But somewhere along the way, building small became harder. Harder for local developers and entrepreneurs to shape the places they live. Harder for neighborhoods to evolve incrementally. And easier for growth to be defined only by scale.

Today, many communities say they want more housing, more walkable neighborhoods, more local character, and more vibrant main streets. But too often, the systems shaping urban development and city projects only make room for the biggest players and the largest deals — leaving small-scale, sustainable development on the sidelines.

So what would it look like to reopen the door to small-scale urban development?

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Jim Heid — founder of Building Small, developer, strategist, and author of Building Small. Jim has spent years championing a different approach to growth: human-scale projects, adaptive reuse, local ownership, and the idea that smaller developments can create outsized impact on neighborhoods and local economies.

Together, Kate and Jim explore what "building small" actually means, why today's development system favors scale, the barriers small builders and lenders face, and what developers, planners, urbanists, real estate professionals, and everyday city lovers can do to help create more vibrant, sustainable neighborhoods in their own communities.

Resources: 

Building Small: Tools for Doing Development Different (Jim Heid)

Small Scale Forums (Jim Heid)

Where did all the small developers go? (Strong Towns)

Why small developers are getting squeezewd out of the housing market (Coby Lefkowitz)

The challenges facing small or emeging housing developers and strategies to overcome them (Urban Institute)

The lost art of small-scale development (Jim Kumon, Incremental Development Alliance)

How 'Developer' became such a dirty word (NY Times)

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com.

In part two of this series, Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute stays with us and we're joined by Sam Sklar — the writer, consultant, and advocate behind Exasperated Infrastructures — to explore the deep connection between public transit investment, urban land use policy, and how cities grow. Sam brings experience across urban planning, sustainable infrastructure consulting, and transit advocacy, and his platform has become a go-to voice on what it actually takes to build more equitable, people-centered transportation systems in American cities.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why transportation infrastructure is land use — and how the space cities dedicate to roads and highways shapes what's possible for housing density, walkable communities, and sustainable urban development 
• Why transit oriented development alone won't save struggling transit agencies
• Our March Madness bracket of transit investments reshaping American cities 

This is part two of a two-part series on how zoning reform, housing supply, and transportation infrastructure investment are shaping the future of sustainable, equitable American cities. Catch part one to hear Yonah Freemark break down why upzoning alone won't solve the housing crisis.

Resources:

The Bay Area Considers the Unthinkable: Life Without BART (NYTimes)

The Smart Enough City (Ben Green)

Virginia DOT's Smart Scale approch to allocating tax dollars (VA DOT)

Queenslink: Connecting Communities with Rails & Trails (Queenslink)

Western Avenue alders revived Chicago's BRT dream (StreetsBlog Chicago)

After decades of dreaming, delays, LA's Wilshire subway to Beverly Hills to open in May (LA Times)

How the Interborough Express Could Transform New York (NYTimes)

Build the Roosevelt Blvd Subway (Blvd Subway)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Zachary Kolodin, Michigan’s former Chief Infrastructure Officer, who built and led one of the nation’s first infrastructure offices during a period of extraordinary federal investment. Earlier this year, Zach started Pont Advisory and Pont Law to advise both public and private sector leaders on how to effectively execute upon that investment—navigating rising costs, regulatory hurdles, and shifting political priorities.

This is the first in a two-part series with former public leaders who helped turn federal ambition into local impact—and who now find themselves navigating a different kind of challenge: delivering lasting results when the dollars slow, but the need hasn’t.

Resources:
Infrastructure Costs (American Economic Journal: Applied Economics)
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Invests $13B in Michgan Projects (MI Governor's Office)
Executing on the $2T investment to boost American Competitiveness (Deloitte)
Chips manufacturing plants underway in Arizona (Axios)
New Hampshire's regulatory transparency gets a facelift (The Regulatory Review)

Notes:
Since recording, the US Supreme Court has limited NEPA's reach by clarying that agencies will only assess environmental impacts under their direct control—not the broader chain reaction of related projects. Read more here.

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

To unpack these issues, Dr. Minjee Kim, an Assistant Professor in Urban Planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, joins the podcast. Dr. Kim’s research sits at the intersection of real estate development, public finance, and urban planning—making her uniquely suited to guide us through this moment. She’s advised the LA County Blue Ribbon Commission on post-fire recovery and authored a memo exploring how LA could structure a redevelopment authority modeled after efforts San Francisco's Transbay Joint Powers Authority, New York City's Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and Cincinnati's Center City Development Corporation.

