Who Killed the Starter Home?

In this episode, I speak with Luca Gattoni-Celli about why we can’t subsidize our way out of the housing crisis and how vacancy chains really work. We also unpack two issues that feel permanent but are actually new: today’s homelessness crisis and the growing immobility of people who are being pushed away from opportunity because they can’t afford to live anywhere near it.

In this episode I spoke with Casey Anderson who for 8 years chaired the Montgomery County Maryland Planning Board. I came across his recent article " What are planning hearings for? " where he talks about problems he saw that make our public engagement process so dysfunctional. Casey offers suggestions, but we by no means came up with complete solutions. We hope that this is a start of the convers...

In this episode, I spoke with Taizo Yamamoto, principal of Yamamoto Architects. They creating beautiful, sustainable housing in Vancouver. He shares how the flexibility of Vancouver’s zoning allows for innovative and green projects. I loved learning about mass timber structures and other ideas that could help create more sustainable buildings and vibrant neighborhoods.  

In this episode, I spoke with Alain Bertaud, urban economist and author of  Order Without Design , whose career spans more than half a century planning cities across the globe, from communist systems to market economies. The incredible stories he shares illustrate why we are forced to consume more land and space, where the real hidden costs lie, and why common sense so often disappears in housing...

In this episode, I speak with Mike Hathorne, author of the new book  The Great Housing Reversal and the New American Dream. We talk about how market signals are clear about the kinds of homes people actually want to live in, yet outdated zoning and rigid development models continue to deliver the opposite. If we want affordable, walkable, human-scale neighborhoods again, we have to start listening...

This episode is a special one — our first recorded in front of a live audience on November 12th at the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority conference in Madison. I sat down with Elmer Moore, WHEDA’s executive director, to talk about re-imagining starter homes, the power of combining audacity with innovation, and how WHEDA is putting those words into action to make housing happen....

In this episode, I talk with journalist Benjamin Schneider, author of The Unfinished Metropolis: Igniting the City-Building Revolution. We explore why cities need room to evolve and innovate, and how that mindset can help bring back starter homes and neighborhood-level creativity. We even dig into the question of where and why one would build an entirely new city and what is an "eco-district."

Every week, 75 to 100 churches close their doors. Some dilapidated buildings will slowly decay; others will become luxury condos with stained-glass windows. Our guest, pastor and property developer Mark Elsdon, isn’t waiting around. He’s building tools to help communities start early and grow something truly unique in God’s backyard — with patience, trust, and purpose.

I had so much fun speaking with Anthony Mattacchione and Raphael Kay.   They apply what they learned from slime mold to architecture and planning. This fascinating single-cell organism sends pulses through its body and can build efficient networks that resemble cities and transportation systems, only more resilient!   I learned that we need a bit of “individual stupidity” for bottom-up community d...

This episode is a little different. I switch roles and speak with Alex Margulis, a Princeton student and inspiring thinker who is researching and writing about climate, housing, and the power of agency. We talk about why sustainability shouldn’t be driven by fear, how housing can be one of the most impactful climate solutions, and explore practical ways students can turn their advocacy into real i...

In this episode, I talk with Ned Resnikoff, former policy director at California YIMBY (a pro-housing nonprofit that stands for Yes in My Backyard). My favorite part of our conversation is Ned’s story of how a casual happy hour grew into a statewide movement that rewrote the rules on housing, zoning, and grassroots organizing. Ned is now a housing policy fellow at the Roosevelt Institute and a fis...

When architect and entrepreneur Carrie Shores Diller heard her clients tell their aging parents, “Oh, we’ll just put these temporary things up, and when you’re gone, we’ll take them back down,” she knew something had to change... That’s no way to face one’s mortality! In this episode, Carrie shares how her company, Inspired ADUs, has brought hundreds of new homes to life, and how California’s bold...

Economist Bryan Caplan reminds us that builders aren’t criminals, complainers are the minority, and there’s no way around it: we have to build more homes to meet demand. If you’ve already read too many boring articles on the subject, Professor Caplan has the solution: a scientific comic book . Turns out, it’s actually fun being a YIMBY!

In this episode, land use attorney Kevin Moore walks us through the nearly impossible process of getting a use variance. It’s easy to tell the owner of a failing strip mall or an abandoned office building: “just get a variance, no need for legislative change". But as Kevin explains, that’s practically impossible and borderline illegal... at least in New Jersey.

Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau was elected to the state legislature at just 21 and went on to become the champion of Maine’s housing reform. He ushered in two major sets of reforms that empowered everyday Mainers to be part of solving the housing crisis. Notably, the second set of reforms passed with a unanimous vote in both the House and Senate.

In this episode, recovering city planner turned developer Seth Zeren explains how our obsession with safety and control has locked down the very process that once created vibrant, livable neighborhoods. He shares his ideas for bringing back a building culture of flexibility, experimentation, and creativity.

In this episode, I talk with Edie Weintraub—founder of Terra Alma , retail strategist, and advocate for vibrant, connected communities. From alleys to roof decks, from feet on streets to butts in seats, Edie is passionate about small, human-scale spaces and their powerful impact on the places we love to call home.

Desmond Dunn is learning, building, and leading. He is working to bring affordable, community-driven development (no subsidies needed) to his own community in Raleigh, North Carolina. In this episode, we explore how prosperity reshaped the starter home and even what role developers play in where you meet your spouse. 

In this episode, economist Salim Furth explains why the housing crisis isn’t just speculation: it’s demand running headfirst into regulation. His research quantifies how much red tape really costs families in this country. We also talk about how towns fall over themselves to lure big companies while failing the small and mid-size developers who could actually build the housing we need. Along the w...

Berkeley Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani shares how she ran and won on a pro-housing platform, and how that has now become the norm. Did you know that Berkeley, the birthplace of single-family zoning, just passed ordinances allowing 8 units per parcel + 8 ADUs as of right? As Rashi says, “It’s so much more fun to say yes to new people in your community.”

Graffiti artists are often the first responders to abandonment. But what happens to their art when development moves in? In this episode, graffiti artist and muralist Leon Rainbow shares his journey—from tagging walls in California to painting Trenton’s largest mural on the outside of the maximum-security prison. We dive into the role of art as expression, as business, and as community building.  

Shaheed Morris takes us inside his personal journey, from nearly losing his grandmother’s home to building a bigger vision for Trenton’s future and for his own. He’s working, studying, and building all at the same time, turning challenge into momentum and vision into action.

In this episode Architect and Developer John Hatch and I explore how walkability, historic charm, and a strong sense of place can be the real luxuries—and why cities like Trenton are full of starter home treasures waiting to be rediscovered. I especially love the story of John and his collaborators literally bringing 18 homes back to life in their own neighborhood—and that’s just the beginning.  

In this episode, Sean Jackson, CEO of Isles , shares his thoughts on what it takes to grow a city that truly works. We talk about Trenton’s housing and community revitalization—and how it all starts with caring enough to make change happen. Isles is a nonprofit organization dedicated to training and educating adults and youth, helping families build wealth through innovative financial services, an...

This first conversation is with Roland Pott, a real estate broker, developer, and longtime Trenton resident. We talk about what it really takes to turn a “bedroom community” into a real one. Trenton’s walkability, density, and affordability offer a rare opportunity: a place where first-time buyers and small-scale developers can help shape the city’s future—without waiting for billion-dollar invest...