Topics › Engineering, Transport & Making

Best Transit, cities & urban planning videos, as recommended on Hacker News

132 videos about transit, cities & urban planning that Hacker News commenters keep recommending, mentioned between 2009 and 2026. Mostly explainer, documentary, commentary. Channels that come up most: Not Just Bikes, BicycleDutch, Wendover Productions, Oh The Urbanity!. Sorted by how consistently HN recommended them over the years.

The most recommended is How Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do about it): Frequently recommended in autonomous vehicle and Waymo threads as the main counterargument, a long but worthwhile video essay on how self-driving cars could affect cities.

• commentaryHow Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do about it)Not Just Bikes · 17 HN recommenders · 2024–2026
• explainerStroads are Ugly, Expensive, and Dangerous (and they're everywhere) [ST05]Not Just Bikes · 12 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• commentaryWhy This Channel Exists (and why I hate Houston)Not Just Bikes · 11 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• explainerWhy American Cities Are Broke - The Growth Ponzi Scheme [ST03]Not Just Bikes · 14 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• explainerThe Wrong Way to Set Speed Limits [ST06]Not Just Bikes · 9 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• explainerCities Aren't Loud: Cars Are LoudNot Just Bikes · 10 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• explainerWhy Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)Not Just Bikes · 10 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• explainerHow the Dutch got their cycle pathsBicycleDutch · 9 HN recommenders · 2013–2022
• explainerWhy Japan Looks the Way it Does: ZoningLife Where I'm From · 8 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• explainerThe Best Country in the World for DriversNot Just Bikes · 9 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• explainerWhy Grocery Shopping is Better in AmsterdamNot Just Bikes · 7 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• talkWhat can Seattle learn from Dutch street design?UniversityGreenways · 3 HN recommenders · 2014–2021
• explainerThe Truth about American Cities - Part 1 - Strong Towns [ST01]Not Just Bikes · 7 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• explainerThe LED Traffic Light and the Danger of "But Sometimes!"Technology Connections · 7 HN recommenders · 2019–2024
• explainerWhat People Get Wrong About Dense Urban LivingOh The Urbanity! · 4 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
• commentaryThe Hyperloop: BUSTED!Thunderf00t · 7 HN recommenders · 2016–2023
• explainerWhy We Won't Raise Our Kids in SuburbiaNot Just Bikes · 7 HN recommenders · 2022–2026
• explainerThese Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing UsNot Just Bikes · 11 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• explainerHow Bankrupt American Cities Stay Alive - Debt [ST04]Not Just Bikes · 7 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• explainerTraffic Has a Perfect Solution. Humans Are the Problem.CGP Grey · 6 HN recommenders · 2016–2026
• explainerWhy Trains Suck in AmericaWendover Productions · 6 HN recommenders · 2017–2022
• commentaryWhy Electric Bikes are More Dangerous than MotorcyclesFortNine · 5 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• explainerParking Laws Are Strangling America | Climate TownClimate Town · 6 HN recommenders · 2023–2025
• explainerTraffic Waveswbeaty · 5 HN recommenders · 2013–2022
• explainerCities: Skylines | Power, Politics, & Planning: Episode 1: Parkingdonoteat01 · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2021
• explainerSuburbia is Subsidized: Here's the Math [ST07]Not Just Bikes · 5 HN recommenders · 2022–2026
• documentaryThe Insane Battle To Sabotage a New Apartment Building Explains San Francisco's Housing CrisisReasonTV · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2025
• documentaryThe End of Suburbia - 52 minute documentary on peak oilendofsuburbia · 3 HN recommenders · 2011–2021
• explainerThe Grille Trend that Kills 509 People per YearFortNine · 5 HN recommenders · 2024–2026
• explainerThe Lively & Liveable Neighbourhoods that are Illegal in Most of North AmericaNot Just Bikes · 5 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• explainerWhat People Get Wrong About Induced DemandOh The Urbanity! · 4 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
• explainerThe Houses that Can't be Built in America - The Missing MiddleNot Just Bikes · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
• explainerHow to Make an Attractive CityThe School of Life · 4 HN recommenders · 2015–2018
• explainerThe Gym of LifeNot Just Bikes · 4 HN recommenders · 2022–2026
• explainerDo Your Buses Get Stuck in Traffic? (The Downs-Thomson Paradox)Not Just Bikes · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
• explainerWho else benefits from the Dutch cycling infrastructureBicycleDutch · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2026
• documentaryVienna's Radical Idea? Affordable Housing For AllBloomberg Originals · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• talk36C3 - BahnMining - Pünktlichkeit ist eine Zier - english translationmedia.ccc.de · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• talkGeoffrey West on COMPLEXITYFQxI · 3 HN recommenders · 2014–2018
• other★ Cab ride 🇨🇭St. Moritz - 🇮🇹Tirano (Bernina pass), Switzerland to Italy [10.2019]lorirocks777 · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• lectureAndres Duany Lecture. Suburban Sprawl.Andriy Kosetsky · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2024
