In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn talk about the rapid population decline of children under five years old in large urban areas. They discuss the factors that can drive would-be urban families out of cities, how the rapidly declining population will affect services like schools and the importance of cities being able to accommodate diverse lifestyles in a dynamic way.

• “The Urban Family Exodus Is a Warning for Progressives,” by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic (August 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn talk about the Olympic Village that was built in Paris and what the city plans to do with the development now that the Games are over. They discuss the accusations of gentrification and greenwashing that Paris officials are facing, the challenges inherent in trying to complete large-scale, sustainable projects on a deadline, and lessons that both Paris and Los Angeles — which will be hosting the 2028 Games — can take from past hosts.

• “Paris Hopes to Forge a New Model for Olympics-Oriented Development,” by Sam Levitt, The Urbanist (July 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Nonprofit organizations straddle the line between the private and public sectors, receiving both private donations and funding from the government to provide services. The problem with this model, an article in American Affairs says, is that nonprofits are then motivated to sabotage their own efforts so they can receive more money. This is only one example of the kinds of corruption that flourish within the poorly regulated, overly trusted nonprofit sector, the article argues.

What’s the Strong Towns take on this? And what does it mean for local governments? Join host Abby Newsham and co-host Chuck Marohn on this week’s episode of Upzoned to find out.

• “The Nonprofit Industrial Complex and the Corruption of the American City” by Jonathan Ireland, American Affairs (May 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Last month, Strong Towns hosted the National Gathering in Cincinnati. It was a two-day event packed with different speakers and sessions, with many advocates meeting each other in person for the first time. In this episode of Upzoned, Abby talks with Strong Towns founder Chuck Marohn about his unique experience at the Gathering, the process of choosing a keynote speaker, how the National Gathering differs from the Congress for the New Urbanism and ways Gatherings might change in the future.

• Become a member today!

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

This special edition of Upzoned was recorded last week at the 2024 National Gathering. Join host Abby Newsham as she talks to attendees about their efforts to build stronger towns.

Interviewees:

(0:00) Lisa Hutson, a business owner who’s turning an abandoned factory into a mixed-use community hub.

(8:52) Sean Suder, a zoning reform expert who helps cities make their zoning codes more people-friendly and defensible.

(18:40) Chris Wyatt, a transit advocate who’s working to make public transit more pleasant and useful.

(26:00) Hannah Stanton-Gockel, a bike commuter who uses her marketing experience to advocate for people-centric city design.

(38:41) Isaac Gonzalez, one of the National Gathering presenters, who discusses how to be a good long-term advocate.

(50:40) Jackson Lester, a public transit planner who intends to combat the housing crisis through infill development.

(1:02:15) Jaclyn Cheves, director of policy and partnerships for Blue Zones, who discusses how cities can become healthier places.

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

The city of Cincinnati has pledged $200k to keep the popular bikeshare program Red Bike alive for another year. Joining us to talk about bikeshare programs and Red Bike’s financial difficulties is Bryce Mortera, a member of Civic Cincinnati. Are these programs really beneficial for residents? And if so, is there a more sustainable way to fund them than relying on sponsors?

The U.S. Department of Justice is opening a criminal investigation into a major software company called RealPage, which is described in the lawsuit as the “big tech” company of rental housing. It provides software that is used by landlords (and, typically, landlords who are large holders of rental property) to estimate supply and demand for their listings in order to help them maximize rents. The question is whether or not RealPage is facilitating algorithmic price fixing for some of the largest residential property owners and management firms—amounting to what DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb has described as a “housing cartel.” And since Strong Towns has just released Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis, we figured there was no better time to discuss this story than now.

• Order your copy of Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis today!

• “DOJ escalates price-fixing probe on housing market,” by Josh Sisco, Politico (March 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Since the 1970s, the number of cars on I-70 between Denver and its surrounding resorts have jumped more than 500%. Coloradans and frequent visitors know that, in order to reach the mountains during the gridlock of ski season, you must leave as early as 3 or 4 a.m. in the morning. Writer Gloria Liu decided to investigate this chaos by jumping directly into the traffic and interviewing the people stuck in it, and the article she penned about her adventure is up for discussion on this week’s episode of Upzoned. Can I-70 be fixed? And what do famous recreational arterials like I-70 reveal about our relationship with nature in the U.S.?

