Building Better Cities

Federal funding can make or break an infrastructure project—but what happens when the rules change overnight?

In this episode, Kate Gasparro is joined by Chris Livingstone, a seasoned expert in infrastructure finance and transaction structuring, with nearly 25 years of experience shaping major projects like the Washington Union Station Expansion and helping agencies like LA Metro navigate the complexities of funding, financial modeling, and public-private partnerships.

Chris isn’t just advising on mega deals—he’s also demystifying the challenges of delivering infrastructure through his weekly video series, offering insights into what it really takes to get projects built. Today, we’re diving into how shifting federal policies are reshaping project funding, what agencies can do to stay ahead, and whether we’re entering a new era of infrastructure investment—or uncertainty.

Resources:

Trump funding freeze leaves IIJA, IRA projects in limbo

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Have you ever wondered how you could truly invest in your community—not just symbolically, but with real equity?

This week on Building Better Cities, Kate Gasparro sits down with Brian Ross of InfraShares to explore how equity crowdfunding is reshaping infrastructure finance. For the last decade, Brian has combined his expertise in infrastructure finance with a passion for community-driven investment, challenging the traditional model of relying on private equity firms and institutional investors.

Instead of funneling returns to foreign firms seeking stable, low-risk investments, InfraShares is working with municipalities and developers to flip the script—putting both financial and social returns into the hands of the people most impacted by these projects. Tune in to learn how equity crowdfunding is changing the game for infrastructure finance—and how you can take ownership of the places you live.

Resources:

Entrepreneurs Hope to Bring Crowdfunding to P3 Projects

First-of-its-Kind P3 Delivers New Schools for 8K+ Students

Note: Kate Gasparro serves an advisor to InfraShares. This episode shares insights from our conversation but does not constitute financial or professional advice.

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Buildings contribute nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, with a significant share coming from embodied carbon—the hidden emissions in the materials we use to build. In this episode, Kate Gasparro sits down with Anish Tilak, a leader in RMI’s Carbon-Free Buildings program, to explore how Buy Clean and Buy America policies are shaping the future of sustainable construction.

They discuss the latest innovations in low-carbon concrete and cleaner steel production and how transforming the materials sector can strengthen the U.S. economy and drive job creation.

With a shifting political landscape, what’s next for embodied carbon reduction? And how can cities, developers, and policymakers collaborate to build more sustainable cities and economies?

Resources:
Buy Clean and Beyond
Setting Buy Clean Standards to Green US Steel
To Buy Clean, First Buy American
Global Cement and Concrete Association's Roadmap for Net Zero Concrete
Buy Clean California Act

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

How do you close the financial gap between ambition and execution in urban development? In this episode of Building Better Cities, Kate Gasparro sits down with Ken Kalynchuk of Project Management Consultants to explore the world of public finance in the Midwest's largest and most iconic developments. From tax increment financing to historic tax credits, Ken explains how creative financial tools can bring transformative projects to life. Learn how Ohio is leading the way with proactive incentive programs and what other regions can take away from it's approach to tackling brownfields, workforce housing, and more.

Resources:
Cincinnati's Union Central Tower restoration nearly complete

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In 2023, national insurance companies pulled out of Florida and California, citing escalating climate risks. Since then, natural disasters have only intensified, forcing property owners and developers to confront a critical challenge: How do we protect homes and investments in climate-risk areas?

Following Hurricanes Milton and Helene, these questions have taken center stage—not just in impacted areas, but in all regions vulnerable to climate change.

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro speaks with Alisa Valderrama, founder of FutureProof. As a climate-based insurtech start-up, FutureProof prices climate risk using insurance data and weather models. Drawing on decades of experience at the World Bank, NRDC, and Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Alisa shares how quantifying climate risk for insurers is changing the way we build (and rebuild) with resilience.

Resources:

Helene and Milton are both likely to be $50B disasters

Why insurance companies are pulling out of California and Florida 

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Neighborhoods in the path of growth often attract investment, bringing new jobs and amenities—but they also create conditions ripe for gentrification and displacement. In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with David Kemper, co-founder of Trust Neighborhoods, to explore solutions that put power back in the hands of residents.

Over the past five years, David and his team have pioneered Mixed-Income Neighborhood Trusts (MINTs) to counteract gentrification and ensure community stability. Drawing on his extensive background in affordable housing and urban development—including key roles under New York City Mayors Bloomberg and de Blasio, as well as at Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs—David shares insights on how trusting and investing in residents can build resilient, inclusive neighborhoods.

Resources:
How a Kansas City neighborhood is protecting renters while investing in itself
New East Bost affordable housing effort would be the first of its kind on East Coast

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

While the housing crisis may seem like the topic du jour, Los Angeles has spent decades grappling with this problem: too many people, too few homes. In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro talks with Jenna Hornstock about local government's role in driving housing construction. As LA's Deputy Mayor for Housing, Jenna played a critical role in repositioning the city to increase housing supply. Together, they discuss how permitting new projects is not enough. Local governments are being asked to carve new pathways toward construction.

Sources:
LA City’s Executive Directive 1
LA4LA
LA Metro's Transit Oriented Communities

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro interviews Lauren Mattern, a leader in Travel Demand Management (TDM) with two decades of experience working with major transit agencies including San Francisco’s MTA and Transport for London. Lauren's current work with Journey is focused on helping cities and developers find better solutions for urban mobility. They discuss how TDM strategies like transit vouchers, congestion pricing, and bike/ped infrastructure investments shift how people move through our cities. Listen as they share how trends in urban mobility impact how we build better cities!

Sources:
Donald Shoup's High Cost of Free Parking
MBTA: South Coast Rail will run on the weekends. Here's why it's important and what it'll cost

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro talks with Adam Friedberg about the core dynamics behind mega urban development projects. With Adam's leadership of Buro Happold's Cities Team, they discuss how sustainable infrastructure and a focus on community growth has helped revitalize Lake Erie communities and create South Korea's Songdo. Tune in to learn how these mega projects come together to build better cities!

Sources:
NY governor Cuomo unveils revitalization plan for Erie Canal
Building a City from Scratch: The Story of Songdo, Korea

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In this episode of Building Better Cities, we’re taking a deep dive into rising household energy costs. Host Kate Gasparro revisits a 2022 conversation with Ben Dueweke, Director of Public Partnerships at Walker-Miller Energy Services, whose work focuses on reducing the energy burden in communities throughout the Midwest. Tune in to learn how energy efficiency and weatherization initiatives are reducing the energy burden and helping us build better cities.

Sources:
USA.gov's home weatherization and energy effiency asistance programs
DOE's Home Efficiency Rebates and Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates
IRS' Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit
Building Better Cities Issue 6: Slashing the Energy Burden

Special thanks to Abril Galang for sound engineering this episode! 

Correction:
Carla Walker-Miller is the Founder and CEO of Walker-Miller Energy Services

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected].