Building Better Cities

What if the cities we build are also building something within us?In this episode of Building Better Cities, Kate Gasparro sits down with behavioral scientist and University of Virginia engineering professor Dr. Leidy Klotz to explore how the built environment shapes how we live, behave, connect, and feel.Drawing from his new book, In a Good Place, Leidy argues that the places around us can either support or frustrate three fundamental psychological needs: agency, competence, and connection. Together, Kate and Leidy examine how urban design and placemaking influence our everyday lives, what our investments in urban infrastructure and city development reveal about what we value, and whether the way we build cities can actually shape our culture and behavior.From public spaces and playgrounds to transportation and infrastructure, this episode asks us to reconsider what it really means to build better cities—and whether the ultimate purpose of city building is not simply what it does, but what it enables between people.Topics discussed: urban development, city development, urban infrastructure, urban design, placemaking, sustainable cities, the built environment, infrastructure development, community building, public space, human-centered design, and the psychology of place.Resources:Subtract: The Uptapped Science of Less (Dr. Leidy Klotz)Curb cuts (99% Invisible)Hierarchy of Needs: Application in Urban Design and Community-Building (Mallory Baches)Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being (Richard Ryan and Edward Deci)Why do we focus on trivial things? The Bikeshedding, explained. (The Decision Lab)Long-Term Effects of a Control-Relevant Intervention With the Institutionalized Aged (Judith Rodin and Ellen Langer)

What if the biggest obstacle to building more housing and creating more sustainable urban development isn't zoning or financing — it's how we tax land? In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Greg Miller, founder of the Center for Land Economics, to unpack land value tax (LVT) and why it might be the missing lever for building more housing, increasing infrastructure investment, and achieving equitable community outcomes.Land is America's most valuable natural resource, worth an estimated $50 trillion — yet our current property tax system often rewards speculation over productive use. Greg and Kate dig into why vacant lots and surface parking lots in downtown corridors pay a fraction of the taxes that adjacent building tenants and businesses do, and how that imbalance shapes urban infrastructure, housing supply, and neighborhood investment.This conversation covers:What land value tax actually is — and how it differs from a standard property taxThe economics of land speculation and why it undermines sustainable citiesReal-world case studies, including Pittsburgh's decades-long experiment with split-rate taxation and a recent Spokane, Washington policy analysisThe history of Henry George and the 19th-century roots of land value tax theoryHow land value capture connects to tax increment financing (TIF), including New York City's Interborough Express (IBX) projectPractical policy levers cities and states can use to implement land value tax, from assessment reform to building exemptionsCommon misconceptions about land value tax and how to address themWhether you work in real estate, urban planning, municipal finance, or public-private partnerships, this episode offers a framework for thinking about how cities capture — and reinvest — the value they create.Resources:Pittsburgh should return to its roots in land value taxation (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)Could a LVT Fund the IBX? (Streetsblog NYC)America's land crisis is roaring back into politics (The Washington Post)Yes, a LVT is possible in Washington State (Sightline)The Hidden Costs of Tax Increment Financing (Lincoln Land Policy Institute)

Walk through any major American city and notice what's missing. Not coffee shops or co-working spaces — those are everywhere. What you won't see much of are children. Families with kids. People who chose the city not just for a season of life, but permanently.That absence is telling a story — and the data backs it up.Young families with children are a shrinking part of the U.S. population in major urban centers. A new Urban Institute report warns that cities that fail to retain families may face shrinking school systems, weaker tax bases, and increasing poverty concentration — while family retention can stabilize housing demand, sustain workforce pipelines, and strengthen local economies. This isn't just a demographic footnote. It's a crisis of urban development — and it has a design dimension that too few people are talking about.In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Alicia Pederson — the Courtyard Urbanist — to explore how a century of narrow, deep-lot development has quietly made American cities hostile to families. Drawing on examples from Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, and Amsterdam, Alicia makes the case for the courtyard block: a model of city infrastructure that delivers higher density, better unit design, shared green space, and the walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods that keep families in cities for the long haul.If you work in city development, urban planning, real estate, or public policy — or if you've ever wondered why American cities feel increasingly built for everyone except families — this conversation is for you.Resources:Towards a New Aesthetics of Abundance: Courtyard Urbanism (Create Streets)Young Families Are Leaving Many Large US Cities − Here’s Why That Matters (Iowa State University)This demographic shift could reshape cities, Urban Institute says (Smart Cities Dive)Cities made a bet on millennials — but forgot one key thing (Vox)The Urban Family Exodus Is a Warning for Progressives (The Atlantic)How Amsterdam is reviving the fine-grained courtyard block (Courtyard Urbanist)Illinois governor vows continued housing push as statewide zoning proposal hits a wall (Smart Cities Dive)

In 2014, the Philadelphia school district auctioned off a shuttered vocational school in South Philly — 340,000 square feet, built like a bomb shelter. Seven developers looked at it. Some bid a dollar. Lindsey Scannapieco bid $1.75 million. That building is now Bok: home to more than 200 businesses, the majority owned by women and people of color, and one of the most celebrated adaptive reuse projects in the country.Lindsey Scannapieco is the founder of Scout, an urban design and development practice with a radically different approach to city development — she listens to buildings and lets them tell her what they want to be, treating existing urban infrastructure as an asset rather than a liability.In this episode, host Kate Gasparro and Lindsey explore the anatomy of an impact development deal versus a traditional one: structuring for public benefit, underwriting community value that takes years to materialize, and why reusing what a city already has is one of the most sustainable, resilient ways to build vibrant neighborhoods. They also talk about the five-day "funeral" Scout held for a beloved arts institution, and the lessons carrying forward into the Village of Industry and Art — born from the closure of the University of the Arts.This episode is for the real estate developers and investors who suspect impact and returns don't have to be a tradeoff — and want the evidence. It's for city and public-sector leaders wrestling with vacant institutional buildings, shuttered schools, and distressed civic assets. It's for architects, planners, and preservationists drawn to adaptive reuse. And it's for the community-minded builders, small-scale and incremental developers, and mission-driven entrepreneurs who want to create vibrant neighborhoods without pricing out the people already there.Resources:Eight Years in the Making:The Bok Building (Scout)Becoming Bok: From Decommissioned School to South Philly’s Center of Creative Cool (Philly Mag)Leaving New York to Find the American Dream in Philadelphia (NYTimes)Scout gives Philadelphia’s historic buildings a creative second life (Knight Foundation)Bok comes to Broad Street (Philadelphia Citizen)