• “Colorado’s I-70 Has America’s Most Notorious Ski Traffic. Is There a Solution?” by Gloria Liu, Outside (March 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Cincinnati is currently undergoing a significant planning reformation effort, which involves unveiling what’s being called the Connected Communities plan. It includes a number of proposed land-use-related policy changes that are intended to help Cincinnati grow, with the goal of advancing zoning code changes, as well as supporting diversification and affordability of housing and bolstering business districts. Here on Upzoned this week to talk with host Abby Newsham about the proposal is John Yung, an urban planner, Program Manager at the Haile Foundation, and co-leader of the Cincy host committee for the upcoming Congress for the New Urbanism, which (along with the Strong Towns National Gathering) will be taking place in Cincinnati in May.

• “Mayor Pureval wants to redesign Cincinnati. Here's what that could look like,” by Becca Costello, WVXU (January 2024).

• Get your tickets for the National Gathering today!

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

On this week’s episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham and co-host Chuck Marohn are joined by Coby Lefkowitz, who penned the article that’s up for discussion: “Why small developers are getting squeezed out of the housing market.” It focuses on how finance shapes our cities, why debt is used to develop cities in the first place, how lenders deal with risk, and why risk mitigation is critical to understanding why the world looks the way it does. And, most notably, it dives into America's housing financial system and why it privileges large-scale institutional development at the expense of more incremental and community-based building.

• “Why small developers are getting squeezed out of the housing market,” by Coby Lefkowitz, Noahpinion (March 2024).

• Coby Lefkowitz (Website; X/Twitter).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

This week on Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by Michael Schneider, founder of Streets for All and the campaign manager for Healthy Streets Los Angeles. They discuss an article from The Los Angeles Times titled, “L.A. bus and bike lane measure will cost $3.1 billion, a new report says. Backers cry foul.” This piece was written in advance of the ballot proposal Measure HLA, which was recently approved by voters, and mandates the installation of hundreds of miles of transportation improvements in L.A. over the next decade, with a focus on bike lanes and sidewalk improvements.

(Editor’s note: This episode was recorded before the results of the ballot were released.)

• “L.A. bus and bike lane measure will cost $3.1 billion, a new report says. Backers cry foul,” by David Zahniser, The Los Angeles Times (February 2024).

• “The People of Los Angeles Just Said ‘Yes’ to Safer Streets,” by Asia Mieleszko, Strong Towns (March 2024).

• Streets for All (website).

• Healthy Streets Los Angeles (website).

• Michael Schneider (LinkedIn; X/Twitter).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

This week on Upzoned, host Abby Kinney is joined by Mike Keen, a retired professor and incremental developer in South Bend, Indiana, to discuss a recent article in WSBT, “Major mixed-use development could be largest in downtown South Bend history.” It highlights a $350 million project that has been proposed in downtown South Bend: a mixed-use district that would include hotels, apartments, and commercial uses, to be completed by 2028. The development, led by nearby Memorial Hospital, will take up about two city blocks and is expected to be a catalytic project for the city. So, we ask: is this project going to be a positive for South Bend and its small-scale developers like Keen?

• “Major mixed-use development could be largest in downtown South Bend history,” by Sean English, WSBT (February 2024).

• “This ‘Accidental Developer’ Wants To Show You How To Revitalize Your Neighborhood,” by Seairra Jones, Strong Towns (April 2023).

• Escaping the Housing Trap: A Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis by Charles Marohn. Available for preorder now!

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Mike Keen (LinkedIn).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Indianapolis officials are encouraging residents to be involved in improving the city, both through fund-matching programs and by opening a lending library of tools and equipment to help residents start pilot projects.

In this Upzoned episode, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn talk about how Indianapolis’ programs and initiatives are a great example of changing a city’s bureaucratic structure and processes to better meet residents’ needs. They discuss the growing pains that come with this kind of change and the necessity of officials and residents accepting failure as part of an incremental, experimental process.

