New Cities & Digital Dopamine: Congressman Jake Auchincloss on Radio Abundance

Congressman Jake Auchincloss helped launch YIMBY Democrats for America and Radio Abundance by joining us on our premiere episode alongside Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Secretary of Housing & Community Development Jake Day. Less than 6 months later, Congressman Auchincloss joined us at in Washington DC to explore his new op-ed on Charter Cities, in which he wrote:“Building new cities next to productive cities is the “have your cake and eat it too” of economic development. “Having your cake” is agglomeration. Adjacent hubs generate the interactions that drive innovation, which increases productivity, which boosts wages. “Eating it too” is affordability. A new city can build housing and infrastructure at the scale and speed necessary to produce enough supply to drive down costs. This benefits not just the denizens of the new city, but those of the existing one, too, since housing markets are as regional as labor markets. Over the long term, new cities can become links in a new economic geography, radiating economic opportunity inwards from the coasts and forging a more geographically inclusive nation.”Along the way, we also talked about one of Congressman Auchincloss’ most important issues: the attention-fracking of America’s children by social media companies by what Congressman Auchincloss calls “digital dopamine.”Read the op-ed here, and enjoy Congressman Auchincloss on Radio Abundance! Get full access to Radio Abundance by YIMBY Democrats for America at radioabundance.substack.com/subscribe