Kate and Dr. Kim discuss what LA can learn from past large-scale recovery efforts, how different governance models impact land use outcomes, and why we must think beyond parcel-by-parcel rebuilding if we want to build a more resilient, equitable future.

Resources:

LA's Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action and Fire-Safe Recovery (LA County)

How do you rebuild a place like the Palisades? (NYT)

The next stage of rebuilding the Palisades is here: Burned lots for sale (NYT)

Permitting Progress Dashboard (LA County)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In Detroit, Bedrock is helping lead this shift. In this episode, host Kate Gasparro talks with Kevin Mull, Senior Director of Urban Strategy and Innovation at Bedrock and Co-Founder of the Urban Tech Xchange and the Detroit Smart Parking Lab. In his work, Kevin is creating spaces—both physical and institutional—where startups can test new ideas, city stakeholders can weigh in, and new technologies can grow in ways that are practical, inclusive, and aligned with local goals.

The conversation dives into how Detroit is navigating this new era of urban technology and and what it takes to build cities that are not just technologically advanced—but responsive, inclusive, and future-ready.

Resources:

What's fueling the smart city backlash (Wharton)
How Detroit's enduring automotive ingenuity legacy shapes the future of transportation (Fast Company)
This parking garage is a high-tech research lab (Axios)
Detroit welcomes four mobility startups to tech incubator (Smart Cities World)
Bedrock is one of the most innovative companies in urban development and real estate (Fast Company)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Ben brings a rare, full-spectrum view of the housing system — from his experience as a developer, to shaping national policy at HUD under the Obama Administration, to leading California’s Department of Housing and Community Development. Together, Kate and Ben explore:

• What SB 79 actually does and why it’s a big deal
• How upzoning and land use reform are becoming bipartisan tools to address the housing shortage
• The political tension between state mandates and local control
• Lessons from other states pursuing transit-oriented development (TOD) and pro-housing policy
• What cities, planners, and developers need to prepare for implementation
• How national cost pressures — construction inflation, interest rates, labor shortages — shape what gets built

If you follow housing policy, zoning reform, TOD, state housing laws, land use planning, or the future of affordability, this episode breaks down the trends shaping America’s housing landscape and how SB 79 could become a national model.

Listen in to learn how policy reform and industry innovation can unlock more homes, stronger transit systems, and more equitable cities.

Resources:

Gov. Newsom signs law overhauling local zoning to build more housing (Cal Matters)

State housing policy changes are more random than you think (Mercatus Center)

Framing Futures: pro-housing legislation goes vertical in 2025 (Mercatus Center)

How Minneapolis became the first to end single-family zoning (PBS)

Unlocking additional housing through accessory dwelling units (American Legislative Exchange Council)

Unlocking the power of transit-oriented development (Building Better Cities)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

For decades after Sears shuttered in 1993, the Crosstown corridor slipped off the city’s mental map—boarded storefronts, empty sidewalks, and years of disinvestment. Today, the investments and energy imbued at Crosstown Concourse has become a catalyst for neighborhood revival, from a partnership with Live Nation to build a new music venue to more than 30 acres of mixed use redevelopment. 

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro talks with Todd Richardson about how arts and patient capital sparked Crosstown’s rebirth, and how that momentum is fueling the next wave of investment.

Resources:

Satellite Music Hall breaks ground at Crosstown (Choose901)

Community Leadership Drives the Transformation of an Abandoned Sears Warehouse (MetropolisMag)

Crosstown Concourse Case Study (Bruner Foundation)

Crosstown Concourse Documentary (Crosstown Concourse)

Toronto's Distillery District (Distillery District)

MASS MoCA's History (MASS MoCA)

Ponce City Market History (Ponce City Market)

Midtown Global Market History (Midtown Global Market)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Mayor Knox White of Greenville, South Carolina to unpack what it really takes to save a downtown — and why Greenville’s approach has become a national model for mid-sized cities.

Greenville, SC is now known for its walkable Main Street, mixed-use downtown living, and the transformation of the Reedy River into Falls Park. But that success was far from inevitable. Mayor White reflects on downtown decline in the 1970s, the decision to invest ahead of the market, and the political courage behind bold moves like narrowing Main Street and removing the Camperdown Bridge.

