Andrew Yang Podcast Is the American Dream DEAD? The Real Reason You Can’t Get Ahead
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Mar 3, 2025 
Yoni Appelbaum, a historian and journalist at The Atlantic, dives deep into the American Dream's decline. He reveals how zoning laws and discriminatory policies have created barriers, trapping many in poverty. Yoni discusses the historical roots of these issues, using examples like Cambridge, and highlights the resilience of marginalized communities, including Chinese-American entrepreneurs. He argues for the need to rethink housing and urban development to restore mobility and opportunity for future generations.
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Cambridge’s Transformation
- Yoni Appelbaum, living in unaffordable Cambridge, MA, observed his neighborhood's shift.
- It changed from a working-class "zone of emergence" to a zone of exclusion, pricing out families.
Moving Day Tradition
- "Moving Day" was a common American tradition where many residents swapped homes annually.
- This unique high-mobility period stemmed from America's ethos of self-reinvention and upward mobility.
Jane Jacobs’ Paradox
- Jane Jacobs, while championing mixed-use urban areas, altered her own West Village townhouse.
- Removing its mixed-use elements and landmarking the block, she inadvertently contributed to rising property values.
