How the Car-triarchy Took Over Cities • Andy Boneau Ep97
Traffic engineer, storyteller, and safe streets advocate Andy Boneau joins Katie Patrick to unpack the hidden history of how North American cities became dominated by the automobile.
We explore how engineering standards, psychology, and powerful lobbying reshaped our streets over the past century—and why oversized parking lots, wide roads, and unsafe intersections aren't accidents, but the result of deliberate design choices.
Andy reveals the invisible systems behind our built environment—and why changing a single street requires understanding the much bigger system that created it.
In this episode, sustainability professionals will learn how to:
Understand the historical and psychological forces that made the automobile the default priority in modern cities.
Recognize the hidden assumptions built into traffic engineering and urban planning that shape everyday decisions.
Identify why parking minimums, wide roads, and car-first infrastructure persist—even when they no longer serve communities well.
Frame conversations about safer streets around human wellbeing and quality of life rather than simply opposing cars.
Take the first practical steps toward working with local governments to improve streets, public spaces, and neighborhood design.
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How to Save the World explores the psychology of designing climate action that works. Environmental engineer, designer, and author Katie Patrick dives into the latest behavioral science from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and other leading research institutions to uncover the evidence-based principles that inspire people to adopt sustainable behaviors. Each episode turns academic research into practical tools you can use to grow participation, change behavior at scale, and reach the tipping point of change in your community.
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