The conversation explores:

• Downtown revitalization strategies after COVID
• Public-private partnerships in city redevelopment
• How tax increment financing (TIF) can support downtown recovery
• Why mixed-use development is essential for vibrant city centers
• How cities can reinvest downtown success beyond the core
• Housing affordability and rising rents in revitalized downtowns

As many cities search for ways to bring life back to downtown corridors, Greenville’s experience offers timely lessons on leadership, planning, and long-term investment.

This episode is for city leaders, planners, developers, and anyone thinking seriously about the future of downtown America.

Resources:

From groundbreaking to opening of Honor Tower, see Unity Park through the years (Greenville News)

Falls Park on the Reedy (Rudy Bruner Award)

Downtown Reborn (City of Greenville)

Small and midsized downtown recovery: Overcoming obstacles and uplifting innovative solutions in four regions (Brookings)

To save downtowns, cities need to do more than turn offices into housing (Urban Institute)

Can we save the downtown? Examining pandemic recovery trajectories across 72 North American cities (Cities)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode, Kate Gasparro is joined by Chris Livingstone, a seasoned expert in infrastructure finance and transaction structuring, with nearly 25 years of experience shaping major projects like the Washington Union Station Expansion and helping agencies like LA Metro navigate the complexities of funding, financial modeling, and public-private partnerships.

Chris isn’t just advising on mega deals—he’s also demystifying the challenges of delivering infrastructure through his weekly video series, offering insights into what it really takes to get projects built. Today, we’re diving into how shifting federal policies are reshaping project funding, what agencies can do to stay ahead, and whether we’re entering a new era of infrastructure investment—or uncertainty.

Resources:

Trump funding freeze leaves IIJA, IRA projects in limbo

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

This conversation focuses on the execution gap holding cities, developers, and institutions back from delivering better places for people. Despite decades of innovation in materials, design strategies, and performance data, progress often stalls when good ideas collide with risk-averse systems, outdated assumptions, and institutional friction.

Our guest is Eric Corey Freed, an architect and longtime leader in regenerative design. Drawing on his experience working at Eco Districts, the Living Future Institute, and now with Cannon Design, Eric introduces a powerful reframing: innovation doesn’t fail because we lack creativity — it fails because friction makes “no” easier than “yes.”

Together, host Kate Gasparro and Eric explore how fear, habit, and misaligned incentives prevent sustainability practices and what it looks like when buildings move beyond being “less bad” to becoming truly regenerative. From healthier materials and biophilic design to performance metrics that prioritize human well-being, this episode offers practical insight into how cities can create places that actively improve health, resilience, and community outcomes.

If we want cities that are genuinely better for people, the challenge isn’t imagining better buildings — it’s removing what’s standing in the way of building them.

Resources:

Nature Becomes Architect: Growing our next generation of buildings (TEDx)

Creating zero-carbon buildings for a regenerative built world (Reuters)

What if we grew our buildings? (Treehugger)

Net zero buildings for people and planet (Cannon Design)

The Design Firm Making Net-Zero Emissions Buildings a Reality (Time)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with documentarian Claire Read to discuss her film Penn F---ing Station, which traces years of high-stakes political maneuvering, community resistance, and evolving design visions for the station’s renewal.

After years of gubernatorial leadership shaping the project, the Trump administration has recently stepped into a lead role — placing Amtrak and the U.S. Department of Transportation in control.

Together, Kate and Claire explore how local dynamics, often kept off the national front page, ultimately determine how major projects come together. They unpack what this new federal intervention means for power, accountability, and the long-term trajectory of the project — and how documenting Penn Station’s evolution reveals broader truths about who builds cities, who shapes their futures, and how the local and the national collide in urban development.

Resources:

Trump administration takes control of $7B Penn Station redevelopment (Construction Dive)

When Penn Station Was a Masterpiece (The New York Historical)

The Gods of Times Square (IMDB)

Penn Station advocates to submit their own redevelopment plan (City & State New York)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with J. Byron Brazier, lead developer of Woodlawn Central, a nearly $895 million mixed-use development on Chicago’s South Side anchored by the Apostolic Church of God. Together, they explore how community-led, faith-based development can drive large-scale urban regeneration without displacement.

The conversation dives into how Woodlawn Central is moving forward without relying on Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and how financing tools like joint ventures, phased development, and future tax-increment strategies help the project pencil. 

This episode is a must-listen for developers, city leaders, investors, planners, and community builders interested in equitable development, transit-oriented districts, and new models for community-driven urban revitalization.

