Episode Details

A listener in Jerusalem named Daniel wrestles with a deeply personal urban dilemma: he finds genuine comfort and wonder in skyscrapers, but his architect wife Hannah argues they're resource nightmares, and he sees firsthand how luxury towers sit empty while half the city lives in poverty. This episode takes both sides seriously—the emotional truth of loving tall buildings and the physical, social, and economic costs of how they're actually built. We quantify the ghost tower phenomenon in Jerusalem, explore counter-examples from Tokyo and Singapore, and ask whether there's a version of high-rise urbanism that actually serves people rather than just capital. If you've ever looked up at a skyline and felt conflicted, this one's for you.