Upzoned

While Los Angeles gets ready for the Olympics and World Cup, residents watch trash pile up in the places tourists never see. Chuck, Norm, and Carlee trace the links between auto‑oriented growth, a strained city budget, and basic services that can’t keep up. Through one neighborhood organizer’s Saturday cleanups, they show how garbage exposes which streets are truly cared for. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES "Talking Trash" by Alissa Walker, Torched.la (February 2026) Chuck Marohn (LinkedIn) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Carlee Alm-LaBar (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

A multigenerational home addition sparked national attention and local outrage in Fairfax County, Virginia. Chief Technical Advisor Edward Erfurt sits down with guest host Norm Van Eeden Petersman to explore why legally allowed housing can still feel deeply disruptive — and what this reveals about zoning, design, and incremental change. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES "Massive Multigenerational Home Addition Sparks Furious Debate in Virginia Community" by Julie Taylor, Realtor.com (November 2025) "The Monster House: Why a Change in Neighborhood Scale Isn’t a Bad Thing" by Emma Durand-Wood "Multigenerational Living Isn't Immigrant Culture, It's Human Culture" by Shina Shayesteh Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Edward Erfurt (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Utah wants to override local zoning to boost housing supply, but allowed by right doesn't mean possible in practice. Abby and Edward dig into the hidden barriers — complicated permits, scarce financing, and broken systems — that stop housing from actually getting built. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES "Utah’s Governor Suggests Overriding Local Zoning. Could His Plan Solve—or Shatter—the State’s Housing Future?" by Allaire Conte, Realtor.com (November 2025) "Why State Housing Reform is Failing (and What We Can Do About It)" by Edward Erfurt Abby Newsham (X/Twitter) Edward Erfurt (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Who decides when community traditions change? Lafayette, Louisiana, recently rerouted its Mardi Gras parade. The goal was to improve public safety, but the change left neighborhoods, businesses, and long-standing customs in the lurch. Guest host Norm Van Eeden Petersman sits down with Lafayette resident and former city staffer Carlee Alm-LaBar to explore how communities can navigate change while respecting culture and shared ownership. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES "Residents, krewes, downtown businesses weigh in on Jefferson Street Mardi Gras parade route" by Stephen Marcantel, The Acadiana Advocate (November 2025) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Last week, we heard how DC's outdoor dining regulations threaten local businesses. Today, urban designers Abby Newsham and Edward Erfurt explore how DC could course-correct. They share creative ways that cities can maintain safety while supporting local businesses and even improving the design of their streets. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES "After five years, D.C. streateries hit with higher costs and more rules" by By Tim Carman and Rachel Weiner, The Washington Post (November 2025) Painting of a food hall street (Passeig de l'Escultor Miquel Blay, Olot, Espana by Abby Newsham) Abby Newsham (X/Twitter) Edward Erfurt (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Washington DC is charging restaurants thousands of dollars to keep their streateries — outdoor dining areas built during Covid-19. Are these fees fair compensation for public space, or will they kill the local businesses they were meant to save? Guest host Norm Van Eeden Petersman dives into this question with Carlee Alm-LaBar, a former city official who helped bring streateries to her own city. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES "After five years, D.C. streateries hit with higher costs and more rules" by By Tim Carman and Rachel Weiner, The Washington Post (November 2025) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Abby is joined by Carlee Alm-LaBar, the chief of staff for Strong Towns, and John Reuter, advisory board member for Strong Towns. They discuss several stories of people across the country taking action to make their communities better, from building houses to painting curbs. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement today! Read more: Strong Towns San Diego - Curb Chalking Monte Anderson - Roommate House Strong Towns Langley - Baffle Gates Strong Towns Blono - Design Charette Strong Towns Nanaimo - Eliminating Parking Mandates Abby Newsham (X/Twitter) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Elon Musk's company xAI is building massive data centers in Memphis, promising economic transformation. But at what cost? Abby is joined by Strong Towns Blog Editor and podcast host Asia Mieleszko to dissect the billion-dollar AI infrastructure boom and explore why cities keep falling for "shiny object urbanism." ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Hear more from Asia on the brand-new podcast Stacked Against Us! "Elon Musk Gambles Billions in Memphis to Catch Up on AI" by Alexander Saeedy, The Wall Street Journal (October 2025) "Shiny Object Urbanism" by Billy Cooney "Where's the Wealth?" by Charles Marohn‍ Abby Newsham (X/Twitter) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. Hey listener! You hear from us all the time, but today we want to hear from you. We want your feedback on this podcast and any other Strong Towns podcast you like to listen to. Please fill out this quick survey to share your thoughts: strongtowns.org/survey This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Two towns, two states, and two historic bridges that nobody wants to pay for. Brattleboro, Vermont, wants to reactivate two historic bridges with a pedestrian greenway. Hinsdale, New Hampshire, worries about increased crime and being saddled with the majority of maintenance costs while getting fewer returns. Abby and Norm discuss this dilemma, comparing it to similar bridge projects and identifying possible next steps for activating this underutilized infrastructure. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES "Can Two Towns Preserve the Bridges That Connected Them?" by Alan Wirzbicki, The Boston Globe (September 2025) Abby Newsham (X/Twitter) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