• “Indy puts more resources toward helping communities make quick improvements” by Lauren Kostiuk, WTHR (July 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

A suburb of Washington, DC is exploring a new approach to creating more affordable housing through public-private partnerships. And it’s seeing success! In this episode of Upzoned, Chuck and Abby discuss the history of public housing and government housing subsidies in the US, the good, the bad and the ugly. Then they consider whether this new model could be helpful or harmful to cities.

• “What if public housing were for everyone?” by Rachel M. Cohen, Vox (February 2024).

• Escaping the Housing Trap: A Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis by Charles Marohn. Available for preorder now!

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Local officials in Dallas are considering eliminating minimum parking requirements in the city. The zoning ordinance advisory committee just voted to advance the measure to the city planning commission, and if approved there, it would then go on to the city council.

Critics believe that this is a one-size-fits-all approach to parking reform and that it’s not an ideal solution to Dallas’s parking dilemma, whereas proponents say the change will cut down on unused parking spaces and accelerate the city’s economic development.

So, is this measure a good or a bad move for Dallas?

• “Dallas Zoning Committee Advances Parking Reform,” by Andrew Terrell, The Dallas Express (February 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

This week’s Upzoned episode covers a story that sounded promising at the start: “The Town That Took Downtown Renewal to the Next Level”? Sounds great! Right? Alas, residents of Morristown, Tennessee, have discovered that the Skymark (i.e., an elevated sidewalk) they built in the 1960s was not the salvation for their downtown they’d hoped it would be. Join host Abby Newsham and co-host Chuck Marohn as they take a deep dive on how this huge investment, unfortunately, didn’t pan out as a long-term strategy for economic prosperity.

• “The Town That Took Downtown Renewal to the Next Level,” by David Zipper, CityLab (January 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Five families from Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Pittsburg move to the suburbs in search of the American dream, drawn by promises of better schools and all the other amenities promised by suburban life…but instead, they’re experiencing the decline of the suburbs, rather than the benefits that were sold to them.

On this week’s episode, host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn discuss this story, told in “The Suburbs Have Become a Ponzi Scheme,” and based on the book, Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America's Suburbs.

• “The Suburbs Have Become a Ponzi Scheme,” by Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic (January 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Millennials are officially getting old. They’re having children, buying houses, and getting replaced by Gen Z in urban areas. As one article from Business Insider puts it, “Millennials are getting priced out of cities,” and are starting to leave the urban neighborhoods that they’ve been building their lives in, up to this point. According to the author, since the cost and types of housing available in urban areas isn’t conducive to family life, millennials are having to instead flee to the only place they can afford to live: the exurbs.

What’s the Strong Towns take on this? Join host Abby Newsham and co-host Chuck Marohn as they discuss this article on this week’s episode of Upzoned.

• “Millennials are getting priced out of cities,” by Eliza Relman, Business Insider (Jan. 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Upzoned has been on a bit of a hiatus for the past couple of months, but we wanted to have at least one final episode of 2023 (and rest assured that the podcast will be returning with weekly episodes in 2024). This episode is an exciting one, as host Abby Kinney is joined by a guest whose work she’s been following for several years: Ryan Johnson, the builder and resident of the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S., called Culdesac Tempe. We hope you enjoy this special end-of-the-year interview and look forward to more content coming soon!

• Culdesac Tempe (website).

• Ryan Johnson (X/Twitter).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Kentucky’s largest school system recently had to cancel the second and third day of classes due to what they're calling a disastrous overhaul of the bus system. On day one, some children were still on their bus at 10 p.m. 

AP News reported this issue is partly the result of a bus driver shortage, which definitely plays a role in why Kentucky is having this transportation problem. But Kentucky isn’t the only place that’s struggled with getting children to and from school. There's more to the story, and it has to do with the suburban development pattern, and the closure of neighborhood schools.

In this Upzoned episode, host Abby Newsham digs into details of why, seemingly every year, many school districts have trouble with the transportation of students. She invites Dr. Michael Ralph, director of research at MultiStudio, and Daniel Herriges, Strong Towns’ editor-in-chief, to share their insights on the subject.

