100 episodes

Join Abby Kinney, Chuck Marohn, and occasional surprise guests to talk in depth about just one big story from the week in the Strong Towns conversation, right when you want it: now.

Upzoned Strong Towns

    • Business
    • 4.6 • 135 Ratings

Join Abby Kinney, Chuck Marohn, and occasional surprise guests to talk in depth about just one big story from the week in the Strong Towns conversation, right when you want it: now.

    Our Financial System Favors Large-Scale Development…but at What Cost?

    Our Financial System Favors Large-Scale Development…but at What Cost?

    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.

    • 52 min
    Traffic Deaths Now Exceed the Number of Homicides in LA. This Initiative Aims To Change That.

    Traffic Deaths Now Exceed the Number of Homicides in LA. This Initiative Aims To Change That.

    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.

    • 35 min
    $350 Million Mixed-Use Development Presents a "Huge Opportunity" for South Bend, IN

    $350 Million Mixed-Use Development Presents a "Huge Opportunity" for South Bend, IN

    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.

    • 35 min
    Could this New Approach to Public Housing Actually Work?

    Could this New Approach to Public Housing Actually Work?

    A suburb of Washington, DC is exploring a new approach to creating more affordable housing through public-private partnerships. And it’s seeing success! In this episode of Upzoned, Chuck and Abby discuss the history of public housing and government housing subsidies in the US, the good, the bad and the ugly. Then they consider whether this new model could be helpful or harmful to cities.
    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

    “What if public housing were for everyone?” by Rachel M. Cohen, Vox (February 2024).


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


    Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).


    Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).


    Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

    • 46 min
    Parking Minimums Might Be on the Way Out in Dallas

    Parking Minimums Might Be on the Way Out in Dallas

    Local officials in Dallas are considering eliminating minimum parking requirements in the city. The zoning ordinance advisory committee just voted to advance the measure to the city planning commission, and if approved there, it would then go on to the city council.
    Critics believe that this is a one-size-fits-all approach to parking reform and that it’s not an ideal solution to Dallas’s parking dilemma, whereas proponents say the change will cut down on unused parking spaces and accelerate the city’s economic development.
    So, is this measure a good or a bad move for Dallas?
    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

    “Dallas Zoning Committee Advances Parking Reform,” by Andrew Terrell, The Dallas Express (February 2024).


    Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).


    Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).


    Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

    • 43 min
    Coming Back Down to Earth After a “Next-Level” Downtown Revitalization

    Coming Back Down to Earth After a “Next-Level” Downtown Revitalization

    This week’s Upzoned episode covers a story that sounded promising at the start: “The Town That Took Downtown Renewal to the Next Level”? Sounds great! Right? Alas, residents of Morristown, Tennessee, have discovered that the Skymark (i.e., an elevated sidewalk) they built in the 1960s was not the salvation for their downtown they’d hoped it would be. Join host Abby Newsham and co-host Chuck Marohn as they take a deep dive on how this huge investment, unfortunately, didn’t pan out as a long-term strategy for economic prosperity.
    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

    “The Town That Took Downtown Renewal to the Next Level,” by David Zipper, CityLab (January 2024).


    Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).


    Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).


    Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

    • 43 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
135 Ratings

135 Ratings

SuperGlideFX-E ,

Crony-ism

Never underestimate the criminality of our local political structures. Graft is normalized and outright theft of public funds is ignored. Detroit water. Houston airport. Fiscal responsibility will never happen until we remove or redirect the incentives for local politicians to steal.
Great show!

@kyleinphoenix ,

Abby leads the show

I really want to like this show more. Abby is a great host and has interesting guests on, but when Chuck is on the show I find it hard to listen beyond even their introductions. His vibe is just off and lacks adding substantial value to the show. He also rambles far too much about his personal life.

As a result, when he’s on I almost always move on from the episode.

However, when Chuck is not on the show, I always tune in to the entire episode!

Alessandro Rigolon ,

Don’t “both sides” everything

Give credibility to conspiracy theories about the 15-minute city. You can’t both side everything

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