Urban Affairs

In many American cities, the only alternative to single family houses are massive apartment complexes. Why aren't we building the beautiful, family-friendly apartments that we admire in Europe? Alicia Pederson of Courtyard Urbanist explains.

Itzel Hernandez grew up like any other American kid in Red Bank, NJ. She only realized she was undocumented when applying to college. We talk about why anti-immigrant politics doesn't reflect how Americans actually feel about the immigrants who are their neighbors, coworkers, and friends.

I talk with Kyle Vansice, founder of Cedar, an Austin-based startup that uses AI to help builders figure out what they can build on a given piece of land. We have a broader conversation about the damage done to American cities by 20th century planning and zoning.

America is increasingly handing off care of our elders to private equity-backed longterm care facilities. Judy Karofsky, author of "Diselderly Conduct: The Flawed Business of Assisted Living and Hospice" says it's only going to get worse. We also reminisce on her colorful political life, including the time she was the ONLY woman mayor in Wisconsin (Middleton!) and why she enjoys living among young people in old age.

Amy Seponara, co-founder of the Ambler Community Garden, talks about the tremendous value of community gardens and the vociferous pushback she encountered from longtime residents of Ambler, Pa.

Alexander Pasch talks with me about starting a career in tech in the midst of the AI revolution and why he devotes all of his political energy to local government.

Adam Greenfield of Safe Streets Austin joins me to talk about the battle to undo decades of car-centric planning that has sapped the life out of many American neighborhoods and confined many of us to traveling everywhere by car.

J.B. Sauceda, host of Texas Country Reporter, America's longest-running independently produced TV show, talks with me about his thirst for optimism and community in a media landscape dominated by doom and division. We also talk about why smart TVs suck, the disappearance of local news outlets, the pros and cons of raising kids in a big city, and whether kids today are actually more depressed than we were.

Should cash-strapped cities try to monetize their public spaces with digital advertising? Alice Woods, chair of the Austin Planning Commission, is usually on the side of change & development, but she feels strongly that allowing digital wayfinding kiosks that show ads in downtown Austin is a bad move.

Rising child homelessness represents a profound moral failure in society. I talk to Liz Schoenfeld, leader of an Austin nonprofit, LifeWorks, that helps young people who have been chewed up and spit out by the state's dysfunctional foster care system. The bad news is that child homelessness is on the rise. The good news is there are people like Liz working hard to reverse the trend.

Nicole Gelinas, fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of the new book, "Movement: New York's Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car," is the rare conservative who believes there are too many Ubers and not enough public transit. We also talk about homelessness, criminal justice and whether Airbnb affects housing costs.

Austin Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes is one of the few local pols who uses social media effectively to promote her work. She talks about why Instagram is a "no-brainer" & why she's given up on Twitter. We also discuss why Trump appeals to so many in her family, the immigration crackdown in her district, her fight for a grocery store in Southeast Austin, and whether it's a good idea to try to "protect" her district from growth.

Selena Xie, an EMS commander and former head of the Austin EMS Association, talks with me about how EMS fills the gaps in America's broken health care system. We also talk about death, DEI and the future of the American labor movement.

Chris Baker, executive director of The Other Ones Foundation, a group that runs the Camp Esperanza homeless community in Austin, talks with me about the many reasons people become homeless & what the most effective solutions are for getting people off the streets and into homes.