Pulitzer Prize-winning author Francis Fitzgerald joins the podcast this week to talk about her 1986 book, Cities on a Hill. We discuss the different “visionary” communities described in the book, including Rajneeshpuram in Oregon, San Francisco’s Castro district, Sun City retirement communities, and Jerry Falwell’s moral majority in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Talking Headways Podcast: Cities on a Hill

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Kea Wilson

Streetsblog USA

‘I’m Always on the Bus’: How Transit Advocacy Helped Katie Wilson Become Seattle’s Next Mayor

Lucia Cappella is a Los Angeles-based writer, advocate, and current Outreach Coordinator for the Festival Trail. She is passionate about expanding access to arts programming, public transportation, and urban nature — seeing these spaces as vital to creating more connected, empathetic, and resilient communities.

Lucia Cappella

Talia Goddard is an undergraduate student at Occidental College double-majoring in Urban &amp; Environmental Policy and Economics. She interned with the Festival Trail during the summer of 2025. As a Los Angeles native, Talia was drawn to the project’s commitment to creating a positive Olympic legacy for the city. Her studies currently center on global climate policy, sustainable cities, and urban history through art. Outside the classroom, she works as a photographer and enjoys highlighting community stories and urban landscapes.

Talia Goddard

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Fletcher Wilson

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Josh Vredevoogd

How to Defeat Car Culture in America’s Deadliest City for Pedestrians

Marissa Bell is a senior studying civil engineering at the University of Texas at Austin who undertook a semester-long research project on accessibility.

Marissa Bell

On a Roll: Feds Inch Closer to Finally Achieving Key Goal of Americans With Disabilities Act

Streetsblog LA

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Streetsblog Los Angeles

Joe Linton

Metro

Metro Plans to Spend Nearly $900M Expanding Freeways Next Year, a 40 Percent Increase

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Chris Greenspon is the San Gabriel Valley Reporter for Streetsblog L.A. and co-host for SGV Connect.