{"podcast":{"title":"City Cast Madison","slug":"city-cast-madison-5852148","podcast_index_feed_id":5852148,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/citycastmadison","website_url":"https://madison.citycast.fm","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/b92b01d0-5a00-11ed-a981-d3488513eddd/image/3442a071c6e0181b9d7ef6a1dbd75f33.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"City Cast","episode_count":950,"summary":"Join the City Cast Madison team every weekday morning for can’t-miss conversations about what’s happening in Madison, with a dose of local news to keep you up to speed. Host Bianca Martin collects people wherever she goes, like an endless conga line. She peers into our city’s soul with a journalist’s skepticism and an optimist’s heart. Whether you’re an OG Madisonian or a newcomer, all neighbors are welcome here. Learn more and subscribe to our daily newsletter, at madison.citycast.fm.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-16T16:22:42.257349+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/city-cast-madison-5852148"},"episode":{"title":"‘Your City Could Be Better’: How Portland Made Its River Cool — Presented By City Cast Madison","slug":"your-city-could-be-better-how-portland-made-its-river-cool-presented-by-city-cast-madison","published_at":"2026-08-23T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/city-cast-madison-5852148/your-city-could-be-better-how-portland-made-its-river-cool-presented-by-city-cast-madison","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/city-cast-madison-5852148","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CC1687362041.mp3","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CC1687362041.mp3","summary":"How often are you out in nature in Madison? It’s not always easy to know which natural resources are clean and safe to use in an urban setting, and city rivers get a particularly bad rap. It’s true that cities have had eras of sewage mishandling and high boat traffic — but many have also cleaned up their act, through the tireless work of local advocates and politicians. Portland, OR, is one of those cities, and City Cast Portland host Claudia Meza joins this episode of Your City Could Be Better to debunk the assumptions and fears about her city’s river, the Willamette. Learn all about how a journalist-turned-governor led the charge to clean up Portland's waterfront, and how a quirky organizer — and lots of enthusiastic swimmers — have carried the torch. Mentioned on the show: Portland’s riverfront park, named after former Governor Tom McCall Swiss residents using river to swim home from work RFK Jr. swimming (in jeans) in Rock Creek in Washington, D.C. Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.","meta_description":"How often are you out in nature in Madison? It’s not always easy to know which natural resources are clean and safe to use in an urban setting, and city r…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1568,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/city-cast-madison-5852148/episodes/your-city-could-be-better-how-portland-made-its-river-cool-presented-by-city-cast-madison/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/city-cast-madison-5852148/your-city-could-be-better-how-portland-made-its-river-cool-presented-by-city-cast-madison.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}