Summary: Mike Lydon is the principal of Street Plans Collaborative. We talk about tactical urbanism, open streets, active transportation, and more. Is it true that you get paid to spray paint weeds on the edge of streets? Mike talks about the type of work he and his company do. He's covered a lot of ground around the country. So if you bumped into him in a grocery store, how does he describe his paying gig? And let's face it, stories from entrepreneurs are fun to hear. Active transport - using human power to move around. Active transportation is a relatively new term but it describes something that has been taking place as long as mankind has lived on the earth. Hear about some specific projects to improve walking and biking, like how the City of Miami turned around their status as one of the worst 3 cities to bike. What is tactical urbanism and why does it get so many diverse groups of people excited? Short term action, long term change. Liberals love the guerrilla/take-action side. Conservatives and libertarians love the low-cost, market-driven concepts that don't require government intervention. People are sharing ideas with YouTube and other social sites. Mike talks about small-scale efforts in Memphis, TN and huge undertakings like New York City's plaza program. Are traditional public involvement and project delivery processes fundamentally broken? The new urbanism charette was perfected over the years and often works well when there is a budget to pay for sustained periods of work. Mike talks about what cities on limited budgets have been doing as an alternative, including some tactical urbanism strategies for getting real time feedback. Connect with our guest After listening to the show, there's plenty more to explore. If you want to see what Mike Lydon is up to, there are several places to find him online. Be sure to check out the Tactical Urbanism resources! Twitter Street Plans Collaborative Open Streets Project Sponsor links Try Audible FREE for 30 days and get a free audiobook. Yes, there are tons of books on urbanism, communication, and social media. It's like listening to this podcast -- give it a try!
