#urban-planning
189 episodes · Page 4 of 8
#3086: How 2 Cities Banned Cars From Their Centers
Pontevedra and Ghent removed cars from their cores. Emergency response times actually got faster.
#3085: Why Jerusalem Feels Unsteered While Its Mayor Keeps Winning
Jerusalem's secular voters are leaving in droves. Why does the mayor keep winning?
#3084: How Jerusalem’s Light Rail Broke Walking
Why a 90-minute walk for a package reveals everything broken about how cities manage construction.
#3037: How Ancient Clean Beat Modern Soap
Before daily showers, humans used oil, scrapers, and public baths. Here's what clean meant for 99% of history.
#3034: The Market That Changed Jerusalem
How a 140-year-old produce market became Jerusalem’s nightlife hub — and a mirror of the city’s transformation.
#3030: Maya vs Aztec: Unpacking the Pyramids
Two advanced civilizations, centuries apart. Here's what you actually need to know.
#3029: Why Jerusalem's Light Rail Takes So Long
The visible pace of Jerusalem's light rail construction hides a complex web of incentives, archaeology, and municipal rules.
#3018: Designing a Trip to East Asia for Real Understanding
How to design an itinerary from Tel Aviv to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan that produces genuine cultural understanding.
#3008: Israel's Rail Network: Ambition Meets Geography
Why Israel's "high-speed" train isn't high-speed, and what actually determines whether rail makes sense in a small country.
#2981: Jerusalem's Lost Airport: What Happened to Atarot?
Once a bustling international airport, Atarot now faces demolition for housing. Could it ever fly again?
#2975: How Cranes Lift Themselves 40 Stories
From 4,000-year-old shadufs to self-climbing tower cranes — the physics and economics behind construction's most visible machine.
#2934: Who Actually Owns All Those Empty Condos?
Investment property isn't what you think. Who really drives housing bubbles — individuals or institutions?
#2927: Housing vs. Financial Assets — The Global Experiment
Jerusalem's ghost towers, Vancouver's empty homes tax, and Singapore's radical approach to separating shelter from speculation.
#2896: What We Lost When We Lost the Courtyard
The biblical chatzer wasn't a patio. It was a pre-industrial cooperative that solved parenting exhaustion.
#2886: How Acoustic Cameras Catch Honking Drivers
Can an acoustic camera pinpoint one honk in a traffic jam? The tech is real, and fines are being issued.
#2874: China's Invisible Megacities: Linyi, Yiwu, and More
Cities larger than London or Paris that most Westerners have never heard of. Meet China's second-tier giants.
#2873: Why Israel's Negev Desert Stays Empty Despite Being 60% of the Land
60% of Israel's land is empty Negev desert. Why can't they just build there to solve the housing crisis?
#2872: Can You Really Live in a Building With a Pub, Gym, and Office?
Can you bundle housing, food, work, and a gym into one monthly fee? The economics are brutal.
#2871: Can a Subscription Restaurant Actually Work?
Monthly fee, unlimited meals — why this model keeps failing and what it would actually take to make it work.
#2847: How AI Could Transform Comparative Policy Analysis
Can AI agents do the work of a distributed think tank for cross-country policy learning?
#2816: Do You Need a Window to Be Happy?
Natural light isn't just nice — your brain has a dedicated biological pathway for it. Here's what happens when you take that away.
#2804: Who Actually Runs Your City?
Master plans, zoning codes, and the people who shape where you live.
#2793: The 100-Meter Gradient: How Your Street Changes Your Health
Air quality and noise can shift 5-8x within a single city block. Here's how to find your enclave.
#2757: Can Cities Engineer Calm?
How much green space per person do cities actually need? The WHO says 9 sq meters minimum. Most cities don't meet it.