Resources:

Woodlawn Central: "A model for the new Black community" (Urbanize Chicago)

A Woodlawn megadevelopment stirs hope and fear in the Chicago neighborhood (WBEZ Chicago)

Price tag for Church's sweeping plant to redevelopment Woodlawn property could hit $1B (Block Club Chicago)

Bid to aid 'vulnerable residents' by Obama Presidential Center wins city panel's unanimous backing (WBEZ Chicago)

Why homes for low-income renters are far more expensive to build (BisNow)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode, Kate Gasparro sit down with Brian Regli, a former top advisor in Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration in Pennsylvania. They talk about what it’s like to be on the inside of a purple-state government translating federal policy into tangible progress. From lead pipe replacement and broadband expansion to industrial decarbonization and mine land solar, Brian shares the realities behind the rhetoric—where success hinges not just on funding, but on local know-how and consensus.

Together, Kate and Brian explore what a Project 2029 agenda could look like in a leaner, more fractured political landscape—how we align supply and demand, reform permitting and procurement, and empower local institutions to deliver. Because abundance doesn’t happen on paper—it happens in the places willing and ready to build.

This conversation follows our last one with former political leaders, rediscovering how we build together.

Resources:

Assessment of solar development on previously impacted mine lands in Pennsylvania (PA Department of Environmental Protection)

Feds offer $90M for vast solar array on PA mine land (Bay Journal)

PWSA celebrates its 10,000th lead service line replacement (WESA)

Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

On the other end of the spectrum are smaller, more incremental interventions: storefront upgrades, parklets, infill housing, and neighborhood-scale design moves that reshape our everyday experience of place. These fine-grained efforts can feel more organic, more participatory, and often create some of the most beloved neighborhoods we know today.

In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro is joined by Roberto Jenkins and Shruti Shankar from RDC and Studio One Eleven to explore this tension between top-down master planning and bottom-up placemaking. Together, they talk about how incremental projects in places like the Long Beach Design District are reshaping communities, what it means to design at the human scale, and how partnerships can unlock lasting urban change.

Resources:

Inside RDC-S111's Transformative Long Beach Headquarters (Work Design Magazine)

Infill Development Supports Community Connectivity (APA)

How to drive urban infill development in your city (C40)

Mapping the Parklet Craze (SPUR)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode, Kate speaks with Ashley Philippsen and Dr. Lana Turner-Addison, co-chairs of the Kirkpatrick Heights–Greenwood Master Plan. Ashley is Executive Director of ImpactTulsa and a former Deputy Chief of Community Development and Policy for the City of Tulsa. Dr. Turner-Addison is a lifelong North Tulsa resident, educator, and advocate who has served as President of Tulsa Public Schools Board and Director of Human Rights for the City.

Together, they discuss how the plan has led to the formation of the new Greenwood Legacy CDC, and what it takes to navigate history, rebuild trust, and center healing, ownership, and accountability in community development.

Resources:

Redevelopment plan advances for Tulsa massacre area (Congress for New Urbanism)

Tulsa announces reparations for the 1921 'Black Wall Street' massacre (Washington Post)

Greenwood Legacy Corporation to host 2 community meetings (Fox)

How Tulsa, Oklahoma's civic and philanthropic leaders have catalyzed inclusive, tech-driven economic growth (Brookings)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

This week, host Kate Gasparro is joined by Aaron Paley, the co-founder of Community Arts Resources and one of the key visionaries behind CicLAvia. For decades, Aaron has been at the forefront of cultural programming and creative placemaking. His work shows how temporary interventions—when rooted in community, art, and culture—can challenge entrenched ideas about urban life and help us imagine new futures.

Together, Kate and Aaron explore the importance of honoring place-based histories, the challenges of translating temporary events into long-term systems change, and what LA can learn from its recent wildfires, upcoming global events, and the pressures of rapid development.

Throughout the discussion, Aaron reminds us that placemaking is a form of storytelling, resistance, and sometimes, the only tool we have to reclaim the places we call home.

