Struggletown

On the latest pod, Chet and Jeff discuss how the real estate development process mirrors cooking without a meal in mind or playing the the world's worst game of Monopoly. The current setup of municipal building departments ensures everyone is miserable and encourages NIMBYsm.  There are solutions though and things can get better, but its important that we see the process for what it is today. 

As we always suspected, Ice-T was talking about housing. We can't build the type of housing we need, not because a lack of demand, but because the game is rigged. Hosts Chet and Jeff discuss a recent bill in the New Hampshire Statehouse that allows for a desperately needed housing option and how bad regulations keep delivering us a bad product. 

While vacancy may seem a mystery to most, there is a very real and rational reason behind an owners decision to leave a property empty. Understanding their position and the financials behind it is a city's key to addressing the problem. 

On this episode, Chet and Jeff discuss the reasons for vacancy and blight and how city leaders can begin to combat the issue using the tools they already have on hand. 

Do utility fees increase every year with no improvement of service? Does the city ignore your phone calls? Do you get treated like you are living in a municipal monopoly? Welcome to Comcast City! 

On this episode, hosts Chet Clem and Jeff Siegler discuss why operating a city like a cable monopoly might not be the best strategy and how prioritizing customer service could have far reaching benefits for local government. 

In this episode, hosts Chet and Jeff discuss why grant money rarely fixes what ails our cities and why monetary windfalls can often exacerbate civic self-confidence issues. Our cities and towns have to start thinking about short term progress and the every day maintenance and effort that ends up brining about real change. Cities need personal trainers and not lottery tickets. 

This week, hosts Chet and Jeff are joined by Phil Eich of Storyville Social.  As a social media consultant for municipalities, Phil explains how when cities don't develop a cohesive communication strategy, they end up looking like the loneliest guy at the club. 

On this episode, hosts Jeff and Chet talk about the invention of the Bullshit Machine. This nefarious piece of city equipment ensures that no matter the quality input it receives, only turds are produced. By adopting sprawl based codes and misunderstanding the roles of building departments and planning boards, cities have created a process that is incapable of  producing quality buildings and streets. 

This week on the pod, hosts Jeff and Chet discuss how cities are the like the worst guys on Tinder.  First off, they are all cheating on their partners, add in the use of outdated profile photos, descriptions that aren't true and a penchant for one night stands, cities make terrible dating partners. 

This week, hosts Chet and Jeff go deep on the decisions that led to the decline of American cities and how municipalities have turned their back on locals in favor of visitors and out-of- town corporate interests. Why have cities made good growth illegal? Why do communities put more stock in outsiders than locals? Why does your town keep swiping right on strangers when you are sitting home waiting for a little love? 

Hosts Chet Clem and Jeff Siegler kick-off a new podcast series discussing why the world needs two more white guys with a podcast. 

Food has become a cultural obsession, fitness freaks are everywhere, we dump billions in to a broken healthcare system, yet no one discusses the outsized impact our places have on our lives. 

Fortunately for you, Chet and Jeff tackle the topic of why our places are so dysfunctional and why it matters more than we realize. Going beyond a typical parking bitch session, it's a show about what the average person can do, how residents can overcome apathy and what's possible if we stop accepting excuses and demand the change we deserve.