What do you do with 720,000 square feet of dead mall? Towns across America are struggling to find the answer as their malls shut down, leaving budget craters and infrastructure nightmares in their wake. Abby is joined by Carlee Alm-LaBar, Strong Towns' chief of staff and a former city staffer, to explore whether the answer is a grand redevelopment plan — or thinking radically smaller. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “A Town's Single Largest Taxpayer Is Also Its Biggest Headache” by Jim Zarroli, The New York Times (June 2025). Click here to listen to The Bottom-Up Revolution episode about the 24 Hour Citizen Project. ‍Abby Newsham (X/Twitter) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Littleton, Colorado, wants to ban everything other than single-family homes. The neighboring town of Lakewood wants to allow more housing variety. Norm and Abby dive into what's driving these radically different responses to the housing crisis and what happens when cities try to exempt themselves from change. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Two Denver Suburbs Take Different Paths as Residents Face Housing Crunch: We Can Manage It, but Just Barely.” by John Aguilar, The Denver Post (October 2025). Abby Newsham Painting Instagram X/Twitter Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

By the end of 2026, many U.S. cities could see large parts of their public transit systems crumble under a lack of federal funding and a development pattern that was never designed to support it. In this episode, Chuck Marohn and Abby Newsham explore why transit can’t survive as a charity and how localized funding and smarter land use could create systems that actually work. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES On October 24, Chuck will join the author of today's article, Jarrett Walker, for a member-exclusive deep dive into transit. Become a Strong Towns member to join in! “Should We Let Public Transit Die?” by Jarrett Walker, Bloomberg City Lab (September 2025) Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).‍‍ Chuck Marohn (Substack) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

The city of Los Angeles recently announced that it saved 1,600 jobs that were at risk of being cut to balance its $1 billion budget deficit. But did it actually fix anything, or is it just shuffling money around to hide the problem? What role do unions play? And what should cities actually do when facing a major budget deficit? Strong Towns Chief Technical Advisor Edward Erfurt dives into these questions with guest host Norm Van Eeden Petersman in this episode of Upzoned. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Mayor Bass says layoffs averted after labor negotiations, "creative solutions" for next year city budget” by Chelsea Hylton, CBS News (September 2025). Finance Decoder Become a Strong Towns member to access weekly Ask Strong Towns Anything sessions. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

The Tulsa Remote program pays remote workers $10,000 to relocate to Tulsa for a year. A study found that, for every dollar spent, Tulsa sees $4.31 in economic benefits, including increased local spending, tax revenue, and job creation. Abby is joined by John Pattinson, Strong Towns’ community builder, discuss whether this kind of program is a smart way to boost the local economy. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “The Economic Benefits of Paying Workers to Move” by Rthvika Suvarna and Fola Akinnibi, Bloomberg CityLab (May 2025).‍ Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).‍‍ Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

As baby boomers downsize, relocate, or pass away, millions of homes are projected to rejoin the housing market by 2030, potentially exceeding housing demand by 1 million homes. In today's episode, Chuck and Abby discuss how generational shifts affect the housing market, what an excess of supply could mean for cities' financial stability, and how a simple "build, build, build" mindset could cause serious problems down the line. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Forget YIMBY. The housing shortage could disappear on its own.” by Robert Showah, The Washington Post (September 2025).‍ Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).‍‍ Chuck Marohn (Substack) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

