Videos

New Mobilities: Smart Planning for Emerging Transportation Technologies

New transportation technologies can expand our world by an order of magnitude, but the significant benefits they provide are often counterbalanced by the huge costs that they impose on individuals and communities. The rapid expansion of motorization over the last century created modes — and the urban infrastructure that accommodates them — that favor speed over affordability, efficiency and personal and community well-being.

Smart Growth Network Webinar -- Missing Middle Housing (July 2021)

Major housing shortages continue to affect communities in the U.S. and abroad. Many well-intended planning efforts seeking to address this problem are failing to deliver high-quality results, even when they’re aimed at filling the gap of “missing middle housing” in cities and towns.

Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives

In 2019, mobility experts Melissa and Chris Bruntlett moved from Vancouver, BC to Delft in the Netherlands to document the benefits that result from a culture that deprioritizes the role of cars in cities.

Smart Growth Network Webinar -- New Mobilities

The Maryland Department of Planning and the Smart Growth Network hosted this webinar as Todd Litman discusses 12 emerging transportation modes and services that are likely to significantly affect our lives as they become more commonplace.

Stimson Center Webinar: Coastal Cities

The Stimson Center's Environmental Security Program and Island Press hosted a discussion on coastal city resilience and to launch the new book, A Blueprint for Coastal Adaptation: United Design, Economics, and Policy. The event brought together federal and city government leaders, policy makers, and practitioners to offer perspectives on how to develop compre

“Building Community Food Webs” Author Talk

Ken Meter explores his new book, Building Community Food Webs, Ken has devoted decades to working at the grassroots to create stronger community based food systems. His book highlights visionary work in Montana, Hawaii, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, Colorado, and Minnesota, and also documents how the prevailing food system extracts wealth from rural America. Dr.

Town Hall Seattle Dana Bourland with Clayton Aldern

A Town Hall Seattle event. American cities are currently faced with a two-pronged challenge: dealing with our climate crisis, and managing the lack of housing that is affordable and healthy.

Overtourism to No Tourism: How (and Why) to build a more sustainable tourism industry

Before COVID-19 hit, the biggest problem in the world of travel was overtourism. Think of a vacation you’ve had where overflowing crowds were destroying once pristine natural environments and swarms of people were making daily life unbearable for the local residents. Then, seemingly overnight, tourism nearly ceased. There is no question that travel will resume. What’s unknown is, what will it look like when it does? Will we return to a world of overrun monuments, littered beaches, and gridlocked city streets? Or can we build back better?

Hungry for change: How to Reinvent Food Banks and Pantries

Although food banks and pantries have distributed billions of pounds of food for decades, food insecurity remains a persistent public health problem. COVID-19 has exposed structural inequalities and systemic injustices that make it hard for people to afford enough to eat. During the pandemic, food banks and pantries have adjusted to serve more people in creative ways. What lessons have we learned? How do we emerge stronger to reinvent the way we tackle the problem of hunger?

Addressing the Climate Crisis with Green Housing for All

US cities are faced with compounding climate and housing crises. How can communities meet their housing needs while mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change? By creating green housing affordable for all, cities will contribute to the health and well-being of residents, their communities, and the planet. Considering both systemic questions and action-oriented strategies, the speakers will discuss green building processes and principles that can be incorporated into housing design, construction, rehabilitation, and operation.