• “New school bus routes a ‘disaster,’ Kentucky superintendent admits. Last kids got home at 10 pm,” AP News (August 2023).

• Abby Newsham (Twitter).

• Dr. Michael Ralph (Twitter).

• Daniel Herriges (Twitter).

• Learn more about the 2023 Local-Motive Tour.

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Durham, North Carolina, is experiencing a hot debate over changing its zoning code.

The proposed “Simplifying Codes for Affordable Development” (or SCAD) presents tactical adjustments that focus on loosening the current rules so local people can make small-scale changes to their neighborhood. The changes would eliminate parking mandates, legalize smaller homes on smaller lots, and permit mixed-use development.

In this Upzoned episode, host Abby Newsham talks to Aaron Lubeck, who’s been closely involved in developing SCAD, about the proposed changes. They discuss why SCAD is such a controversial topic, and if it’s different from other reforms. 

• “Op-Ed: The Purpose of Zoning is to Prevent Affordable Housing" by Bob Chapman, Indy Week (March 2023).

• Aaron Lubeck  (Twitter).

• Abby Newsham (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

State-level officials in Arizona are getting more serious about water scarcity issues, despite the still-booming growth pressures that exist there. Some listeners may remember from a story we covered in July 2022 that rural areas outside of Phoenix, like the Rio Verde foothills, have found it almost impossible to drill wells and are now facing challenges from having their water delivered by truck.

Now, the state has determined that there is not enough water for already-approved housing projects and will stop some developers from building if they rely too heavily on groundwater, given that it has become a finite resource. Arizona's allocation of Colorado River water is also being decreased due to drought, making alternatives quite limited. Still, the Arizona water agency has given permission to build 80,000 housing lots, and for the most part, construction is going to move forward on these lots.

On today's episode of Upzoned, Chuck and Abby discuss why this development pattern in Arizona—and most of the Southwestern United States—is, as you might have guessed, unsustainable.

• “Arizona Limits Construction Around Phoenix as Its Water Supply Dwindles,” by Christopher Flavelle and Jack Healy, The New York Times (June 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

The United States is in the midst of a housing crisis. More and more cities are recognizing that part of the issue is due to restrictive zoning laws, which make building affordable homes a difficult feat. 

On this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Kinney talks with the principal of Krongberg Urbanists and Architects, Eric Kronberg, on Atlanta’s new approach to addressing their housing issue. They’ll introduce the “social housing model” Atlanta plans to adopt, talk about the mixed-income housing aspects of Atlanta's plan, and explain what makes up a “Capital Stack.”

• “Atlanta plans to embrace ‘European-style social housing,’” by Sean Keenan, Atlanta Civic Circle (July 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Eric Kronberg (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by Jason Carter-Solomon, an incremental developer and commercial lender in Kansas City, to talk about financing small-scale development. They discuss the layers of risk that small-scale developers must navigate, and Solomon offers his perspective and advice on facing common challenges, such as dealing with entitlements and building inspectors.

• Jason Carter-Solomon (LinkedIn).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

It is extremely difficult to build housing in Rhode Island. It’s also expensive to buy homes, with prices having increased by 34% since the summer of 2020. Why? Adam A. Millsap makes the case in Forbes that because Rhode Island zoning laws are overly restrictive, developers are unable to meet the current and past needs of housing. Millsap writes:

“Places with fewer land-use regulations and more flexible zoning have lower housing prices and slower rent growth. Land-use regulations such as density restrictions, height restrictions, minimum lot sizes, parking requirements, and complicated set-back rules prevent developers from building more housing, especially more affordable housing.”

In this episode of Upzoned, join host Abby Kinney as she talks with guest Nolan Gray, author of Arbitrary Lines, about his perspective on zoning laws and Rhode Island’s efforts to address their housing crisis.

• “Zoning Reforms, Not Public Housing, Will Fix Rhode Island’s Housing Problem,” by Adam A. Millsap, Forbes (May 2023).

• Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It by Nolan Gray.

