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Sunday Video: CityNerd’s Best Transit Cities in North America

Doug Trumm — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 20:12:59 +0000

Ray Delahanty of CityNerd ranked the top transit cities in North America based on the metric of 2024 transit rides per capita for the metropolitan region. Seattle narrowly makes Ray’s top 15 list at #14, with 41 transit trips per capita — though he also notes that Seattle is likely to climb the list as it light rail system expands. Ray pointed to the huge frequency boost that the imminent 2 Line extension will provide for the interlined light rail segment from Lynnwood to Downtown Seattle.

Overall U.S. cities were underrepresented on the list, with Canada punching far above its population weight. Large U.S. metropolitan regions sit as low as 7.5 annual transit trips per capita in Dallas (the worst performing region) or as high as 179.9 trips in New York City, but the Big Apple is very much the outlier. In contrast, Canada’s baseline is much higher, even for smaller metro areas. And Mexico has some standouts too, even among smaller cities.

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Sunday Video: What Drives Bikeshare Success and Mediocrity?

Stephen Fesler — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Bikeshare growth has waxed and waned over the years. The first systems were dock-based and publicly-owned. Newer systems promised flexibility through dockless bikes at little to no public cost, backed in large part by tech-fueled venture capital. Nevertheless, the impact of systems vary greatly today in terms of cost, coverage, equipment availability, and compatibility. Uytae Lee of About Here digs into what sets apart North American bikeshare systems, particularly those in Canada. Spoiler alert: Seattle’s contemporary system doesn’t come out good on cost to riders!

Seattle Scootershare Ridership Continues to Surge, as Critics Make Regulatory Push

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Sunday Video: Marshawn Lynch Bikes to Victory, Seattle Seahawks Superbowl Edition

Doug Trumm — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 21:36:22 +0000

Marshawn Lynch is rooting on his former team, the Seattle Seahawks, as they compete in the Superbowl today, and it’s likely he’s biking to the game. At least that’s how Lynch got to the playoff game on January 25, as fans snapped pictures of him rolling though Pioneer Square on a rented Lime seated scooter on his way to Lumen Field — arriving how many of the fans in the upper bowl arrive, skipping the crowded parking garages.

from The Everything App…Marshawn Lynch riding a bike to Lumen

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— Rock Me Amadeus Ex Machina (@mikeall.bsky.social) January 25, 2026 at 3:04 PM

At that game, the Seahawks punched their ticket to the Superbowl, which is taking place in Santa Clara, California, just south of Lynch’s native Oakland, where he’s also no stranger to two-wheeled transportation. As Seahawks fan are all too familiar, the team is looking for redemption against the New England Patriots, who defeated them in their last Super Bowl appearance in 2015, after the coaching staff opted to try a pass play in the final seconds of the game, rather than just give the ball to their dominant running back in Lynch. The pass was intercepted, dooming the Seahawks’ comeback attempt.

Today, the Seahawks find themselves favorites to win, but 2015 proved there are no sure things, even when the ball is on the one-yard line and Marshawn is in your backfield.

Lynch has remained beloved by fans and a continuing presence via his cameo appearances on numerous shows and movies, known for his love of bicycles and all around having a good time. The former football star has done a number of these “ride out” events with SE Bikes, including a tour of Tokyo, where critical mass rides are less common. Maybe it won’t stay that way for long!

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Sunday Video: What is ‘Carbrain’?

Stephen Fesler — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 19:44:23 +0000

In urban transportation circles, the term “carbrain” often comes up in conversation as a pejorative for people who have a bias toward car dominance in society, whether conscious or not. There is growing research into the prevalence and impact of motornomativity in American society, raising real questions about unchallenged assumptions that cars and their societal effects are simply a static and normal fact of life. In today’s Sunday Video, Ray Delahanty of CityNerd dives into the research and this societal phenomenon.

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Sunday Video: North America Has an Elevator Problem

Stephen Fesler — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 17:00:57 +0000

Canada and the United States have the fewest elevators per capita in the developed world, and costs are wildly more expensive than abroad. Installation costs are three times higher than abroad and ongoing annual maintenance is 10 higher than Europe. As a result, developers often try to avoid installing elevators if they don’t have to. However, there’s a genuine need in taller buildings for elevators to serve residents who are disabled, have young children, or who simply don’t have the energy to trudge up and down stairs.

