Upzoned

Coming Back Down to Earth After a “Next-Level” Downtown Revitalization

This week’s Upzoned episode covers a story that sounded promising at the start: “The Town That Took Downtown Renewal to the Next Level”? Sounds great! Right? Alas, residents of Morristown, Tennessee, have discovered that the Skymark (i.e., an elevated sidewalk) they built in the 1960s was not the salvation for their downtown they’d hoped it would be. Join host Abby Newsham and co-host Chuck Marohn as they take a deep dive on how this huge investment, unfortunately, didn’t pan out as a long-term strategy for economic prosperity.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• “The Town That Took Downtown Renewal to the Next Level,” by David Zipper, CityLab (January 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Today’s Generation of Families Are “Disillusioned” by Suburbia

Five families from Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Pittsburg move to the suburbs in search of the American dream, drawn by promises of better schools and all the other amenities promised by suburban life…but instead, they’re experiencing the decline of the suburbs, rather than the benefits that were sold to them.

On this week’s episode, host Abby Kinney and co-host Chuck Marohn discuss this story, told in “The Suburbs Have Become a Ponzi Scheme,” and based on the book, Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America's Suburbs.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• “The Suburbs Have Become a Ponzi Scheme,” by Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic (January 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Millennials Are Fleeing Cities in Favor of the Exurbs

Millennials are officially getting old. They’re having children, buying houses, and getting replaced by Gen Z in urban areas. As one article from Business Insider puts it, “Millennials are getting priced out of cities,” and are starting to leave the urban neighborhoods that they’ve been building their lives in, up to this point. According to the author, since the cost and types of housing available in urban areas isn’t conducive to family life, millennials are having to instead flee to the only place they can afford to live: the exurbs.

What’s the Strong Towns take on this? Join host Abby Newsham and co-host Chuck Marohn as they discuss this article on this week’s episode of Upzoned.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• “Millennials are getting priced out of cities,” by Eliza Relman, Business Insider (Jan. 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Ryan Johnson: Builder of the First Car-Free Neighborhood Made From Scratch in the U.S.

Upzoned has been on a bit of a hiatus for the past couple of months, but we wanted to have at least one final episode of 2023 (and rest assured that the podcast will be returning with weekly episodes in 2024). This episode is an exciting one, as host Abby Kinney is joined by a guest whose work she’s been following for several years: Ryan Johnson, the builder and resident of the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S., called Culdesac Tempe. We hope you enjoy this special end-of-the-year interview and look forward to more content coming soon!

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• Culdesac Tempe (website).

• Ryan Johnson (X/Twitter).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Transportation Meltdown: Children on the School Bus Till 10 p.m.

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.

Is Affordable Housing Possible Under Current Zoning Laws?

Durham, North Carolina, is experiencing a hot debate over changing its zoning code.

The proposed “Simplifying Codes for Affordable Development” (or SCAD) presents tactical adjustments that focus on loosening the current rules so local people can make small-scale changes to their neighborhood. The changes would eliminate parking mandates, legalize smaller homes on smaller lots, and permit mixed-use development.

In this Upzoned episode, host Abby Newsham talks to Aaron Lubeck, who’s been closely involved in developing SCAD, about the proposed changes. They discuss why SCAD is such a controversial topic, and if it’s different from other reforms. 

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• “Op-Ed: The Purpose of Zoning is to Prevent Affordable Housing" by Bob Chapman, Indy Week (March 2023).

• Aaron Lubeck  (Twitter).

• Abby Newsham (Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Arizona Pushes for Suburban and Rural Development, Despite Dwindling Water Supply

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.

Atlanta’s New Idea To Address Their Housing Crisis

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.

The Invisible Reason for High Housing Prices: Restrictive Land-Use Regulations

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.

Why Can’t We Have the “Perfect” Neighborhood?

“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.