Upzoned

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. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “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. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “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. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “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.

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? ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “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.