What does it actually take to invest in a neighborhood — not just a building — and get it right? In this episode, Brian Murray, CEO and co-founder of SHIFT Capital, takes us inside 15 years of community development projects that started with a few neglected industrial buildings in Kensington, Philadelphia and evolved into a national impact investment platform.Brian shares how SHIFT's "Whole Neighborhood" approach to urban development differs from traditional real estate — pooling investors across asset types so that loss leaders, small storefronts, and anchor projects can work together as a single ecosystem. He walks through the creation of J-Centrel, a 110-unit adaptive reuse project with a built-in civic engagement program, and how its planned exit into the Kensington Corridor Trust — the country's first community-owned perpetual purpose trust — became a national model for equitable city development.We also get into the harder truths: why SHIFT's first fund wasn't a home run, why capital is difficult to raise even for low-risk affordable housing deals, and why Brian believes the impact real estate field is great at talking to each other but terrible at communicating with the communities they serve.Whether you're a developer, an urban planner, or someone who cares about sustainable cities and community-driven infrastructure, this conversation lays out what it really looks like to invest in people and place — and what it costs when you get the timing, scale, or density wrong.Resources:Creating high-opportunity neighborhoods: Lessons from HOPE VI (Brookings)The New Street Fight: how SHIFT Capital might help make Kensington a model of the right type of private investment (The Philadelphia Citizen)This Apartment Building Gives You a Break on the Rent for Volunteering (Philly Mag)Eight months after Kensington’s disaster declaration, progress is tempered by the realities of the opioid crisis (Philadelphia Inquirer)Affordable Housing and Community Developing in Impact Investing (Columbia Business School)Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected].

The zoning debate is about what we build and for whom. The building code is supposed to be about how we build it. But the "how" has a way of quietly dictating the "what" and "whom" — making the building code just as political and just as consequential to our cities as anything that happens at a planning commission.In this episode, host Kate Gasparro talks with Eduardo Mendoza, Policy Manager at the Metropolitan Abundance Project and California YIMBY, about the silent rulebook shaping nearly every piece of city infrastructure around you. They cover what building codes actually are and where they come from, why an American elevator costs three times as much as a European one, and how requirements like double staircases and sprinkler thresholds quietly kill the small multifamily buildings that make for more sustainable cities.The conversation digs into how outdated rules are slowing the shift toward sustainable infrastructure and walkable, mid-rise neighborhoods, and what reforms — from single-stair buildings to performance-based codes — could change about the development landscape. They close on the harder question: who actually has the power to rewrite the code governing building infrastructure across the country, and on what timeline change is realistic.If you care about housing affordability, sustainable cities, or the future of how we build, this is an episode worth your time.Resources: North America’s Elevator Problem (About Here)The American Elevator Explains Why Housing Costs Have Skyrocketed (NYTimes)The hidden double standards driving our housing crisis (Vox)Decades-Old Zoning and Building Codes are Responsible for Our Housing Choices (Common Edge)Your city legalized triplexes. The building code said no. (Congress for New Urbanism)Why single-stair reform leads to more livable, adaptable infill (Congress for New Urbanism)Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected].

For generations, cities were built by the people who lived in them. That's why so many of our most beloved neighborhoods feel like quilted fabrics of architectural styles, mixed uses, interwoven public spaces, and human-scale details. These vibrant neighborhoods weren't delivered all at once through a single master plan — they emerged gradually through incremental urban development, one building, one block, one local investment at a time.But somewhere along the way, building small became harder. Harder for local developers and entrepreneurs to shape the places they live. Harder for neighborhoods to evolve incrementally. And easier for growth to be defined only by scale.Today, many communities say they want more housing, more walkable neighborhoods, more local character, and more vibrant main streets. But too often, the systems shaping urban development and city projects only make room for the biggest players and the largest deals — leaving small-scale, sustainable development on the sidelines.So what would it look like to reopen the door to small-scale urban development?In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Jim Heid — founder of Building Small, developer, strategist, and author of Building Small. Jim has spent years championing a different approach to growth: human-scale projects, adaptive reuse, local ownership, and the idea that smaller developments can create outsized impact on neighborhoods and local economies.Together, Kate and Jim explore what "building small" actually means, why today's development system favors scale, the barriers small builders and lenders face, and what developers, planners, urbanists, real estate professionals, and everyday city lovers can do to help create more vibrant, sustainable neighborhoods in their own communities.Resources: Building Small: Tools for Doing Development Different (Jim Heid)Small Scale Forums (Jim Heid)Where did all the small developers go? (Strong Towns)Why small developers are getting squeezewd out of the housing market (Coby Lefkowitz)The challenges facing small or emeging housing developers and strategies to overcome them (Urban Institute)The lost art of small-scale development (Jim Kumon, Incremental Development Alliance)How 'Developer' became such a dirty word (NY Times)Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected].

For generations, California has approached housing growth through a familiar playbook: long planning processes, neighborhood-by-neighborhood debates, and major reforms that often struggle to deliver homes at scale.But every so often, an incentive structure quietly changes the system.In this episode of Building Better Cities, we explore one of those policies: California’s Density Bonus Law, and the findings from Circulate Planning and Policy’s new “Win-Win Bonus” report on how this tool has become one of the state’s most effective drivers of housing production and urban development.Colin Parent, Executive Director of Circulate Planning and Policy and a key architect of California’s expanded Bonus Law joins host Kate Gasparro to discuss Bonus Law's success. Colin previously worked under Governor Jerry Brown at the California Department of Housing and Community Development, where he helped shape statewide housing policy during a period of major change following the dissolution of redevelopment agencies.Together, Kate and Colin discuss how Bonus Law evolved from a rarely used statute into a central housing production tool, now accounting for a significant share of multifamily housing approvals in California. We also examine how San Diego became an early testing ground for reform, how local innovation scaled into state policy, and why incentive-based approaches can sometimes outperform more traditional regulatory strategies.Beyond the mechanics, this conversation explores broader questions of housing affordability, urban infrastructure, and coalition-building: what it takes to align public and private interests—and where even successful policies may still leave gaps, particularly for middle-income households.Whether you work in planning, development, public policy, or simply care about the future of housing affordability, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how a local experiment became statewide policy—and what it signals for the next generation of housing and infrastructure reform.Resources:Bonus tracks- your musical experience into understanding bonus law (Circulate Planning and Policy)California's density bonus is a 'win-win' for developers and affordable housing (Planetizen)San Diego housing density bonus is spurring affordable units (SmartCitiesDive)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

