City Cast DC

DC is a big city, but did you know that it’s actually illegal to build anything other than a suburban-style house in most of it? According to today's guest David Alpert, that’s one reason housing is so expensive in Washington. Alpert has spent years advocating for rewriting the rules, and this month, he’s among the folks who are bitterly disappointed that the Bowser administration’s land-use map for the next couple decades is basically the same as the one we’ve had since the 20th century. He’s here to explain what happened and where things go from here.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey 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 April 15th episode:

Alliance Française Washington DC

Window Nation

St. Ann's Center for Children, Youth & Families

KATSUMI

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

The mayor has just rolled out her final budget and it’s pretty painful. Jenny Reed walked us through the administration’s theory of the case — why they think it’s a good idea to make cuts TO day care and medical leave, and why it beats the alternative of raising more money through taxes.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey 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 April 14th episode:

Alliance Française Washington DC

Window Nation

St. Ann's Center for Children, Youth & Families

KATSUMI

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

We’re talking about another Trump-era controversy at a DC cultural institution — in this case, the Holocaust Museum, which last year yanked down content talking about the fragility of democracy and the ties between German Naziism and American Jim Crow. Unlike the blowups at the Kennedy Center, this happened quietly. And according to reporting from Irie Sentner at Politico, that’s because the museum didn’t even wait for the administration to ask — they just pulled down stuff that they thought might upset the president’s team. What happened? And what does this mean for other museums in our city? Irie is here to explain. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey 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 April 13th episode:

Alliance Française Washington DC

Window Nation

St. Ann's Center for Children, Youth & Families

KATSUMI

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

Washingtonians, what do you do when your night life starts to dwindle? Nightlife is a huge economic driver for cities, but city offices are often closed when those businesses need help. That’s why Portland is considering hiring a Night Mayor. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Portland podcast host Claudia Meza about what this new position would do, and if it is the answer to the pandemic’s enduring negative impact on walkability, small businesses, and nightlife in cities everywhere. Plus, should your city be weirder?

Mentioned on the show:

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

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DC is starting to feel like an old Dennis the Menace cartoon. Last week, the city was up in arms about teens running wild at Navy Yard. This week, there’s agita about dirt bike riders. We’ll get into it. Also: A big Pennsylvania Avenue re-do may be in the works, and the neighbor at number 1600 gets a big say in it. And we’ll talk about the end of the Ovi era in DC.  Plus: City Cast members can listen in on a special members-only conversation about a rare new political poll of DC, just a couple months before the election.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to⁠ sign up⁠ for our morning newsletter Hey 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 April 10th episode:

⁠Alliance Française Washington DC⁠

⁠Olney Theatre⁠

⁠Mosaic Theater⁠

⁠Nace Law Group⁠

⁠Window Nation⁠

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info⁠ HERE⁠

Once upon a time, the food critic of the Washington Post was an all-powerful — and totally anonymous — figure in the local restaurant industry. But the paper’s new critic, Elazar Sontag, takes over at a very different moment. We had a long chat with Sontag about the Washington dining scene, the role of a critic, and how to communicate about food in 2026.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey 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 April 9th episode:

Alliance Française Washington DC

Olney Theatre

Mosaic Theater

Nace Law Group

Window Nation

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

Have you always wanted to be one of those people who can tell a Georgian D.C. rowhouse from a Federal D.C. rowhouse, or drop the name of Harry Wardman? Then settle in. We chatted with Joe Himali, who makes his living as a real estate guy but who you might know from his strangely addicting social media posts about D.C. architecture. All kinds of people these days talk about the way official Washington looks, but Himali explains why our houses look the way they do. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey 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 April 8th episode:

Alliance Française Washington DC

Olney Theatre

Mosaic Theater

Nace Law Group

Window Nation

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

The DC area lost 56,000 jobs in 2025, the worst of any major Metro area. But is it as bad as it sounds? Tracy Haddon Low of the Brookings Institution studies the regional economy as Donald Trump transforms the federal government and she’s here to walk us through our state of municipal health. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey 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 April 7th episode:

Alliance Française Washington DC

Olney Theatre

Mosaic Theater

Nace Law Group

Window Nation

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

The hangover— it happens to the best of us, it can even happen if you don't drink! So crack open that Pedialyte and settle in, because Ann Limpert and her colleagues at the Washingtonian put together a list of DC's best hangover foods and fair warning, some of these picks are going to surprise you. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey 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 April 6th episode:

Alliance Française Washington DC

Olney Theatre

Mosaic Theater

Nace Law Group

Window Nation

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

While both D.C. and Denver have a professional Women's Soccer team (go Spirit!), Denver is only the second city in the U.S. to build a stadium specifically for women’s soccer. Will betting on women’s sports drive Denver’s economy or will Denverites be left paying the price for another stadium? City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Denver podcast host Bree Davies about why Denver has invested so much into having sports downtown, how Denver has capitalized on repurposing old industrial spaces, and how bad traffic gets when all your sports are downtown. Plus, is it better to have a Mayor with or without aims for a greater political office?

Mentioned on the show:

The $tadium Game: Inside the lucrative world of Colorado’s pro sports stadiums [⁠⁠The Denver Post⁠⁠]

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.