For years, investors and speculators shaped Canada's housing market. But now, people who actually live in those homes are beginning to have more influence. Today, Abby is joined by Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Strong Towns' director of membership and a Canadian, to discuss how this shift happened, how it'll affect Canada's housing market, and the implications for the rest of North America. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “End-users, rather than investors, expected to drive Vancouver housing market higher” by Kerry Gold, The Globe and Mail (September 2025).‍ Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).‍ Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)‍ Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Several high-profile members of the government have been accused of committing mortgage fraud recently, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Today, Chuck and Abby explore how mortgage fraud distorts the housing market, why it happens so frequently — and why no one in the financial system is interested in stopping it. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Ken Paxton Claimed Three Houses as His Primary Residence, Records Show” by Pooja Salhotra, The New York Times (July 2025). “Mortgage-Fraud Accusations Are Trump’s New Political Weapon” by Gina Heeb and Brian Schwartz, The Wall Street Journal (August 2025). Chuck Marohn (Substack) Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Join Abby and guest John Pattison as they dive into the benefits and drawbacks of "sponge cities," cities that incorporate natural features like wetlands into their stormwater management infrastructure. Is this method more resilient in the long term? Do the benefits outweigh the massive cost? How does this relate to the incremental, bottom-up approach? They’ll cover all this and more in today’s episode of Upzoned. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “‘Sponge City’: Copenhagen Adapts to a Wetter Future” by Paul Hockenos, Yale Environment 360 (July 2025). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Data centers power everything from cloud computing to artificial intelligence, and they use a massive amount of electricity, sometimes even rivaling major cities. Watchdogs claim that tech companies aren’t absorbing the costs of this electricity use, causing rate payers’ electricity bills to spike as they’re forced to subsidize these data centers. Today, Edward and Abby discuss the far-reaching implications of this kind of land use. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “As electric bills rise, evidence mounts that data centers share blame. States feel pressure to act.” by Marc Levy, AP News (August 2025). Want to bring the conversation to your community? Book Edward as a speaker. Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Colorado's population is rapidly aging. Soon, one in five people in the state will be be over 65 years old. Limited housing stock means seniors are stuck in too-large homes that they can’t afford to maintain. In turn, that means there’s fewer large homes for younger families who need them. Today, Abby is joined by Katy Clagett, an incremental developer originally from Colorado who’s working to develop infill housing options for seniors. They discuss what Colorado’s situation means for communities and how we can reshape housing to be more adaptable to the needs of all age groups. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “As Colorado ages, seniors are colliding with the housing crisis” by Brian Eason, The Colorado Sun (June 2025). Learn how to create a more flexible housing market. Katy Claggett Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

In January 2025, wildfires swept across Los Angeles with record-breaking destruction. To encourage swift rebuilding, Governor Newsom suspended environmental regulations. But six months later, only a fraction of homeowners have even received permits, let alone started the rebuilding process. Chuck is joined by Edward Erfurt, Strong Towns’ chief technical advisor, to talk about why, as well as the deeper challenges of rebuilding in fire-prone areas. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Why it’s taking LA so long to rebuild” by Umair Irfan, Vox (July 2025). Want to bring the conversation to your community? Book Chuck or Edward as a speaker. Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

