Are our cities making us unhealthy with Kia Silvennoinen

In this episode of Crosswalks and Crosstalks we’re gearing up for the 2026 National Election! In our first episode as a full team we’re bringing you our deep dive into the transport-focused election policies from all the major polling parties (but in the interest of MMP, we’ve focused a little more on what the minor parties are set to offer). The episode is structured into parties by polling order at the time of recording, so we start off with National (05:30-11:31), Labour (11:32-18:00), Greens (18:35-24:43), NZ First (24:44-29:57), Act (29:58-35:54), Opportunity Party (35:55-43:09), and Te Pati Māori (43:10-49:09) We also have our first set of listener questions! Hang out after the main chat to hear the questions our listeners had about transport policies this election (49:10-57:08) Hope you’re all enrolled to vote x Show notes: Check out On a Roll; https://onaroll.nz/ Please email at [email protected] Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosswalksxcrosstalks/ Support the pod: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/UF34A6V4JC7YG

In this mini episode of Crosswalks & Crosstalks, host Gabriela breaks down in bit sized pieces; Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) This episode is part of a new mini series called: Stop, Walk, Talk. This episode explores how fear, safety and access to the city became central to the way we think about urban design. We discuss the women who transformed CPTED through their work on women’s safety, and it’s use as a crime prevention tool. And the story doesn’t stop there. We look at how this feminist approach to urban safety made its way to Aotearoa, and its evolution into a feminist tool. “The bedrock attribute of a successful city district is that a person must feel personally safe and secure on its streets.” Jane Jacobs (1961, p. 30)

What if the future of transport in Aotearoa isn’t more roads, but more trains? In this episode of Crosswalks & Crosstalks, we’re joined by Lindsey Horne from Future is Rail - a community advocacy group campaigning for affordable, passenger-focused, interregional rail in Aotearoa. With a background in climate-action behaviour change, Lindsey makes the case for where we can get the biggest bang for our buck when it comes to changing how we move around the country. We talk about why trains are the solution to interregional travel, the dignity and independence they can offer people; their role in getting people to regional centres for healthcare and other services; their potential to reduce transport emissions and deaths and serious injuries; and their resilience when roads are disrupted by natural disasters. We also get into the marriage of bikes and trains, why our transport system needs to be genuinely integrated, and how our obsession with commuting for work has meant we sometimes forget that people travel to cities for all sorts of reasons. Lindsey takes us through where NZ’s rail network has come from, where we are now, and where we could go next, including the uncomfortable history of rail, colonisation, deforestation and stolen land. Finally, Lindsey gives us hope for the future with ideas on what we could actually do tomorrow for a better train network in Aotearoa. We talk about relatively simple wins like adding stops to services such as Te Huia and the Capital Connection, getting private operators involved in routes like Rolleston-Christchurch, and bringing back an overnight Auckland-Wellington train - because if the journey is overnight, who cares if it takes eight or nine hours? Show notes: Please email at [email protected] for all the show notes, and sources. We are happy to provide them! Future is rail website: https://thefutureisrail.org/ Reviving Passenger Rail: A Quick Start Guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pcMToZeIZ0TWeIGZk5LFN47rGr1Frewa/view?usp=sharing Survey with Women in Urbanism Aotearoa: https://thefutureisrail.org/what-we-are-missing-out-on NZ rail plan: https://www.transport.govt.nz/area-of-interest/infrastructure-and-investment/the-new-zealand-rail-plan Map of NZ railways - north island: https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE27807599 Map of NZ railways - South island: https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE27807610 Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosswalksxcrosstalks/ Support the pod: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/UF34A6V4JC7YG

In this episode, Gabriela talks to Wellington councillor Rebecca Matthews, and Tawa Community Board member Miriam Moore about their experiences as women in local politics. They get into topics such as how and why they got into local politics in the first place and how the urban space matters to them, the importance of having someone who represents your values at the table, the blessings and the many curses of social media as a woman in politics, and how supportive female politicians can be of other women regardless of their political affiliations. This is a hopeful episode that might almost convince us that running for local politics can, in fact, be a good time. Show notes: https://www.women.govt.nz/women-leadership/womens-leadership-glance Breaking down barriers for women in politics: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2017/08/breaking-down-barriers-for-women-in-politics How to become a candidate by Election NZ https://elections.nz/guidance-and-rules/candidate-hub/becoming-a-candidate How to run for parliament (and win) https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/15-09-2023/how-to-run-for-parliament-and-win Crosswalks x Crosstalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosswalksxcrosstalks/ Contact us: [email protected] Support the pod: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/UF34A6V4JC7YG

In this mini episode of Crosswalks & Crosstalks, host Gabriela breaks down in bit sized pieces; resource management reform.This episode is part of a new mini series called: Stop, Walk, Talk. Gabriela discusses what the current resource management system is, what the current New Zealand government wants to replace it with, why people are arguing about it, and why this reform matters to you and your daily life. The replacement of Resource Management Act is a big deal. It’s one of the biggest legal and political shakeups in New Zealand since the 90s. From previous governments attempt at resource management reform, to where we are today, this is an episode not to be missed. Unpack the political complexities, the changes proposed, and the next steps from Select Committee who will be reporting back next month.