Planning Livable Downtowns with Brent Toderian

Planning Livable Downtowns with Brent Toderian

From The War on Cars by The War on Cars, LLC

February 24, 2026 · 48 min · Episode 167

About this episode

Brent Toderian discusses making downtowns more livable and attractive, the value of regulation for developers, and the mission of the Urban Truth Collective.

Brent Toderian has decades of experience in city planning, urban design, and transportation. He was chief planner for the city of Vancouver from 2006 to 2012, a time when the city hosted and was transformed by the Winter Olympics. As a consultant, Brent has advised and collaborated with folks from Auckland to Buenos Aires to Copenhagen to Reykjavik, and he often sparks conversation on social media, where he is one of the most prominent voices advocating for more human and humane urban design. We talked with him about how to make downtowns attractive and livable for families, why developers should value regulation, and that legendary urban Costco in Vancouver. Plus, Brent gives us the scoop on the new Urban Truth Collective and its mission to beat back the lies people tell about cities. Join The War on Cars on Patreon and listen to exclusive ad-free versions of regular episodes, Patreon-only bonus content, Discord access, invitations to live events, merch discounts and free stickers! Find out more about Brent Toderian and all his projects at his website , and follow him on Bluesky . And check out the brand-new Urban Truth Collective , Brent's collaboration with Tom Flood and Grant…

People in this episode

Host: The War on Cars

Guest: Brent Toderian

Topics covered

  • city planning
  • urban design
  • transportation
  • livable downtowns
  • human-centered design

Keywords

  • Brent Toderian
  • urban design
  • city planning
  • livable downtowns
  • Urban Truth Collective

Sponsors

Cleverhood

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Urban Truth Collective

Products: Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile

Places: Vancouver, Auckland, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Reykjavik

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