Ilana Strauss
Episode producer and storyteller who researched and narrated the episode's historical account of how industry actors remade city streets to favor automobiles.
Best podcasts with Ilana Strauss
Ranked by the Snipd community
22 snips
Nov 11, 2025 • 30min
The Creation of America's Car Culture
Peter Norton, a historian and author of Fighting Traffic, joins producer Ilana Strauss to discuss the transformation of American streets in the early 20th century. They explore public outrage over automobile-related fatalities, revealing how car companies strategically reshaped city planning. Norton shares insights on protests and key figures like Walter Pentlarge, who fought for speed governors. The duo uncovers how corporate interests made cars a necessity, leading to a culture where pedestrians became secondary to traffic flow.
9 snips
Jan 6, 2026 • 31min
The Creation of America's Car Culture, Part 2
Alana Strauss, a reporter focused on urban infrastructure's social impacts, joins Amy Steli, an urban planner from New Orleans, and Richard Levy, a civil rights activist and professor. They dive into how the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 transformed American cities. Steli reflects on the devastating effects of the Claiborne Expressway on the Treme community, highlighting racial injustices in highway placement. Levy recounts community resistance to the I-81 highway in Syracuse, sharing stories of protests and solidarity, and the ongoing fight to reclaim urban spaces.
