logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2022
1h 4m

Ep 30: Skyscrapers with Gabriel Ahlfeldt

UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
About this episode
Skyscrapers! We can’t help but find them fascinating. Some cities are full of skyscrapers, and others have none. Developers built a 70-story tower on that parcel, but the proposed building just down the street is only 30 stories. How do developers decide where to build skyscrapers and how tall they should be? And are they really a profitable investment, or s ... Show More
Up next
May 4
Ep. 112: 'Stuck' Book Club pt. 1 with Attorney General Rob Bonta
We're doing a three-part book club series on Yoni Appelbaum's 'Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity.' This is episode one, covering chapters 1 through 4. In the second half of the show, California Attorney General Rob Bonta joins u ... Show More
2h 22m
Apr 22
Ep. 111: Land Value Tax Would Fix This with Lars Doucet (Incentives Series pt. 11)
We close out the Incentives Series with Lars Doucet offering a primer on land value taxes, the ultimate incentive-aligned housing policy. This is part 11 of our series on misaligned incentives in housing policy.Show notes:Doucet, L. (2025). Land value return is needed, pragmatic, ... Show More
1h 27m
Apr 1
Ep. 110: The Measure ULA Episode with Jason Ward and Mott Smith (Incentives Series pt. 10)
We're joined by our co-authors to discuss a few Lewis Center studies on Measure ULA, a transfer tax in the city of Los Angeles, that made a big splash. This is part 10 of our series on misaligned incentives in housing policy.Show notes:Manville, M., & Smith, M. (2025). The Uninte ... Show More
1h 30m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2017
Bjarke Ingels - Cultural Architect
<p>Bjarke Ingels is the number 1 architect in the world. His buildings are taking the world by storm with their fearless disregard for the conventions and norms of our dull cities. Bjarke's buildings are both fun and immensely practical.</p><br><p>By when the greatest in his fiel ... Show More
42m 17s
Jun 2025
Why New York’s Leaning Skyscrapers Don’t Fall Over - #147
This week, we're digging into The B1M's recent video "Why New York’s Leaning Skyscrapers Don’t Fall Over". Together, we're dissecting one of NYC's most unusual towers... two skyscrapers that lean into each other - because they have to. This is the story behind the American Copper ... Show More
42m 49s
Oct 2024
Why No One Wants This London Skyscraper - #115
tail spinning
45m 36s
Sep 2025
TLDR Le Corbusier | Villa Savoye
Le Corbusier (born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) was a pioneer of modern architecture whose ideas reshaped our urban landscapes. A Swiss-born, French-naturalized architect, designer, and urban planner, Le Corbusier championed a new vision for living in the 20th century. His philosop ... Show More
13m 1s
Apr 2024
Bruce O'Neill, "Underground: Dreams and Degradations in Bucharest" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024)
Bruce O'Neill's Underground: Dreams and Degradations in Bucharest (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024) gets to the bottom of the twenty-first-century city, literally. Underground moves beneath Romania’s capital, Bucharest, to examine how the demands of global accumulation have extended u ... Show More
41m 57s
Apr 2024
Bruce O'Neill, "Underground: Dreams and Degradations in Bucharest" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024)
Bruce O'Neill's Underground: Dreams and Degradations in Bucharest (U Pennsylvania Press, 2024) gets to the bottom of the twenty-first-century city, literally. Underground moves beneath Romania’s capital, Bucharest, to examine how the demands of global accumulation have extended u ... Show More
41m 57s
Feb 2024
Gustave Eiffel | The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower was by far the largest structure built for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris. Eiffel was an entrepreneur and he had two engineers working with him to plan the iron tower, but not everyone was on board with the design. Audiences today may be surprised to hear that ma ... Show More
7m 37s
Oct 2024
From Silos to Success: How To Make City Building More Collaborative
<p>In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss the article “Toward a New Way of Educating City Builders” by Seth Zeren, a founding member of Strong Towns. They discuss the many different disciplines that are responsible for shaping the built environ ... Show More
1h 6m
Jul 2024
How buildings can improve life — inside and out | Doris Sung
Architect and building tech innovator Doris Sung presents a compelling vision for reimagining building facades as active contributors to urban life and public health. Showcasing innovative technologies — like buildings that filter particulates out of the air and facades that reac ... Show More
11m 39s