89 / How Cambridge gets stuff done / with Burhan Azeem

Burhan Azeem — the youngest Cambridge City Councilor ever elected — is in good traffic this week for a dive on effective local politics, building bike infrastructure quickly in the states, and being elected to office at 24.

The city — home of Harvard and MIT — is getting a ton done, and fast. Burhan's work focuses on housing, transit, and actually completing ambitious infrastructure projects for his Cambridge constituents (outcomes > process).

We also underscore the powerful influence of voter participation and young leadership in driving meaningful neighborhood action.

Timeline:

00:00 Burhan Azeem is in good traffic.

00:22 Youngest council member in Cambridge history.

01:02 The first day in elected office.

02:23 Housing in Cambridge.

05:08 Cambridge vs. Boston: policy divergence.

10:02 Bike infrastructure successes.

10:45 Cambridge and Paris success stories and commonalities.

20:32 Collaboration with universities like Harvard, MIT.

27:18 Addressing climate change hyper-locally.

30:54 Behavioral change and systemic solutions.

31:23 The impact of urbanization on emissions.

33:12 Policy entrepreneurship.

34:18 Communicating complex topics effectively.

47:45 The importance of local elections.

49:48 Wrapping up.

Further context:

Burhan's reelection campaign.

On Burhan, via MIT Technology Review.

Follow Burhan, on X.