Where Does 'Motonormativity' Come From — And Which Country Has It Worst? (Marco te Brömmelstroet and Ian Walker)

Where Does 'Motonormativity' Come From — And Which Country Has It Worst? (Marco te Brömmelstroet and Ian Walker)

Author: StreetsblogUSA May 6, 2025 Duration: 29:28

Are Americans really more "car-brained" than their peers in the UK or the Netherlands — and if they are, what can make us change? 

The Brake is back from its spring hiatus with the return of two of our all-time favorite guests: researchers Ian Walker and Marco te Brömmelstroet, who teamed up for a new paper about how "motonormativity" manifests across their respective nations and the US. And along the way, they learned some fascinating insights about where our autocentric attitudes come from in all those coutnries — and what it would really take to change them. 

Tune in now, read the original paper, or check out the innovative crowd-funding platform that fueled this research. 


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…