In this episode, Art Pearce, Deputy Director of Planning, Projects and Programs at the Bureau of Transportation for the City of Portland, shares how a city’s internal culture can either hinder or propel urban transformation. Drawing from nearly three decades of public service, he discusses Portland’s deep-rooted legacy in sustainable transport and land use, and the strategic shift to viewing civic evolution through a change management lens. Art delves into co-creation, bureaucracy’s emotional “pizza dough,” and how psychological readiness shapes infrastructure success. The conversation spans curb management, equity, and rekindling confidence in public systems through intentional, people-centred design.

Episode Overview:

• [00:01:49] Teaser: “Portland would be proudly a confusing pizza…”

• [00:03:04] Guest background: from housing advocacy to transport planning.

• [00:04:52] Housing and transport: interdependencies and equity.

• [00:07:10] Portland’s values-driven, process-heavy urban approach.

• [00:10:44] Defining change management for cities.

• [00:13:44] Change vs. transition: structural vs. psychological shift.

• [00:16:34] Lessons from Vision Zero and NYC’s public space evolution.

• [00:19:36] Co-creation examples: tactical urbanism and logistics decarbonisation.

• [00:23:07] Bureaucracy as pizza dough: internal cultural alignment.

• [00:26:26] Avoiding consensus paralysis while sustaining inclusion.

• [00:30:06] Curb management: a dynamic space for innovation.

• [00:32:45] Innovation checklist: why cities resist solutions without clear problems.

• [00:37:37] Challenges post-2019: mental health, homelessness, funding gaps.

• [00:41:07] Missing tool: sustainable funding models beyond gas taxes.

• [00:42:54] Empowering public sector staff for agency and impact.

• [00:46:46] Ending question: “To you, what is a Smart City?”

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