Upzoned

The podcast explores the disappointing reality of a downtown revitalization project in Morris town, Tennessee involving an elevated sidewalk. It delves into the concept of aerial urbanism, discussing examples such as skywalks and gondolas. The hosts wrap up the show with predictions for the Super Bowl, including a playful conversation about Taylor Swift's influence on football games.

Families moving to suburbs experience decline instead of promised benefits. Suburbs as a Ponzi scheme, need for mixed-income communities, and compact development. Discussing the racial element of the issue and its intersection with economic disadvantage. Broadway musical and Timothy Chalamet in Minnesota. Exploration of tracing Bitcoin transactions and dispelling myths about its anonymity.

Millennials are leaving cities due to affordability issues and moving to exurbs. The hosts discuss challenges faced by families in finding housing in urban areas and the financial implications of living in small towns. They also explore multi-generational housing and creative living options, share childhood memories, discuss recent artistic hobbies, and give a teaser for the next episode on aliens.

Ryan Johnson, builder of the first car-free neighborhood in the U.S., discusses the features of Culdesac Tempe including alternative transportation options and demand for walkable neighborhoods. They explore the development process, target residents, and the success of the project. Residents' perspective, electric bikes, and walkable communities are also discussed.

Kentucky’s largest school system recently had to cancel the second and third day of classes due to what they're calling a disastrous overhaul of the bus system. On day one, some children were still on their bus at 10 p.m.  AP News reported this issue is partly the result of a bus driver shortage, which definitely plays a role in why Kentucky is having this transportation problem. But Kentucky isn’t the only place that’s struggled with getting children to and from school. There's more to the story, and it has to do with the suburban development pattern, and the closure of neighborhood schools. In this Upzoned episode, host Abby Newsham digs into details of why, seemingly every year, many school districts have trouble with the transportation of students. She invites Dr. Michael Ralph, director of research at MultiStudio, and Daniel Herriges, Strong Towns’ editor-in-chief, to share their insights on the subject. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “New school bus routes a ‘disaster,’ Kentucky superintendent admits. Last kids got home at 10 pm,” AP News (August 2023). Abby Newsham (Twitter). Dr. Michael Ralph (Twitter). Daniel Herriges (Twitter). Learn more about the 2023 Local-Motive Tour. Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Abby Newsham talks to Aaron Lubeck, involved in the proposed SCAD in Durham, NC. They discuss controversial zoning changes, eliminating parking mandates, legalizing smaller homes on smaller lots, enabling incremental development, and the importance of small civic bonds for rebuilding America.

State-level officials in Arizona are getting more serious about water scarcity issues, despite the still-booming growth pressures that exist there. Some listeners may remember from a story we covered in July 2022 that rural areas outside of Phoenix, like the Rio Verde foothills, have found it almost impossible to drill wells and are now facing challenges from having their water delivered by truck. Now, the state has determined that there is not enough water for already-approved housing projects and will stop some developers from building if they rely too heavily on groundwater, given that it has become a finite resource. Arizona's allocation of Colorado River water is also being decreased due to drought, making alternatives quite limited. Still, the Arizona water agency has given permission to build 80,000 housing lots, and for the most part, construction is going to move forward on these lots. On today's episode of Upzoned, Chuck and Abby discuss why this development pattern in Arizona—and most of the Southwestern United States—is, as you might have guessed, unsustainable. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Arizona Limits Construction Around Phoenix as Its Water Supply Dwindles,” by Christopher Flavelle and Jack Healy, The New York Times (June 2023). Abby Kinney (Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

The United States is in the midst of a housing crisis. More and more cities are recognizing that part of the issue is due to restrictive zoning laws, which make building affordable homes a difficult feat.  On this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Kinney talks with the principal of Krongberg Urbanists and Architects, Eric Kronberg, on Atlanta’s new approach to addressing their housing issue. They’ll introduce the “social housing model” Atlanta plans to adopt, talk about the mixed-income housing aspects of Atlanta's plan, and explain what makes up a “Capital Stack.” ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Atlanta plans to embrace ‘European-style social housing,’” by Sean Keenan, Atlanta Civic Circle (July 2023). Abby Kinney (Twitter). Eric Kronberg (Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

It is extremely difficult to build housing in Rhode Island. It’s also expensive to buy homes, with prices having increased by 34% since the summer of 2020. Why? Adam A. Millsap makes the case in Forbes that because Rhode Island zoning laws are overly restrictive, developers are unable to meet the current and past needs of housing. Millsap writes: “Places with fewer land-use regulations and more flexible zoning have lower housing prices and slower rent growth. Land-use regulations such as density restrictions, height restrictions, minimum lot sizes, parking requirements, and complicated set-back rules prevent developers from building more housing, especially more affordable housing.” In this episode of Upzoned, join host Abby Kinney as she talks with guest Nolan Gray, author of Arbitrary Lines, about his perspective on zoning laws and Rhode Island’s efforts to address their housing crisis. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Zoning Reforms, Not Public Housing, Will Fix Rhode Island’s Housing Problem,” by Adam A. Millsap, Forbes (May 2023). Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It by Nolan Gray. Abby Kinney (Twitter). Nolan Gray (Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

“Who Can Afford America’s Perfect Neighborhood?” asks The Guardian. Longmont, Colorado, holds many elements of the American dream: tree-lined streets, neighbors walking to fulfill errands, children racing about, cafes, beautiful parks, gyms, and community events. To many, it sounds like a place of paradise. But housing prices have skyrocketed, and it’s not uncommon for a million-dollar home to sell in less than a week. In this Upzoned podcast, host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn talk about this neighborhood and answer the question:  Why is this “perfect neighborhood” not easily copied in other places? ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Who Can Afford America’s Perfect Neighborhood?” by Courtney Tenz, The Guardian (May 2023). Abby Kinney (Twitter). Chuck Marohn (Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.