EPISODE · Jan 13, 2026 · 1H 2M
The Real Reason Cities Are Losing Young Families - Aaron Renn & Bobby Fijan | #78
from The New Founding Podcast · host New Founding
Today, Nathan Halberstadt sits down with Aaron Renn (Senior Fellow at American Reformer and Author of "Life in the Negative World") and Bobby Fijan (Co-Founder, The American Housing Corporation) to discuss the real reason big cities are losing young families, the life cycle of cities vs. suburbs, where young people should live during their early career, and better floor plans to make apartments and rowhomes more family-friendly. Aaron Renn is Cofounder and Senior Fellow at American Reformer. He also writes on cultural topics at aaronrenn.substack.com. Renn was previously an urban policy researcher, writer, and consultant. He was a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research for five years. His work has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Atlantic. https://www.aaronrenn.com/ Bobby Fijan, "the Bill James of Floorplans," is a real estate developer and Co-Founder of The American Housing Corporation. He advocates for family-friendly urban housing–rowhomes and kid-suited apartments–to reverse family flight and boost city birth rates. He hosts the "Why We Don't Build Apartments for Families" podcast and is a frequent commentator on housing policy and urbanism. https://americanhousing.co/ Timestamps: 04:38 – Demographic Shifts in America’s Cities 07:30 – Housing Cost Disparities: Austin vs. LA 08:17 – The Life Cycle of Cities vs. Suburbs 16:48 – Where Should Ambitious Young People Live? 24:40 – Why Do Families Leave the City? 32:43 – The Importance of Floor Plans and Extra Rooms 36:33 – Proximity, Trust, and the Realities of Urban Density 39:19 – Carmel, Indiana: Recipe for Community Success 44:06 – High-Trust Communities and Public Order 46:55 – Roundabouts: Carmel’s Unique Traffic Solution 50:55 – Religion and Community in Big Cities 54:31 – The Future of Religion in Urban America ---------- Follow New Founding across Social Media: Twitter / X – https://twitter.com/newfounding https://twitter.com/nathalberstadt YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClCvCeAC7erMbc3zvuJN2_Q Website – https://www.newfounding.com Find the Best People. Join our Talent Network: https://www.newfounding.com/talent The New Founding Podcast is recorded at the New Founding HQ in Dallas, Texas, produced by Nathan Halberstadt, and edited by Jared Cummings. Subscribe to the "New Founding Podcast" Podbean – https://newfoundingpodcast.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-founding-podcast/id1688229934 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lSzo1TIs7MpVlCrzqbpap Google Podcasts - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL25ld2ZvdW5kaW5ncG9kY2FzdC9mZWVkLnhtbA?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiY8sLYno7_AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQNQ
What this episode covers
Today, Nathan Halberstadt sits down with Aaron Renn (Senior Fellow at American Reformer and Author of "Life in the Negative World") and Bobby Fijan (Co-Founder, The American Housing Corporation) to discuss the real reason big cities are losing young families, the life cycle of cities vs. suburbs, where young people should live during their early career, and better floor plans to make apartments and rowhomes more family-friendly. Aaron Renn is Cofounder and Senior Fellow at American Reformer. He also writes on cultural topics at aaronrenn.substack.com. Renn was previously an urban policy researcher, writer, and consultant. He was a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research for five years. His work has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Atlantic. https://www.aaronrenn.com/ Bobby Fijan, "the Bill James of Floorplans," is a real estate developer and Co-Founder of The American Housing Corporation. He advocates for family-friendly urban housing–rowhomes and kid-suited apartments–to reverse family flight and boost city birth rates. He hosts the "Why We Don't Build Apartments for Families" podcast and is a frequent commentator on housing policy and urbanism. https://americanhousing.co/ Timestamps: 04:38 – Demographic Shifts in America’s Cities 07:30 – Housing Cost Disparities: Austin vs. LA 08:17 – The Life Cycle of Cities vs. Suburbs 16:48 – Where Should Ambitious Young People Live? 24:40 – Why Do Families Leave the City? 32:43 – The Importance of Floor Plans and Extra Rooms 36:33 – Proximity, Trust, and the Realities of Urban Density 39:19 – Carmel, Indiana: Recipe for Community Success 44:06 – High-Trust Communities and Public Order 46:55 – Roundabouts: Carmel’s Unique Traffic Solution 50:55 – Religion and Community in Big Cities 54:31 – The Future of Religion in Urban America ---------- Follow New Founding across Social Media: Twitter / X – https://twitter.com/newfounding https://twitter.com/nathalberstadt YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClCvCeAC7erMbc3zvuJN2_Q Website – https://www.newfounding.com Find the Best People. Join our Talent Network: https://www.newfounding.com/talent The New Founding Podcast is recorded at the New Founding HQ in Dallas, Texas, produced by Nathan Halberstadt, and edited by Jared Cummings. Subscribe to the "New Founding Podcast" Podbean – https://newfoundingpodcast.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-founding-podcast/id1688229934 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1lSzo1TIs7MpVlCrzqbpap Google Podcasts - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL25ld2ZvdW5kaW5ncG9kY2FzdC9mZWVkLnhtbA?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiY8sLYno7_AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQNQ
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The Real Reason Cities Are Losing Young Families - Aaron Renn & Bobby Fijan | #78
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