• explainerThe Dumbest Excuse for Bad CitiesNot Just Bikes · 4 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• explainerWhy Cars Rarely Crash into Buildings in the NetherlandsNot Just Bikes · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• other[4k, 60 fps] San Francisco, a Trip down Market Street, April 14, 1906Denis Shiryaev · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• explainerTraffic Calming is Everywhere in the NetherlandsNot Just Bikes · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• commentaryThe Suburban Traffic ContradictionOh The Urbanity! · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• explainerWhy Trains are so ExpensiveWendover Productions · 5 HN recommenders · 2017–2022
• explainerHow The Auto Industry Carjacked The American Dream | Climate TownClimate Town · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• explainerWhy China Is so Good at Building RailwaysWendover Productions · 4 HN recommenders · 2018–2021
• explainerStop Signs Suck and We Should Get Rid of ThemNot Just Bikes · 4 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
• explainerThe Dutch Solution for Safer Sidewalks - Continuous SidewalksNot Just Bikes · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• explainerSafe Cycling Showdown - Good vs. Bad City Design - Plus 1 Minus 2Not Just Bikes · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2022
• explainerThe Suburbs Are Bleeding America Dry | Climate Town (feat. @NotJustBikes)Climate Town · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025
• explainerHow an Average Family in Tokyo Can Buy a New HomeLife Where I'm From · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2023
• commentary56 High Speed Rail Links We Should've Built AlreadyRay Delahanty | CityNerd · 3 HN recommenders · 2024–2025
• talkThe Boring Company Information SessionThe Boring Company · 3 HN recommenders · 2018–2019
• explainerThe UK's Failed Experiment in Rail PrivatizationWendover Productions · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• podcastWhat It Really Takes to Convert an Office Building to Apartments | Odd LotsBloomberg Podcasts · 3 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• talkJames Kunstler: How bad architecture wrecked citiesTED · 4 HN recommenders · 2011–2024
• explainerWhy this British crossroads was so dangerousTom Scott · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• documentaryDoes Vienna Have the World's Best Council Housing? Swimming Pools, Private TV Channels & MoreChannel 4 Documentaries · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
• explainerHow American Fire Departments are Getting People KilledNot Just Bikes · 3 HN recommenders · 2024–2025
• talkWhy city flags may be the worst-designed thing you've never noticed | Roman MarsTED · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2023
• explainerThe One Tiny Law That Keeps Amtrak TerribleWendover Productions · 4 HN recommenders · 2023–2025
• explainerThe Non-capitalist Solution to the Housing CrisisAbout Here · 4 HN recommenders · 2022–2023
• documentaryModern Times Streetwise - part 1/4 - 1996 BBC Documentary how become a London cabbie.TaxiWarrior · 3 HN recommenders · 2014–2017
• explainerInduced Demand & Roadway Widening: Everything You Always Wanted to Know (and Weren't Afraid to Ask)Ray Delahanty | CityNerd · 3 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
• talkBahnMining - Pünktlichkeit ist eine Zier (David Kriesel)media.ccc.de · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2026
• explainerThe Miniature Microcars of AmsterdamNot Just Bikes · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• demo[60 fps] The Flying Train, Germany, 1902Denis Shiryaev · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• demoSIMCITY 3000 - MAGNASANTI - 6 MILLION - ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM.flvtasrhgs02 · 2 HN recommenders · 2012–2023
• otherUnbelievably busy bicycle crossing in AmsterdamThomas Schlijper · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• talkTEDxCopenhagen - Mikael Colville-Andersen - Why We Shouldn't Bike with a HelmetTEDx Talks · 2 HN recommenders · 2012–2024
• talkStrong Towns | Charles Marohn | Talks at GoogleTalks at Google · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2022
• explainerCar-free Streets are Amazing (and we need more of them)Not Just Bikes · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2022
• documentaryOldest US mall blends old/modern with 225-sq-ft micro-loftsKirsten Dirksen · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2022
• explainerSuburbs that don't Suck - Streetcar Suburbs (Riverdale, Toronto)Not Just Bikes · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• explainerCBTC: Communications-Based Train Controlmtainfo · 2 HN recommenders · 2015–2022
• commentaryAmerica Always Gets This Wrong (when building transit)Not Just Bikes · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025
• explainerThis high-speed rail project is a warning for the USVox · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2023
• explainerBusiness Parks Suck (but they don't have to)Not Just Bikes · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025
• explainerWhy Everywhere in the US is Starting to Look the SameWendover Productions · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
• demoWho's faster around London: a taxi driver or a GPS?Tom Scott plus · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2026
