Podcast
Fast Forward
Hosted by CoMotion · EN
Fast Forward is a bi-weekly podcast covering the revolution in urban mobility. Hosted by urban researcher Nick Perloff-Giles, each episode features a guest on the front lines of the transformation in transportation, along with fun and incisive commentary on that week’s news.
Visit www.comotionla.com to find out more about our flagship gathering convening the top players shaping the future of mobility.
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Building at the Neighborhood Level with Vanessa Velasco
2w ago00:26:23Tap to summarizeWhat if our urban planning started not with a metro stop or apartment, but with a neighborhood as the unit of analysis? On this episode, guest host and CoMotion co-founder Tim Gribaudi sits down with Vanessa Velasco, Habitat Chief Secretary of Bogota, to talk about her efforts to address Bogota's affordable housing through acquisition, home improvement, and rental housing programs. The ambitious plan aims to allocate 75,000 affordable housing subsidies and provide financing incentives to address the substantial housing deficit in Bogota.
Transcribe →Where the Smart Money is Moving with Reilly Brennan
Jun 400:34:03Tap to summarizeOn this episode of Fast Forward, host Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Trucks VC co-founder Reilly Brennan, for a conversation about where capital is going in mobility after the frothy days of the SPAC-heavy 2010s.
Transcribe →CoMotion MIAMI 2026 Retrospective with Mobility Matters
May 700:53:44Tap to summarizeTake a look back at some of the most interesting conversations at CoMotion MIAMI 2026 on this special episode of Fast Forward, hosted this time by Javier Bettancourt of Mobility Matters!
Transcribe →CoMotion Miami 2026 Preview
Apr 2100:24:36Tap to summarizeA sneak peek of what's to come next week at CoMotion Miami 2026, plus a few standout moments from last year's panels.
Transcribe →Women Changing Cities with Melissa Bruntlett
Apr 700:30:33Tap to summarizeFor more than a century, conventional urban planning has prioritized the efficient movement of passengers from the core to the periphery. But what if this system ignores the transportation needs of most people? In this episode, host Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Melissa Bruntlett, author of "Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation", a book that showcases how female leaders are transforming cities through people-focused, sustainable, and inclusive urban design, using case studies from cities like Paris, Bogotá, and Manila to highlight their success in creating safer, more livable spaces.
Transcribe →What Do Sustainable Supply Chains Look Like? with Abhilasha Bhola
Mar 2400:22:57Tap to summarizeOn this episode, host Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Abhilasha Bhola, Director of the Auto Supply Chain Campaign at Public Citizen, to discuss their newest report, which identifies the leaders (and losers) in the race for transparency and sustainability in the electric vehicle supply chain.
Transcribe →What's Next in Urbanizing China with Lola Woetzel
Mar 1200:21:12Tap to summarizeSince opening to foreign investment and trade, China has seen an ensuing urbanization that would make industrial economies of the 19th century blush: Beijing alone went from 20,000 cars to about 6 million in 40 years. Along the way, hundreds of miles of high speed rail, thousands of layers of digital infrastructure, and countless new housing units came with that urbanization - but what has China learned from its breakneck urbanization, and what will places like the Arabian Gulf take from it? To answer that, host Nick Perloff-Giles is joined by Lola Woetzel, China expert and Founder & Partner at Global6, a global advisory firm.
Transcribe →China's Networked Mobility Revolution with Bill Russo
Feb 1700:40:15Tap to summarizeChinese giants like BYD have surged in the share of previously impenetrable markets like the EU and the Gulf, prompting concern by policymakers and excitement by consumers looking to save on their next car. How did we get here? Where does the industry go from here? To answer that, host Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Automobility's Bill Russo, former auto executive and expert in the automotive industry, to discuss how China isn't just rethinking auto manufacturing - it's rethinking what a mobility industry even looks like.
Transcribe →Powered Up: E-Bikes and the Future of Shared Mobility with Laura Krull
Jan 2000:21:41Tap to summarizeIn this episode of CoMotion’s Fast Forward podcast, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Laura Krull, Senior Policy Manager at Lyft Urban Solutions, to discuss the rapidly changing world of electrified bikeshare. Bikeshare is suddenly becoming half mobility service, half distributed battery network - how should planners, policymakers, and riders be thinking about the change?
Transcribe →Getting the Boring Things Right with Shin-Pei Tsay
Jan 600:25:06Tap to summarizeIn municipal elections across the country recently, incumbent mayors faced recall challenges. Not so in Boston, where Mayor Michelle Wu ran unopposed in a race that affirmed her positive, proactive approach to governing. In this episode, Nick sits down with Shin-Pei Tsay, the chief research and data officer and executive director at the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM); Shin-pei has led a variety of efforts to reimagine city services to be more efficient, equitable, and fun, and speaks about the challenges and opportunities therein.
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