The Building Culture Podcast #46 Jan Sramek: California Forever - Building the Next Great American City
In this episode, I sit down with Jan Sramek, Founder and CEO of California Forever, to talk about one of the most ambitious development efforts in the country: they're building the next great American city.
Chapters
0:00 — Why This Conversation Matters
02:05 — Meeting Jan and the Origins of California Forever
06:45 — Growing Up in the Czech Republic and Coming to America
12:10 — What California Forever Is Actually Trying to Build
17:55 — The Housing Crisis and Why Incremental Fixes Aren’t Enough
23:40 — Walkability, Safety, and Designing for Families
30:15 — Why Cities Should Work for Kids and the Elderly Alike
35:50 — The Reality of Building a New City in California
41:30 — Regulation, Risk, and the Cost of Not Building
47:20 — Reviving American Manufacturing and Shipbuilding
53:10 — Master Planning, Density, and Mixed-Use Neighborhoods
59:00 — Learning from Traditional Urban Design
1:04:45 — Community, Belonging, and Social Trust
1:10:30 — What Success Would Actually Look Like
1:15:40 — Long-Term Vision and Final Reflections
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California Forever - Building the next great American city
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