{"version":"1.0.0","episode":{"title":"Planning Livable Downtowns with Brent Toderian","url":"http://getcarcurious.com/episodes/planning-livable-downtowns-with-brent-toderian","audioUrl":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/waroncars/TWC_022426_v2.mp3?dest-id=807818","description":"Brent Toderian has decades of experience in city planning, urban design, and transportation. He was chief planner for the city of Vancouver from 2006 to 2012, a time when the city hosted and was transformed by the Winter Olympics. As a consultant, Brent has advised and collaborated with folks from Auckland to Buenos Aires to Copenhagen to Reykjavik, and he often sparks conversation on social media, where he is one of the most prominent voices advocating for more human and humane urban design. We talked with him about how to make downtowns attractive and livable for families, why developers should value regulation, and that legendary urban Costco in Vancouver. Plus, Brent gives us the scoop on the new Urban Truth Collective and its mission to beat back the lies people tell about cities. Join The War on Cars on Patreon and listen to exclusive ad-free versions of regular episodes, Patreon-only bonus content, Discord access, invitations to live events, merch discounts and free stickers! Find out more about Brent Toderian and all his projects at his website, and follow him on Bluesky. And check out the brand-new Urban Truth Collective, Brent's collaboration with Tom Flood and Grant Ennis. Order our new book, Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile, out now from Thesis, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Find us on tour and get tickets at lifeaftercars.com. Thanks to Cleverhood for sponsoring this episode. Listen to this episode for the latest discount code and get the best rain gear for walking and cycling. The War on Cars is produced with support from the Helen and William Mazer Foundation. www.thewaroncars.org  "},"annotations":[{"startTime":59.3,"endTime":66.3,"type":"term","title":"regulation","url":"/glossary/regulation","quote":"The problem with American conversations about this is that brings up the R-word, regulation, you know, which is like this evil word in the United States, which is just ideology.","canonicalId":"term:regulation","priority":0.5,"confidence":0.95,"source":"hybrid-fuzzy+gpt-4.1-mini","data":{"explanation":"Regulation refers to rules or laws set by governments to control or manage activities, including those related to vehicles, traffic, and transportation infrastructure.","simplifiedExplanation":"Regulation means rules made by the government to keep things safe and organized, like traffic laws or car safety standards."}},{"startTime":93.2,"endTime":94.98,"type":"concept","title":"War on Cars","url":"/glossary/war-on-cars","quote":"This is the War on Cars.","canonicalId":"concept:war-on-cars","priority":0.5,"confidence":0.95,"source":"hybrid-fuzzy+gpt-4.1-mini","data":{"explanation":"The 'War on Cars' is a term used to describe policies or cultural attitudes perceived as limiting car use, often favoring alternative transportation modes or stricter regulations on driving and car ownership.","simplifiedExplanation":"The 'War on Cars' means when people make rules or changes that make it harder to drive cars, usually to help other ways of getting around like bikes or buses."}},{"startTime":369.6,"endTime":376.1,"type":"concept","title":"automated driverless light rail system","url":"/glossary/automated-driverless-light-rail-system","quote":"is the SkyTrain station, which is one of the many stations in the longest automated driverless light rail system in the world. And right beside the SkyTrain station is our urban Costco,","canonicalId":"concept:automated-driverless-light-rail-system","priority":0.5,"confidence":0.95,"source":"hybrid-fuzzy+gpt-4.1-mini","data":{"explanation":"An automated driverless light rail system is a type of urban transit that operates without human drivers, using automated controls to run trains on dedicated tracks. It improves efficiency and safety in public transportation.","simplifiedExplanation":"This is a train system in a city that drives itself without a person controlling it. It helps people get around quickly and safely."}}],"speakers":[{"id":"s1","name":"The War on Cars","role":"host"},{"id":"s2","name":"LLC","role":"host"}],"transcripts":[{"url":"http://getcarcurious.com/episodes/planning-livable-downtowns-with-brent-toderian/transcript.vtt","type":"text/vtt"}]}