Building Better Cities

Kate Gasparro - Urban Development & Sustainable Infrastructure Expert
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Welcome to Building Better Cities, the podcast where we explore the evolving landscape of urban development and the crucial role that infrastructure and real estate investments play in shaping our communities.

  1. 6D AGO

    Part 1: Why zoning reform isn't solving the housing crisis with Yonah Freemark

    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 Mail 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 kate@buildingbettercities.com.

    23 min

  2. 6D AGO

    Part 2: Why transit investment is really a city building decision with Yonah Freemark and Sam Sklar

    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 Mail 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 kate@buildingbettercities.com.

    26 min

  3. MAR 18

    Why mayors can't solve the housing crisis alone with Michael Tubbs

    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 Income Stockton 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 a text 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 kate@buildingbettercities.com.

    32 min

  4. MAR 4

    From extraction to regeneration: place-based development in Appalachia with Steven Baumgartner

    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 a text 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 kate@buildingbettercities.com.

    33 min

  5. FEB 19

    The climate goals are clear. The infrastructure spending isn't. (with Adie Tomer and Ben Swedberg)

    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 a text 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 kate@buildingbettercities.com.

    33 min

  6. FEB 4

    Overcoming friction to build regenerative cities with Eric Corey Freed

    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 a text 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 kate@buildingbettercities.com.

    35 min

  7. JAN 21

    What it really takes to save a downtown with Mayor White of Greenville, SC

    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 a text 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 kate@buildingbettercities.com.

    36 min

  8. JAN 8

    Replay: Can rebuilding for resilience make insurance affordable? (with Alisa Valderrama)

    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 a text 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 kate@buildingbettercities.com.

    26 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Welcome to Building Better Cities, the podcast where we explore the evolving landscape of urban development and the crucial role that infrastructure and real estate investments play in shaping our communities.

Information

  • Creator
    Kate Gasparro - Urban Development & Sustainable Infrastructure Expert
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Building Better Cities
  • Show Website
    Building Better Cities

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