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Nolan Gray (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

“Who Can Afford America’s Perfect Neighborhood?” asks The Guardian. Longmont, Colorado, holds many elements of the American dream: tree-lined streets, neighbors walking to fulfill errands, children racing about, cafes, beautiful parks, gyms, and community events. To many, it sounds like a place of paradise. But housing prices have skyrocketed, and it’s not uncommon for a million-dollar home to sell in less than a week. In this Upzoned podcast, host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn talk about this neighborhood and answer the question: 

Why is this “perfect neighborhood” not easily copied in other places?

• “Who Can Afford America’s Perfect Neighborhood?” by Courtney Tenz, The Guardian (May 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

At the end of May, Strong Towns hosted its inaugural National Gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a two-day event packed with different speakers and sessions, where we heard from Strong Towns members about how they’re making incremental housing possible in their communities, how highways are destructive and how people are fighting expansions, how the property tax system is broken and what we can do about it, and so much more. In this Upzoned episode, host Abby Kinney goes behind the scenes with Strong Towns staffers Norm Van Eeden Petersman and Rachel Quednau. They chat about how the National Gathering came together, a few lessons learned, and some possible changes for future gatherings.

• “You don't have to leave your neighborhood to live in a better one,” Majora Carter, TED (2022).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Norm Van Eeden Petersman (Twitter). 

• Rachel Quednau (LinkedIn).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

A few weeks ago, the first Strong Towns National Gathering took place in Charlotte, NC. While people buzzed back and forth between sessions, Upzoned host Abby Kinney sat at a table and invited those walking by to join her on the podcast. This week, you’ll hear Strong Towns members from all over talking about who they are, what they’ve seen in their communities, and what they’re doing. 

Also, it’s Member Week at Strong Towns, and podcasts like Upzoned wouldn’t be possible without our members! Join today to support the movement and the advocates who are making our places stronger and more financially resilient.

• Note: When trying to make our communities a better place, we look for the “smallest next thing” that can be done. Strong Towns is no exception: it’s how we function as an organization. We’re always taking the smallest next step and learning as we go, and sometimes, it’s not perfect. The audio recorded for this podcast is an example. We experienced a handful of technical glitches and as a result, the audio is low quality, and sometimes difficult to hear. Because of all the people who put work into this episode, we opted to still publish despite the technical issues throughout. We hope you enjoy listening to people on the ground. Next year, we’ll be better prepared to record audio on site! 

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In Kansas City, Kansas, parking regulations have threatened to demolish a local coffee shop for a parking lot. An out-of-state developer is trying to meet the city’s strict parking requirements for a new apartment complex across the intersection, and the coffee shop owner, T.J. Roberts, is trying to save what’s become a special community hub. 

On this Upzoned episode, host Abby Kinney talks with Roberts about his inspiration for building community, and his struggle to keep his coffee shop, Kinship Cafe, from getting torn down. Also on the show is Dennis Strait, a principal at architect firm Multistudio, to talk about why city builders should care about a coffee shop over convenient parking spaces.

• “‘It’s heartbreaking.’ Why parking rules threaten one of KC area’s few Black coffee shops,” by Kevin Hardy, The Kansas City Star (May 2023).

• Urban3 Land Use Analysis on Kansas City.

• Help Save Kinship Cafe (GoFundMe).

• Kinship Cafe (Instagram).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Not everyone who left the office for remote work returned after the pandemic lockdown ended. Many employees stayed remote, and, in doing so, they left behind a swath of empty office buildings in downtowns across North America. Developers see these abandoned places as easy cash, that is, if you can find the right sort of abandoned office space. On this episode of Upzoned, urban developer Andrew Ganahl talks with host Abby Kinney about the challenges of this pattern of growth, but also the good that could come out of it.

• “The developers who see dollar signs in abandoned downtowns,” by Alex Mayyasi, The Hustle (April 2023).

• Andrew Ganahl (Twitter).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Have you ever wondered why multifamily housing has the same, copied look in most places? Part of the reason is due to the way regulations require architects to build stairs. On this Upzoned podcast, host Abby Kinney talks with special guest and architect Kevin Klinkenberg about how building codes and zoning laws can be helpful, yet at the same time limit building possibilities.

