The Bottom-Up Revolution

Jeral Poskey is the founder and CEO of Swyft Cities, a California-based tech company that's spearheading a totally new transportation system. Jeral explains his unique approach to creating realistic transportation innovations. He describes the transportation system Swyft Cities has created and how it could address the issues that many cities face — like traffic, land wasted on parking, and difficulty with infill development. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Gelato Classico on Castro Season's Noodles and Dumplings Garden Ox9 Lanzhou Handpulled Noodles California Street Complete Street Bay Trail Swyft Cities (site) Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Alicia Pederson, a passionate advocate for courtyard urbanism, discusses its potential for transforming urban spaces into family-friendly environments. She highlights how mixed-use buildings around shared courtyards can enhance community living by providing both privacy and social interaction. Alicia also shares strategies for promoting this innovative development style, especially in underserved areas, and delves into the lessons learned from Chicago's housing initiatives. Tune in for insights on creating vibrant, sustainable neighborhoods!

Meet Burhan Azeem, a city councilor in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A graduate of MIT, he’s the youngest councilor in the city’s history and has a special focus on housing affordability and street safety. Burhan has successfully expanded zoning for affordable housing, removed parking minimums, and helped build bike lanes throughout the city. He also helped found a nonprofit that impacts housing policy on the state level. Today, he and Tiffany sit down to discuss how he got to this point and what he’s working on next. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Café 1369 Kendall Rooftop Garden Greenline Bike Path Burhan Azeem (site) Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

What happens when a city’s design puts lives at risk—and someone decides to speak up? In this episode, you’ll meet Army Master Sgt. Ben Hultquist, one of the leaders of Strong Towns Fayetteville, a Local Conversation in North Carolina. After a string of preventable deaths, Ben testified in city hall. Now, that testimony is helping turn the conversation in Fayetteville toward people-first design and safer streets. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Strong Towns Fayetteville (Facebook) Learn how to make your streets safer with the Crash Analysis Studio model. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Linda Appel Lipsius is the executive director of Denver Urban Gardens, where she supports a network of over 200 gardens and food forests that produce 650,000 pounds of food annually. She also helps launch initiatives to help make Denver a greener, more food-resilient place. Linda and Tiffany discuss the importance of nature in urban resilience and the benefits of community gardening, from access to healthy food to community building and mental health improvement. Linda explains how a permaculture design philosophy can help cities become more resilient. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Denver Urban Gardens Local Recommendations: Little Owl Coffee The Kitchen Museum of Contemporary Art Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Wendy Nash is the founder of Get Around Caboolture, a grassroots transportation initiative in Caboolture, Australia. She and Norm discuss the group's efforts to promote more transportation options, including hosting the first Week Without Driving outside the U.S. Wendy emphasizes the importance of tailoring messages to different audiences and explains why she would like to see more comedy in advocacy. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Get Around Caboolture Strong Towns Academy Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Brandi Thompson, flight nurse and co-founder of Strong Towns ABQ, shares her journey through diverse roles, from a rattlesnake wrangler to community activist. She discusses successful strategies advocating for zoning reform and pushing back against highway expansions in Albuquerque. The conversation touches on the effects of isolation in rural areas, the importance of historical context in civic engagement, and how grassroots movements can reshape urban planning. Brandi inspires listeners to realize their individual potential for community change.

Alyssa Lee and Kay Crumb, leaders of Strong SacTown, share their insights on fostering vibrant local advocacy communities. They discuss practical strategies for community engagement and the importance of personal connections to build trust. The duo emphasizes creating a community-driven group to enhance local infrastructure and highlight residents' voices. They also introduce the 'Housing Ready City' toolkit to streamline housing development and foster public involvement. Through collaboration and optimism, they inspire listeners to make tangible improvements in their neighborhoods.

Craig Cassar, a first-term City Councilor in Hamilton, Ontario, shares his journey from corporate leadership to municipal advocacy. He discusses Hamilton's challenges and triumphs in sustainable city building, emphasizing the synergy between urbanism and environmentalism. The conversation highlights the importance of grassroots engagement in urban planning, resisting expansion into farmland, and promoting human-centric designs. Cassar also advocates for initiatives like the Hamilton Butterfly Way Project, which intertwine nature with urban development for a healthier community.

Jesse Russell, a small-scale developer from Bend, Oregon, is on a mission to make housing more attainable. He discusses the transformative effects of Oregon’s House Bill 2001, which promotes diverse housing types and collaborative efforts with community stakeholders. Jesse shares innovative strategies to enhance urban density while combating parking mandates. He emphasizes the importance of community involvement in shaping sustainable housing policies and encourages listeners to engage with local officials to strengthen their neighborhoods.