Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchAre Sponge Cities the Flood Control Fix We Need?
Episode 259
Join Abby and guest John Pattison as they dive into the benefits and drawbacks of "sponge cities," cities that incorporate natural features like wetl…
1 year ago
Why Data Center Electricity Use "Scares Me to the Bone"
Episode 258
Data centers power everything from cloud computing to artificial intelligence, and they use a massive amount of electricity, sometimes even rivaling …
1 year ago
Why Colorado Is Facing a Senior Housing Crisis
Episode 257
Colorado's population is rapidly aging. Soon, one in five people in the state will be be over 65 years old. Limited housing stock means seniors are s…
1 year, 1 month ago
Why LA Is Struggling To Rebuild 6 Months After Wildfires
Episode 256
In January 2025, wildfires swept across Los Angeles with record-breaking destruction. To encourage swift rebuilding, Governor Newsom suspended enviro…
1 year, 1 month ago
Want To Use This Rural Road? That’ll Be $50K
Episode 255
In Lincoln County, South Dakota, a growing agriculture company is being charged $50,000 annually for wear and tear on township roads caused by the co…
1 year, 1 month ago
Suburbs Broke the American Sunbelt. Now What?
Episode 254
Sunbelt cities like Phoenix, Dallas, and Atlanta have long prided themselves on having affordable and abundant housing. However, they’re now seeing s…
1 year, 2 months ago
How To Stop Slumlords and Protect Urban Spaces
Episode 253
Today, Abby is joined by Bernice Radle, a small-scale developer and historic building preservationist from Buffalo, New York. They cover two developi…
1 year, 2 months ago
A Strong Towns View of the New SpaceX Company Town
Episode 252
Residents of Boca Chica, Texas, have voted to turn their community into a new official city called Starbase. This new municipality is tightly control…
1 year, 4 months ago
California Universities Face a $17 Billion Growth Ponzi Scheme
Episode 251
As of the 2023-24 academic year, the University of California faces $9.1 billion in deferred maintenance, while California State University faces $8.…
1 year, 4 months ago
Will Privatizing Mortgages Fix the Housing Market?
Episode 250
President Trump has proposed the privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, organizations that back the majority of mortgages in the U.S. and have …
1 year, 5 months ago