Welcome to Four Degrees to the Streets! In the first episode of the podcast, Nimo and Jasmine define urban planning and a brief history of racism in the United States. Press play to hear:

• An analysis of the American Planning Association (APA) statement on Righting the Wrongs of Racial Inequality (published May 2020).
• Are some of the most influential urban planners racist in their policies? Think Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs.
• A breakdown of federal policy decisions that altered communities based on race. Specifically the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, the Federal Housing Administration Underwriting Manual, and racial zoning as a tool to segregate neighborhoods.

Thank you for listening and tune in every-other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources:

U.S. Census Bureau: The Great Migration

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration

APA Statement on Righting the Wrongs of Racial Inequality

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

NPR: 'The Wrong Complexion For Protection.' How Race Shaped America's Roadways And Cities

The Interstates and the Cities: Highways, Housing, and the Freeway Revolt

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

From the Ground Up: Environmental Racism and the Rise of the Environmental Justice Movement

In 2018, the American Public Health Association (APHA) declared law enforcement violence disproportionately affecting people of color and marginalized communities a public health issue. In 2020, following the killing of George Floyd and continued police violence during protests, APHA declared racism as a public health crisis. In this episode, Nimo and Jasmine consider the pros and cons of how states, cities, and counties responded to this declaration and the current state of public health amongst Black and Latinx people and lower-income neighborhoods. Press play to hear:

• An analysis of adopted resolutions and declarations of racism as a public health issue. There are over 50 from jurisdictions across the country!
• The leading causes of death in the United States by race.
• A breakdown of how road design, access to green spaces and groceries, pollution, and environmental racism can impact health outcomes.

Thank you for listening and tune in every-other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Please rate and leave a review!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources:

Bloomberg CityLab: Dozens of Cities Dub Racism as a Public Health Crisis

APHA: Declarations of Racism as a Public Health Issue

CDC: Health Equity - Office of Minority Health and Health Equity

NYC Parks and Recreation

The Trust for Public Land - Park Serve

USDA: Food Access Research Atlas Documentation

LyftUp Grocery Access Program

NYC Planning: FRESH Food Stores

American Lung Association: Disparities in the Impact of Air Pollution

Black + Urban: Signs of Environmental Discrimination

NIH: Storefront Cigarette Advertising Differs by Community Demographic Profile

BMJ: Evaluating the impact and equity of a tobacco-free pharmacy law on retailer density in New York City neighbourhoods

Happy New Year! 2020, COVID-19, and stay at home orders affected mental health for many individuals. How do communities cope when their built environment does not support positive mental health outcomes from a planning perspective? This week we are joined by a special guest, Christie Holland of Gutted Fitness LLC. Gutted Fitness helps black individuals from urban areas make peace with their past, present, and future by providing and preserving safe spaces to be black. Christie uses her background in urban planning, policy, community outreach and engagement, and sales and marketing to lead thought-provoking conversations and action. Press play to hear:

• An overview of positive and negative influences of the built environment on mental health.
• Physical and mental health statistics for Black populations. How does data tell a story about the history of racial inequality and disinvestment in America?
• Hood Politics and how planners can engage communities and meet residents where they are while building trust and meaningful relationships.

Thank you for listening and tune in every-other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources:

CDC: Designing and Building Healthy Places

Gutted Fitness: Mental Health

Exercise for Mental Health

Housing environment and mental health outcomes: A levels of analysis perspective

Making Healthy Places: Designing and Building for Health, Well-being, and Sustainability

CDC: Race, Ethnicity, and Age Trends in Persons Who Died from COVID-19

NIH: Major Depression Statistics

Mental Health America: Black and African American Communities and Mental Health

Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Psychology Today: What Is Collective Trauma?

Association of the Built Environment With Childhood Psychosocial...

Remember episode 1? Nimo and Jas weighed in on federal policies that contributed to the history of racism in the United States. This week’s episode focuses on housing, environmental, and transportation policies that attempt to address past wrongdoings and injustices. These policies are not perfect and come with their own set of challenges; however, they created a foundation for equitable practices. Press play to hear the following attempted remedies:

• The Fair Housing Act, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), and Inclusionary Zoning practices in major cities.
• Title VI, Environmental Justice Executive Order 12898, and examples of local EJ policies.
• Urban Mass Transportation Act, creation of the Federal Transit Administration, and Complete Streets.

Thank you for listening and tune in every-other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources:

National Fair Housing: Making Every Neighborhood A Place Of Opportunity

HUD: Inclusionary Zoning and Mixed-Income Communities

City of Atlanta: Inclusionary Zoning

NYC: Area Median Income - HPD

CityHealth: Affordable Housing/Inclusionary Zoning

NYC Zoning: District Guides

Gov. Murphy (NJ) Announces $190 Million in Renovations for Newark Penn Station

Federal Coordination Of Title VI And Environmental Justice

Environmental justice and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act: A critical crossroads

EPA: Title VI and Environmental Justice

NRDC: Local Policies for Environmental Justice: A National Scan

Green Zones Initiative - City of Minneapolis

Four Degrees to the Streets is excited to celebrate Black History Month with two episodes that focus on Black history, community, and planning. This week, Nimo and Jas talk with Kristen Jeffers (she/her), also known as The Black Urbanist. Her multimedia platform highlights Black Queer Feminist Urbanist design, planning, and practice. Later this month, episode 6 will feature a panel of Black business owners from around the country! Press play to hear:

• Reflections on the development of Black planners and policymakers throughout history using formal and informal education
• Diversifying and expanding the AICP certification process
• A look ahead at land-use planning development strategies in the Black community during the Biden Administration
• 20-second hot takes on current planning trends like ride-sharing, Airbnb, etc.

