This week on the podcast I’m joined by Dr. Mariela Alfonzo to discuss her recent paper, “Walkability, Obesity and Urban Design in Chinese Neighborhoods,” in the journal Preventive Medicine. The findings on both cycling and obesity might surprise you.

We also discuss how policy change works in Chinese cities and how much power mayors have to make those changes, as well as what motivates them. Perhaps my favorite topic was the Peking Order, or the level of importance assigned to each mode of transportation. Surprisingly, buses are first, but not for the reasons you would think. Join us as we travel east on this week’s Talking Headways.