Brick, Grass (&) Steel

Brick, Grass & Steel returns with a conversation about how cities can prepare for the impact of climate change – not “after the disaster” but, hopefully, in anticipation of it. Jesse Keenan, PhD, author of North, and Jane Gilbert, Miami’s first Chief Resilience Officer, talk about how communities can prepare and the challenges that go along with that effort. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hurricane Katrina reshaped New Orleans — and reshaped how America thinks about disaster recovery. In this episode, Andrew Kopplin of the Greater New Orleans Foundation joins Collete English Dixon to reflect on the long shadow of Katrina, the realities of displacement, and the hard lessons about equitable recovery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the Season 2 premiere of Brick, Grass (&) Steel, we explore how schools and libraries became anchors of recovery after the 2025 LA fires—and what communities everywhere can learn about social infrastructure, trust, and resilience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the Season 1 finale of Brick, Grass and Steel, host Collete English Dixon is joined by urban planner and equity advocate Dr. Nina Idemudia to reflect on the major themes of the season. Together, they revisit key insights from conversations on segregation, urban renewal, social infrastructure, environmental injustice, and climate resilience — and discuss how these threads set the stage for Season 2. This wrap-up brings clarity, connection, and a forward-looking vision for what it takes to build communities that are equitable, sustainable, and resilient by design. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate change doesn’t strike evenly – scholars Brandon Derman and Lesa Johnson join me to explore how the crisis exposes and deepens the inequalities built into our cities and what is means to build a just response to the climate crisis.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is environmental justice essential to resilience? Dr. Robert Bullard reveals the history, the fights, and the urgent need for equity in every community. View materials from Dr. Bullard's recent report, "Green Light to Pollute in Texas... Again." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Building on Richard Rothstein’s “The Color of Law” and the discussion about urban renewal with Dr. Mindy Fullilove, who wrote “Root Shock”, and Brentin Mock, this discussion with Richard Rothstein and Leah Rothstein explores how “Just Action” offers a tangible framework for communities to dismantle segregation, influence urban planning and public policy decisions, and build more equitable, integrated communities. If you would like to read more about the topics discussed in this episode arc, please see information below for purchasing the books referenced. Also, you can subscribe to Leah Rothstein’s SubStack platform at https://substack.com/@justaction.The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated AmericaRoot Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America, and What We Can Do about Itbookshop.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Mindy Fullilove and journalist Brentin Mock explore how urban renewal became “urban removal,” the trauma it caused, and its lasting echoes in today’s redevelopment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Richard Rothstein reveals how segregation in American communities was not the result of personal choice or private prejudice, but the outcome of deliberate government policy and industry practice. From housing and zoning laws to mortgage lending and urban planning, he explains how the architecture of inequality was built — and why its legacy still defines our neighborhoods today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an interview with Samuel Stein, author of Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State, this episode explores how urban planning – often viewed, but seldom literally seen, as a neutral or technocratic practice – has historically played a central role in enabling inequality, displacement and segregation and how planners can reclaim their power to foster equity, resilience and justice in cities.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Featuring Eric Klinenberg, sociologist and New York University professor, whose groundbreaking book Palaces for the People examines how libraries, parks and other social infrastructure can strengthen democracy and reduce inequality. Klinenberg’s research and commentary have been featured widely in The New Times, The New Yorker, and other leading outlets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.