Resources:

Studies reveal CicLAvia's air quality, public health and social impacts (UCLA)

Economic Impacts of CicLAvia: Study Finds Gains to Local Businesses (UCLA)

Ciclovía at 50: What we can learn from Bogotá's Open Streets initiative (World Economic Forum)

Redesigning the California dream with Christopher Hawthorne, LA's Chief Design Officer (KCRW)

Segregation in the City of Angels: A 1939 Map of Housing Inequality in L.A. (PBS SoCal)

Recovery and Rebuilding After Historic L.A. Fires (Los Angeles Conservancy)

Olympic transformation of metropolitan cities- for better or for worse (Brookings)

Heavily armed immigration agents descend on L.A.'s MacArthur Park (LA Times)

Trump names himself chair of L.A. Olympics task force, sees role for military during Games (LA Times)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Homeowners are facing rising insurance costs — further exacerbating the affordability crisis. Earlier this year, we explored how pricing climate risk into insurance could create a pathway for insurers to re-enter these markets. Beyond that approach, there are more efforts to make insurance more affordable. But without fundamentally changing how we design for resilience, these tools risk normalizing unsafe conditions rather than correcting them.

That’s why we’re replaying this timely conversation with Alisa Valderrama, founder of FutureProof. As a climate-based insurtech start-up, FutureProof prices climate risk using insurance data and weather models. With a recent aquisition, FutureProof is expanding it's capabilities to address wildfire risk in pricing products for leading national insurers. In this episode, Alisa shares how quantifying climate risk for insurers is changing the way we build (and rebuild) with resilience.

Resources:

FutureProof Technologies Acquires Terrafuse AI to Address Wildfire Risk (Business Wire)

Who Pays When Insurance Fails to Cover Climate Disasters? (NRDC)

Forging a resilient future for California's homeowners and insurers (McKinsey)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

They discuss the latest innovations in low-carbon concrete and cleaner steel production and how transforming the materials sector can strengthen the U.S. economy and drive job creation.

With a shifting political landscape, what’s next for embodied carbon reduction? And how can cities, developers, and policymakers collaborate to build more sustainable cities and economies?

Resources:
Buy Clean and Beyond
Setting Buy Clean Standards to Green US Steel
To Buy Clean, First Buy American
Global Cement and Concrete Association's Roadmap for Net Zero Concrete
Buy Clean California Act

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

So this week, Kate is revisiting the very first episode of the podcast — a conversation with Dr. Andrew Sonta that explores the connection between the urban form and social cohesion. His work at EPFL focuses on human interaction in the built environment. And, since the conversation, more studies have expanded on this idea, showing something fascinating — and a little troubling. Even as our cities are built to enable connection, people are walking faster, lingering less, and spending less time in shared spaces.

It feels like the right moment to pause and reflect on why that’s happening — and what it means for the kind of cities we’re building. As we continue to talk about smart growth, density, and sustainability, it’s worth remembering that cities are also social ecosystems. The way we move through and experience them matters.

Resources:

Rethinking walkability: Exploring the relationship between urban form and neighborhood social cohesion (Sustainable Cities and Society)

Pedestrians now walk fast and linger less, researchers find (MIT)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

But every so often, an incentive structure quietly changes the system.

In this episode of Building Better Cities, we explore one of those policies: California’s Density Bonus Law, and the findings from Circulate Planning and Policy’s new “Win-Win Bonus” report on how this tool has become one of the state’s most effective drivers of housing production and urban development.

Colin Parent, Executive Director of Circulate Planning and Policy and a key architect of California’s expanded Bonus Law joins host Kate Gasparro to discuss Bonus Law's success. Colin previously worked under Governor Jerry Brown at the California Department of Housing and Community Development, where he helped shape statewide housing policy during a period of major change following the dissolution of redevelopment agencies.

Together, Kate and Colin discuss how Bonus Law evolved from a rarely used statute into a central housing production tool, now accounting for a significant share of multifamily housing approvals in California. We also examine how San Diego became an early testing ground for reform, how local innovation scaled into state policy, and why incentive-based approaches can sometimes outperform more traditional regulatory strategies.

Beyond the mechanics, this conversation explores broader questions of housing affordability, urban infrastructure, and coalition-building: what it takes to align public and private interests—and where even successful policies may still leave gaps, particularly for middle-income households.

Whether you work in planning, development, public policy, or simply care about the future of housing affordability, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how a local experiment became statewide policy—and what it signals for the next generation of housing and infrastructure reform.

Resources:

Bonus tracks- your musical experience into understanding bonus law (Circulate Planning and Policy)

California's density bonus is a 'win-win' for developers and affordable housing (Planetizen)

San Diego housing density bonus is spurring affordable units (SmartCitiesDive)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Steven Baumgartner, founder of Baumgartner Urban Systems Strategy (BUSS), to explore how place-based, values-driven urban development can transform even the most disinvested communities. Drawing on two decades of experience at global firms, Steven brings a systems thinker's lens to one of the most compelling sustainable city development stories in the country.