How do you measure whether a city is actually getting better?Most people know LEED as the gold standard for green buildings. But cities are more than buildings—they’re systems made up of housing, transportation, public space, infrastructure, resilience, health, and opportunity.In this episode of Building Better Cities, Kate Gasparro sits down with Dr. Vatsal Bhatt, Vice President at the U.S. Green Building Council and global lead for LEED for Cities and Communities, to explore how one of the world’s most recognized sustainability frameworks has expanded from buildings to the scale of neighborhoods, communities, and entire cities.They discuss why LEED for Cities and Communities was created, how it differs from traditional building certifications, and why an outcomes-driven, data-centered approach matters when cities are trying to balance growth, equity, climate goals, and quality of life.The conversation also explores a bigger question: do rating systems simply recognize good projects—or can they actually change how communities are planned, governed, and built?Whether you’re a developer, planner, policymaker, or someone who simply cares about the future of your community, this episode offers a fresh framework for thinking about what it really means to build better cities.Resources:St Paul's The Heights redevelopment hearns LEED Platinum precertification (REJournals)onMain- Dayton's Innovation District (onMain)The masterplan of MIND - the Milan Innovation District (Mario Cucinella Architects)Siemensstadt 2.0: Research and industry closely linked (Brain City Berlin)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Transit ballot measures are often seen as a long shot — especially when affordability is top of mind and voters are being asked to raise their own taxes. But in November 2024, 66% of Nashville voters said yes to Choose How You Move, a half-penny sales tax funding $3.1 billion in transit expansion, sidewalk construction, and urban infrastructure improvements across Davidson County. So what made it work — and what can other cities learn heading into the 2026 midterm elections?In November 2024, sixty-six percent of Nashville voters approved Choose How You Move — a half-penny sales tax funding $3.1 billion in transit expansion, sidewalk construction, and urban infrastructure improvements across Davidson County. So what changed? In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Amanda Wall Vandergrift, Deputy CEO of WeGo Public Transit, to unpack the specific messaging, coalition-building, and program design strategies that moved two-thirds of voters to raise their own taxes.In this episode, we discuss:How Nashville flipped the narrative from "fix transit" to "give us more of what's already working" — and why that distinction mattersWhy framing the program around sidewalks, signals, service, and safety resonated more than flashy urban development projectsThe one strategic mistake Amanda sees transit agencies repeat when taking infrastructure programs to the ballot boxWhat cities pursuing sustainable development, urban regeneration, and voter-approved transportation investment should be doing right now ahead of November 2026This episode is essential listening for local leaders, city planners, transit advocates, and real estate investors betting on transit-oriented infrastructure.Resources:5 strategies to help transit ballot measures succeed (SmartCitiesDive)Transit Wins Big Again in Local Electrions Across America (StreetsBlog USA)Nashville among wave of successful 2024 transit votes nationwide (Tenessee Lookout)80% of Public Transit Measures Passed in 2025 Elections (Planetizen)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

You pay rent or a mortgage every month and you know exactly what that costs. But how much are you spending just to get where you need to go? For a lot of Americans, transportation is the hidden cost of where they live — and it's a cost that's baked into the way we've built our cities.In part two of this series, Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute stays with us and we're joined by Sam Sklar — the writer, consultant, and advocate behind Exasperated Infrastructures — to explore the deep connection between public transit investment, urban land use policy, and how cities grow. Sam brings experience across urban planning, sustainable infrastructure consulting, and transit advocacy, and his platform has become a go-to voice on what it actually takes to build more equitable, people-centered transportation systems in American cities.In this episode, we discuss:Why transportation infrastructure is land use — and how the space cities dedicate to roads and highways shapes what's possible for housing density, walkable communities, and sustainable urban development Why transit oriented development alone won't save struggling transit agenciesOur March Madness bracket of transit investments reshaping American cities This is part two of a two-part series on how zoning reform, housing supply, and transportation infrastructure investment are shaping the future of sustainable, equitable American cities. Catch part one to hear Yonah Freemark break down why upzoning alone won't solve the housing crisis.Resources:The Bay Area Considers the Unthinkable: Life Without BART (NYTimes)The Smart Enough City (Ben Green)Virginia DOT's Smart Scale approch to allocating tax dollars (VA DOT)Queenslink: Connecting Communities with Rails & Trails (Queenslink)Western Avenue alders revived Chicago's BRT dream (StreetsBlog Chicago)After decades of dreaming, delays, LA's Wilshire subway to Beverly Hills to open in May (LA Times)How the Interborough Express Could Transform New York (NYTimes)Build the Roosevelt Blvd Subway (Blvd Subway)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Upzoning is often pitched as the silver bullet for the housing crisis — change the rules, let developers build, and supply will bring prices down. But the reality is a lot more complicated. In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sit down with Yonah Freemark to unpack what the research actually tells us about the relationship between zoning reform and housing production across U.S. cities.Yonah is a principal research associate at the Urban Institute, where he leads the practice area on Fair Housing, Land Use, and Transportation and directs the Land Use Lab. He holds a PhD in urban studies and master's degrees in city planning and transportation from MIT, and his research on zoning, affordable housing, and urban development has been published in the Journal of the American Planning Association, Housing Policy Debate, and Urban Affairs Review, among others. He's also the founder of The Transport Politic, one of the most widely cited independent platforms tracking transit infrastructure investment in the U.S. and globally. In this episode, we discuss:Why upzoning doesn't guarantee housing gets built — and the market conditions that actually drive development How land values absorb the gains from rezoning before construction ever happens The role of interest rates, developer equity, and financial feasibility in urban housing production Why no single land use policy will solve the housing crisis, and what a more complete urban planning toolkit looks likeThis is part one of a two-part series on how zoning, housing supply, and transportation infrastructure are shaping the future of American cities. In the next episode, we bring in Sam Sklar of Exasperated Infrastructure to explore how transit investment, city building, and mobility policy connect to the land use conversation.Resources:Upzoning Chicago: Impacts of a Zoning Reform on Property Values and Housing Construction (Urban Affairs Review)Downzoning Chicago: How Local Land Use Policy has Reduced Houisng Construction and Reinforced Segregation (Urban Findings)America Has a Housing Shortage. Zoning Changes Near Transit Could Help. (Urban Institute)Unifying Upzoning with Affordable Housing Production Strategies (Urban Institute)Austin's Surge of New Housing Construction Drove Down Rents (Pew)Dallas in Booming- Except for its downtown (Wall Street Journal)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Building better cities requires getting the relationship between cities, counties, and the state right. And few people understand that dynamic better than someone who's lived on both sides of it.In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Michael Tubbs — former Mayor of Stockton, Special Advisor to Governor Newsom, and candidate for Lieutenant Governor — to unpack who's actually responsible for solving California's housing crisis. From leading a city through bankruptcy recovery to launching the nation's first mayor-led guaranteed income pilot, Tubbs brings a rare perspective on what it takes to drive urban development when power is split between city hall and the state capitol. He's also been a vocal advocate for SB 79 and CEQA reform, testifying before the state legislature in support of legislation that would make it easier to build housing near transit and reduce the regulatory delays that drive up costs.The conversation covers how state legislation is reshaping local land use and zoning to unlock housing supply and how the relationship between cities and the state determines whether sustainable cities get built — or stalled. Tubbs also shares his vision for using university-owned land to produce housing at scale, his proposals for a California public bank and data dividend, and why transit-oriented development is essential to meeting the state's climate and sustainable infrastructure goals.If you care about housing policy, urban development, sustainable cities, or the future of California, this is essential listening.Resources:3 years ago, Stockton, was bankrupt. Now it's trying out a basic income. (Vox)Michael Tubbs: What does it take to transform a struggling city? (NPR)Mayors for a Guaranteed IncomeStockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration Analysis (University of Pennsylvania)CA program giving $500 no-strings-attached stipends pays off, study finds (NPR)Hey Alaskans, it's time to file for your Permanent Fund Divident (Alaska Public Media)CA Governor Gavin Newsom proposes a "data dividend" for state residents (Vox)CA's push to clear homeless encampments (Governing)Riverside Council rejects $20M state grant for affordable housing project (The Riverside Record)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

