Upzoned

In this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by John Anderson, a builder and developer in Georgia, to discuss the Strong Towns take on “urban homesteading,” where cities sell derelict houses to people for $1 in exchange for a promise to renovate the property and live there for a period of time.

“Can Selling Off Homes for $1 Solve Urban Blight?” by Rowan Bridge, BBC (October 2024).

Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss managed retreat, where the federal government buys land from people to encourage them to move away from areas at high risk for natural disaster. According to the article, to actually move the necessary amount of people, the government needs to increase its efforts by a factor of 200.

Chuck and Abby talk about the issues with this method of natural disaster management, as well as other common approaches like rebuilding disaster areas to be more fortified, and share their thoughts on alternative responses to natural disasters.

Ways to help Western North Carolina, suggested by Local Conversations in the area:

Manna Food Bank.

North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.

Heart of the Foothills Animal Rescue.

Cajun Navy.

Beloved Asheville.

“Retreating From the Coasts Makes Sense, But Our Current Approach Isn’t Working,” by Tim Robustelli and Yuliya Panfil, Shelterforce Magazine (August 2024).

Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced a national deployment plan of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, a wireless communication tool that allows vehicles to transmit data on speed, location, road condition and other basic information. The DOT plans to implement this technology in 75% of the nation's intersections over the next decade or so.

In this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by Strong Towns Director of Community Action Edward Erfurt. They discuss how V2X technology works, the challenges and risks of implementing it, and the alternatives that cities can use to increase safety more quickly and cheaply.

“The Moonshot Plan to Eliminate Deaths on America’s Roads” by Maria Clara Cobo and Fola Akinnibi, Bloomberg (September 2024).

Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss the article “Toward a New Way of Educating City Builders” by Seth Zeren, a founding member of Strong Towns. They discuss the many different disciplines that are responsible for shaping the built environment, the professional silos that often develop between these disciplines, and how a shift in management or the way people think about urban development as a whole could break down these barriers.

If you’d like to hear more of Zeren’s thoughts on city building, check out his appearances on The Bottom-Up Revolution.

“Toward a New Way of Educating City Builders” by Seth Zeren, Build the Next Right Thing (September 2024).

Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by small-scale developers Alli Quinlan and Bernice Radle. They discuss their experiences in the field of incremental development, how to make incremental development more feasible in your city, and the importance of encouraging women to become incremental developers.

Alli Quinlan (LinkedIn).

Bernice Radle (LinkedIn).

Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss a Wall Street Journal article titled “The American Dream Feels Out of Reach for Most.” They talk about how inflation and high housing costs can put the American Dream out of reach for many people, as well as the trade-offs that people may be forced to make between different life priorities, such as career fulfillment and homeownership. They also explore the importance of strong community relationships in finding happiness.

“The American Dream Feels Out of Reach for Most” by Rachel Wolfe, The Wall Street Journal (August 2024).

Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

This week, Upzoned host Abby Newsham and The Messy City Podcast host Kevin Klinkenberg are working together in a special collaborative episode. They are joined by Jim Heid, a Californian landscape architect turned small-scale developer, to discuss the real estate profession and why he thinks it can solve a lot of modern problems.

Heid runs the Small Scale Developer Forum and has a new book called “Building Small: A Toolkit for Real Estate Entrepreneurs, Civic Leaders, and Great Communities.”

The Messy City Podcast.

Jim Heid (site).

Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss the article “Huge Fire Trucks Are Making Us All Less Safe” by Collin Woodard. They talk about how North American fire trucks are unusual for their massive sizes, how accommodating such large trucks makes streets more dangerous and how fire departments could adapt to improve public safety.

• “Huge Fire Trucks Are Making Us All Less Safe” by Collin Woodard, Yahoo News (August 2024).

Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn talk about the rapid population decline of children under five years old in large urban areas. They discuss the factors that can drive would-be urban families out of cities, how the rapidly declining population will affect services like schools and the importance of cities being able to accommodate diverse lifestyles in a dynamic way.

“The Urban Family Exodus Is a Warning for Progressives,” by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic (August 2024).

Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn talk about the Olympic Village that was built in Paris and what the city plans to do with the development now that the Games are over. They discuss the accusations of gentrification and greenwashing that Paris officials are facing, the challenges inherent in trying to complete large-scale, sustainable projects on a deadline, and lessons that both Paris and Los Angeles — which will be hosting the 2028 Games — can take from past hosts.

“Paris Hopes to Forge a New Model for Olympics-Oriented Development,” by Sam Levitt, The Urbanist (July 2024).

Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.