Upzoned Strong Towns

The U.S. Department of Justice is opening a criminal investigation into a major software company called RealPage, which is described in the lawsuit as the “big tech” company of rental housing. It provides software that is used by landlords (and, typically, landlords who are large holders of rental property) to estimate supply and demand for their listings in order to help them maximize rents. The question is whether or not RealPage is facilitating algorithmic price fixing for some of the largest residential property owners and management firms—amounting to what DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb has described as a “housing cartel.” And since Strong Towns has just released Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis, we figured there was no better time to discuss this story than now.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

Order your copy of Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis today!


“DOJ escalates price-fixing probe on housing market,” by Josh Sisco, Politico (March 2024).


Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).


Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).


Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Since the 1970s, the number of cars on I-70 between Denver and its surrounding resorts have jumped more than 500%. Coloradans and frequent visitors know that, in order to reach the mountains during the gridlock of ski season, you must leave as early as 3 or 4 a.m. in the morning. Writer Gloria Liu decided to investigate this chaos by jumping directly into the traffic and interviewing the people stuck in it, and the article she penned about her adventure is up for discussion on this week’s episode of Upzoned. Can I-70 be fixed? And what do famous recreational arterials like I-70 reveal about our relationship with nature in the U.S.?
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

“Colorado’s I-70 Has America’s Most Notorious Ski Traffic. Is There a Solution?” by Gloria Liu, Outside (March 2024).


Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).


Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).


Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Cincinnati is currently undergoing a significant planning reformation effort, which involves unveiling what’s being called the Connected Communities plan. It includes a number of proposed land-use-related policy changes that are intended to help Cincinnati grow, with the goal of advancing zoning code changes, as well as supporting diversification and affordability of housing and bolstering business districts. Here on Upzoned this week to talk with host Abby Newsham about the proposal is John Yung, an urban planner, Program Manager at the Haile Foundation, and co-leader of the Cincy host committee for the upcoming Congress for the New Urbanism, which (along with the Strong Towns National Gathering) will be taking place in Cincinnati in May.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

“Mayor Pureval wants to redesign Cincinnati. Here's what that could look like,” by Becca Costello, WVXU (January 2024).


Get your tickets for the National Gathering today!


Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).


Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

On this week’s episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham and co-host Chuck Marohn are joined by Coby Lefkowitz, who penned the article that’s up for discussion: “Why small developers are getting squeezed out of the housing market.” It focuses on how finance shapes our cities, why debt is used to develop cities in the first place, how lenders deal with risk, and why risk mitigation is critical to understanding why the world looks the way it does. And, most notably, it dives into America's housing financial system and why it privileges large-scale institutional development at the expense of more incremental and community-based building.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

“Why small developers are getting squeezed out of the housing market,” by Coby Lefkowitz, Noahpinion (March 2024).


Coby Lefkowitz (Website; X/Twitter).


Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).


Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).


Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

This week on Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by Michael Schneider, founder of Streets for All and the campaign manager for Healthy Streets Los Angeles. They discuss an article from The Los Angeles Times titled, “L.A. bus and bike lane measure will cost $3.1 billion, a new report says. Backers cry foul.” This piece was written in advance of the ballot proposal Measure HLA, which was recently approved by voters, and mandates the installation of hundreds of miles of transportation improvements in L.A. over the next decade, with a focus on bike lanes and sidewalk improvements.
(Editor’s note: This episode was recorded before the results of the ballot were released.)
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

“L.A. bus and bike lane measure will cost $3.1 billion, a new report says. Backers cry foul,” by David Zahniser, The Los Angeles Times (February 2024).


“The People of Los Angeles Just Said ‘Yes’ to Safer Streets,” by Asia Mieleszko, Strong Towns (March 2024).


Streets for All (website).


Healthy Streets Los Angeles (website).


Michael Schneider (LinkedIn; X/Twitter).


Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).


Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

This week on Upzoned, host Abby Kinney is joined by Mike Keen, a retired professor and incremental developer in South Bend, Indiana, to discuss a recent article in WSBT, “Major mixed-use development could be largest in downtown South Bend history.” It highlights a $350 million project that has been proposed in downtown South Bend: a mixed-use district that would include hotels, apartments, and commercial uses, to be completed by 2028. The development, led by nearby Memorial Hospital, will take up about two city blocks and is expected to be a catalytic project for the city. So, we ask: is this project going to be a positive for South Bend and its small-scale developers like Keen?
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

“Major mixed-use development could be largest in downtown South Bend history,” by Sean English, WSBT (February 2024).


“This ‘Accidental Developer’ Wants To Show You How To Revitalize Your Neighborhood,” by Seairra Jones, Strong Towns (April 2023).


Escaping the Housing Trap: A Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis by Charles Marohn. Available for preorder now!


Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).


Mike Keen (LinkedIn).


Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.