Booked on Planning

This episode delves into the intricate world of limited equity cooperatives, social narratives, and the constantly evolving landscape of housing in America with Jonathan Tarleton, exploring his book "Homes for Living: The Fight for Social Housing and a New American Commons." Tarleton begins by describing the concept of limited equity co-ops, which function as a form of de-commodified housing insulated from current market pressures. This concept comes to life in his book and our conversation through the Mitchell-Lama program in New York City, designed to keep housing permanently affordable for middle-income individuals.

 The discussion takes an introspective turn as Tarleton addresses the pervasive American narrative that true ownership equates to property that can generate profit. He argues that societal shifts have turned homeownership into a safety net for all life's financial perils, leading to a narrow view that success is only tangible through profitable ownership.

Show Notes:

• Author Recommended Reading: 
  • Carving out the Commons: Tenant Organizing and Housing Cooperatives in Washington, D.C. by Amanda Huron
  • Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor 
  • Boom Town by Sam Anderson
  • Having and Being Had  by Eula Biss
  • What Can a Body Do?: How We Meet the Built World By Sara Hendren
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
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Historic preservation is a field dedicated to safeguarding our cultural heritage, but the stability of jobs within this sector often hinges on government involvement. According to author Jeremy Wells, nearly three-quarters of all jobs in historic preservation are fundamentally designed to meet the needs of local, state, and federal government. This statistic underscores the dependence of the industry on government funding and initiatives and the need for preservation education to reflect this fact in the structure of their programs. "Managing the Magic of Old Places: Crafting Public Policies for People-Centered Historic Preservation," the subject of this episode, covers this topic and ways the preservation field can be more responsive to the communities they serve.

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • “Reclaiming Time and Space”, a thesis by Kenyatta McClean
  • Uses of Heritage by Laurajayne Smith 
  • Contemporary Theory of Conservation by Salvadore Munoz Vinas
  • People Centered Methodologies of Heritage Preservation: Exploring Emotional Attachments to Historic Urban Places by Rebecca Madgin
  • Reimagining Heritage Interpretation: Enchanting the Past-Future by Russel Staif
  • Our Unprotected Heritage: Whitewashing the Destruction of Our Cultural and Natural Environment by Thomas F. King
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
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In this episode architect and author Amy Hetletvedt discusses her thought-provoking book, "Preserving With Purpose: Re-Imagining Buildings for Community Benefit." This conversation delves into innovative approaches to historical preservation, particularly around the idea of reimagining how communities can benefit from existing structures. A number of the book’s case studies are discussed to illustrate her concepts that offer a new way to ensure building maintenance and reuse that diverges from the standard approach of letting buildings sit and deteriorate until millions of dollars are raised to complete a full scale renovation.

Show Notes:

• Further Reading:
  • Deventer by Matthew Stadler
  • A Field Guide to Sprawl by Delores Hayden
• You can download a free book guide that includes options to discuss the book in one to three meetings as a book club or lunch discussion at www.amyhetletvedt.com 
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
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In our latest episode we interview zoning attorney and author Donald Elliott about his book An Even Better Way to Zone: Achieving More Affordable, Equitable, and Sustainable Communities. Elliott’s work comes alongside other recent zoning books covered on the show, including M. Nolan Gray's Arbitrary Lines (arguing for getting rid of zoning) and Sarah Bronin’s Key to the City, his approach aligning with reforming zoning rather than eliminating it. Elliott explains that his earlier book, A Better Way to Zone (released nearly 20 years earlier), focused on broadly applicable zoning “basics” and common misunderstandings, while the new book reflects two additional decades of practice and is more targeted.

Elliott says An Even Better Way to Zone concentrates on four substantive, current priorities that appear across many zoning projects: enabling more affordable housing, supporting more sustainable development, improving zoning outcomes for disadvantaged groups, and—most notably—zoning for continued reuse and redevelopment rather than focusing only on what communities want “today.” He frames zoning as a governance system, not a wish list, emphasizing that it defines legal rights to use property and therefore needs to anticipate ongoing change, especially in built-out places.

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
  • The Image of the City by Kevin A. Lynch
  • The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by 
  • Arbitrary Lines by M. Nolan Gray
  • Key to the City by Sara Bronin
  • The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class and What We Can Do About It by Richard Florida
  • Cast: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/lists/land-use-and-zoning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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There’s regionalism as we all learned in planning school led by Louis Mumford at the Regional Planning Association of America (RPAA) and then there’s southern regionalism that Howard W. Odum and his Institute for Research in Social Science (IRSS) led from the University of North Carolina. The history of the southern regionalists was largely overlooked until Stephen Ramos published “Folk Engineering: Planning Southern Regionalism.” Sadly, Stephen passed away shortly after publishing this book, leaving behind an accomplished career and scholarship that elevated the urban planning program in the College of Environmental Design at the University of Georgia. This episode honors his last major publication contributing to the field.

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Electric Life: Utility Regulation and the Fight for Energy Democracy by Nikki Lucke (open access PDF)
  • Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed by James C. Scott
  • New State Spaces: Urban Governance and the Rescaling of Statehood by Neil Brenner
  • White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism by Kevin M. Kruse
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!

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Planning for the future can feel overwhelming, yet essential. The American Planning Association’s (APA) 2026 Trend Report offers planners foresight into upcoming trends that could shape our world. In our latest episode, we talked with Petra Hurtado, APA’s Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer, to delve into these trends. Now in it’s fifth year (coincidentally…or not….this was our 100th episode in the fifth year of our show), we have covered every trend report from the first so you can really start to see the evolution of the document and it’s contents.

