by Megan Smith

Covid-19 perpetuated a worldwide pause in which problems of the city unit such as spatial justice, urban planning and living, food production, and city architecture became more salient and were critically analyzed. The realities of climate change also became clear as the cessation of global travel and social-economic activities improved air quality and decreased water pollution (Rume & Islam, 2020). As the world begins to reopen, humans have the opportunity to use the insight gained from the societal closures to reimagine new cityscapes and develop environmentally-conscious living practices. OTH has gathered relevant recent episodes of podcasts discussing topics in the Urban humanities, a field that has been addressing these problems since long before the pandemic and offers innovative ideas, practices, and solutions to living sustainably and rebuilding more equitable cities.

Rume, T., & Islam, S. (2020). Environmental effects of COVID-19 pandemic and potential strategies of sustainability. Heliyon, 6(9), e04965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04965

Urban Homesteading- Heirloom Skills and Permaculture

LISTEN: https://pdcastsusworldradio.libsyn.com/urban-homesteading-heirloom-skills-and-permaculture 

Architecture and Design

“For Trey Trahan, founder of Trahan Architects, human connection, ecology, and unvarnished beauty encompass the core ethos of his work which primarily focuses on creating cultural architectural spaces. With roots in New Orleans, and their global perspective based in New York, they have risen to the rank of the number one design firm by Architect 50, an official publication of the American Institute of Architects. He leads his firm with the conviction of bringing humility and awareness into a mindful design process to create authentic spaces that elevate our lives and the human experience.” via reSITE

LISTEN: https://www.resite.org/stories/trey-trahan-on-building-sacred-spaces-for-connection

Spatial Justice

“We often think of our cities and towns as their own entities in control of what they do, and for a good part history they have been. On this episode, we’re going to look at how emerging tensions with states and the erosion of  Local Control has been playing out in our communities and impacting spatial issues including the environment, economic development, and social issues.” via Isn’t that Spatial

LISTEN: https://isntthatspatial.net/episodes/2019/4/18/local-control

Public Water Access and Sustainability

LISTEN: https://anchor.fm/urd

Digital Society 


 

LISTEN: https://mysmart.community/podcast/

by Chris Plattsmier

There is an abundance of great podcasts coming out of libraries of all scale and size, ranging from small community colleges to some of the larger public branches in the country. Then there is the bundle of podcasts produced by industry-adjacent services, products, organizations, media, etc. that make finding a quality listen even harder. OTH wanted to share a list of podcasts and episodes to pair with our latest issue, which focused on topics related to environmental history and studies, for our readers to enjoy and add to their listening list moving forward. 

Don’t see your favorite podcast related to libraries, climate change, and the environment? Let us know!


In This Climate

A podcast from Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute and The Media School focusing on engaging scientists on the front lines of environmental resilience battles and legislation, plus ways you can stay resilient.

 

TILclimate Podcast

Produced by MIT, these 10 minute listens are a great way to learn or engage students about the science, technologies, and policies driving climate change and it’s possible solutions. 


 

Yale Climate Collection

“Yale Climate Connections is a nonpartisan, multimedia service providing daily broadcast radio programming and original web-based reporting, commentary, and analysis on the issue of climate change, one of the greatest challenges and stories confronting modern society.”

Check out one of their recent pieces, “Chicago nonprofit transforms old library into climate-friendly headquarters”, to get an idea of some of the daily/weekly stories that YCC produces.


More Options

The Society of Environmental Journalists compiled a great list of podcasts to listen to related to climate change, environmental studies, environmental justice, and more to check out if you are interested. Also, the library at the University of Colorado recently announced a new podcast, “Why We Did This”, that explores access to climate research as a human right.