Who Killed the Starter Home?

Berkeley Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani shares how she ran and won on a pro-housing platform, and how that has now become the norm. Did you know that Berkeley, the birthplace of single-family zoning, just passed ordinances allowing 8 units per parcel + 8 ADUs as of right? As Rashi says, “It’s so much more fun to say yes to new people in your community.”

Graffiti artists are often the first responders to abandonment. But what happens to their art when development moves in?

In this episode, graffiti artist and muralist Leon Rainbow shares his journey—from tagging walls in California to painting Trenton’s largest mural on the outside of the maximum-security prison. We dive into the role of art as expression, as business, and as community building.

Shaheed Morris takes us inside his personal journey, from nearly losing his grandmother’s home to building a bigger vision for Trenton’s future and for his own. He’s working, studying, and building all at the same time, turning challenge into momentum and vision into action.

In this episode, Sean Jackson, CEO of Isles, shares his thoughts on what it takes to grow a city that truly works. We talk about Trenton’s housing and community revitalization—and how it all starts with caring enough to make change happen. Isles is a nonprofit organization dedicated to training and educating adults and youth, helping families build wealth through innovative financial services, and promoting healthy living.

This first conversation is with Roland Pott, a real estate broker, developer, and longtime Trenton resident. We talk about what it really takes to turn a “bedroom community” into a real one.

Trenton’s walkability, density, and affordability offer a rare opportunity: a place where first-time buyers and small-scale developers can help shape the city’s future—without waiting for billion-dollar investments or zoning miracles.

Roland shares why this historic city is already built for community—and why now is the time to bring it to life

In this episode, I spoke with Professor Christopher Cowton, an expert in business ethics and co-author of a powerful paper on hypocrisy. Joining us from London, he helps unpack the moral tension at the heart of NIMBYism—when people who support progressive values push back on new housing in their own neighborhoods.

Is it hypocrisy? Fear? Or something deeper? And how can philosophy help us talk about housing more honestly—and more possibly more productively?

In this episode, I spoke with the Honorable Judge Joe Small, retired presiding judge of the Tax Court of New Jersey. Judge Small breaks down how our property tax system, rooted in 1940s constitutional language, affects everything from starter home construction to school funding, and why it’s often lower- and middle-income families who end up footing the bill.

We talk about what's broken, what could be fixed, and why some reforms are harder than they should be.

In this episode, I spoke with Commissioner Jacquelyn Suárez of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA). As one of the state’s largest departments, DCA is on a mission to support residents, local governments, businesses, and community organizations through financial assistance, technical expertise, and smart policy—helping improve quality of life across New Jersey.

I’ve personally benefited from DCA’s technical services, so it was especially exciting to hear about the innovative and ongoing programs that are saving taxpayers money and expanding access to homeownership in our state.

Here are the links to the programs we talked about:

In this episode, I spoke with Skip Schenker, who’s helping people turn fixer-uppers into dream homes by creating tools that simplify financing based on after-renovation value.

Financing problems are a huge part of why starter homes are so rare—and Skip and his collaborators at Ready4Remodel.com and Renofi are working to change that.