• “Why Does American Multifamily Architecture Look so Banal? Here’s One Reason,” by Michael Eliason, The Architect’s Newspaper (March 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Kevin Klinkenberg (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Like all major cities in America, Seattle is facing a housing shortage. And 100 years ago, Seattle faced a housing shortage bigger than the one it has now. The initial response to the historic shortage was to build small, boxy, apartment buildings holding four to six apartments (called Cowboy Hotels) that blended in with the houses already established in the neighborhood. In this Upzoned episode, host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn talk about Cowboy Hotels and their financial possibilities.

• “Small Apartments From 100 Years ago Offer Townhome Alternative,” by Joshua McNichols, KUOW, (March 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Homelessness in rural areas can look different than in bigger cities: as noted in a recent article by The Daily Yonder, rural homelessness is more “hidden,” and is expressed through couch surfing, roommate arrangements, and housing insecurity versus seeing people without homes on the street. 

What can we do to address the housing crisis in rural communities? Join host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn on the Upzoned podcast as they talk about this growing problem and possible solutions.

• “Tackling Rural America’s ‘Hidden’ Housing Crisis,” by Taylor Sisk and Jan Pytalski, The Daily Yonder (March 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

High-earning Americans are renting instead of buying homes. Some even say they plan to rent indefinitely. Why is that? In this week’s Upzoned episode, join host Abby Kinney and guest Norm Van Eeden Petersman as they talk about this trend.

• “Three Million U.S. Households Making Over $150,000 Are Still Renters,” by Will Parker, The Wall Street Journal (March 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Norm Van Eeden Petersman (Twitter).

This fall, seven states will have the opportunity to cut — or abolish, in some cases — property taxes, according to an article by Governing. In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss the Strong Towns perspective on property taxes, the consequences of removing them and how most people (including city officials) don’t realize how much it costs to run a city. Chuck emphasizes that Strong Towns is not anti-tax and that taxes are essential to successfully running any city.

• “Voters in Several States Can Cut — or Abolish — Property Taxes This Fall” by Zina Hutton, Governing (July 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

“What happens when old buildings have reached the end of their life, either their useful life in terms of safety or their desirable life in terms of modern living?” a Next City article asks. The piece goes on to say that when buildings throughout the U.S. get demolished, the once useful construction materials often end up in landfills. But there’s a growing movement to try and disassemble buildings carefully, and rescue building materials to be used in other projects. In today’s Upzoned episode, host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn talk about this growing movement.

• “How A Deconstruction Company And Salvage Shop Are Keeping Building Materials Out Of Landfills,” by Cinnamon Janzer, Next City (March, 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

The 15 Minute City: a term to describe mixed use neighborhoods, has become a political concept where critics believe the idea could result in an infringement on personal freedoms. 

On this Upzoned podcast, host Abby Kinney and special guest Kevin Klinkenberg, talk about this contentious topic of the 15 Minute City and answer the question: Are the concerns people have (about 15 minute cities) warranted, or is this something that we should all be rolling our eyes at and moving on from? 

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

“The 15 Minute City - Where Urban Planning Meets Conspiracy Theories,” by Chris Standford, The New York Times (March, 2023) “The Messy City Podcast” by Kevin Klinkenberg. Abby Kinney (Twitter) Kevin Klinkenberg (Twitter) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom

It’s important to build safe and productive streets, but how do we ensure those streets are a place people want to be and live in? Whose responsibility is it to ensure that buildings interact with the public realm in a delightful way? Design is hugely impactful in our daily lives: it can determine if a place is somewhere for people, or if it’s unlivable and unusable. And design isn’t wholly up to the “eye of the beholder.” It’s possible to quantify beauty.

Today on the Upzoned podcast, join host Abby Kinney as she welcomes a special guest: Tristan Cleveland, Strong Towns member, urban planner at Happy City, and PhD candidate with Healthy Populations Institute. In this episode, Abby and Cleveland talk about his recent Planetizen article, “The Responsibility of the Building to the Street.”

• “The Responsibility of the Building to the Street,” by Tristan Cleveland, Planetizen (February 2023).

• Tristan Cleveland (Twitter).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Despite global advantages and new technologies, we are getting worse at construction. At least, that’s the case that Ezra Klein makes in his New York Times article, “The Story Construction Tells About America’s Economy Is Disturbing.”