Together, Kate and Steven unpack what it really means to translate a mission into a place, why decentralized sustainable infrastructure outperforms the heavy systems we've relied on for generations, and how the circular economy model pioneered by The Industrial Commons offers a replicable blueprint for equitable, regenerative development.

Resources:

This Southern Appalachian town uses co-ops to build new communities around old industries (resilience)

An Appalachian Model for Regenerating Place-Based, Community Wealth (Next City)

How Corporate Greed Keep Appalachia Underdeveloped (Columbia Political Review)

New industries, new jobs needed to boost Burke economy (The Paper)

The Industrial Commons breaks ground on transformative Innovation Campus (eTextile Communications)

The loss of manufacturing once devastated Morganton. Now, it's witnessing a revival (The Charlotte Observer)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

That’s the promise of district utility systems: shared infrastructure networks that serve multiple buildings with centralized solutions. From recovering waste heat and recycling greywater to deploying resilient solar-plus-storage microgrids, these systems offer a more holistic—and scalable—way to build sustainable communities.

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Daniel Hansen, Managing Partner of NEXT Infrastructure, to explore why district utility systems are gaining traction—and what it takes to make them work. With a background in civil engineering and an MBA from Oxford, Daniel brings deep experience in delivering sustainable infrastructure. Earlier in his career, he worked in-house with developers on transformative projects like the Hunters Point Shipyard, Candlestick Point, Concord Naval Weapons Station, and the Potrero Power Station. Today, he advises cities, developers, and utilities across North America on how to turn ambitious climate goals into bankable, buildable infrastructure solutions.

Resources:

Stanford University District Energy System

Whisper Valley's innovative geothermal infrastructure powers zero energy capable homes

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In November 2024, sixty-six percent of Nashville voters approved Choose How You Move — a half-penny sales tax funding $3.1 billion in transit expansion, sidewalk construction, and urban infrastructure improvements across Davidson County. 

So what changed? In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Amanda Wall Vandergrift, Deputy CEO of WeGo Public Transit, to unpack the specific messaging, coalition-building, and program design strategies that moved two-thirds of voters to raise their own taxes.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Nashville flipped the narrative from "fix transit" to "give us more of what's already working" — and why that distinction matters
• Why framing the program around sidewalks, signals, service, and safety resonated more than flashy urban development projects
• The one strategic mistake Amanda sees transit agencies repeat when taking infrastructure programs to the ballot box
• What cities pursuing sustainable development, urban regeneration, and voter-approved transportation investment should be doing right now ahead of November 2026

This episode is essential listening for local leaders, city planners, transit advocates, and real estate investors betting on transit-oriented infrastructure.

Resources:

5 strategies to help transit ballot measures succeed (SmartCitiesDive)

Transit Wins Big Again in Local Electrions Across America (StreetsBlog USA)

Nashville among wave of successful 2024 transit votes nationwide (Tenessee Lookout)

80% of Public Transit Measures Passed in 2025 Elections (Planetizen)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Over the past five years, David and his team have pioneered Mixed-Income Neighborhood Trusts (MINTs) to counteract gentrification and ensure community stability. Drawing on his extensive background in affordable housing and urban development—including key roles under New York City Mayors Bloomberg and de Blasio, as well as at Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs—David shares insights on how trusting and investing in residents can build resilient, inclusive neighborhoods.

Resources:
How a Kansas City neighborhood is protecting renters while investing in itself
New East Bost affordable housing effort would be the first of its kind on East Coast

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Following Hurricanes Milton and Helene, these questions have taken center stage—not just in impacted areas, but in all regions vulnerable to climate change.

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro speaks with Alisa Valderrama, founder of FutureProof. As a climate-based insurtech start-up, FutureProof prices climate risk using insurance data and weather models. Drawing on decades of experience at the World Bank, NRDC, and Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Alisa shares how quantifying climate risk for insurers is changing the way we build (and rebuild) with resilience.

Resources:

Helene and Milton are both likely to be $50B disasters

Why insurance companies are pulling out of California and Florida 

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

This week on Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Alex Feldman of U3 Advisors, a firm working at the intersection of anchor institutions and urban revitalization. From Detroit to Memphis to Philadelphia, U3 has helped universities and hospitals rethink their role in the cities they call home—not just as employers or landowners, but as partners in development.

