AMPO’s podcast AmpedUp features conversations with people who shine a light on the topics that matter most to the MPO community. You can listen below, and you’ll also find episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Contact AMPO Transportation Planning Manager Ellen Zavisca with your suggestions for topics or speakers.
Season two episode four of Amped Up is now available!
In this episode, AMPO Transportation Planning Manager, Ellen Zavisca, chats with Tony Jordan of the Parking Reform Network about what led him to the fairly niche field of parking reform and how parking policies effect walkability, transit access, and transportation planning in general.
A few helpful links related to the conversation:
Amped Up episodes are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Click the button below to listen on your browser.
Season two episode three of Amped Up is now available!
In this episode, Ellen chats with the friendly folks of Minnesota about the state’s greenhouse gas regulations that are just starting to have an effect on transportation projects across the state. Her guests are: Jonathan Ehrlich, Senior Manager of Transportation Research with the Metropolitan Council, the MPO for the Twin Cities region; Stephanie Halford, Executive Director of the MPO in Grand Forks, ND, which is a bi-state MPO in both MN and North Dakota; and Chris Berrens, GHG Impact Assessment Director with Minnesota DOT.
The podcast mentions Colorado’s GHG law, which predates Minnesota’s by a couple of years.
Learn more about ActivitySim, the open-source, activity-based model that the Met Council is moving toward. For even more about travel demand modeling, register for AMPO’s June 5 webinar on the topic.
Amped Up episodes are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Click the button below to listen on your browser.
Season two episode two of Amped Up is now available!
In this episode, Ellen talks with Adam Argo from the Oregon DOT about how the state uses scenario planning to face an uncertain future, and how it engages MPOs along the way.
Some helpful links:
Oregon Transportation Plan and State of the System dashboard
Adam references the book Scenario Planning for Cities and Regions
He also mentions the VisionEval scenario planning tool: VisionEval · VisionEval
Amped Up episodes are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Click the button below to listen on your browser.
We are thrilled to announce the release of our first Amped Up episode of 2025!
Ellen talks with Yonah Freemark from the Urban Institute to get his take on why some transportation ballot measures succeeded and other failed.
Check out his Bluesky threads on 2024 ballot measures: here and here.
Streetsblog also has a summary of local transportation ballot initiatives.
Yonah mentions a couple of groups studying high infrastructure costs, including the Transit Costs Project and Eno’s Project Delivery Resources Hub.
Amped Up episodes are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Click the button below to listen on your browser.
The final episode for 2024 is the result of a collaboration between AMPO and AASHTO CEE.
It explores the novel Blueprint for Arterials, which resulted from a partnership between Missouri DOT and East-West Gateway MPO and is a collaborative vision on how to design ideal roadways – especially arterials – that meet the needs of an ever growing urban and suburban landscape in Missouri. Covering topics such as improved access, safety, and mobility, the Blueprint will ensure that MoDOT builds roads to satisfy all users. In this episode, AASHTO’s Bernie Wagenblast interviews: Paul Hubbman, Senior Manager of Corridor and Long-Range Planning, East-West Gateway COG (the MPO for the St. Louis region); Tom Blair, Missouri DOT, District Engineer for the St. Louis District; and Amanda Brauer, Managing Director of Roads and Traffic, St. Charles County (MO).
Amped Up episodes are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Click the button below to listen on your browser.
We are excited to announce the release of the third episode of Amped Up, AMPO’s podcast!
In this episode, Ellen sits down with Chris Pollard, Manager of the Office of GIS at DVRPC in Philadelphia. Together, they dive into the fascinating world of geospatial mapping and data—unwrapping the tools and techniques that shape the region’s transportation landscape.
Check out DVPRC’s multitude of maps here. Learn more about Code for America.
Amped Up episodes are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Click the button below to listen on your browser.
In this, the second episode of Amped Up, Ellen chats with Kauanoe Batangan, Executive Director of the Maui MPO, about the vital role MPOs play in disaster response and recovery.
More than a year after wildfires devastated Maui, you’ll hear directly from the Maui MPO on their efforts to get back on track. Kauanoe shares valuable insights and offers advice for MPOs who may face or are recovering from similar natural disasters.
This conversation provides a unique opportunity to learn from Maui’s experience and understand how MPOs can prepare for and contribute to disaster resilience and recovery efforts.
To learn more, check out Maui’s Long-Term Recover Plan and FEMA’s Natural Disaster Recovery Framework.
Amped Up episodes are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Click the button below to listen on your browser.
We’re excited to announce AMPO’s inaugural podcast episode, Amped Up! This podcast will serve as a deep dive into the world of MPOs and their crucial role in shaping transportation networks for communities across the country.
In the episode, Ellen talks with Seth LaJeunesse from UNC’s Highway Safety Research Center about the role of data in roadway safety, including the Safe System, FHWA’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program, and the design of vehicles.
Amped Up episodes are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Click the button below to listen on your browser.