For decades, communities across Appalachia have watched jobs disappear, resources drain, and local wealth flow outward. But in Morganton, North Carolina, a nonprofit called The Industrial Commons has been quietly rewriting that story — building cooperative businesses, training workers, and keeping wealth rooted in place through circular textile manufacturing and community-owned enterprise.In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Steven Baumgartner, founder of Baumgartner Urban Systems Strategy (BUSS), to explore how place-based, values-driven urban development can transform even the most disinvested communities. Drawing on two decades of experience at global firms, Steven brings a systems thinker's lens to one of the most compelling sustainable city development stories in the country.Together, Kate and Steven unpack what it really means to translate a mission into a place, why decentralized sustainable infrastructure outperforms the heavy systems we've relied on for generations, and how the circular economy model pioneered by The Industrial Commons offers a replicable blueprint for equitable, regenerative development.Resources:This Southern Appalachian town uses co-ops to build new communities around old industries (resilience)An Appalachian Model for Regenerating Place-Based, Community Wealth (Next City)How Corporate Greed Keep Appalachia Underdeveloped (Columbia Political Review)New industries, new jobs needed to boost Burke economy (The Paper)The Industrial Commons breaks ground on transformative Innovation Campus (eTextile Communications)The loss of manufacturing once devastated Morganton. Now, it's witnessing a revival (The Charlotte Observer)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

California has record levels of federal infrastructure funding and some of the most ambitious climate goals in the country. But why are transportation emissions still rising? In this episode of Building Better Cities, we explore how infrastructure funding impacts urban development and sustainable infrastructure strategies. Join host Kate Gasparro as she sits down with Adie Tomer and Ben Swedberg from Brookings Metro to unpack the disconnect between urban development goals and the realities of infrastructure project funding and delivery. From federal formula funding to state-controlled transportation budgets, learn how funding pathways shape what cities can build on the ground.Then we zoom in on California as a case study. Despite strong climate policies and major investments, the state continues to prioritize projects that expand roadway capacity, while struggling to fund the supporting infrastructure needed for infill housing and transit-oriented development.If reducing vehicle miles traveled requires better land use patterns, walkable neighborhoods, and shorter trips — are we funding the right kinds of sustainable infrastructure?This conversation explores the connection between transportation, housing, and economic growth — and what it would take to better align infrastructure spending with climate goals and practical urban outcomes. If you care about urban development, cities, infrastructure finance, and the future of sustainable infrastructure, this episode is for you.Resources: California's road to climate progress, Parts 1-5 (Brookings Metro)The Regional Transportation Block Grant (Brookings Metro)Highway shakedown: How local road users are subsidizing state highway investments (Brookings Metro)Climate-accountable planning (Brookings Metro)With commuting down, cities must rethink their transportation networks (Brookings Metro)Building for proximity: The role of activity centers in reducing total miles traveles (Brookings Metro)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

If we know how to build healthier, more sustainable and regenerative buildings, why do so few of them actually get built?This conversation focuses on the execution gap holding cities, developers, and institutions back from delivering better places for people. Despite decades of innovation in materials, design strategies, and performance data, progress often stalls when good ideas collide with risk-averse systems, outdated assumptions, and institutional friction.Our guest is Eric Corey Freed, an architect and longtime leader in regenerative design. Drawing on his experience working at Eco Districts, the Living Future Institute, and now with Cannon Design, Eric introduces a powerful reframing: innovation doesn’t fail because we lack creativity — it fails because friction makes “no” easier than “yes.”Together, host Kate Gasparro and Eric explore how fear, habit, and misaligned incentives prevent sustainability practices and what it looks like when buildings move beyond being “less bad” to becoming truly regenerative. From healthier materials and biophilic design to performance metrics that prioritize human well-being, this episode offers practical insight into how cities can create places that actively improve health, resilience, and community outcomes.If we want cities that are genuinely better for people, the challenge isn’t imagining better buildings — it’s removing what’s standing in the way of building them.Resources:Nature Becomes Architect: Growing our next generation of buildings (TEDx)Creating zero-carbon buildings for a regenerative built world (Reuters)What if we grew our buildings? (Treehugger)Net zero buildings for people and planet (Cannon Design)The Design Firm Making Net-Zero Emissions Buildings a Reality (Time)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Downtowns across the country are struggling after COVID — with empty storefronts, declining foot traffic, and major uncertainty about the future of office districts and city centers.In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Mayor Knox White of Greenville, South Carolina to unpack what it really takes to save a downtown — and why Greenville’s approach has become a national model for mid-sized cities.Greenville, SC is now known for its walkable Main Street, mixed-use downtown living, and the transformation of the Reedy River into Falls Park. But that success was far from inevitable. Mayor White reflects on downtown decline in the 1970s, the decision to invest ahead of the market, and the political courage behind bold moves like narrowing Main Street and removing the Camperdown Bridge.The conversation explores:Downtown revitalization strategies after COVIDPublic-private partnerships in city redevelopmentHow tax increment financing (TIF) can support downtown recoveryWhy mixed-use development is essential for vibrant city centersHow cities can reinvest downtown success beyond the coreHousing affordability and rising rents in revitalized downtownsAs many cities search for ways to bring life back to downtown corridors, Greenville’s experience offers timely lessons on leadership, planning, and long-term investment.This episode is for city leaders, planners, developers, and anyone thinking seriously about the future of downtown America.Resources:From groundbreaking to opening of Honor Tower, see Unity Park through the years (Greenville News)Falls Park on the Reedy (Rudy Bruner Award)Downtown Reborn (City of Greenville)Small and midsized downtown recovery: Overcoming obstacles and uplifting innovative solutions in four regions (Brookings)To save downtowns, cities need to do more than turn offices into housing (Urban Institute)Can we save the downtown? Examining pandemic recovery trajectories across 72 North American cities (Cities)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

