Building Better Cities

In 2017, a long-vacant Sears distribution center on Cleveland Street in Memphis was reborn as Crosstown Concourse—a “vertical urban village.” The 1.5 million square foot behemoth is now home to healthcare, a high school, art galleries, a YMCA, restaurants, and 265 apartments. 

For decades after Sears shuttered in 1993, the Crosstown corridor slipped off the city’s mental map—boarded storefronts, empty sidewalks, and years of disinvestment. Today, the investments and energy imbued at Crosstown Concourse has become a catalyst for neighborhood revival, from a partnership with Live Nation to build a new music venue to more than 30 acres of mixed use redevelopment. 

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro talks with Todd Richardson about how arts and patient capital sparked Crosstown’s rebirth, and how that momentum is fueling the next wave of investment.

Resources:

Satellite Music Hall breaks ground at Crosstown (Choose901)

Community Leadership Drives the Transformation of an Abandoned Sears Warehouse (MetropolisMag)

Crosstown Concourse Case Study (Bruner Foundation)

Crosstown Concourse Documentary (Crosstown Concourse)

Toronto's Distillery District (Distillery District)

MASS MoCA's History (MASS MoCA)

Ponce City Market History (Ponce City Market)

Midtown Global Market History (Midtown Global Market)

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Big visions for our cities often start with ambitious master plans—20-acre sites, sweeping infrastructure, and promises of transformation. But as exciting as they sound, these projects can struggle under the weight of financing challenges, shifting market cycles, and the difficulty of sustaining community engagement over decades.

On the other end of the spectrum are smaller, more incremental interventions: storefront upgrades, parklets, infill housing, and neighborhood-scale design moves that reshape our everyday experience of place. These fine-grained efforts can feel more organic, more participatory, and often create some of the most beloved neighborhoods we know today.

In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro is joined by Roberto Jenkins and Shruti Shankar from RDC and Studio One Eleven to explore this tension between top-down master planning and bottom-up placemaking. Together, they talk about how incremental projects in places like the Long Beach Design District are reshaping communities, what it means to design at the human scale, and how partnerships can unlock lasting urban change.

Resources:

Inside RDC-S111's Transformative Long Beach Headquarters (Work Design Magazine)

Infill Development Supports Community Connectivity (APA)

How to drive urban infill development in your city (C40)

Mapping the Parklet Craze (SPUR)

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What happens when you close off miles of city streets to cars—and open them up to people instead? In Los Angeles, that question gave rise to CicLAvia, a now-iconic open streets event that has redefined how Angelenos experience public space.

This week, host Kate Gasparro is joined by Aaron Paley, the co-founder of Community Arts Resources and one of the key visionaries behind CicLAvia. For decades, Aaron has been at the forefront of cultural programming and creative placemaking. His work shows how temporary interventions—when rooted in community, art, and culture—can challenge entrenched ideas about urban life and help us imagine new futures.

Together, Kate and Aaron explore the importance of honoring place-based histories, the challenges of translating temporary events into long-term systems change, and what LA can learn from its recent wildfires, upcoming global events, and the pressures of rapid development.

Throughout the discussion, Aaron reminds us that placemaking is a form of storytelling, resistance, and sometimes, the only tool we have to reclaim the places we call home.

Resources:

Studies reveal CicLAvia's air quality, public health and social impacts (UCLA)

Economic Impacts of CicLAvia: Study Finds Gains to Local Businesses (UCLA)

Ciclovía at 50: What we can learn from Bogotá's Open Streets initiative (World Economic Forum)

Redesigning the California dream with Christopher Hawthorne, LA's Chief Design Officer (KCRW)

Segregation in the City of Angels: A 1939 Map of Housing Inequality in L.A. (PBS SoCal)

Recovery and Rebuilding After Historic L.A. Fires (Los Angeles Conservancy)

Olympic transformation of metropolitan cities- for better or for worse (Brookings)

Heavily armed immigration agents descend on L.A.'s MacArthur Park (LA Times)

Trump names himself chair of L.A. Olympics task force, sees role for military during Games (LA Times)

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When disaster strikes, it reveals not just the vulnerabilities in our built environment—but also the opportunity to rebuild with more intention. In the wake of the devastating LA wildfires earlier this year, conversations about recovery have expanded into questions of long-term resiliency, equitable redevelopment, and what kind of governance structures are needed to get there.