• commentaryCities Without PeopleJacob Geller · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• explainerWhy North America Can't Build Nice Apartments (because of one rule)About Here · 3 HN recommenders · 2023–2025
• commentaryChina's Bicycle sharing WENT INSANE!serpentza · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2018
• explainerWhy the Dutch Wait Less at Traffic LightsNot Just Bikes · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• explainerStrong Towns: Property Tax vs. Land Value "Tax" (LVT)John Snow · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2022
• documentaryTaken for a Ride - The U.S. History of the Assault on Public Transport in the Last CenturyPEACE REBEL · 2 HN recommenders · 2015–2025
• explainerThe Car-Replacement Bicycle (the bakfiets)Not Just Bikes · 3 HN recommenders · 2022–2026
• explainerHow Highways Almost Destroyed Amsterdam - Plan JokinenNot Just Bikes · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
• comedyThe Real Reason Jaywalking Is A Crime (Adam Ruins Everything)Dropout · 1 HN recommender · 2019–2024
• podcastWell There's Your Problem | Episode 46 : Five-over-OnesWell There's Your Problem Podcast · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• explainerHow Suburban Development Makes American Cities Poorer [ST02]Not Just Bikes · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2024
• explainerWhy Dutch Bikes are Better (and why you should want one)Not Just Bikes · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2023
• explainerThis Ponzi Scheme Might END Suburban ProsperityStrong Towns · 1 HN recommender · 2024–2026
• documentaryAmazing: The Rebuilding the MacArthur Maze (Documentary)PECG · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2023
• explainerWhy American public transit is so bad | 2020 ElectionVox · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2023
• commentaryCommie Blocks Are Pretty Good, ActuallyAdam Something · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2024
• demoVredenburg, Utrecht. Busiest cycle path in the NetherlandsBicycleDutch · 1 HN recommender · 2018–2024
• otherWuppertal Schwebebahn 1902 & 2015 side by side videoEtt & Annat · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2025
• otherA Trip Down Market Street, 1906 - With Sound!Mike Upchurch · 1 HN recommender · 2018–2024
• documentaryPointing and Calling Japanese Safety Standard at Railway Companies & Toyota (HD)AllAboutLean.com · 1 HN recommender · 2018–2022
• commentaryFreight Trains: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)LastWeekTonight · 1 HN recommender · 2023–2024
• documentaryUtrecht: Planning for People & Bikes, Not for CarsStreetfilms® · 1 HN recommender · 2019–2022
• documentaryGuerrilla Public Service 2011Richard Ankrom · 1 HN recommender · 2018–2025
• commentaryThrowing Good Money After Bad Car Infrastructure - Wonderland RoadNot Just Bikes · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2023
• explainerIntersection design, the Dutch - cycle friendly - wayBicycleDutch · 1 HN recommender · 2012–2022
• documentaryBBC How They Dug the Victoria LineGraham W · 1 HN recommender · 2017–2024
• explainerIdaho Stop for Cyclists? Drivers Already Do It!Oh The Urbanity! · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2023
• demoShockwave traffic jams recreated for first timeNew Scientist · 1 HN recommender · 2009–2026
• explainerHow does Houston plan without zoning?City Beautiful · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• explainerWhat keeps a train on the track?BoreMeScience · 1 HN recommender · 2019–2022
• explainerJunction design in the NetherlandsBicycleDutch · 1 HN recommender · 2015–2020
• explainerCrossing the Street Shouldn't Be Deadly (but it is)Not Just Bikes · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2023
• explainerDutch Cities are Better for the Environment (and my sanity)Not Just Bikes · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2023
• explainerInside Hong Kong’s cage homesVox · 1 HN recommender · 2019–2022
• commentaryLiberal Hypocrisy is Fueling American Inequality. Here’s How. | NYT OpinionNew York Times Opinion · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• demoNew York Subway SignsYosef Lerner · 1 HN recommender · 2017–2020
• explainerThis Tiny Island has Insane TrafficNot Just Bikes · 1 HN recommender · 2023–2025
• demoBicycle Rush Hour Utrecht (Netherlands)BicycleDutch · 1 HN recommender · 2010–2017
• documentaryThis LA Musician Built $1,200 Tiny Houses for the Homeless. Then the City Seized Them.ReasonTV · 1 HN recommender · 2019–2021
• explainerAll Tube Stations Have Fifteen FloorsGeoff Marshall · 1 HN recommender · 2018–2023
• explainerThe city of golf cartsTom Scott · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2022
• explainerThe Best-Designed Town in the Netherlands (and therefore, the world)Not Just Bikes · 1 HN recommender · 2025–2025
• explainerHow to (Quickly) Build a Cycling City - ParisNot Just Bikes · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2022
• documentaryWalt Disney's E.P.C.O.T film (1966)The Original EPCOT · 1 HN recommender · 2014–2019
• talkWhy is India so filthy? | The Ugly Indian | TEDxBangaloreTEDx Talks · 1 HN recommender · 2014–2025
• explainerThe Trains that Subsidize Suburbia - GO Transit Commuter RailNot Just Bikes · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2023
• explainerFeynman: How the train stays on the track FUN TO IMAGINE 7Christopher Sykes · 1 HN recommender · 2013–2022
• explainerWhy Railroads Don't Need Expansion JointsPractical Engineering · 1 HN recommender · 2024–2026
• explainerEven Small Towns are Great Here (5 Years in the Netherlands)Not Just Bikes · 1 HN recommender · 2023–2026