In Lincoln County, South Dakota, a growing agriculture company is being charged $50,000 annually for wear and tear on township roads caused by the company's trucks and machinery. Abby and Edward discuss the balancing act between infrastructure costs and municipal budgets, especially in rural areas with few taxpayers. They explore the public process behind this kind of decision and offer suggestions on how it could be improved. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Milk facility to pay $50,000 for road use” by Rae Yost, KELOLAND (July 2025). Want to bring the conversation to your community? Book Edward as a speaker. Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Sunbelt cities like Phoenix, Dallas, and Atlanta have long prided themselves on having affordable and abundant housing. However, they’re now seeing stagnation in housing construction and rapidly rising costs. Today, Abby is joined by Rachel Leonardo, a trained architect and Strong Towns’ video creator, to discuss how rigid single-use zoning has locked cities into expensive fragility. They explore whether these cities can course correct and how they could become more resilient and prosperous in the long-term. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Here are 6 simple ways to make housing more affordable in your community. “Sprawl made the American Sunbelt affordable. Now it’s breaking it.” by Marina Bolotnikova, Vox (July 2025). See Rachel’s work: Studio Leonardo (YouTube) Strong Towns (YouTube) Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Today, Abby is joined by Bernice Radle, a small-scale developer and historic building preservationist from Buffalo, New York. They cover two developing stories: First, a new bill was proposed that would give the Buffalo housing court more power to sell or repair buildings taken from absentee or negligent landlords. Second, the Historic Preservation Fund is currently at risk. Bernice and Abby discuss how these changes could affect small-scale developers and historic preservationists. Bernice also explores how these two fields are closely linked and should work together to save urban spaces. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Proposed bill would give Buffalo housing court greater authority over derelict properties” by Nate Benson, WGRZ (May 2025). “Preservation Under Threat: A Critical Moment for the Historic Preservation Fund” by Preservation Buffalo Niagara, Buffalo Rising (June 2025). See more from Bernice: Strong Towns Neighborhood Evolution Preservation Buffalo Niagara Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Residents of Boca Chica, Texas, have voted to turn their community into a new official city called Starbase. This new municipality is tightly controlled by SpaceX leadership and most residents are SpaceX employees, which has raised concerns about the reemergence of company towns. In this Upzoned episode, Abby is joined by our Chief Technical Advisor Edward Erfurt to discuss the Strong Towns perspective on this story. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Elon Musk’s company town: SpaceX employees vote to create ‘Starbase’” by Nick Robins-Early, The Guardian (May 2025). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

As of the 2023-24 academic year, the University of California faces $9.1 billion in deferred maintenance, while California State University faces $8.3 billion. In today’s episode, Chuck and Abby explore how this problem arose, how it mirrors the challenges cities are facing, and what it'll take to manage this decline. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Inside a $17 billion maintenance backlog plaguing California’s universities” by Victoria Mejicanos, Matthew Reagan and Mercy Sosa, CalMatters (April 2025). Learn more about the Growth Ponzi Scheme and how to evaluate your own city’s financial position. Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Substack) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

President Trump has proposed the privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, organizations that back the majority of mortgages in the U.S. and have been under a government conservatorship since the 2008 financial crisis. In this Upzoned episode, Chuck and Abby discuss the proposal and how it would affect the housing market. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “How Trump plans to get government out of the mortgage business” by Paige Sutherland and Meghna Chakrabarti, WBUR On Point (March 2025). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Substack) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this Upzoned episode, Abby is joined by Strong Towns Chief Technical Advisor Edward Erfurt to discuss the emergence of food deserts in the United States. In the 1980s, the U.S. government stopped enforcing price discrimination laws, letting large supermarkets use their size to leverage better prices from suppliers. This led to the closure of many small, independent groceries and helped create today's food deserts. Abby and Edward discuss the shift from grocery stores being neighborhood assets to regional destinations and how that extracts wealth from communities. Then they share bottom-up ways that everyday people can address these food shortages in their communities. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “The Great Grocery Squeeze: How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert” by Stacy Mitchell, The Atlantic (December 2024). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss the challenges faced by Victoria, Prince Edward Island, a town in Canada that only has 139 full-time residents. In an attempt to attract new residents, the town has adopted its first five-year development plan. Chuck and Abby talk about how very small towns like Victoria show the absurdities of the Suburban Experiment best — and feel its consequences most keenly. They explore what the future could look like for communities like this and emphasize the importance of embracing the things that make a specific town special instead of trying to copy suburban subdivisions. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Population growth called 'critical' for the sustainability of Victoria, P.E.I.” by Sara Fraser, CBC News (February 2025). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Substack). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Residents of a neighborhood in Colorado are confronting a $434 million debt incurred by their community’s special taxing district, which was set up by developers to finance the neighborhood’s infrastructure. A group of neighbors are now organizing to take control of the district’s board and try to bring transparency to the financial situation. In today’s episode of Upzoned, Abby is joined by Edward Erfurt, Strong Towns’ chief technical advisor. They discuss how using special taxing districts to fund developments is a common practice, how it leads to snowballing debt, and how difficult it is for residents to manage this kind of situation. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “The largest neighborhood of this Colorado city is $434M in debt. Neighbors are now seeking board control.” by Olivia Young, CBS News (February 2025). This Thursday, February 27, Strong Towns will release a toolkit to help city officials welcome incremental housing development. Learn more here. Become a member to join the launch livestream with experts Alli Thurmond Quinlan (Incremental Development Alliance) and Eric Kronberg (Kronberg Urbanists + Architects). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

