It is difficult to avoid the pandemic at the moment, it affects all our lives in some way. Today’s podcast will look at what lessons we might learn for how we plan the future of our homes and neighbourhoods as a result of it. The podcast features an interview with Matthew Carmona Professor of Planning and Urban Design at The Bartlett School of Planning at UCL and Chair of the Place Alliance. Lockdown shrank many of our worlds physically to our homes and their immediate neighbourhoods. Research out this week looking at our experience of lockdown with an interesting finding - those in the newest dwellings reported the lowest levels of comfort – we will explore why this is and what this can tell us about how we plan for the future.Home comforts: stress testing our homes and neighbourhoods during the Covid-19 lockdown – was published this week. What does this research tell us about how we live now, and perhaps how planning and transport need to be designed in the future?Report available here: http://placealliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Place-Alliance-Homes-and-Covid-Report_2020.pdf

In January 2019, ADEPT - the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport - which represents place directors from county, unitary and metropolitan local authorities, secured £22.9m funding from the Department of Transport for the SMART place Live Labs programme. Eight Live Labs projects led by local authorities with university and private sector partners are piloting innovation across SMART communications, transport, highways maintenance, energy, materials and mobility.This episode features an interview with Deborah Fox who is the Head of Demand Management at Transport for West Midlands. Deborah is leading a project using innovative video analytics to find better ways to manage congestion. This is funded by a £2.65m grant from the Department for Transport.

After 24 years, the UK Government has announced the end of the rail franchising system. The move is expected to significantly shake things up within the industry.This episode involves an interview with Sim Harris, Managing Editor at Railnews who brings his insights into the rail industry. The interview explores the legacy of franchising, what will replace it, and what have been the impacts of Covid-19 on the rail sector. Sim also gives an insight into what we are likely to see come out of the Williams Rail Review. Finally, with the recent Stonehaven derailment when the Aberdeen to Glasgow service crashed after heavy rain and three people sadly died the interview looks at how the rail sector is managing when faced with climate change.

As part of a focus by CIHT on the future of transport, this episode explores how micromobility could change the way we move in the future. As this is high on the government agenda, with trials of e-scooters currently underway in the UK, this podcast features an interview with Philip Ellis, CEO of Beryl. Beryl is the UK's largest bike share provider outside of London. Beryl has recently been announced as the e-scooter provider for a DfT trial in Norwich.The interview explores safety aspects, international lessons on e-scooters and the global market for micromobility.

Welcome to the second part of this podcast series looking at cities. This one is called the century of cities, but might have better been called the century of sustainable cities, or even the century of 15 minute cities as it continues a conversation that I had with Professor Carlos Moreno from the Sorbonne in Paris where he is scientific director of entrepreneurship and innovation. Professor Moreno is also special envoy to the Major of Paris, Anne Hidalgo where he was the driving force behind the concept of the 15 minute city. This was a core element of her re-election platform and has, since then, the idea of the 15 minute city has gained global momentum. The interview explores whether global problems – particularly climate change - will be better solved, at a mayoral at a city state level than at a nation state level and how to address inequalities in cities.

Welcome to the 15-minute city. This is whereby all the daily urban necessities are within a 15-minute reach on foot or by bike. Work, home, shops, entertainment, education and healthcare. Some urbanists are pushing for proximity over mobility and this has gained traction during the global pandemic, so is this the potential solution to how cities should operate now and in the future? Where: think global but act local could become a reality.This podcast sees Justin Ward from CIHT discuss this with the architect of this concept – Professor Carlos Moreno from the Sorbonne in Paris where he is scientific director of entrepreneurship and innovation. Professor Moreno’s idea has and will continue to shape the how people live in Paris as it was taken up by Anne Hidalgo when it was announced back in February during her run for re-election as Major of the city. Since then the idea has gained global traction as a measure to respond to – and also provide - a green recovery from covid-19.Further information: 15-minute city video : http://www.moreno-web.net/video-ville-du-quart-dheure-presentee-par-pr-carlos-moreno/Also, for your information the book “Urban city and proximity” by Prof Carlos Moreno was just published by the Editions de l’Observatoire (July 30th, 2020).Collection "And Then? "Available in five languages with one download (French, English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese) This text was written around a question that is dear to Prof Carlos Moreno, namely, in which city do we want to live, as part of his research at the Chair ETI “Entrepreneurship, Territory, Innovation” at IAE-Paris, Panthéon Sorbonne University.Link : https://vitrine.edenlivres.fr/resources/9791032917824

Whilst we are in the midst of a global pandemic, today we explore measures for how – potentially – me might help address another one. Inactivity has been described as a pandemic due to the health impacts of people not being active – and therefore needs to be addressed. Rachel Aldred, Professor of Transport at the University of Westminster and Director of the Active Travel Academy helps to unpick how we might solve this with increasing cycling levels. This is an important time to discuss given thoughts being given to what world might emerge out of Covid-19.This included references to the following research:Rachel Aldred, Joseph Croft and Anna Goodman (2018) Impacts of an active travel intervention with a cycling focus in a suburban context: One-year findings from an evaluation of London’s in-progress mini-Hollands programme, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Open Access, available here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856417314866 Propensity to Cycle Toolkit: https://www.pct.bike/ Congestion ahead: a faster route is now available Post-lockdown mode shift scenarios for commuting in England and Wales https://docs.google.com/document/d/18l-9NKiJrfqIR1d131k4YToY9I-UPEW2EucWL61lzpA/edit# Incompetent, or too competent? Negotiating everyday cyclingidentities in a motor dominated society http://rachelaldred.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Aldred-cycling-identity-stigma-revised.pdfFor previous podcast with Rachel see here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/ciht/injury-research-under-reporting-inequali

This podcast explores the work of a start-up predictive AI company that improves the way vehicles and systems interact with people in any environment. Humanising Autonomy’s horizontal solution fuses behavioural psychology, statistical AI and novel deep learning algorithms to create synergy between people and machines. This podcast explores issues such as standards, data, disabilities and looks at how to deliver safer roads by preventing accidents and near misses. There is also a focus on freight and how machine learning can make journeys faster & more efficient with precise decision making.In this interview Justin Ward speaks with Paddy La Torre from Humanising Autonomy.

This podcast explores the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) review of the local highway network (LHN) in England. This review was undertaken in a similar time frame to theJuly 2019 report of the UK Parliament Transport Select Committee (TSC) into thesubject. The report acknowledges that the LHN is receiving insufficient funding.This review has been underpinned by engagement with CIHT members and keysector bodies involved in the LHN.The podcast starts with an introduction from Ginny Clarke, Chair of the CIHT Learned Society and Technical Strategy Board, Andrew Hugill from CIHT, Mike O'Dowd Jones, Matthew Lugg and Steve Gooding.For more on the review see here: https://www.ciht.org.uk/knowledge-resource-centre/resources/improving-local-highways/

The UK passed a net zero emissions law - this target requires the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. How will the highways and transport sector deliver on this target? How will industry support the sector in doing this? Justin Ward from CIHT speaks with Maggie Hall, Sustainability Advisor for Ringway as well as the wider Eurovia businesses in the UK about this. Ringway delivers specialist highway services including improvement schemes, routine maintenance and severe weather response across the largest, dedicated, highways portfolio within the UK including the strategic road network, DBFO motorway and trunk roads, and the local authority network.This podcast was produced as part of Ringway's support to the CIHT / Ringway Climate Change Award.