This time around, we definitely talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and it’s impacts and how to prepare for it. As trends like AI, transportation, and housing continue to evolve, Hurtado emphasizes the need for planners to address these changes head-on--”looking away won’t make it go away” was the theme of the conversation. The episode highlights recurring themes like climate change, demographic shifts, and policy changes. 

Show Notes:

• Check out the full report on APA’s website at https://planning.org/publications/document/9323378/ 
• Trend Universe: https://planning.org/foresight/trends/ 
• New Home for Data Source’s Article: https://www.planning.org/planning/2025/sep/5-tech-tools-for-building-relevant-and-reliable-urban-data-infrastructure/ 
• Upskilling: https://www.planning.org/upskilling/ 
• Further Reading: 
  • The Ministry of Time by Kiliane Bradley
  • God is Red: A Native View of Religion by Vine Deloria Jr.
  • Work Without Jobs: How to Reboot Your Organization’s Work Operating System by Ravin Jesuthansan and John W. Boudreau
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/ 

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In the latest episode of the Booked On Planning podcast, hosts Stephanie Rouse and Jennifer Hiatt sat down with author and developer Jamie Madden to discuss his new book, Bittersweet Lane: Creating Home(s) in the American Affordable Housing Crisis. Part memoir and part educational guide, the book offers a rare look at the housing crisis from someone who grew up in affordable housing and now spends his career building it.

Madden’s unique background allows him to bridge the gap between resident needs and developer realities. He emphasizes that successful housing requires understanding the “chain of consequences” behind every decision—from laundry room placement to the complex certification processes residents must navigate. A central theme of the interview is the ideological struggle over the purpose of affordable housing. Madden points out that while the goal should be simple—"everyone should have a place to live"—U.S. policy has historically wavered between viewing housing as a reward (like parks) or a punitive measure (like prisons). 

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Gaffs: Why No One Can Get a House, and What We Can Do About It by Rory Hearne
  • Poor: Grit, courage, and the life-changing value of self-belief by Katriona O’Sullivan
  • Topographia Hibernica: Acclaimed stories from the bestselling Irish author, podcaster, satirist and musician by Blindboy Boatclub
• A past episode referenced by Jamie is Homeless is a Housing Issue, a book he references in Bittersweet Lane.
• Check out the APA National Planning Conference page and register to attend today at https://planning.org/conference/?utm_campaign=NPC26&utm_source=external&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=bookedonplanning 
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
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Progressivism struggles with a never ending pendulum swing between Jeffersonian and Hamiltonian impulses, bringing us to our current problem of inaction. Author Mark Dunkelman in his book, "Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress—and How to Bring It Back", explains the origins of American progressivism as a response to the upheaval created by railroads and national-scale economic power, outlining these two competing impulses within the movement: the Jeffersonian push to break up big institutions and return power to smaller, local actors, and a Hamiltonian push to build strong public institutions capable of regulating large private entities. 

The discussion traces how the U.S. shifted toward large-scale governance in the New Deal and mid-20th century, then swung back in the 1960s–1970s as public trust eroded due to environmental damage, highways cutting through communities, urban renewal, Vietnam, and Watergate, leading to layered legal and procedural checks that can fragment decision-making and make it difficult for governments to act quickly. Dunkelman describes how the judiciary’s role changed over time and argues that today’s system resembles a “tragedy of the commons in reverse,” where widespread veto points prevent collective action. 

Show Notes:

• Further Reading: 
  • Making a New Deal: Industrial Workers in Chicago, 1919-1939 by Lizabeth Cohen
  • Saving America's Cities: Ed Logue and the Struggle to Renew Urban America by Lizabeth Cohen
  • Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner
  • Find each on our Policy book list at https://bookshop.org/lists/theory-policy-history
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
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In this episode of Booked on Planning, we dive into a conversation with Zahra Ebrahim, author of 'Messy Cities: Why We Can't Plan Everything.' Ibrahim discusses the inspiration and collaborative effort behind her book, a collection of 42 essays that challenge the traditional notions of urban order and highlight the benefits of urban 'messiness'. The episode explores themes such as ecological benefits, social infrastructure, cultural heritage, and the dynamic interactions that define city living. Listeners can expect a thought-provoking discussion on re-evaluating what makes cities livable, resilient, and vibrant, emphasizing the importance of diverse perspectives and inclusive urban planning.

Show Notes:

• Recommended Reading: 
  • Is a River Alive? by Robert McFarlane
  • Londoners: The Days and Nights of London Now—As Told by Those Who Love It, Hate It, Live It, Left It, and Long for It  by Craig Taylor
  • The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book and any others on your reading list through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning.
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A road that was never built still managed to hollow out a neighborhood. We sit down with historian Emily Lieb to unpack how Baltimore’s “Road to Nowhere” took shape on paper, and why that was enough to destabilize Rosemont—a Black middle-class community of sturdy daylight rowhouses—through years of uncertainty, disinvestment, and policy misfires.

This conversation isn’t just about Baltimore. It’s about how plans, incentives, and vague labels shape markets and lives long before construction begins. We dig into the human toll of being told you’re “elected to be the sacrificers,” the choice to protect a cemetery over living homeowners, and the core question planners must face: is a city a place to live or a corridor to drive through? If we want the former, we have to align dollars, definitions, and decisions with the people already there.

If this episode moved you, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone who cares about housing, transportation, and urban justice. Your support helps more listeners find these stories and join the conversation.

Show Notes:

• Author Recommended Reads: 
  • Crime novels are a good way to understand cities (ex: Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett)
  • Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead
• To help support the show, pick up a copy of the book or any of the recommended readings through our Bookshop page at https://bookshop.org/shop/bookedonplanning or get a copy through your local bookstore!
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