One year ago, the Los Angeles wildfires made one thing unmistakably clear: climate risk is no longer peripheral to urban life — it is a defining condition for many cities. The loss of thousands of homes has forced urgent questions about how to rebuild in climate-risk areas.Homeowners are facing rising insurance costs — further exacerbating the affordability crisis. Earlier this year, we explored how pricing climate risk into insurance could create a pathway for insurers to re-enter these markets. Beyond that approach, there are more efforts to make insurance more affordable. But without fundamentally changing how we design for resilience, these tools risk normalizing unsafe conditions rather than correcting them.That’s why we’re replaying this timely conversation with Alisa Valderrama, founder of FutureProof. As a climate-based insurtech start-up, FutureProof prices climate risk using insurance data and weather models. With a recent aquisition, FutureProof is expanding it's capabilities to address wildfire risk in pricing products for leading national insurers. In this episode, Alisa shares how quantifying climate risk for insurers is changing the way we build (and rebuild) with resilience.Resources:FutureProof Technologies Acquires Terrafuse AI to Address Wildfire Risk (Business Wire)Who Pays When Insurance Fails to Cover Climate Disasters? (NRDC)Forging a resilient future for California's homeowners and insurers (McKinsey)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

How do you make mission-driven development pencil in a neighborhood shaped by decades of disinvestment?In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with J. Byron Brazier, lead developer of Woodlawn Central, a nearly $895 million mixed-use development on Chicago’s South Side anchored by the Apostolic Church of God. Together, they explore how community-led, faith-based development can drive large-scale urban regeneration without displacement.The conversation dives into how Woodlawn Central is moving forward without relying on Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and how financing tools like joint ventures, phased development, and future tax-increment strategies help the project pencil. This episode is a must-listen for developers, city leaders, investors, planners, and community builders interested in equitable development, transit-oriented districts, and new models for community-driven urban revitalization.Resources:Woodlawn Central: "A model for the new Black community" (Urbanize Chicago)A Woodlawn megadevelopment stirs hope and fear in the Chicago neighborhood (WBEZ Chicago)Price tag for Church's sweeping plant to redevelopment Woodlawn property could hit $1B (Block Club Chicago)Bid to aid 'vulnerable residents' by Obama Presidential Center wins city panel's unanimous backing (WBEZ Chicago)Why homes for low-income renters are far more expensive to build (BisNow)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Why is housing so expensive — and what are states doing about it? Well... California has passed SB 79 to spur transit-oriented development. This upzoning will leverage infrastructure investments to increase supply and build more sustainable cities. To unpack what that means, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Ben Metcalf, Managing Director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley and one of the nation’s leading experts on housing policy, zoning reform, and development feasibility. Ben brings a rare, full-spectrum view of the housing system — from his experience as a developer, to shaping national policy at HUD under the Obama Administration, to leading California’s Department of Housing and Community Development. Together, Kate and Ben explore:What SB 79 actually does and why it’s a big dealHow upzoning and land use reform are becoming bipartisan tools to address the housing shortageThe political tension between state mandates and local controlLessons from other states pursuing transit-oriented development (TOD) and pro-housing policyWhat cities, planners, and developers need to prepare for implementationHow national cost pressures — construction inflation, interest rates, labor shortages — shape what gets builtIf you follow housing policy, zoning reform, TOD, state housing laws, land use planning, or the future of affordability, this episode breaks down the trends shaping America’s housing landscape and how SB 79 could become a national model.Listen in to learn how policy reform and industry innovation can unlock more homes, stronger transit systems, and more equitable cities.Resources:Gov. Newsom signs law overhauling local zoning to build more housing (Cal Matters)State housing policy changes are more random than you think (Mercatus Center)Framing Futures: pro-housing legislation goes vertical in 2025 (Mercatus Center)How Minneapolis became the first to end single-family zoning (PBS)Unlocking additional housing through accessory dwelling units (American Legislative Exchange Council)Unlocking the power of transit-oriented development (Building Better Cities)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

When the Building Better Cities podcast launched just over a year ago, we set out to explore how we design and deliver the infrastructure and buildings that shape our lives.So this week, Kate is revisiting the very first episode of the podcast — a conversation with Dr. Andrew Sonta that explores the connection between the urban form and social cohesion. His work at EPFL focuses on human interaction in the built environment. And, since the conversation, more studies have expanded on this idea, showing something fascinating — and a little troubling. Even as our cities are built to enable connection, people are walking faster, lingering less, and spending less time in shared spaces.It feels like the right moment to pause and reflect on why that’s happening — and what it means for the kind of cities we’re building. As we continue to talk about smart growth, density, and sustainability, it’s worth remembering that cities are also social ecosystems. The way we move through and experience them matters.Resources:Rethinking walkability: Exploring the relationship between urban form and neighborhood social cohesion (Sustainable Cities and Society)Pedestrians now walk fast and linger less, researchers find (MIT)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

