restrictions placed on Black communities, impeding their ability to navigate spaces freely and safely. The conversation contextualizes how these restrictions aren't just about physical mobility, but also encompass social and economic mobility, propelled by historical and ongoing inequities. 
Show Notes:
Further Reading: Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities by Veronica Davis
Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
The Black Butterfly: The Harmful Politics of Race and Space in America by Dr. Lawrence T. Brown
Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America by Angie Schmidtt
Bicycle Race: Transportation, Culture, & Resistance by Adonia Lugo
Books by Robert Green: The 48 Laws of Power, The Laws of Human Nature, The Art of Subduction

The Lessons of Hayti Documentary, The Pruitt Igoe Myth Documentary, anything from Pro Publica and Vice News 
To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
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Housing stability is a pressing concern for many communities, particularly during times when constructing new housing can be financially daunting. Lauren Everett emphasizes a straightforward solution in her book Fortunate People in a Fortunate Land: at home in Santa Monica’s rent-controlled housing. Rent control policies can be implemented at no cost, an approach that not only provides an immediate mechanism to stabilize housing but ensures fairness and sustainability. 
Show Notes:
New York Times article on the New York City Rent Freeze mentioned in the episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/nyregion/nyc-rent-freeze-vote-mamdani.html 
If you are looking for more evidence that rent-stabilized apartments don't have a higher instance of habitability issues than non-stabilized this report from NYC is a good resource.
The NLIHC just came out with their national renter survey, which is really exciting. It has data on the percentage of renters who experience maintenance issues, who report them, who get them addressed, etc. 
Further Reading: In Defence of Housing: The Politics of Crisis by David Madden and Peter Marcuse
Carving Out the Commons: Tenant Organizing and Housing Cooperatives in Washington, D.C. by Amanda Huron
Abolish Rent: How Tenants Can End the Housing Crisis by Tracey Rosenthal and Leonardo Vilchis
Against Landlords: How to Solve the Housing Crisis by Nick Bano
The Underserving Poor: America's Enduring Confrontation with Poverty: Fully Updated and Revised by Michael Katz

To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/
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