They talk about how U3 has helped create lasting institutions like the Memphis Medical District Collaborative, why building trust between universities and neighbors is harder—and more essential—than ever, and how strategic real estate development can help solve big challenges like talent retention, quality of life, and local economic resilience.

Alex and Kate explore what it takes to align institutional goals with community needs, how intermediary organizations act as both the gas and the glue for urban partnerships, and why the future of thriving downtowns may hinge on strong, place-based institutions.

Resources:

Terrapin Development Company

Live Detroit boosts Midtown's revival in Detroit

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Now, she’s entering a new chapter, helping visionary leaders and organizations navigate the future of placemaking and build the partnerships needed to make public spaces thrive. In this episode, Kate speaks with Carol about what has guided her work across decades and sectors. They explore the power of public space as a tool for building community and democracy, and what it means to lead boldly, especially when the work is hard, the resources are limited, and the stakes are high.

Resources:

Strong, Weak and Invisible Ties: A Relational Perspective on Urban Coexistience

The real strength of weak ties

How urban design fosters stronger communities with Dr. Andrew Sonta

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Matt Grocoff, the visionary developer behind Veridian. Matt shares the story of how he discovered the site, the ethos driving its design, and how a virtual power plant with onsite solar and batteries will allow the community to be self-sufficient while also serving as an asset to the regional grid.

Together, Kate and Matt also explore how Veridian integrates energy, water, and food systems to create a model for resilient, regenerative living. Veridian is proof that sustainability can be woven into everyday life- not at a premium upgrade, but as the foundation for a healthier, more resilient community.

Resources:

Energy-Efficient Isnt' Enough, So Homes Go "Net Zero" (NYTimes)

Residents have almost no energy bills int his self-powered Ann Arbor neighborhood (M Live)

"Net Zero" Living in a Green Home in a Walkable, Historic Neighborhood (Smart Cities Dive)

Ann Arbor's sustainable energy utility aims to build the electric power grid fo the future- alongside the old one (The Conversation)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Michael Tubbs — former Mayor of Stockton, Special Advisor to Governor Newsom, and candidate for Lieutenant Governor — to unpack who's actually responsible for solving California's housing crisis. From leading a city through bankruptcy recovery to launching the nation's first mayor-led guaranteed income pilot, Tubbs brings a rare perspective on what it takes to drive urban development when power is split between city hall and the state capitol. He's also been a vocal advocate for SB 79 and CEQA reform, testifying before the state legislature in support of legislation that would make it easier to build housing near transit and reduce the regulatory delays that drive up costs.

The conversation covers how state legislation is reshaping local land use and zoning to unlock housing supply and how the relationship between cities and the state determines whether sustainable cities get built — or stalled. Tubbs also shares his vision for using university-owned land to produce housing at scale, his proposals for a California public bank and data dividend, and why transit-oriented development is essential to meeting the state's climate and sustainable infrastructure goals.

If you care about housing policy, urban development, sustainable cities, or the future of California, this is essential listening.

Resources:

3 years ago, Stockton, was bankrupt. Now it's trying out a basic income. (Vox)

Michael Tubbs: What does it take to transform a struggling city? (NPR)

Mayors for a Guaranteed Income

Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration Analysis (University of Pennsylvania)

CA program giving $500 no-strings-attached stipends pays off, study finds (NPR)

Hey Alaskans, it's time to file for your Permanent Fund Divident (Alaska Public Media)

CA Governor Gavin Newsom proposes a "data dividend" for state residents (Vox)

CA's push to clear homeless encampments (Governing)

Riverside Council rejects $20M state grant for affordable housing project (The Riverside Record)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

This week on Building Better Cities, Kate Gasparro sits down with Brian Ross of InfraShares to explore how equity crowdfunding is reshaping infrastructure finance. For the last decade, Brian has combined his expertise in infrastructure finance with a passion for community-driven investment, challenging the traditional model of relying on private equity firms and institutional investors.

Instead of funneling returns to foreign firms seeking stable, low-risk investments, InfraShares is working with municipalities and developers to flip the script—putting both financial and social returns into the hands of the people most impacted by these projects. Tune in to learn how equity crowdfunding is changing the game for infrastructure finance—and how you can take ownership of the places you live.

Resources:

Entrepreneurs Hope to Bring Crowdfunding to P3 Projects

First-of-its-Kind P3 Delivers New Schools for 8K+ Students

Note: Kate Gasparro serves an advisor to InfraShares. This episode shares insights from our conversation but does not constitute financial or professional advice.