More than a century after the Tulsa Race Massacre devastated Black Wall Street, the land where that thriving community once stood is again shaping Tulsa’s future. The 56 acres of Kirkpatrick Heights and Greenwood, long defined by stalled redevelopment and distrust, are now the focus of a community-led effort to restore both land and power.In this episode, Kate speaks with Ashley Philippsen and Dr. Lana Turner-Addison, co-chairs of the Kirkpatrick Heights–Greenwood Master Plan. Ashley is Executive Director of ImpactTulsa and a former Deputy Chief of Community Development and Policy for the City of Tulsa. Dr. Turner-Addison is a lifelong North Tulsa resident, educator, and advocate who has served as President of Tulsa Public Schools Board and Director of Human Rights for the City.Together, they discuss how the plan has led to the formation of the new Greenwood Legacy CDC, and what it takes to navigate history, rebuild trust, and center healing, ownership, and accountability in community development.Resources:Redevelopment plan advances for Tulsa massacre area (Congress for New Urbanism)Tulsa announces reparations for the 1921 'Black Wall Street' massacre (Washington Post)Greenwood Legacy Corporation to host 2 community meetings (Fox)How Tulsa, Oklahoma's civic and philanthropic leaders have catalyzed inclusive, tech-driven economic growth (Brookings)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Penn Station has long been more than just a transit hub — it’s a mirror of New York itself: ambitious, messy, and perpetually under construction. Decades after the original station opened, financial troubles forced its owners to sell the air rights above, paving the way for Madison Square Garden. Now, the station is poised to embark on a new chapter of redevelopment.In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with documentarian Claire Read to discuss her film Penn F---ing Station, which traces years of high-stakes political maneuvering, community resistance, and evolving design visions for the station’s renewal.After years of gubernatorial leadership shaping the project, the Trump administration has recently stepped into a lead role — placing Amtrak and the U.S. Department of Transportation in control.Together, Kate and Claire explore how local dynamics, often kept off the national front page, ultimately determine how major projects come together. They unpack what this new federal intervention means for power, accountability, and the long-term trajectory of the project — and how documenting Penn Station’s evolution reveals broader truths about who builds cities, who shapes their futures, and how the local and the national collide in urban development.Resources:Trump administration takes control of $7B Penn Station redevelopment (Construction Dive)When Penn Station Was a Masterpiece (The New York Historical)The Gods of Times Square (IMDB)Penn Station advocates to submit their own redevelopment plan (City & State New York)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a bold experiment in community building is underway. Veridian at County Farm is a 14-acre net-zero neighborhood redefining what sustainable living can look like.In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Matt Grocoff, the visionary developer behind Veridian. Matt shares the story of how he discovered the site, the ethos driving its design, and how a virtual power plant with onsite solar and batteries will allow the community to be self-sufficient while also serving as an asset to the regional grid.Together, Kate and Matt also explore how Veridian integrates energy, water, and food systems to create a model for resilient, regenerative living. Veridian is proof that sustainability can be woven into everyday life- not at a premium upgrade, but as the foundation for a healthier, more resilient community.Resources:Energy-Efficient Isnt' Enough, So Homes Go "Net Zero" (NYTimes)Residents have almost no energy bills int his self-powered Ann Arbor neighborhood (M Live)"Net Zero" Living in a Green Home in a Walkable, Historic Neighborhood (Smart Cities Dive)Ann Arbor's sustainable energy utility aims to build the electric power grid fo the future- alongside the old one (The Conversation)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In 2017, a long-vacant Sears distribution center on Cleveland Street in Memphis was reborn as Crosstown Concourse—a “vertical urban village.” The 1.5 million square foot behemoth is now home to healthcare, a high school, art galleries, a YMCA, restaurants, and 265 apartments. For decades after Sears shuttered in 1993, the Crosstown corridor slipped off the city’s mental map—boarded storefronts, empty sidewalks, and years of disinvestment. Today, the investments and energy imbued at Crosstown Concourse has become a catalyst for neighborhood revival, from a partnership with Live Nation to build a new music venue to more than 30 acres of mixed use redevelopment. In this episode, host Kate Gasparro talks with Todd Richardson about how arts and patient capital sparked Crosstown’s rebirth, and how that momentum is fueling the next wave of investment.Resources:Satellite Music Hall breaks ground at Crosstown (Choose901)Community Leadership Drives the Transformation of an Abandoned Sears Warehouse (MetropolisMag)Crosstown Concourse Case Study (Bruner Foundation)Crosstown Concourse Documentary (Crosstown Concourse)Toronto's Distillery District (Distillery District)MASS MoCA's History (MASS MoCA)Ponce City Market History (Ponce City Market)Midtown Global Market History (Midtown Global Market)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Big visions for our cities often start with ambitious master plans—20-acre sites, sweeping infrastructure, and promises of transformation. But as exciting as they sound, these projects can struggle under the weight of financing challenges, shifting market cycles, and the difficulty of sustaining community engagement over decades.On the other end of the spectrum are smaller, more incremental interventions: storefront upgrades, parklets, infill housing, and neighborhood-scale design moves that reshape our everyday experience of place. These fine-grained efforts can feel more organic, more participatory, and often create some of the most beloved neighborhoods we know today.In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro is joined by Roberto Jenkins and Shruti Shankar from RDC and Studio One Eleven to explore this tension between top-down master planning and bottom-up placemaking. Together, they talk about how incremental projects in places like the Long Beach Design District are reshaping communities, what it means to design at the human scale, and how partnerships can unlock lasting urban change.Resources:Inside RDC-S111's Transformative Long Beach Headquarters (Work Design Magazine)Infill Development Supports Community Connectivity (APA)How to drive urban infill development in your city (C40)Mapping the Parklet Craze (SPUR)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

What happens when you close off miles of city streets to cars—and open them up to people instead? In Los Angeles, that question gave rise to CicLAvia, a now-iconic open streets event that has redefined how Angelenos experience public space.This week, host Kate Gasparro is joined by Aaron Paley, the co-founder of Community Arts Resources and one of the key visionaries behind CicLAvia. For decades, Aaron has been at the forefront of cultural programming and creative placemaking. His work shows how temporary interventions—when rooted in community, art, and culture—can challenge entrenched ideas about urban life and help us imagine new futures.Together, Kate and Aaron explore the importance of honoring place-based histories, the challenges of translating temporary events into long-term systems change, and what LA can learn from its recent wildfires, upcoming global events, and the pressures of rapid development.Throughout the discussion, Aaron reminds us that placemaking is a form of storytelling, resistance, and sometimes, the only tool we have to reclaim the places we call home.Resources:Studies reveal CicLAvia's air quality, public health and social impacts (UCLA)Economic Impacts of CicLAvia: Study Finds Gains to Local Businesses (UCLA)Ciclovía at 50: What we can learn from Bogotá's Open Streets initiative (World Economic Forum)Redesigning the California dream with Christopher Hawthorne, LA's Chief Design Officer (KCRW)Segregation in the City of Angels: A 1939 Map of Housing Inequality in L.A. (PBS SoCal)Recovery and Rebuilding After Historic L.A. Fires (Los Angeles Conservancy)Olympic transformation of metropolitan cities- for better or for worse (Brookings)Heavily armed immigration agents descend on L.A.'s MacArthur Park (LA Times)Trump names himself chair of L.A. Olympics task force, sees role for military during Games (LA Times)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

