City Cast DC

DC is facing a double-barreled housing crisis where nothing is getting built. No one is building regular houses apartments because of the grim DMV economy. And no one is building subsidized “affordable” housing because epidemic rent nonpayment makes builders think they’ll never break even. In a city where housing is still super expensive, this adds up to a big problem. Emilia Calma is the author of a new report on this for the Brookings DMV Monitor and she’s here to explain. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. 

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 15th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

DC Department of Behavioral Health

National Museum of the American Indian

Alliance Française Washington DC

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Do you know how many parks DC has? Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuable tool for locals, who now not only know who to call when trash cans are overflowing: they can also find outdoor spaces that meet their needs.

Mentioned on the show:

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now! 

We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter

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We’re talking about whether DC is in for a tax hike, we’re talking about what’s missing in some of the Trump administration’s park makeovers, and we’ll try to read the tea leaves about where DC candidates are planning their election night parties. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment, we’ll get into the proposal to bring a giant homeless shelter to the HUD building. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. 

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 12th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

Mugsy

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

We’re talking about St. Elizabeths. As a lot of folks know, the campus of D.C.’s psychiatric hospital has transformed over the past 15 years. There’s still a hospital, but a huge part of the former campus now holds a federal cabinet agency and another part is being redeveloped as stores and houses. NBC4’s Mark Segraves recently gained access to a part that the new management really doesn’t want to talk about — the site of some pretty ghastly surgeries and experiments from the time when St. Elizabeths was known as an insane asylum. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. 

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 11th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

Mugsy

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

We’re talking about the state of the mayoral race with a week to go. We’re also talking about whether it really is just a week to go, since DC voters just got some pretty shocking news about how long it may take to count. And we’re talking World Cup specials in DC. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment, we’ll get into the logistics and politics of Sunday’s White House UFC fight.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to⁠ sign up⁠ for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: ⁠(202) 642-2654⁠. You can⁠ also become a member⁠, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. 

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 10th episode:

⁠Folger Shakespeare Library⁠

⁠Mugsy⁠

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info⁠ HERE⁠.

New York City might be known for its iconic bodega staple, the bacon egg and cheese, but DC also does breakfast sandwiches pretty well, too. In a quest to find the best one in DC, Washington Post food reporter Tim Carman asked the internet for its best recs—and the replies came pouring in. Within days, he had a list of more than 60 to try. And after some seriously tasty fieldwork, he’s narrowed it down to the top 10 breakfast sandwiches in DC. Last year, we sat down with Tim to get a taste of his ranking of DC’s best breakfast sandwiches. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. 

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 9th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

Mugsy

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

A new think tank study has some fascinating findings about Donald Trump’s national guard deployment in DC: The dramatic surge reduced property crimes by almost a quarter — but did nothing about violence. Richard Hahn from the Niskanen Center is here to explain. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. 

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 8th episode:

Folger Shakespeare Library

Mugsy

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Washington, DC, recycles some of its water, but not as much as Las Vegas, where the water there stays in the city. How else could a desert city possibly have enough water for its year-round tourists, a metro area population of over 2 million, and all those pools? The process just might be grosser than you think. With innovative recycling, strict lawn rules, and infrastructure to monitor it all, Vegas has become a global leader in water reuse. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Las Vegas podcast host Jesse Merrick to learn how the city makes do with what it has and how its practices could save other cities’ water supplies. Plus, are any Las Vegans actually going to the casinos?

Mentioned on the show:

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now! 

We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter

Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options.

D.C.'s June Primary is June 16th  and this year, voting works differently. For the first time, D.C. is using Ranked Choice Voting, which means you can rank up to five candidates in order of preference instead of picking just one. For this sponsored episode, Senior Executive Producer Annie Rees is chatting with Gary Thompson, Chair of D.C.'s Board of Elections, to explain exactly how it works, bust the myth that ranking more than one candidate splits your vote, and walk you through what your ballot will actually look like. In other words, everything you need to know before you head to the polls or fill out your mail-inballot. Learn more from the sponsor of this episode at dcboe.org/rcv.

We’re going to get into the mayoral race as it heads into its final week, we’re going to talk about why you should pay attention to what’s happening at the Rock Creek Tennis Center, and we’re going to talk new bars. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment, the DC Council has done something weird to the city’s open-meetings law, and we want to look at the state of transparency in our city. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. 

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 5th episode:

District Bridges

DC Department of Behavioral Health

DC Board of Elections

Mosaic Theater Company

Folger Shakespeare Library

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.