What Will It Take to Prepare Our Cities For the Impending Influx of Seniors? (Greg Shill)

What Will It Take to Prepare Our Cities For the Impending Influx of Seniors? (Greg Shill)

Author: StreetsblogUSA June 17, 2025 Duration: 39:17

As the Baby Boomer set ages out of driving, are American cities ready to support their changing transportation needs — and what policies should they be writing right now to help seniors and their neighbors weather the silver tsunami? 

Today, we're posting an extended audio version of our earlier conversation with the fantastic author, attorney, and law professor Greg Shill about his contributions to the new book "Law and the 100 Year Life". And in it, we dig into thorny questions about whether we need to reject what he calls "design essentialism" and accept the necessity of traffic enforcement; what it will take to get America's seniors to move to places that can support their changing mobility needs (or for the leaders of the places they already live to make it possible for more seniors to get around in more ways); and, of course, golf carts. 



You hear a lot about electric cars and futuristic transit, but what about the fundamental shift required to build cities where driving isn't a daily necessity? That's the terrain explored on The Brake: A Streetsblog Podcast. Hosted by the team at StreetsblogUSA, this series moves beyond the headlines to engage with the activists, planners, writers, and community members who are actively reimagining American streets. Each conversation digs into the real-world work of dismantling car dependency, examining the policy choices, cultural norms, and historical decisions that got us here. The discussions are grounded in the intersecting categories of society, commentary, culture, and news, offering a nuanced lens on everything from bike lane debates and public transit equity to the subtle ways our built environment shapes daily life. This isn't just a technical talk about infrastructure; it's about the human stories and the political movement fighting for safer, more connected, and less congested communities. Tune in for a podcast that acts as a vital pit stop for understanding the complex, often frustrating, but ultimately hopeful push to take our foot off the gas and build a different future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 89

The Brake: A Streetsblog Podcast
Podcast Episodes
What's Missing From the 'Safe Systems' Approach (Roger Millar) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:03
If you've been following Streetsblog for a while, you might have heard of famed planner/engineer/all-around transportation superstar Roger Millar, not least for his recent leadership as the head of the Washington state D…
When You Can't Drive in America's Hottest City (Mayor Kate Gallego) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:43
More than a decade ago, Kate Gallego had a seizure that temporarily cost her the ability to drive – and opened her eyes to the difficulty of getting around her city of Phoenix, Arizona without a car. Now, in her third te…
How to Build a Car-Light Neighborhood From Scratch — Even in Texas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:10
Across America, a new class of developers are building car-free neighborhoods from scratch — or at least, they're building places where residents don't need to drive quite as much as their suburban neighbors. But can the…