The U.S. senior housing market is poised to shift from a surplus to a shortage in the next five years, as the oldest baby boomers turn 80 by 2030. In this Upzoned episode, Abby is joined by Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Strong Towns’ director of Movement Building. They unpack the implications of this market shift and discuss what building more options for older adults could look like. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Aging Boomers Are About to Rekindle the Senior-Housing Market” by Peter Grant, The Wall Street Journal (February 2025). Read more: “Seniors Have Large Suburban Houses To Sell. Does Anyone Want Them?” (Strong Towns). “The Great Senior Short Sale or Why Policy Inertia Will Short Change Millions of America's Seniors” (Journal of Comparative Urban Law and Policy). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode, Abby is joined by Chicago aldermen Matt Martin and Andre Vasquez to discusses the Western Avenue corridor study, one of the most ambitious planning efforts Chicago has seen in decades. It includes widespread rezoning reform, and it also addresses affordable housing, economic vitality and transit efficiency. The aldermen share their approach to rezoning, emphasizing the importance of a community-first approach. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Let’s fix Western Avenue and make Chicago stronger” by Aaron Feldman, Chicago Tribune (June 2024). There are 6 easy code reforms that city officials can use to bring more housing to their communities. We will release a toolkit to help you implement these changes in February 2025. Get a sneak peek here and join our mailing list to be notified when this resource is available. Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In 2021, Massachusetts signed a law requiring communities that are served by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) to legalize multifamily housing development near MBTA transit stations. Recently, a state court ruled that the state has the authority to sue cities and towns that don’t comply. In this episode of Upzoned, Abby and Chuck discuss whether that’s a good idea, the broader trend of states intervening in city zoning practices, and how the root issue is actually poor transportation investment practices. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Court Ruling Paves the Way For State to Sue Towns With Exclusionary Zoning Laws” by Christian MilNeil, StreetsblogMASS (January 2025). “Our Financial System Favors Large-Scale Development…but at What Cost?” with Coby Lefkowitz. Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In California, many major insurers have recently dropped homeowners in high risk areas from their plans, forcing them to seek alternate coverage with the state. However the state has nowhere near enough money to cover current property damage costs, a situation that will likely get worse as wildfires continue to burn. In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss the impact of natural disasters on the insurance industry, the feasibility of government-run insurance programs, and what this might mean for California in the long term. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Support Southern California Wildfire Relief. (Thank you to Strong Towns Artesia for providing this resource!) “California’s Insurance System Faces Crucial Test as Losses Mount” by Christopher Flavelle, The New York Times (January 2025). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by Kevin Klinkenberg, an urban designer, planner and executive director of a place management organization. They discuss how a middle-class life — especially homeownership — has become increasingly difficult for younger generations to attain. They also cover the factors that contribute to this difficulty and possible responses. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Transcript available on our site. “Is a Middle Class Life Still Attainable?” by Tom Owens, Aaron Renn Substack (December 2024). Read more from Kevin Klinkenberg on Strong Towns or his Substack The Messy City. Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn talk about satellite communities — towns that are developed a distance away from existing urbanized areas. They also discuss the psychological phenomena that incline people toward big projects that may solve an immediate issue (such as housing) but will cause larger difficulties later on (such as maintenance debt). ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Tewin's $590M infrastructure bill locks in 'forever sprawl,' councillor says” by Arthur White-Crummey, CBC Ottawa (June 2024). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