When disaster strikes, it reveals not just the vulnerabilities in our built environment—but also the opportunity to rebuild with more intention. In the wake of the devastating LA wildfires earlier this year, conversations about recovery have expanded into questions of long-term resiliency, equitable redevelopment, and what kind of governance structures are needed to get there.To unpack these issues, Dr. Minjee Kim, an Assistant Professor in Urban Planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, joins the podcast. Dr. Kim’s research sits at the intersection of real estate development, public finance, and urban planning—making her uniquely suited to guide us through this moment. She’s advised the LA County Blue Ribbon Commission on post-fire recovery and authored a memo exploring how LA could structure a redevelopment authority modeled after efforts San Francisco's Transbay Joint Powers Authority, New York City's Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and Cincinnati's Center City Development Corporation.Kate and Dr. Kim discuss what LA can learn from past large-scale recovery efforts, how different governance models impact land use outcomes, and why we must think beyond parcel-by-parcel rebuilding if we want to build a more resilient, equitable future.Resources:LA's Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action and Fire-Safe Recovery (LA County)How do you rebuild a place like the Palisades? (NYT)The next stage of rebuilding the Palisades is here: Burned lots for sale (NYT)Permitting Progress Dashboard (LA County)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Abundance is about the promise of building more, more effectively. But getting there requires more than big laws—it takes local capacity, political will, and the ability to turn ambition into action.In this episode, Kate Gasparro sit down with Brian Regli, a former top advisor in Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration in Pennsylvania. They talk about what it’s like to be on the inside of a purple-state government translating federal policy into tangible progress. From lead pipe replacement and broadband expansion to industrial decarbonization and mine land solar, Brian shares the realities behind the rhetoric—where success hinges not just on funding, but on local know-how and consensus.Together, Kate and Brian explore what a Project 2029 agenda could look like in a leaner, more fractured political landscape—how we align supply and demand, reform permitting and procurement, and empower local institutions to deliver. Because abundance doesn’t happen on paper—it happens in the places willing and ready to build.This conversation follows our last one with former political leaders, rediscovering how we build together.Resources:Assessment of solar development on previously impacted mine lands in Pennsylvania (PA Department of Environmental Protection)Feds offer $90M for vast solar array on PA mine land (Bay Journal)PWSA celebrates its 10,000th lead service line replacement (WESA)Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Between 2021 and 2024, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act approved nearly $2 trillion in public investments. These investments were allocated to repair aging infrastructure, advance clean energy, and build toward a more connected, resilient future. But funding alone doesn’t build projects. In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Zachary Kolodin, Michigan’s former Chief Infrastructure Officer, who built and led one of the nation’s first infrastructure offices during a period of extraordinary federal investment. Earlier this year, Zach started Pont Advisory and Pont Law to advise both public and private sector leaders on how to effectively execute upon that investment—navigating rising costs, regulatory hurdles, and shifting political priorities.This is the first in a two-part series with former public leaders who helped turn federal ambition into local impact—and who now find themselves navigating a different kind of challenge: delivering lasting results when the dollars slow, but the need hasn’t.Resources:Infrastructure Costs (American Economic Journal: Applied Economics)Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Invests $13B in Michgan Projects (MI Governor's Office)Executing on the $2T investment to boost American Competitiveness (Deloitte)Chips manufacturing plants underway in Arizona (Axios)New Hampshire's regulatory transparency gets a facelift (The Regulatory Review)Notes:Since recording, the US Supreme Court has limited NEPA's reach by clarying that agencies will only assess environmental impacts under their direct control—not the broader chain reaction of related projects. Read more here.Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Many high-profile smart city projects have missed the mark—not because the technology didn’t work, but because the process left people behind. That’s why a new model is emerging—one grounded in collaboration, transparency, and the idea that urban innovation should create value not just for investors, but for entrepreneurs, neighborhoods, and the public at large.In Detroit, Bedrock is helping lead this shift. In this episode, host Kate Gasparro talks with Kevin Mull, Senior Director of Urban Strategy and Innovation at Bedrock and Co-Founder of the Urban Tech Xchange and the Detroit Smart Parking Lab. In his work, Kevin is creating spaces—both physical and institutional—where startups can test new ideas, city stakeholders can weigh in, and new technologies can grow in ways that are practical, inclusive, and aligned with local goals.The conversation dives into how Detroit is navigating this new era of urban technology and and what it takes to build cities that are not just technologically advanced—but responsive, inclusive, and future-ready.Resources:What's fueling the smart city backlash (Wharton)How Detroit's enduring automotive ingenuity legacy shapes the future of transportation (Fast Company)This parking garage is a high-tech research lab (Axios)Detroit welcomes four mobility startups to tech incubator (Smart Cities World)Bedrock is one of the most innovative companies in urban development and real estate (Fast Company)Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

What if entire neighborhoods shared integrated infrastructure—cutting costs, boosting performance, and unlocking real climate resilience?That’s the promise of district utility systems: shared infrastructure networks that serve multiple buildings with centralized solutions. From recovering waste heat and recycling greywater to deploying resilient solar-plus-storage microgrids, these systems offer a more holistic—and scalable—way to build sustainable communities.In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Daniel Hansen, Managing Partner of NEXT Infrastructure, to explore why district utility systems are gaining traction—and what it takes to make them work. With a background in civil engineering and an MBA from Oxford, Daniel brings deep experience in delivering sustainable infrastructure. Earlier in his career, he worked in-house with developers on transformative projects like the Hunters Point Shipyard, Candlestick Point, Concord Naval Weapons Station, and the Potrero Power Station. Today, he advises cities, developers, and utilities across North America on how to turn ambitious climate goals into bankable, buildable infrastructure solutions.Resources:Stanford University District Energy SystemWhisper Valley's innovative geothermal infrastructure powers zero energy capable homesSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

How do you turn institutional ambition into a catalyst for community change? This week on Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Alex Feldman of U3 Advisors, a firm working at the intersection of anchor institutions and urban revitalization. From Detroit to Memphis to Philadelphia, U3 has helped universities and hospitals rethink their role in the cities they call home—not just as employers or landowners, but as partners in development.They talk about how U3 has helped create lasting institutions like the Memphis Medical District Collaborative, why building trust between universities and neighbors is harder—and more essential—than ever, and how strategic real estate development can help solve big challenges like talent retention, quality of life, and local economic resilience.Alex and Kate explore what it takes to align institutional goals with community needs, how intermediary organizations act as both the gas and the glue for urban partnerships, and why the future of thriving downtowns may hinge on strong, place-based institutions.Resources:Terrapin Development CompanyLive Detroit boosts Midtown's revival in DetroitSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

