EPISODE · May 27, 2026 · 1H 3M
112 / Middle housing university / with Alkarim Devani
from good traffic. · host Brad Biehl
Alkarim Devani — developer and founder of mddl — is in good traffic this week for a conversation on how Canada's housing realities compare/contrast with that of the U.S., and how we can better prepare developers to address our continental crisis. Timeline:00:00 Alkarim Devani is in good traffic.02:47 Canada's housing crisis.04:36 Cities not sharing solutions with each other.05:14 The competitive silence in real estate development.05:51 Al's background as a developer in Calgary.06:43 The Plus 15 downtown system and its failures.07:31 Downtown office conversions and retrofitting.08:23 Starting infill development with his brother.09:14 From luxury duplexes to more attainable housing.10:16 Realizing the market sucks and social impact matters.11:33 Founding Roundsquare to bring families back.12:43 The first fourplex proposal that no one had done.13:39 Meeting resistance and finding city support.16:54 Why missing middle isn't happening at scale.25:31 The regulatory framework problem.28:27 How to make economics work for missing middle.31:15 Building at the right price point.34:12 The slow-growth lesson from setbacks.37:00 Sometimes you don't get the outcome you want.40:15 Iterative change and incremental progress.43:03 Solving for community impact.46:33 A 350-square-foot cafe.49:21 Revenue-sharing lease structures.52:24 Building a heated vestibule for winter survival.55:12 Doubling revenue per square foot through design.56:01 The General Block and Village Ice Cream.58:04 Why the right tenant anchor matters.59:35 University District and the 99-year lease model.1:01:23 Inglewood and Calgary's coffee culture.1:03:02 The commute question and river path biking.1:05:26 Wrapping up.Links:mddl.mddl U.Mddl, on Instagram.
What this episode covers
Alkarim Devani — developer and founder of mddl — is in good traffic this week for a conversation on how Canada's housing realities compare/contrast with that of the U.S., and how we can better prepare developers to address our continental crisis. Timeline:00:00 Alkarim Devani is in good traffic.02:47 Canada's housing crisis.04:36 Cities not sharing solutions with each other.05:14 The competitive silence in real estate development.05:51 Al's background as a developer in Calgary.06:43 The Plus 15 downtown system and its failures.07:31 Downtown office conversions and retrofitting.08:23 Starting infill development with his brother.09:14 From luxury duplexes to more attainable housing.10:16 Realizing the market sucks and social impact matters.11:33 Founding Roundsquare to bring families back.12:43 The first fourplex proposal that no one had done.13:39 Meeting resistance and finding city support.16:54 Why missing middle isn't happening at scale.25:31 The regulatory framework problem.28:27 How to make economics work for missing middle.31:15 Building at the right price point.34:12 The slow-growth lesson from setbacks.37:00 Sometimes you don't get the outcome you want.40:15 Iterative change and incremental progress.43:03 Solving for community impact.46:33 A 350-square-foot cafe.49:21 Revenue-sharing lease structures.52:24 Building a heated vestibule for winter survival.55:12 Doubling revenue per square foot through design.56:01 The General Block and Village Ice Cream.58:04 Why the right tenant anchor matters.59:35 University District and the 99-year lease model.1:01:23 Inglewood and Calgary's coffee culture.1:03:02 The commute question and river path biking.1:05:26 Wrapping up.Links:mddl.mddl U.Mddl, on Instagram.
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112 / Middle housing university / with Alkarim Devani
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