Adele Houghton and Matt Kiefer think the real estate industry needs to do a better job of understanding the health effects of development. In a recent article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review called “How Real Estate Development Can Boos

Talking Green Roofs with UrbanStrong’s Alan Burchell

Dec 8th, 2023 50m 54s

Toronto was the first North American city to pass a green roof law, in 2009, requiring new buildings or additions that are greater than 21,000 square feet to cover between 20 and 60 percent of their buildings with vegetation. Meanwhile, the U.S

The Future of Cities Writ Large

Jul 10th, 2023 52m 5s

In our last three-person episode, we explored the future of work in the post-pandemic, climate age, about office space and commuting patterns. These changes are happening in real time, before our very eyes.The same can be said about the future

Noah Gallagher Shannon on Sustainable Living and the Uruguay Example

May 22nd, 2023 52m 47s

In his at once inspiring and dispiriting piece in the New York Times Magazine from November 2022 entitled “What Does Sustainable Living Look Like? Maybe Like Uruguay,” Noah Gallagher Shannon writes: “This is the paradox at the heart of climate

Home, Office, Climate, Cities: What's Ahead?

Apr 24th, 2023 58m 49s

For this episode and the foreseeable future, we’re experimenting with a new podcast format, less linear, less binary, more conversational, informal, improvisational. We intend to focus on issues both of the moment and bigger picture, longer ter

Pete Plastrik on Social Innovation and Sustainable Cities

Mar 16th, 2023 1h

Peter Plastrik knows cities. He was born in Paris, grew up in New York City, and lived in not one but four Michigan cities. He is cofounder and vice president of the Innovation Network for Communities, was a founding consultant to the Carbon Ne

Sheila Foster on Co-Cities and a New Model of Urban Governance

Dec 5th, 2022 53m 50s

Sheila is the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Urban Law and Policy at Georgetown University. She holds a joint appointment with the Law Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy. During the 2021-2022 academic year, she served as the inaugur

The Connecticut Case: Sara Bronin on Zoning Reform and Desegregation in the Nutmeg State

Nov 7th, 2022 39m 57s

Law and urban planning professor and advocate Sara Bronin founded Desegregate CT to transform Connecticut’s zoning laws from tools for racial exclusion to instruments of social change and sustainability. Widely viewed as the poster child of the

Gray to Green Communities, in Conversation with Dana Bourland

Oct 3rd, 2022 59m 6s

In her new book, Gray to Green Communities, Dana Bourland argues that we need to move away from a gray housing model to a green one, which values the health and well-being of residents, their communities, and the planet. Dana shows that we don’

Investing in Sustainable Cities: Purpose and Profitability

Sep 5th, 2022 1h 3m

Money makes the world go ‘round, and what it doesn’t ruin it can nurture. In this episode, we talk about the role of investment and finance in advancing nature-friendly, equitable communities. From zero-carbon buildings and green roofs to EV ch

The Role of the Chief Sustainability/Climate/Resilience Officer in US Cities

Aug 2nd, 2022 1h 2m

Until just over a decade ago, there was no such thing as a Sustainability Director orChief Resilience Officer for cities. Now, cities feel incomplete without them. What arethese jobs and why are they so essential to achieving urban sustainabili

Achieving Our Climate Goals: The Land Use-Transportation Nexus

Jul 5th, 2022 1h 9m

Rushad Nanavatty, Managing Director and lead of the Rocky Mountain Institute’sUrban Transformation program, and Ben Holland, Senior Associate and PolicyLiaison at RMI, join us to explore the connection between transportation and land use,and ho

Sustainability and Wellness in the Built Environment

Jun 6th, 2022 1h 8m

We look at sustainability, health and wellness in buildings and real estate. Beyond azero-carbon built environment, what other goals should we be aiming for in creatingbetter, greener, more inclusive cities? And how do we get there? Our guests

Reinventing the Strip

May 2nd, 2022 40m 42s

Renowned urban designer and planner Peter Calthorpe joins us to discuss his big ideafor making California, and the rest of the nation, more sustainable. He calls it“Reinventing the strip.” Calthorpe is a founding member of the Congress for the

Creating Car-Free Communities

Apr 4th, 2022 1h 6m

Cities around the world are trying to find ways to reclaim their streets for people, forwalking, biking, and scootering from point to point. The goal is to make cities safer,cleaner and more fun while reducing or eliminating altogether the numb

Zero-Carbon: From Buildings to Cities

Mar 7th, 2022 3m 13s

We discuss the ways cities, developers, and property owners can swap out fossil fuelsfor renewable, zero-carbon energy sources to power their buildings and communities.Our guest is Josh Radoff, former Senior Vice President for Built Environment

Where the Suburbs End

Feb 7th, 2022 1h 2m

We examine California’s audacious state-wide effort to deconstruct single-familyzoning to allow for more diverse housing options, promote affordability and reducegreenhouse gas emissions from long commutes. Cutting-edge or calamity? Our guestis

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