good traffic.

A workshop for American urban design and urban planning.Join a prolific collective of city and neighborhood staples as we look to better brand American urbanism. New conversations, each week.

good traffic. is a society podcast hosted by Brad Biehl, with 118 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Brad Biehl hosts good traffic., a society show with 118 episodes published.

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  good traffic.

  117 / Place as process, not product / with Ben Donsky

  Aug 8, 20261h 3m

  Ben Donsky — Principal at Agora Partners — is in good traffic this week from Staten Island, New York to discuss placemaking as a process, not a product. Agora Partners guides real estate developers, foundations, and government agencies through the planning, activation, and long-term operation of public space projects nationwide — including Klyde Warren Park in Dallas and Providence’s District Park. We also touch on: Why “authenticity” is a word Ben tries to avoid, and what building organic cultural connection looks like instead. How Cary, North Carolina rebranded its identity around a new downtown park. Providence’s 195 redevelopment district and the rise of District Park. Triangulation as both a transportation concept and a public-space design tool. Running a 14-mile pedestrian safety audit on a volunteer budget. Free, non-technical tools — QGIS, city open-data portals — for building a data-backed case to City Hall. Why the Staten Island Ferry might be the best commute in New York City. Timeline: 00:00 Ben Donsky is in good traffic. 06:03 Defining placemaking: a process, not a product. 08:21 Why placemaking work lives inside a city’s economic development arm. 15:33 Treating open space as a citywide system: lessons from Boston and Atlanta. 18:18 Working with developers, and winning them over with data instead of promises. 21:21 Building organic cultural authenticity, and why public officials resist community engagement too. 25:40 Regional case studies: San Francisco, Chicago, Minneapolis, Cary NC, and Providence’s District Park. 34:35 Triangulation as a placemaking design tool (callback to Ep. 116, “Summer of Triangulation”). 38:48 Programming as economic development, and the line between organic and “astroturfed.” 41:41 Local stakeholders and precedents, such as Klyde Warren Park. 48:46 Grassroots data collection on a volunteer budget: Ben's Staten Island pedestrian audit. 57:38 The favorite-commute question, and the case for the Staten Island Ferry. Further context: ⁠Agora Partners.⁠ ⁠Ben Donsky’s bio at Agora Partners.⁠ ⁠Klyde Warren Park precedent.⁠

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  good traffic.

  116 / Summer of triangulation.

  Aug 3, 202631 min

  Back from a July break full of walking, observing, and listening in Portland, Oregon. Avid pedestrian, burgeoning transit user, performing arts educator, actor (and Brad's fiancé) Aly Marchant is back on the show, too, reflecting on the practice of triangulation — understanding movement as not just A to B or A to C, but also the relationships between points B and C — and how doing this in your city helps in identifying the strengths and shortcomings of an infrastructure system. We also touch on: Rediscovering childhood geography as an adult. Hub-and-spoke vs. grid transit systems. District identity. Portland's Tilikum Crossing bridge as a transit investment. Division Street and Southeast neighborhoods. Mount Tabor. Why stumbling into things is how American lifestyles are shifted. Swimming-accessible water. The value of navigating alone, together. Timeline: 00:00 Back from summer break in Portland. 04:35 Growing up somewhere but not knowing downtown well. 05:24 The concept of triangulation through walking. 08:47 Hub-and-spoke transit vs. grid connectivity. 10:16 Columbus Arena District example. 12:18 Portland's Tilikum Crossing bridge example. 16:54 Why a dedicated transit bridge matters for city resilience. 21:10 FX2 bus and Division Street route. 25:31 Mount Tabor walk from 50th. 27:08 Neighborhoods, stormwater management, water access. 29:22 Brad's favorite commute: light rail plus exploration. 30:33 Wrapping up and back next week with guests.

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  good traffic.

