Placemaking in the Silicon Valley

Castro Street, Downtown Mountain View

(www.rofo.com)

Back in April I was interviewed by the great Russell Hancock for his radio show Inside Silicon Valley. We discussed the ongoing renaissance of Downtown Redwood City and how it came to be. Russ was kind enough to invite me back for another interview. This time it was a double interview with my friend and mentor, Bruce Liedstrand. Bruce was the Community Development Director for Redwood City when things really got under way there, and he was City Manager for Mountain View, California when they revitalized their downtown.

The three of us discussed the success of Redwood City and Mountain View and what lessons they may offer for creating more nice places within the Silicon Valley. Presently, the Silicon Valley isn't known for comfortable, walkable, and vibrant urbanism; rather, it is known for corporate office parks and car-oriented suburban development. There are great places in Silicon Valley, though, and there can be more. 

It was a great conversation. Russ is really passionate and knowledgeable of urban planning issues and he did a great job of guiding the discussion and making it relevant and interesting for a wider Silicon Valley audience. 

The interview is embedded below. I hope you like it.

If you're interested in more thoughts on Silicon Valley placemaking from Bruce and me, here are a few links for you:

• My previous interview with Russ regarding the renaissance of Downtown Redwood City
• My blog post on Silicon Valley transit and urbanism
• My blog post on the renaissance of Downtown Redwood City
• Bruce's interview with the Urbanism Speakeasy podcast regarding the success of Downtown Mountain View
• Bruce's Common Sense Community Design blog

Finally, you can listen to past episodes of Russ' show here or at the iTunes store.