In this video, Uytae Lee of About Here teamed up with Sightline Institute to talk about North America’s elevator problem. Lee discusses in depth how North American regulations are a significant driver for elevator costs and may be ripe for serious reform to make elevators affordable and desirable to install in smaller residential buildings. While the effort came up short in the Washington State Legislature’s 2025 session, a reform bill is back in 2026.

Elevator Reform Falls Short at Washington Legislature

Washington Senate Greenlights Elevator Reform Aimed at Boosting Midrise Homebuilding

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Sunday Video: Seoul Removed Highway, Restored River, and Traffic Got Better

Stephen Fesler — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 21:04:33 +0000

For decades, Seoul had a major elevated highway passing east-west through the central city where a river once ran. It was viewed as progress in the burgeoning capital city, but plans were put into place to remove it in the early 2000s. The highway removal has repeatedly been a source of inspiration for similar urban removals, showing how a highway removal project can deliver urban and ecological renewal. The highway removal led to daylighting a stream and turning the vast space into a linear, diverse park.

Over past two decades, removal of the highway has led to substantially positive environment and public health outcomes, increased business activity along the corridor, redevelopment, and improving traffic flow. Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes showcases what Cheonggyecheon is like today, including newer improvements in recent years, and discusses the pros and cons of Seoul’s approach.

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Sunday Video: The 15 Million Home Vacancy Conspiracy Theory Debunked

Stephen Fesler — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 17:08:00 +0000

America’s housing woes get blamed on many sources. Some people say “it’s the greedy developers,” others say, “it’s the gentrifiers,” and still others say, “it’s the Blackstones and institutional investors.” But an increasingly common conspiracy theory is that America’s housing woes are the result of 15 million vacant homes.

The idea goes, in part, that investors, banks, government, and other powerful actors are intentionally leaving homes vacant to inflate prices, and that those units could be put to use nearly right away if we wanted to solve homelessness and affordability challenges. Ray Delahanty of CityNerd, however, debunks this popular conspiracy with data, explaining why America doesn’t have anywhere close to 15 million homes readily available to fill the national housing shortage.

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Sunday Video: What Is The YIGBY Housing Movement?

Stephen Fesler — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 21:49:43 +0000

Millions of acres of land are held by faith-based organizations in America, with many thousands of properties currently underutilized or vacant. Faith-based organizations are, therefore, increasingly trying to repurpose some or all of their properties for beneficial community uses, fulfilling their moral social missions. In this episode, Dave Amos of City Beautiful talks about a growing national movement of faith-based organizations that are seeking to put their landholdings to work for housing, known as Yes-In-God’s-Backyard (YIGBY), and the obstacles that the movement faces.

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Holiday Video: Why Are They Making Up Nonsense About Our Cities? Portland Edition

Doug Trumm — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 21:20:18 +0000

Ray Delahanty of CityNerd pushes back on doomsday conservative portrayals of Portland, Oregon by taking a bike tour of the city, showing lots of vibrant street life, urban redevelopment, and some great safe streets interventions for people walking, rolling, and biking. It’s important to center accurate information about American cities, rather than propaganda designed to stoke fear and drive a backward agenda.

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Sunday Video: Is Mass Timber Revolutionizing Midrise and Highrise Design?

Stephen Fesler — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 15:30:00 +0000

Mass timber midrise and highrise construction has been catching on across the globe in recent years. It can be a less expensive option to conventional steel construction and lead to faster construction timelines, while being a more sustainable and fire resistant construction method. Earlier this year, Urbanarium hosted a design competition for mass timber projects. Uytae Lee of About Here ticks through the design entrants and their unique contributions to the competition, showcasing the vast architectural diversity possible with the construction method.

Downtown Mass-Timber Tower Project Meets Resistance at Seattle Landmark Board

Affordable U District Tower Will Be Seattle’s Tallest Mass Timber Building

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