Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Podcast

Talking Headways Podcast: Pattern Cities and the Bellbottoms of Urbanism

podcast icon logo

This week we talk to Mike Lydon of The Street Plans Collaborative and co-author of the recent book Tactical Urbanism. Based on his experience with tactical urbanism, Mike says you know an idea has "made it" when it gets co-opted for things that don’t fit the actual definition. We also discuss how to take a small planning idea and make it bigger, and whether urbanism goes through cycles like fashion, with ideas from the past coming back into style.

Tune in and get the scoop on tactical urbanism stories from Boston; Ponderay, Idaho; and Hamilton, Ontario. Hear what Mike has to say about the importance of having people interact with real places during the public planning process, and about pattern cities -- places that have spawned a good idea that other places have copied.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

One of America’s Most Walkable School Districts Is About To Lose That Title

Lakewood, Ohio, prided itself on its Safe Routes to School program, which is in danger of being lost in a district-wide consolidation.

November 3, 2025

PART I: The E-Bike ‘Problem’ is an E-Moto Problem

PeopleForBikes separates fact from fiction to protect the future of e-bikes in America in this new series. This is Part I.

November 3, 2025

Monday’s Headlines Fight Back

After losing the war on cars for decades, is the tide starting to turn? Recently published books suggest it might be.

November 3, 2025

Friday Video: The Horrors of the Modern High-Tech Car

As more technology wheedles its way into our cars, they get scarier and scarier.

October 31, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Are Not Ready for Prime Time

Tech companies and automakers keep pushing autonomous vehicles and don't seem to care whether they're safe or not.

October 31, 2025

Pedaling Toward Progress: San Antonio’s Bold Bike Plan in a Car-Centric State

If we can do this in Texas, we can do it anywhere.

October 31, 2025
See all posts