Townbuilders

In this episode, Levi sits down with Mike Hathorne, urban strategist and author of The Great Housing Reversal. Mike's new book argues that America's housing crisis isn't a shortage problem; it's a misalignment problem: we're still building for a 1970s household in a 2020s world. They discuss what the demographic data is actually showing, why the systems keep us locked into building the wrong produ...

In this episode, Levi sits down with Scott Snodgrass — farmer, entrepreneur, and founder of Agmenity. to talk about what it really means to build an agrihood. Scott came to real estate by way of the farm. After getting drawn is to do consulting for a neighborhood regenerative farm, Scott started a business of consulting for developers looking to create agricultural amenities before eventually star...

In this episode, Levi sits down with Jan Sramek, CEO and founder of California Forever — one of the most ambitious development projects in the United States today. The plan is to build a new walkable city for more than 400,000 residents in Solano County, northeast of San Francisco, anchored by a world-class manufacturing park and the largest shipyard in America. In this conversation, Levi and Jan...

In this episode, Levi sits down with Devon Zuegel, a former software engineer and the visionary behind Esmeralda, a proposed 260-acre village in California’s wine country. Inspired by childhood memories and a personal obsession, Devon has set out to create a place that solves the issues she saw in the built environment and that could be a blend of vibrant urbanism and intentional community. She sh...

In this episode, Levi sits down with developer and NTBA veteran Joel Embry, the visionary behind Amelia Park, one of the earliest and most fully realized traditional neighborhood developments (TNDs) in the Southeast. Joel shares the origin story of Amelia Park—from his early exposure to Seaside and meeting Andrés Duany, to navigating the banking world and architectural challenges of building somet...

In this episode, Levi and Alli Thurmond Quinlan explore the complexity of building great places — from small infill projects to large-scale master plans. Alli shares how her multidisciplinary background as an architect, landscape architect, developer, and Executive Director of the Incremental Development Alliance has shaped her approach to vertically integrating her firm, RANGE. They discuss the c...

In this episode, Levi sits down with Rob Parker — president of the NTBA, co-founder of the Town at Trillith,and a longtime leader in purpose-driven placemaking. Rob shares how his background in nonprofit leadership shaped his approach to townbuilding, and why human flourishing has become the guiding principle behind his work. They also discuss the groundbreaking Global Flourishing Study from Harva...

In this episode, Levi sits down with Laurence Qamar is a town planner and architect with over three decades of experience designing walkable neighborhoods and new-urbanist developments across the country. Laurence shares his “Scales of Community” framework — a scalable, flexible approach to town planning that allows neighborhoods to grow organically, block by block. We explore what makes a place w...

In this episode, Levi and Michael discuss the role of the town architect. For nearly 40 years, Mike has worked at the forefront of the new urbanism movement—starting at the charrette for Kentlands, Michael eventually became town architect of the pioneering development in Maryland and he now continues to guide planning and design for developments across the country. We get into the practicalities a...

In this conversation, Levi sits down for a long-anticipated conversation with Ross Chapin, who instigated a national revival of "pocket neighborhoods"—small clusters of homes designed to foster real community. Ross shares how a single project in a small Washington town sparked a national movement and reshaped how we think about neighborhood design. We explore the foundational ideas behind his work...

In this episode, Levi sits down with David Horwath of Land Innovations to unpack what it means to develop with purpose in a landscape dominated by conventional suburbia. They explore the challenges—and opportunities—of scaling the traditional neighborhood development (TND) model while preserving the character, craftsmanship, and culture that make great places work. From aligning with legacy-minded...

In this episode, our host Levi Wintz sits down with Casey Roloff, founder and CEO of Seabrook which has been affectionatly coined, “Washington’s Beach Town”. Casey shares his journey from painting houses in college to building one of the most celebrated coastal communities in the country. They dive into the challenges of starting young, the lessons learned along the way, and Casey’s newest venture...

In the reboot episode of the Townbuilders Podcast, new host  Levi Wintz  sits down with  Aaron Lubeck  — builder, land planner, zoning reformer, and former host of the show. Aaron is a prolific writer and as editor of Southern Urbanism, he brings sharp insights and passion as he shares what it takes to build a better built environment — and why it matters more than ever.

Aaron talks with Jim Anthony of Anthony Property Group about his experience on the front lines brokering and developing better neighborhoods. Jim talks about what he is seeing the market is looking for in both walkable projects and build-to-rent. Lastly, Jim discusses his role in facilitating a Raleigh development that may be Habitat for Humanity’s largest ever.

Aaron talks with Mike Ciriello, the Planning Director in Butner, NC about the NTBA’s Spring 2021 visioning exercises in Butner, NC, including what worked and what could be added in future offerings. Mike also talks about how difficult it is to do walkable urbanism in highly regulated Southern watersheds, and why there is such a shortage of good urbanist planning, design, and development talent.

Aaron talks with Louis Nequette of Nequette Architecture and Design, an early entrant into the build-to-rent space, where he has proven that student housing can be inspiring. Louis is one of the best New Urbanist architects practicing today, and he shares what he has learned about navigating the twin development pressures of managing project costs while creating great places.

Aaron talks with Fernando Pages Ruiz, one of the most ambitious and successful builders of true affordable housing. Fernando talks about how every stud matters, new innovations in materials, and what cities have to do to stay affordable.

Aaron talks with Monte Anderson of Options Real Estate in Dallas about his founding of the CNU spin-off Incremental Development Alliance, how he took the early steps to catalyze districts such as Bishop Arts, and why code reform should be the top priority for cities to foster local equity.

Aaron talks with Mike Hathorne of Commun1ty.one about his unique research within the Mormon (LDS) community along Utah’s Wasatch Front, showing that community and church success both correlate with diverse neighborhoods. His theory, proven by results, is that homogenous housing development makes for weaker communities, and ultimately LDS “ward collapse.” Mike parlays this belief into a strong crit...

Aaron talks with Brad Lonberger of Place Strategies about his experiences writing form-based codes, the unique idiosyncrasies of development in Texas, urban development in conservative metros, and a teaser for NTBA’s 2021 Fall Roundtable in Ft. Worth, TX.

Aaron talks with Bill Allison of Allison Ramsey Architect about what urbanists have to learn from third world slums, his long running relationship with Habitat for Humanity, and how builders and developers use his massive stock plan catalogue of traditional architecture to create better places.

Aaron talks with Marta Goldsmith, the Director of the Form-Based Codes Institute about the successes of form-based codes, a focal point of the NTBA’s Fall 2021 Roundtable in Ft. Worth, Texas. Marta discusses what form-based codes are, how fast they are expanding, why Euclidean rules are still the norm, and how governments are using form-based codes to return cities to traditional urbanism.

Aaron kicks off the second season of the Townbuilder’s Podcast with the newly appointed Executive Director of the Congress for the New Urbanism, Rick Cole. Rick talks about the need to engage the next generation of New Urbanist practitioners, the state of the organization, the timelessness of the Charter’s principles, and how he hopes to pivot CNU to ensure organizational success for decades to co...

Aaron chats with John Marsh of Marsh Collective and Redemptification from Opelika, Alabama http://redemptification.com https://marshcollective.com

Aaron discusses co-housing, affordable housing, and urban development strategies with Eli Spevak