If you’ve spent any time in the world of placemaking, chances are you've been influenced—directly or indirectly—by the work of Carol Coletta. From her early days with the Mayors’ Institute on City Design to her leadership at the Memphis River Parks Partnership—Carol has consistently pushed cities to be more ambitious, more welcoming, and more connected.Now, she’s entering a new chapter, helping visionary leaders and organizations navigate the future of placemaking and build the partnerships needed to make public spaces thrive. In this episode, Kate speaks with Carol about what has guided her work across decades and sectors. They explore the power of public space as a tool for building community and democracy, and what it means to lead boldly, especially when the work is hard, the resources are limited, and the stakes are high.Resources:Strong, Weak and Invisible Ties: A Relational Perspective on Urban CoexistienceThe real strength of weak tiesHow urban design fosters stronger communities with Dr. Andrew SontaSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Federal funding can make or break an infrastructure project—but what happens when the rules change overnight?In this episode, Kate Gasparro is joined by Chris Livingstone, a seasoned expert in infrastructure finance and transaction structuring, with nearly 25 years of experience shaping major projects like the Washington Union Station Expansion and helping agencies like LA Metro navigate the complexities of funding, financial modeling, and public-private partnerships.Chris isn’t just advising on mega deals—he’s also demystifying the challenges of delivering infrastructure through his weekly video series, offering insights into what it really takes to get projects built. Today, we’re diving into how shifting federal policies are reshaping project funding, what agencies can do to stay ahead, and whether we’re entering a new era of infrastructure investment—or uncertainty.Resources:Trump funding freeze leaves IIJA, IRA projects in limboSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Have you ever wondered how you could truly invest in your community—not just symbolically, but with real equity?This week on Building Better Cities, Kate Gasparro sits down with Brian Ross of InfraShares to explore how equity crowdfunding is reshaping infrastructure finance. For the last decade, Brian has combined his expertise in infrastructure finance with a passion for community-driven investment, challenging the traditional model of relying on private equity firms and institutional investors.Instead of funneling returns to foreign firms seeking stable, low-risk investments, InfraShares is working with municipalities and developers to flip the script—putting both financial and social returns into the hands of the people most impacted by these projects. Tune in to learn how equity crowdfunding is changing the game for infrastructure finance—and how you can take ownership of the places you live.Resources:Entrepreneurs Hope to Bring Crowdfunding to P3 ProjectsFirst-of-its-Kind P3 Delivers New Schools for 8K+ StudentsNote: Kate Gasparro serves an advisor to InfraShares. This episode shares insights from our conversation but does not constitute financial or professional advice.Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Buildings contribute nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, with a significant share coming from embodied carbon—the hidden emissions in the materials we use to build. In this episode, Kate Gasparro sits down with Anish Tilak, a leader in RMI’s Carbon-Free Buildings program, to explore how Buy Clean and Buy America policies are shaping the future of sustainable construction.They discuss the latest innovations in low-carbon concrete and cleaner steel production and how transforming the materials sector can strengthen the U.S. economy and drive job creation.With a shifting political landscape, what’s next for embodied carbon reduction? And how can cities, developers, and policymakers collaborate to build more sustainable cities and economies?Resources:Buy Clean and BeyondSetting Buy Clean Standards to Green US SteelTo Buy Clean, First Buy AmericanGlobal Cement and Concrete Association's Roadmap for Net Zero ConcreteBuy Clean California ActSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

How do you close the financial gap between ambition and execution in urban development? In this episode of Building Better Cities, Kate Gasparro sits down with Ken Kalynchuk of Project Management Consultants to explore the world of public finance in the Midwest's largest and most iconic developments. From tax increment financing to historic tax credits, Ken explains how creative financial tools can bring transformative projects to life. Learn how Ohio is leading the way with proactive incentive programs and what other regions can take away from it's approach to tackling brownfields, workforce housing, and more. Resources: Cincinnati's Union Central Tower restoration nearly completeSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In 2023, national insurance companies pulled out of Florida and California, citing escalating climate risks. Since then, natural disasters have only intensified, forcing property owners and developers to confront a critical challenge: How do we protect homes and investments in climate-risk areas?Following Hurricanes Milton and Helene, these questions have taken center stage—not just in impacted areas, but in all regions vulnerable to climate change.In this episode, host Kate Gasparro speaks with Alisa Valderrama, founder of FutureProof. As a climate-based insurtech start-up, FutureProof prices climate risk using insurance data and weather models. Drawing on decades of experience at the World Bank, NRDC, and Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Alisa shares how quantifying climate risk for insurers is changing the way we build (and rebuild) with resilience.Resources:Helene and Milton are both likely to be $50B disastersWhy insurance companies are pulling out of California and Florida Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

Neighborhoods in the path of growth often attract investment, bringing new jobs and amenities—but they also create conditions ripe for gentrification and displacement. In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with David Kemper, co-founder of Trust Neighborhoods, to explore solutions that put power back in the hands of residents.Over the past five years, David and his team have pioneered Mixed-Income Neighborhood Trusts (MINTs) to counteract gentrification and ensure community stability. Drawing on his extensive background in affordable housing and urban development—including key roles under New York City Mayors Bloomberg and de Blasio, as well as at Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs—David shares insights on how trusting and investing in residents can build resilient, inclusive neighborhoods.Resources:How a Kansas City neighborhood is protecting renters while investing in itselfNew East Bost affordable housing effort would be the first of its kind on East CoastSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

While the housing crisis may seem like the topic du jour, Los Angeles has spent decades grappling with this problem: too many people, too few homes. In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro talks with Jenna Hornstock about local government's role in driving housing construction. As LA's Deputy Mayor for Housing, Jenna played a critical role in repositioning the city to increase housing supply. Together, they discuss how permitting new projects is not enough. Local governments are being asked to carve new pathways toward construction.Sources:LA City’s Executive Directive 1LA4LALA Metro's Transit Oriented CommunitiesSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro interviews Lauren Mattern, a leader in Travel Demand Management (TDM) with two decades of experience working with major transit agencies including San Francisco’s MTA and Transport for London. Lauren's current work with Journey is focused on helping cities and developers find better solutions for urban mobility. They discuss how TDM strategies like transit vouchers, congestion pricing, and bike/ped infrastructure investments shift how people move through our cities. Listen as they share how trends in urban mobility impact how we build better cities!Sources:Donald Shoup's High Cost of Free ParkingMBTA: South Coast Rail will run on the weekends. Here's why it's important and what it'll costSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro talks with Adam Friedberg about the core dynamics behind mega urban development projects. With Adam's leadership of Buro Happold's Cities Team, they discuss how sustainable infrastructure and a focus on community growth has helped revitalize Lake Erie communities and create South Korea's Songdo. Tune in to learn how these mega projects come together to build better cities!Sources:NY governor Cuomo unveils revitalization plan for Erie CanalBuilding a City from Scratch: The Story of Songdo, KoreaSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In this episode of Building Better Cities, we’re taking a deep dive into rising household energy costs. Host Kate Gasparro revisits a 2022 conversation with Ben Dueweke, Director of Public Partnerships at Walker-Miller Energy Services, whose work focuses on reducing the energy burden in communities throughout the Midwest. Tune in to learn how energy efficiency and weatherization initiatives are reducing the energy burden and helping us build better cities.Sources:USA.gov's home weatherization and energy effiency asistance programsDOE's Home Efficiency Rebates and Home Electrification and Appliance RebatesIRS' Energy Efficient Home Improvement CreditBuilding Better Cities Issue 6: Slashing the Energy BurdenSpecial thanks to Abril Galang for sound engineering this episode! Correction:Carla Walker-Miller is the Founder and CEO of Walker-Miller Energy ServicesSend us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected]. 

In this inaugural episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro chats with Dr. Andrew Sonta, about how urban design shapes social interactions. From third spaces to post-COVID city centers, they explore how thoughtful planning can foster stronger, more cohesive communities. Tune in to learn more and gain actionable insights for building better cities! Sources:Rethinking walkability: Exploring the relationship between the urban form and neighborhood social cohesion. Send us Fan MailThanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at [email protected].