  115 / Getting policy to actually build / with Amy Tomasso

  Jul 2, 202655 min

  Amy Tomasso — Policy + Partnerships at Ivory Innovations — is in good traffic this week from Salt Lake City for a walkthrough of the Ivory Prize: a $1.5 million annual award celebrating housing innovation across policy, finance, construction, and design. Ivory Innovations operates as a nonprofit foundation connected to Utah's largest homebuilder, meaning that their awards fund housing solutions that scale tangibly. We also touch on: Amy's leadership in Vermont's Homes for All toolkit and pre-approved plan sets. Why off-site construction keeps failing (and how to fix it). The gap between policy wins and housing starts. Salt Lake City's missing middle zoning reforms. Philanthropic capital as an alternative to traditional grants. Why developer-public sector collaboration happens in some places and not others. The 2026 Ivory Prize Summit in Tempe, Arizona. Timeline: 00:00 Intro. 02:16 Amy Tomasso and the Ivory Prize. 04:35 Founded 2018 by Clark Ivory and his daughter Abby. 05:29 Nonprofit foundation rooted in a homebuilder's perspective. 06:34 200+ innovators in the portfolio, $1.5 million dispersed. 07:14 Early winners: Portland's Residential Infill Project, Villa Homes. 08:47 Boston Acquisition Fund and Philadelphia housing programs. 10:16 Why the East Coast and West Coast show different innovation patterns. 11:33 Colorado's state-level support for off-site manufacturing. 12:43 Amy's path from urbanism to housing work in Vermont. 16:54 Homes for All toolkit: design guide, infill case studies. 21:10 Pre-approved plan sets for statewide housing production. 25:31 Vermont's collaborative approach with developers and regulators. 28:27 Applying policy in Utah: Salt Lake City's missing middle districts. 31:15 The gap between policy and actual housing starts. 34:12 Philanthropic Capital Playbook launching in November. 37:00 Operating foundation model as an alternative financing tool. 40:15 Patient capital and subordinated debt approaches. 43:03 2026 Ivory Prize Summit in Tempe, Arizona at ASU. 46:33 Off-site construction manufacturers: why they fail and how to succeed. 49:21 Production homebuilder convening around policy innovation. 52:39 Why venture capital may not be the best source for housing. 55:12 Liberty Wells: affordable housing infill in Salt Lake City. 57:37 Proactive lot splitting for future homeownership conversion. 59:35 The Philanthropic Capital Playbook goes public November. 1:01:23 Salt Lake City's expansion housing options vote in October. 1:03:02 Oversupply in multifamily rentals, still need for homeownership opportunities. 1:05:26 The favorite commute: The Avenues to University of Utah. 1:07:38 Wrapping up and part two teaser. Further context: Ivory Innovations. The 2026 Ivory Prize Summit in Tempe, Arizona. Follow Amy's work.

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  good traffic.

  114 / The American family rowhome / with Bobby Fijan

  Jun 24, 202656 min

  Bobby Fijan — founder of The American Housing Corporation — is in good traffic this week for a conversation on rowhomes as the ideal American family housing typology, why density and family-friendliness aren't contradictory, and how to communicate housing solutions to folks in the States. We also touch on: Philadelphia's multi-generational neighborhoods. Brooklyn Heights, Highland Park, and Brookline as proof points. Rowhomes in local varieties across Charleston, San Francisco, Boston. Saint Albans Street's shared garden model. Communicating density through examples people already love. Finding political consensus before naming solutions. Cottage courts and shared courtyards. Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square neighborhood as template. Timeline: 00:00 Intro. 02:16 Bobby Fijan and why rowhomes matter. 04:35 Living in Philadelphia and falling in love with the typology. 05:29 South Philly as multi-generational, working class. 06:34 Rowhomes in different local varieties. 07:14 Saint Albans Street and shared gardens. 08:47 Rowhomes as recognizably American. 10:16 Using real examples of places people know and like. 11:03 Brooklyn Heights and neighborhoods everyone admires. 12:12 Highland Park Dallas and Brookline Boston. 13:39 Dense housing designed for families, done well. 16:54 Rowhomes aren't cheap—they're designed for families. 21:10 The American Housing Corporation mission. 25:31 Meeting people where they are politically. 28:27 Finding shared goals before naming solutions. 31:15 The favorite commute: 17th and Walnut downtown. 35:54 Block and a half to preschool, four blocks to church. 40:15 Knowing individual coffee shops and their specialties. 43:03 The squash club in Horace Trumbauer building. 46:33 Indoor pool, martinis, and discovering new interests. 49:21 Airport access as part of the equation. 52:39 10th and Lombard cottage court model. 54:16 Wrapping up. Further context: The American Housing Corporation. Follow Bobby, on X.

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  good traffic.

  113 / Bike parking blunders.

  Jun 10, 202618 min

  In Portland for the summer and reflecting once more on the most underrated piece of bike infrastructure: parking. While we rightfully obsess over bike lanes and protected paths, we ignore the fact that transportation sits parked 95% of the time. This quick-hit episode breaks down what makes a good rack, why installation matters, and why bike parking is actually a gateway to widening bike culture. We also touch on: The Portland standard for staple racks. Spacing and positioning failures. U-lock strategies against tire theft. Testing neighborhood bikeability through their racks. Why Shabazz Stuart and others center parking in the conversation. The difference between leisure cycling and transportation cycling. Friction points that keep people in cars. Timeline: 00:00 Intro. 02:16 In Portland for the summer, thinking about design details. 02:45 Mid-block crosswalks as a litmus test for pedestrian priority. 04:48 99% of bike infrastructure talk focuses on movement between A and B. 05:40 The problem: bikes are parked 95% of the time. 07:24 We spend almost no time talking about bike parking. 08:47 Every friction point is someone choosing to drive instead. 10:26 Bike racks in Portland, Columbus, Dallas, Phoenix. 12:08 Staple racks as the gold standard. 12:28 U-lock technique: through frame, tire, and rack. 13:15 Installation guides aren't being followed. 13:49 Real example: moving truck blocking the rack access. 14:54 Bike parking as a public realm and urban design question. 16:29 Wrapping up. Links: On Portland's bike staple racks.

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