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Upzoned - What If NIMBYs Were Paid to Say Yes?
Description
What if the easiest way to overcome opposition to new housing was simply to pay people to accept it? A recent article in The Atlantic argues that after state laws, packed public meetings, and economic appeals have failed to overcome local resistance, cash payments might succeed where persuasion has not. Chuck Marohn is joined by John Reuter, executive director of Strong Towns, and Dr. Chloe Groome, treasurer of Strong Towns Chicago, to test that idea against what they’ve seen in real neighborhoods. Their discussion turns to what happens when new neighbors are framed as a burden, and whether cash can do the work that persuasion, trust, and local relationships have failed to do.
- "A Perfectly Crude Solution to America’s Housing Shortage" by Rogé Karma, Theatlantic.com (July 2026)
- Chuck Marohn (LinkedIn)
- John Reuter (LinkedIn)
- Dr. Chloe Groome (LinkedIn), Strong Towns Chicago (Site)
- Articles Mentioned and Downzone:
- The Human Condition by Hannah Arendt (Site)
- Farm To Taber (YouTube Channel)
- Stolen Revolution: Betrayal and Hope in Modern Iran by Yeganeh Torbati and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin (Site)
- Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.
This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.