Today on Upzoned, join host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn as they talk about this idea and add on to the conversation with an explanation on the difference between “complicated” and “complex.” 

• “The Story Construction Tells About America’s Economy Is Disturbing,” by Ezra Klein, The New York Times (February 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Portland’s Cully neighborhood is about to embark on a big urban renewal experiment with the intention of maintaining that area's current affordability. Yes, you heard that right.

In the past, the term “urban renewal” was mainly associated with mid-20th century schemes that displaced residents by seizing and demolishing large swaths of neighborhoods in order to modernize them with highways, roads, and other infrastructure elements. 

Now, Cully hopes to use similar tools for the better. Under what the city has labeled an “urban renewal” plan, it would borrow against future tax revenues to invest in programs and purchases that are intended to stabilize residents and businesses (versus tearing them down for pavement projects). 

In this Upzoned episode, host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn talk about the reality of a top-down plan like this and how it can be dangerous for communities to think this way, even if they only intend to do good.

• “NE Portland’s Cully neighborhood fights displacement, climate change with urban renewal. But will it work?” by Gosia Wozniacka, The Orgonian (January 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

The state of Missouri has a $6 billion budget surplus due to an increase in tax revenue and unspent federal aid. Governor Parson wants to use $859 million of it to expand I-70, the major transport route which connects Kansas City and St. Louis. This expansion would bulldoze through key areas in downtown St. Louis, areas west of downtown, and even the suburban areas of Columbia (which sits right near the middle of the interstate). Lots of people, even those unfamiliar with the Strong Towns perspective, think this expenditure proposal is a bad idea.

Today, join host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn on the Upzoned podcast as they discuss this story and potential avenues for better spending.

• “Missouri Gov. Parson Wants $859M to Expand I-70. Here Are His Other Budget Priorities,” by Kacen Bayless and Jonathan Shorman, The Kansas City Star (January 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

The U.S. is crying out, saying we NEED more carpenters, plumbers, and other people in skilled trades and technical industries—but the generation about to take over the workforce, Gen Z, doesn’t seem interested. As time presses forward, we’re continuing to see more open positions, and not enough people to fill them. This could impact not only agriculture, infrastructure, housing, and transportation, but everyone’s daily lives, in general.

The “shortage of workers” discourse tends to point a finger at Gen Z’s lack of work ethics, but in this episode of Upzoned, podcast host Abby Kiney and guest Daniel Herriges talk about variables that are often left out of the conversation.

• “America needs carpenters and plumbers. Gen Z doesn't seem interested,” by Mary Yang, NPR (January 2023).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In a recent Planetizen article titled, “Is Exclusionary Zoning a Good Thing?” author Michael Lewyn examines a theoretical argument presented by Judge Glock in the American Affairs Journal: that because people move to places that have zoning laws, zoning must be good. In this Upzoned episode, host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn unpack the zoning debate between these two authors and how zoning is truly impacting cities.

• “Is Exclusionary Zoning a Good Thing?” by Michael Lewyn, Planetizen (January 2023).

• “Two Cheers for Zoning,” by Judge Glock, American Affairs (Winter 2022).

• “Small Developers and the Construction Labor Shortage—time to dig deep,” by R. John Anderson, R John the Bad (December 2021).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

It's been a great year here on Upzoned; thanks for listening. We wanted to close out 2022 with one last message, and to wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

An increasing risk of wildfires has made insurance carriers wary of certain areas in Colorado—according to a recent Denver Post article—raising their premiums and, in some cases, opting to not cover them, at all. In just the past few years, heavily forested areas of the state have been hit hard by wildfires. The Marshall Fire of December 2021, for instance, caused $2 billion in damages and has turned out to be the most expensive wildfire in the state's history.

Quite often, homeowners discover that they're underinsured when these things happen, meaning their insurance policies don't provide enough money to rebuild their homes once a fire occurs. In mountain communities like Aspen, Vail, Telluride, Steamboat Springs, and others, insurance companies are starting to pull out, altogether.

So, what are homeowners to do? Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn discuss the situation in today's episode of Upzoned.