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

In this episode of Building Better Cities, we explore how infrastructure funding impacts urban development and sustainable infrastructure strategies. Join host Kate Gasparro as she sits down with Adie Tomer and Ben Swedberg from Brookings Metro to unpack the disconnect between urban development goals and the realities of infrastructure project funding and delivery. From federal formula funding to state-controlled transportation budgets, learn how funding pathways shape what cities can build on the ground.

Then we zoom in on California as a case study. Despite strong climate policies and major investments, the state continues to prioritize projects that expand roadway capacity, while struggling to fund the supporting infrastructure needed for infill housing and transit-oriented development.

If reducing vehicle miles traveled requires better land use patterns, walkable neighborhoods, and shorter trips — are we funding the right kinds of sustainable infrastructure?

This conversation explores the connection between transportation, housing, and economic growth — and what it would take to better align infrastructure spending with climate goals and practical urban outcomes. If you care about urban development, cities, infrastructure finance, and the future of sustainable infrastructure, this episode is for you.

Resources: 

California's road to climate progress, Parts 1-5 (Brookings Metro)

The Regional Transportation Block Grant (Brookings Metro)

Highway shakedown: How local road users are subsidizing state highway investments (Brookings Metro)

Climate-accountable planning (Brookings Metro)

With commuting down, cities must rethink their transportation networks (Brookings Metro)

Building for proximity: The role of activity centers in reducing total miles traveles (Brookings Metro)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Most people know LEED as the gold standard for green buildings. But cities are more than buildings—they’re systems made up of housing, transportation, public space, infrastructure, resilience, health, and opportunity.

In this episode of Building Better Cities, Kate Gasparro sits down with Dr. Vatsal Bhatt, Vice President at the U.S. Green Building Council and global lead for LEED for Cities and Communities, to explore how one of the world’s most recognized sustainability frameworks has expanded from buildings to the scale of neighborhoods, communities, and entire cities.

They discuss why LEED for Cities and Communities was created, how it differs from traditional building certifications, and why an outcomes-driven, data-centered approach matters when cities are trying to balance growth, equity, climate goals, and quality of life.

The conversation also explores a bigger question: do rating systems simply recognize good projects—or can they actually change how communities are planned, governed, and built?

Whether you’re a developer, planner, policymaker, or someone who simply cares about the future of your community, this episode offers a fresh framework for thinking about what it really means to build better cities.

Resources:

St Paul's The Heights redevelopment hearns LEED Platinum precertification (REJournals)

onMain- Dayton's Innovation District (onMain)

The masterplan of MIND - the Milan Innovation District (Mario Cucinella Architects)

Siemensstadt 2.0: Research and industry closely linked (Brain City Berlin)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com. 

Yonah is a principal research associate at the Urban Institute, where he leads the practice area on Fair Housing, Land Use, and Transportation and directs the Land Use Lab. He holds a PhD in urban studies and master's degrees in city planning and transportation from MIT, and his research on zoning, affordable housing, and urban development has been published in the Journal of the American Planning Association, Housing Policy Debate, and Urban Affairs Review, among others. He's also the founder of The Transport Politic, one of the most widely cited independent platforms tracking transit infrastructure investment in the U.S. and globally. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why upzoning doesn't guarantee housing gets built — and the market conditions that actually drive development 
• How land values absorb the gains from rezoning before construction ever happens 
• The role of interest rates, developer equity, and financial feasibility in urban housing production 
• Why no single land use policy will solve the housing crisis, and what a more complete urban planning toolkit looks like

This is part one of a two-part series on how zoning, housing supply, and transportation infrastructure are shaping the future of American cities. In the next episode, we bring in Sam Sklar of Exasperated Infrastructure to explore how transit investment, city building, and mobility policy connect to the land use conversation.

Resources:

Upzoning Chicago: Impacts of a Zoning Reform on Property Values and Housing Construction (Urban Affairs Review)

Downzoning Chicago: How Local Land Use Policy has Reduced Houisng Construction and Reinforced Segregation (Urban Findings)

America Has a Housing Shortage. Zoning Changes Near Transit Could Help. (Urban Institute)

Unifying Upzoning with Affordable Housing Production Strategies (Urban Institute)

Austin's Surge of New Housing Construction Drove Down Rents (Pew)

Dallas in Booming- Except for its downtown (Wall Street Journal)

Send us Fan Mail

Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities!
If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow.
You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here. 
Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com.