Realtopia - Real Estate for Teens

Naomi Cohen

Real estate. Real conversations. Hosted by a teenager trying to understand the world she’s about to inherit. I’m Naomi Cohen, and I created Realtopia — a real estate podcast for teenagers, by a teenager. What began as a podcast about real estate evolved into conversations about something even bigger: how places shape people, and how people shape places. Because real estate was never just about buildings. It’s about the future of places — cities, housing, belonging, design, community, and the people shaping them. Each episode, I ask architects, developers, researchers, founders, and urban thinkers the questions teenagers are not supposed to ask. Welcome to Realtopia.

  1. Apr 24

    Episode 12: Prof. Marc Norman (Associate Dean of NYU Schack) — Solving the Homeownership Crisis

    What if the housing crisis isn’t just about prices — but about a century of rules that quietly erased some of the most affordable ways people used to live? In this episode of Realtopia, Naomi speaks with Professor Marc Norman, Associate Dean of NYU Schack, about what’s broken in the housing system — and what it would take to fix it. Marc explains why affordable housing is often misunderstood, how postwar zoning rules made duplexes, fourplexes, and other “missing middle” housing nearly illegal, and why those choices helped shape today’s homeownership crisis. They explore new ideas like neighborhood REITs, community wealth building, and shared ownership models that could broaden access to real estate wealth. The conversation also examines gentrification and displacement, the role of community development finance, why affordability and beauty are not a trade-off, and how reforms like California upzoning and New York’s City of Yes may be reopening possibilities. One of the episode’s most original moments comes when Naomi asks Marc what a Belonging Index might include — leading to a discussion about walkability, freedom from car dependence, and whether a neighborhood gives people real choices as life changes. They close with a message for younger generations who feel locked out of ownership: housing is not only shaped by markets, but by people who show up. They discuss: • The hidden history behind the homeownership crisis • Missing-middle housing and zoning reform • Neighborhood REITs, co-ops, and community wealth building • Gentrification, displacement, and protecting vulnerable residents • Walkability, belonging, and the idea of a Belonging Index • Why civic engagement can shape what gets built

    22 min

Trailer

About

Real estate. Real conversations. Hosted by a teenager trying to understand the world she’s about to inherit. I’m Naomi Cohen, and I created Realtopia — a real estate podcast for teenagers, by a teenager. What began as a podcast about real estate evolved into conversations about something even bigger: how places shape people, and how people shape places. Because real estate was never just about buildings. It’s about the future of places — cities, housing, belonging, design, community, and the people shaping them. Each episode, I ask architects, developers, researchers, founders, and urban thinkers the questions teenagers are not supposed to ask. Welcome to Realtopia.