• “Will insurance companies opt to leave Colorado?” by Noelle Phillips, The Denver Post (November 2022).

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

The governor of New York recently announced the dissolution of the city’s congestion pricing program after years of planning and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment. This program would’ve initiated a $15 toll on vehicles entering certain parts of Manhattan, and it was partly established to help support reinvestment in the transit system. It was shut down less than a month before it was supposed to start operating — after all the tolling infrastructure was already installed.

In this episode of Upzoned, Chuck and Abby discuss how this debacle shows a fundamental misunderstanding of congestion pricing, the politics underpinning this decision and how the city could’ve handled things better.

• “17 Years, $700 Million Wasted: The Stunning Collapse of New York’s Traffic Moonshot” by Jimmy Vielkind and Joseph De Avila, The Wall Street Journal (June 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

It's #BlackFridayParking week at Strong Towns, which means we've got a special parking-related episode of the Upzoned podcast today. Host Abby Kinney, co-host Chuck Marohn, and special guest Edward Erfurt (director of community action at Strong Towns) come together to discuss three stories from three different cities—Burlington, Vermont; Nashville, Tennessee; and Cambridge, Massachusetts—all of which are taking big steps to eliminate parking minimums. And in some cases, the cities are even looking at establishing parking maximums!

Does it make sense for cities to have a blanket policy on parking, one way or the other? How can communities have these conversations about parking, especially when there are people—residents and developers alike—who argue and push back against parking reform?

• “Burlington may eliminate parking minimums for builders city-wide. Here are the possible effects,” by Lilly St. Angelo,

  Burlington Free Press (October 2022).

• “Bill to Eliminate Minimum Parking Requirements to Go Before Council,” by Connor Daryani, Nashville Scene (November 2022).

• “Cambridge eliminates minimum parking requirements,” by Kaushar Barejiya, The Massmedia (November 2022).

• Learn more about #BlackFridayParking.

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

A recent VICE article shares the conclusions of a report published by an NYU research group. The research, led by Alon Levy, spans some 15 years and demonstrates the extent to which transit projects in the U.S. are inflated compared to other countries around the world—and what we can do about it.

For instance, the cost of constructing a subway in New York is double what it costs in Tokyo and 10 times what it costs in Paris. The research found New York to be the most expensive place to build transit in the world, and the lack of efficiency means we get less transit for more money, and we have a lot of public sector debt.

Why is this the case? Levy offers several reasons, which Abby and Chuck unpack in today's episode.

And by the way, it's Member Week at Strong Towns! We’re celebrating our members and everything that they do to make their communities stronger and more resilient. If you want to join this movement of a million local heroes, then do so by becoming a Strong Towns member today.

An army veteran who was homeless in Los Angeles got tired of having his tent cleared out by the city's sanitation teams...so he decided to build his own house. By working with the community, the man, who goes by "Q," gathered the materials necessary to build a tiny home, complete with a generator and potted plants.

Q earns money fixing electric scooters and wants to start his own business, stating that he hopes to be an example for others in his situation. Given that, what can we learn from Q's housing solution, and from others who are responding to the housing crisis in unique—yet logical—ways?

Find out on today's episode of Upzoned, featuring host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn!

• “Homeless Los Angeles man builds wooden house on Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk: ‘Gives me empowerment’,” by Louis Casiano, New York Post (October 2022).

• Learn more about our incremental housing campaign.

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

There's been much speculation on the internet lately—to the point of almost becoming a meme—about whether we are witnessing the great "Airbnbust." In other words, people are saying that short-term rentals are a bubble that is popping right before our eyes.

As reported in Market Watch, many short-term rental owners are voicing concerns on forums like Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook about their bookings plummeting over the past three to four months. In some cases, hosts say they were at 80% occupancy, but now find themselves all the way down to zero.

At this point, it's not completely clear what's happening or why it's happening, but host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn unravel what we do know on today's episode of Upzoned.

• “Airbnb hosts say bookings ‘fell off a cliff’ amid influx of new vacation rentals and rising prices,” by Levi Sumagaysay, Market Watch (October 2022).

• Learn more about our incremental housing campaign.

• Abby Kinney (Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.