Urbanism Speakeasy with Andy Boenau

Here's why the status quo keeps winning

This applies to housing policy, traffic analysis methodology, land use regulations, and any other topic that requires persuasion.

Jun 21 • Andy Boenau

40

5

Your car is lying to you

People behave differently based on how dangerous their environment feels, not how dangerous it actually is.

Jun 15 • Andy Boenau

46

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6

The costs they don't count

Transportation experts rarely factor the human and economic toll into decisions that pave over safer alternatives.

Jun 8 • Andy Boenau

26

3

2

Gridlock is a choice

One major decongestion experiment is surprising the haters.

Jun 1 • Andy Boenau

35

7

5

May 2026

Generational change now vs. Waiting generations for change

Or, why a good thing is better than no thing.

May 22 • Andy Boenau

37

10

7

April 2026

Red Bull NIMBYs

Exclusion got repackaged as neighborhood character.

Apr 15 • Andy Boenau

36

4

11

The feedback loop we keep turning off

The YIMBY coalition is broad and growing, but bad economics will undermine even the best land use reforms.

Apr 7 • Andy Boenau

29

6

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March 2026

Public input can be a death sentence

Putting a safety improvement up for a vote is dangerous when the voters have been conditioned to see traffic violence as inevitable.

Mar 22 • Andy Boenau

40

5

7

Big vehicles, blind spots, and the conversations we dodge

America's favorite vehicles are the most dangerous to pedestrians.

Mar 15 • Andy Boenau

47

4

6

Transportation economics is flawed

The “time is money” mantra is a terrible starting point for planning and designing infrastructure.

Mar 8 • Andy Boenau

42

1

10

Begin with the [photogenic] end in mind

Planners and engineers need to visualize the future human experience of their infrastructure improvements.

Mar 2 • Andy Boenau

26

1

5

February 2026

Another necessary reframe for the transit narrative

The more people riding public transit, the fewer people clogging the roads in front of you.

Feb 22 • Andy Boenau

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