To unpack these issues, Dr. Minjee Kim, an Assistant Professor in Urban Planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, joins the podcast. Dr. Kim’s research sits at the intersection of real estate development, public finance, and urban planning—making her uniquely suited to guide us through this moment. She’s advised the LA County Blue Ribbon Commission on post-fire recovery and authored a memo exploring how LA could structure a redevelopment authority modeled after efforts San Francisco's Transbay Joint Powers Authority, New York City's Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and Cincinnati's Center City Development Corporation.

Kate and Dr. Kim discuss what LA can learn from past large-scale recovery efforts, how different governance models impact land use outcomes, and why we must think beyond parcel-by-parcel rebuilding if we want to build a more resilient, equitable future.

Resources:

LA's Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action and Fire-Safe Recovery (LA County)

How do you rebuild a place like the Palisades? (NYT)

The next stage of rebuilding the Palisades is here: Burned lots for sale (NYT)

Permitting Progress Dashboard (LA County)

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Abundance is about the promise of building more, more effectively. But getting there requires more than big laws—it takes local capacity, political will, and the ability to turn ambition into action.

In this episode, Kate Gasparro sit down with Brian Regli, a former top advisor in Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration in Pennsylvania. They talk about what it’s like to be on the inside of a purple-state government translating federal policy into tangible progress. From lead pipe replacement and broadband expansion to industrial decarbonization and mine land solar, Brian shares the realities behind the rhetoric—where success hinges not just on funding, but on local know-how and consensus.

Together, Kate and Brian explore what a Project 2029 agenda could look like in a leaner, more fractured political landscape—how we align supply and demand, reform permitting and procurement, and empower local institutions to deliver. Because abundance doesn’t happen on paper—it happens in the places willing and ready to build.

This conversation follows our last one with former political leaders, rediscovering how we build together.

Resources:

Assessment of solar development on previously impacted mine lands in Pennsylvania (PA Department of Environmental Protection)

Feds offer $90M for vast solar array on PA mine land (Bay Journal)

PWSA celebrates its 10,000th lead service line replacement (WESA)

Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)

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Between 2021 and 2024, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act approved nearly $2 trillion in public investments. These investments were allocated to repair aging infrastructure, advance clean energy, and build toward a more connected, resilient future. But funding alone doesn’t build projects. 

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Zachary Kolodin, Michigan’s former Chief Infrastructure Officer, who built and led one of the nation’s first infrastructure offices during a period of extraordinary federal investment. Earlier this year, Zach started Pont Advisory and Pont Law to advise both public and private sector leaders on how to effectively execute upon that investment—navigating rising costs, regulatory hurdles, and shifting political priorities.

This is the first in a two-part series with former public leaders who helped turn federal ambition into local impact—and who now find themselves navigating a different kind of challenge: delivering lasting results when the dollars slow, but the need hasn’t.

Resources:
Infrastructure Costs (American Economic Journal: Applied Economics)
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Invests $13B in Michgan Projects (MI Governor's Office)
Executing on the $2T investment to boost American Competitiveness (Deloitte)
Chips manufacturing plants underway in Arizona (Axios)
New Hampshire's regulatory transparency gets a facelift (The Regulatory Review)

Notes:
Since recording, the US Supreme Court has limited NEPA's reach by clarying that agencies will only assess environmental impacts under their direct control—not the broader chain reaction of related projects. Read more here.

