Episode Guest: Aaron Naparstek ’93, co-host, producer, and creator of The War on Cars.
About Our Guest: Aaron Naparstek ’93 is a co-host, producer, and creator of The War on Cars, a popular podcast dedicated to pushing back against the pernicious effects of car culture and automobile dominance. He is also the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog, a publication covering urban transportation, land use and environmental issues, with outlets in six U.S. cities.
In this episode, Aaron discusses car-free advocacy, the arc of change, and personal stories from turning passion into policy. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience as part of the Gephardt Institute’s inaugural Civic Action Week in Sept. of 2022.
About This Civic Moment
In a time of hyper-partisanship and the reconsideration of the narrative of the United States, what is the state of American democracy and the relationship between social solidarity and civic engagement? How can we reflect on the values that undergird our democracy and civic existence to envision a healthy and vibrant civic future?
This podcast, hosted by the Engage Democracy Fellows at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement at Washington University, seeks answers to these questions while providing listeners with multiple angles to inquire, reflect, and discern our civic identity and calling as a community.
In this episode, Kelly and Shavanna discuss the April 2023 St. Louis Municipal Elections as part of their Monday Night Live YouTube series. Some of the themes included taxes on recreational marijuana, the Ferguson mayoral race, St. Louis City’s ward reduction to 14 alderpeople, ward funding, various school board elections in the county, St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees elections, and more.
In this episode, Annie joins Eric Reiter and Bethany Copeland, of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, to discuss her journey into politics, recent changes in the St. Louis aldermanic landscape, and provide guidance on navigating local government.
In this episode, Blake joins Eric Reiter and Bethany Copeland, of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, to discuss carceral systems, localized reparations, public safety as community wellness, and how to create more equitable structural changes within the law.
In this episode, Tony joins Eric Reiter and Bethany Copeland, of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, to discuss conflict, complexity, how journalism is essential to democracy, and why the news in St. Louis is so relevant to the rest of the country.
In this episode, Dr. Inazu joins Eric Reiter and Bethany Copeland, of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, to discuss authentic relationship building, how law affects activism, and the value of bringing faith identities into public discourse.