Thank you for listening and tune in every-other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources:

The Black Urbanist Resources

The Black Urbanist Patreon: newsletter, educational videos, resources

Accredited Planning Program

Wikipedia sites:

Urban Planning

List of urban theorists

List of urban planners

History of Slavery

Benjamin Banneker

Maggie L. Walker - First Black Woman to Own a Bank

Four Degrees to the Streets is excited to celebrate Black History Month with two episodes that focus on Black history, community, and planning. This week's episode features a panel of Black business owners from around the country!

Speakers include Kira Hibbert, based in Philadelphia, owner and partner at 3BL Developers, and real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Preferred.

Basheera Agyeman, founder and owner of SheWrapz, a Ghanaian-American Muslim educator based in Baton Rouge.

We also heard from Justis Pitt-Goodson (Founder/CEO) and Taha Shimou (COO/Head of Design) at BrownMill Company based in New Jersey.

Press play to hear:

• Statistics on minority-owned businesses and the significance of Black-owned businesses in the community.
• Challenges for Black-owned businesses pre-COVID and present-day and how the speakers overcame them.
• Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and its increased spotlight on supporting Black-owned business. From May 25 to July 1, 2020, there were 2.5 million searches for Black-owned businesses, an increase from only 35,000 searches over the same period in 2019 (an increase of 7,000%), according to a Yelp report highlighting changes in searches for the phrase ‘black-owned.’

Thank you for listening and tune in every-other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources:

Kira's Instagram: Philly Realtor Finds

Basheera’s Instagram: SheWrapz

Justis/Taha: BrownMill Instagram

US Census Bureau: Annual Business Survey

Brookings Institution: To expand the economy, invest in Black businesses

National Bureau of Economic Research: Labor Demand in the time of COVID-19: Evidence from vacancy postings and UI claims

Forbes: Support For Black-Owned Businesses Increases More Than 7,000%, Yelp Reports

If there is one thing most of us can agree on, the professional sports industry is fueled by money. Fan-based revenue is one of the major sources of income, and they need a place to call home. This week Nimo and Jas investigated the impact of sports stadium construction deals on cities, specifically the San Francisco 49ers Levi’s Stadium that opened in 2014. The average cost of an NFL stadium is $1.2 billion. Should local taxpayers and governments be responsible for paying for a portion of the costs? And is the perceived economic benefits of the stadium a valid argument why the public should chip in on the bill? Press play to hear:

• The sports economics literature on why or why not cities should invest in sports stadiums.
• History of the San Francisco 49ers team, locations, and impact compared to other NFL teams.
• A deep dive into the stadium deal between Santa Clara and the SF 49ers, including the initial ballot measure, project costs, and funding distribution by each party.
• Alternatives for funding and constructing sports stadiums with less public resources.

Thank you for listening and tune in every-other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources:

How are we funding professional sports stadiums? An overview

Do Economists Agree on Anything? Yes!

The Economics of Sports Stadiums: Does public financing of sports stadiums create local economic growth, or just help billionaires improve their profit margin?

Forbes: Sports Money: 2020 NFL Valuations

Truth in Accounting: Financial State of Cities 2020

Bayview–Hunters Point, San Francisco

National Building Museum: Documenting Crossroads: The Coronavirus in Poor, Minority Communities

Game On: 49ers Stadium Measure Wins Approval – NBC Bay Area

Levi's Stadium: 49ers happy,

Happy Spring! This week we have a special treat. Nimo and Jas met up in DC for the first time since starting Four Degrees to the Streets to record this episode in-person. In addition to the audio recording, you can also watch this episode’s full visual recording on our Instagram. “Where the Money Reside” is all about how local governments develop their budget. The budget process determines implementation for policies, plans, and programs, which will naturally impact residents and their quality of life. Press play to hear:

• An overview of every fiscal year’s budget process: formulation, legislation, execution, and accountability.
• Examples of how cities can incorporate equity into the budget process and accountability reporting.

Thank you for listening and tune in every-other Tuesday where Nimo and Jas keep it Four Degrees to the Streets.

Watch the special in-person episode here.

Watch the promotional video here.

Special thanks to video producer/director @vibesbyjune.

Filmed and recorded at CAMPspace content studio in Hyattsville, MD.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @the4degreespod.

Or send us an email to connect with us!

Resources:

Step-by-Step Activities in the Budget Process

Budget Preparation Procedures for Cities and Towns

Urban Institute State and Local Finance Initiative

NYC Guidelines for Capital Funding

What is the Local Government Annual Budget Process?

An introductory guide to creating local budgets

Are Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports Useless?