Small-Scale Equitable Housing Development That Empowers Community

Zola interviews Emerging Realtor, Desmond, about building equitable neighborhoods through development, strategy, and education. He frames “homefullness” as rebuilding true community—neighbors knowing each other, gathering informally, and designing the built environment to support that social “software,” not just housing “hardware.”   He advocates a smaller-scale, toolbelt approach to development—right-sizing projects to what a community says it needs, from single-family homes and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs, like Granny Flats) to 15–50 unit mixed-use, mixed-income buildings where higher-rent units can help subsidize attainable ones. A core part of his work is education: he’s developing a practitioner-led curriculum to make it easier for everyday people to become community-minded developers, pairing training (including community engagement) with real-world funding pathways like a pitch day with lenders and potential City of Raleigh support such as donating city-owned lots. Desmond highlights community land trusts as a key tool for keeping homeownership affordable in perpetuity. He recommends resources including The Color of Law, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Strong Towns, and the “Happy Urbanist”, plus learning from groups like Strong Towns and the Incremental Development Alliance. Links: Desmond's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmondcdunn/ r.plan: https://www.linkedin.com/company/r-planninggroup/ Timestamps: 02:57 Why Place (Southeast Raleigh) Matters 04:25 Porch Culture and Belonging 05:57 Sprawl and Social Division 07:51 From Psychology to Real Estate 09:26 Flipping vs Community Housing 11:52 Community Engagement Pivot 13:20 Small Scale Toolbelt Development 16:05 Advocacy and Accountability 19:05 Representation and Lifelong Mission 20:04 Teaching New Developers 24:50 Land Trusts and Mixed Income 27:07 Barriers Funding and City Hall 33:21 Staying the Course 37:36 Celebrations and Inspirations 40:09 Books and Learning Resources 44:14 Final Call to Community Action 45:59 Closing Reflections