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Many high-profile smart city projects have missed the mark—not because the technology didn’t work, but because the process left people behind. That’s why a new model is emerging—one grounded in collaboration, transparency, and the idea that urban innovation should create value not just for investors, but for entrepreneurs, neighborhoods, and the public at large.

In Detroit, Bedrock is helping lead this shift. In this episode, host Kate Gasparro talks with Kevin Mull, Senior Director of Urban Strategy and Innovation at Bedrock and Co-Founder of the Urban Tech Xchange and the Detroit Smart Parking Lab. In his work, Kevin is creating spaces—both physical and institutional—where startups can test new ideas, city stakeholders can weigh in, and new technologies can grow in ways that are practical, inclusive, and aligned with local goals.

The conversation dives into how Detroit is navigating this new era of urban technology and and what it takes to build cities that are not just technologically advanced—but responsive, inclusive, and future-ready.

Resources:

What's fueling the smart city backlash (Wharton)
How Detroit's enduring automotive ingenuity legacy shapes the future of transportation (Fast Company)
This parking garage is a high-tech research lab (Axios)
Detroit welcomes four mobility startups to tech incubator (Smart Cities World)
Bedrock is one of the most innovative companies in urban development and real estate (Fast Company)

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What if entire neighborhoods shared integrated infrastructure—cutting costs, boosting performance, and unlocking real climate resilience?

That’s the promise of district utility systems: shared infrastructure networks that serve multiple buildings with centralized solutions. From recovering waste heat and recycling greywater to deploying resilient solar-plus-storage microgrids, these systems offer a more holistic—and scalable—way to build sustainable communities.

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Daniel Hansen, Managing Partner of NEXT Infrastructure, to explore why district utility systems are gaining traction—and what it takes to make them work. With a background in civil engineering and an MBA from Oxford, Daniel brings deep experience in delivering sustainable infrastructure. Earlier in his career, he worked in-house with developers on transformative projects like the Hunters Point Shipyard, Candlestick Point, Concord Naval Weapons Station, and the Potrero Power Station. Today, he advises cities, developers, and utilities across North America on how to turn ambitious climate goals into bankable, buildable infrastructure solutions.

Resources:

Stanford University District Energy System

Whisper Valley's innovative geothermal infrastructure powers zero energy capable homes

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How do you turn institutional ambition into a catalyst for community change? 

This week on Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Alex Feldman of U3 Advisors, a firm working at the intersection of anchor institutions and urban revitalization. From Detroit to Memphis to Philadelphia, U3 has helped universities and hospitals rethink their role in the cities they call home—not just as employers or landowners, but as partners in development.

They talk about how U3 has helped create lasting institutions like the Memphis Medical District Collaborative, why building trust between universities and neighbors is harder—and more essential—than ever, and how strategic real estate development can help solve big challenges like talent retention, quality of life, and local economic resilience.

Alex and Kate explore what it takes to align institutional goals with community needs, how intermediary organizations act as both the gas and the glue for urban partnerships, and why the future of thriving downtowns may hinge on strong, place-based institutions.

Resources:

Terrapin Development Company

Live Detroit boosts Midtown's revival in Detroit

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If you’ve spent any time in the world of placemaking, chances are you've been influenced—directly or indirectly—by the work of Carol Coletta. From her early days with the Mayors’ Institute on City Design to her leadership at the Memphis River Parks Partnership—Carol has consistently pushed cities to be more ambitious, more welcoming, and more connected.

Now, she’s entering a new chapter, helping visionary leaders and organizations navigate the future of placemaking and build the partnerships needed to make public spaces thrive. In this episode, Kate speaks with Carol about what has guided her work across decades and sectors. They explore the power of public space as a tool for building community and democracy, and what it means to lead boldly, especially when the work is hard, the resources are limited, and the stakes are high.

Resources:

Strong, Weak and Invisible Ties: A Relational Perspective on Urban Coexistience

The real strength of weak ties

How urban design fosters stronger communities with Dr. Andrew Sonta

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