logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
44m 11s

How To Escape the Housing Trap: A Specia...

Strong Towns
About this episode

Can your city escape the housing trap simply through blanket rezoning? Is completely eliminating zoning compatible with an incremental approach? How should your city handle historic designations that are blocking housing development? Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn answers all these questions and more in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast.

This Q&A session comes on the heels of a member-exclusive event where Chuck discussed his and Daniel Herriges’ new book “Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis.” If you’re interested in gaining access to this kind of event, become a member today.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Up next
Aug 11
Building Strength and Connections in Pensacola, With Quint Studer
Chuck is joined by Quint Studer, the founder of the Center for Civic Engagement in Pensacola, Florida. They discuss Strong Towns’ involvement in Pensacola’s renewal and the Civic Leader Summit that will be held there in September. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Civic Leader Summit Quint S ... Show More
21m 4s
Aug 4
The Housing Market Can’t Tolerate Lower Prices. Now What?
No matter how easy we make it to build, the existing housing system is based on a financial model that cannot tolerate lower prices. If falling prices is the goal, then we need to build a system that can deliver on it. In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck explains h ... Show More
52m 34s
Jul 28
Playing the Long Game With New Zealand Infrastructure
In this special episode, Chuck is joined by Graham Campbell, director of Economics & Research for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission. They discuss the true cost of infrastructure — and why both New Zealand and North America are facing the same financial and structural chal ... Show More
27m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Ep. 80 - Making Housing More Abundant and More Affordable
Affordable housing is a persistent challenge in American politics. Bad public policy leads to artificial housing supply restrictions which causes prices to rise. But stimulating housing supply to bring costs down is a thorny issue. The latest episode of Giving Ventures brings tog ... Show More
34m 43s
Sep 2024
How the Cost of Housing Became So Crushing
Over the past year, frustration over the cost of housing in the United States has become a centerpiece of the presidential race, a focus of government policy and an agonizing nationwide problem.Conor Dougherty, who covers housing for The Times, explains why the origin of the hous ... Show More
33m 11s
Oct 2024
Abolish Rent: How Tenants Can End The Housing Crisis
Tracy Rosenthal and Leonardo Vilchis, co-founders of the LA Tenants Union, join Breht to discuss their organizing and their new book "Abolish Rent". Together, they discuss the housing crisis, the role played by private equity, developers, politicians, and landlords, the history a ... Show More
1h 29m
Aug 2024
Summer special: ‘Rent is too damn high!’ Europe’s growing housing crisis
On our summer break, we're bringing this episode from January back into your feed by popular demand, looking at a crisis that is affecting many Europeans in most EU countries: skyrocketing rents and house prices, a shortage of flats, long waiting lists for social or affordable ho ... Show More
42m 25s
May 2024
Is Housing a Human Right?
The dramatic housing shortage in California affects millions of residents and leads thousands to homelessness. The 2024 Arthur N. Rupe Great Debate addresses this issue by asking, “Is Housing a Human Right?” If so, our state faces a massive undertaking. Experts with diverse speci ... Show More
1h 24m
Mar 2025
Carolyn Whitzman, "Home Truths: Fixing Canada's Housing Crisis" (On Point Press, 2024)
Hundreds of thousands of Canadians exist on the edge. Renters fear eviction, homeowners feel trapped, and both are vulnerable to becoming homeless with a single stroke of misfortune. Unaffordable housing in Canada is tearing communities apart as long-time residents seek affordabl ... Show More
27m 41s
Feb 2025
Le logement social en crise : pourquoi manque-t-on de HLM ? [REDIFF]
La Fondation pour le logement des défavorisés (ex-Fondation Abbé Pierre), a rendu public son 30e rapport sur « l’état du mal-logement en France », ce 4 février 2025. Son constat est alarmant : la crise du logement s’aggrave, avec notamment un doublement en dix ans du nombre de pe ... Show More
21m 16s
Jun 9
Jonathan Tarleton, "Homes for Living: The Fight for Social Housing and a New American Commons" (Beacon Press, 2025)
In Homes for Living: The Fight for Social Housing and a New American Commons (Beacon Press, 2025), urban planner and oral historian Jonathan Tarleton introduces readers to 2 social housing co-ops in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Longtime residents of St. James Towers and Southbridge To ... Show More
1h 27m
Sep 2024
Who's Responsible for the Housing Crisis?
Americans love local government. In a December 2023 Pew Research survey, 61 percent of respondents had a favorable view of their local government while 77 percent had an unfavorable view of the federal government. But behind this veneer of goodwill is a disturbing truth: Local go ... Show More
1h 2m
Feb 2025
A Short History of Public Housing in the United States
Public housing has a long and complicated history, from ancient civilizations to the towering high-rises of mid-20th century America. But while the goal has always been to provide affordable housing, the results have often fallen far short of expectations. In this episode, we exp ... Show More
16m 34s