Past events and recordings
Catch up on Petaluma Urban Chat events you may have missed — and explore curated videos that highlight our four pillars: housing, transportation, city finances, and climate action.
Use the category filter to find what you’re looking for. Select ‘event’ to see recordings of Urban Chat past events.
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Helping Make Petaluma’s Streets Safer for Everyone
March 25, 2026
Petaluma, under new state laws, has been posting lowered traffic limits in downtown and near schools. While this is a good start, traffic speeds are more effectively—and safely—reduced by how streets are designed and how drivers perceive a safe and appropriate speed…
Helping with the Next Step for SMART
March 11, 2026
Last fall, Urban Chat collected over 300 signatures on petitions to renew the sales tax that is an essential funding source for the SMART train. Our signatures were part over 72,000 signatures collected in Sonoma and Marin Counties, easily qualifying for the June 2 election. Now, the task before us is to ensure the ballot measure passes.
Dennis Rosatti of Rosatti Consulting will speak with Urban Chat’s Know Before You Grow about how the campaign…
Carter Lavin on Effective Transportation Advocacy
December 10, 2025
Author Carter Lavin will speak with Know Before You Grow about his recently published book If You Want to Win, You've Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy. Lavin will talk about how to advocate for all aspects of improved mobility from protected bike lanes to more useful transit.…
The SMART Initiative: What's at stake for the North Bay
August 27, 2025
Join Urban Chat’s Know Before You Grow forum as political consultant Dennis Rosatti discusses the future of the North Bay’s community rail system, the coalition behind the proposed SMART Initiative, and how Petalumans can help keep trains running…
Building neighborhoods for people, not machines
March 12, 2024
Living car-free is a goal for many in Petaluma. Culdesac gave the residents of Tempe, Arizona a chance to reach this goal. So have other places like Barcelona's Super Blocks and the under-construction Merwede District in the Netherlands. Come hear a veteran of people-first developments…
Petaluma Transit is fare-free!
August 28, 2024
Petaluma Transit going fare-free in July has raised questions about how public transportation is funded. Rachel Ede, the Transit Director of Santa Rosa City Bus, has agreed to talk with us about transit funding in California…
Human Transit with Jarrett Walker
February 28, 2024
To meet Petaluma's ambitious carbon neutrality goals we must shift 70% of automobile trips to other modes of transportation!
Join Know Before You Grow for a discussion of Human Transit with Dr. Jarett Walker…
Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World
January 18, 2024
The Parking Reform Network, whose founder Tony Jordan spoke to KBYG in August, will host an online presentation by author Henry Grabar . Grabar wrote “Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World”, currently the hottest book on parking and one that comes highly recommended by parking guru Donald Shoup…
Tactical Urbanism for Educators and Students
January 10, 2024
Our first forum of 2024 returns to the subject of Tactical Urbanism! This was a hot topic at Petaluma’s 2023 Better Cities Film Festival held last September and continues to percolate in the hearts and minds of Petalumans working on making our city a better place for everyone…
Intelligent Speed Assistance
May 10, 2023
What if vehicle speeds could be restricted to the posted speed limit?
Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) is an automotive technology to restrict travel to posted speed limits.
America Walks has set a goal of 50 U.S. communities adopting ISA for their entire fleet. Ventura County has already committed to the change…