Canada needs an additional 3.5 million housing units by 2030, and that means Canadian cities — as well as many others throughout North America — are facing the challenge of building more housing without wasting natural resources like mature trees. In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss this balancing act, the high value that trees bring to a community, and why sacrificing “urban forests” for housing doesn’t have to mean sacrificing those trees. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Can urban forests survive the housing boom?” by Hanna Hett, Canada’s National Observer (October 2024). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by Andrew Ganahl, managing partner of a real estate development company that specializes in urban infill housing. They discuss a Washington Post article about townhouses, exploring the benefits of this style of development and Ganahl’s own experiences with building townhouses in Kansas City. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “The new American Dream should be a townhouse” by Amanda Shendruk and Heather Long, The Washington Post (October 2024). Andrew Ganahl (AND Real Estate site). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Post-COVID-19, there’s been a resurgence of interest in mixed-use neighborhoods, leading some cities to allow for small corner stores even in neighborhoods that are otherwise residential only. In this Upzoned episode, host Abby Newsham is joined by Norm Van Eeden Petersman, the director of membership and development for Strong Towns. They discuss the role that small corner stores play in local economies, the benefits of allowing residents to continue using and creating these kinds of businesses, and how to talk to your local government about allowing this kind of use in your own community. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Become a member today! “The Corner Store Comeback” by Linda Baker, Bloomberg (October 2024). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

After the collapse of a Florida condo made national news in 2021, new safety regulations were enacted, requiring nearly 90% of Florida units to be updated. This left condo owners and buyers blindsided by a large backlog of deferred maintenance costs with no money saved to pay for them. In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn explain that this situation is an example of the Growth Ponzi Scheme, where maintenance costs are hidden by rapid growth until they eventually come due and bury people or communities in debt. They discuss the effect deferred maintenance has on individuals and communities and explore possible paths forward. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Why Owning (and Buying) a Florida Condo Has ‘Turned Into a Nightmare’” by Julia Echikson, The New York Times (October 2024). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by John Anderson, a builder and developer in Georgia, to discuss the Strong Towns take on “urban homesteading,” where cities sell derelict houses to people for $1 in exchange for a promise to renovate the property and live there for a period of time. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Can Selling Off Homes for $1 Solve Urban Blight?” by Rowan Bridge, BBC (October 2024). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Editor's Note: We are deeply saddened to see the damage Hurricane Helene has done to Western North Carolina. Please see the additional notes for ways you can help. In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss managed retreat, where the federal government buys land from people to encourage them to move away from areas at high risk for natural disaster. According to the article, to actually move the necessary amount of people, the government needs to increase its efforts by a factor of 200. Chuck and Abby talk about the issues with this method of natural disaster management, as well as other common approaches like rebuilding disaster areas to be more fortified, and share their thoughts on alternative responses to natural disasters. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Ways to help Western North Carolina, suggested by Local Conversations in the area: Manna Food Bank. North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund. Heart of the Foothills Animal Rescue. Cajun Navy. Beloved Asheville. “Retreating From the Coasts Makes Sense, But Our Current Approach Isn’t Working,” by Tim Robustelli and Yuliya Panfil, Shelterforce Magazine (August 2024). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced a national deployment plan of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, a wireless communication tool that allows vehicles to transmit data on speed, location, road condition and other basic information. The DOT plans to implement this technology in 75% of the nation's intersections over the next decade or so. In this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by Strong Towns Director of Community Action Edward Erfurt. They discuss how V2X technology works, the challenges and risks of implementing it, and the alternatives that cities can use to increase safety more quickly and cheaply. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “The Moonshot Plan to Eliminate Deaths on America’s Roads” by Maria Clara Cobo and Fola Akinnibi, Bloomberg (September 2024). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss the article “Toward a New Way of Educating City Builders” by Seth Zeren, a founding member of Strong Towns. They discuss the many different disciplines that are responsible for shaping the built environment, the professional silos that often develop between these disciplines, and how a shift in management or the way people think about urban development as a whole could break down these barriers. If you’d like to hear more of Zeren’s thoughts on city building, check out his appearances on The Bottom-Up Revolution. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Toward a New Way of Educating City Builders” by Seth Zeren, Build the Next Right Thing (September 2024). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.