Upzoned

This week on Upzoned, hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “The Dollar-Store Showdown Comes Down to Real Estate.” It highlights the differences between Dollar General, which has stores located in mostly rural areas and is expanding its reach, and Family Dollar, which has stores located in mostly urban areas and is closing hundreds of stores.

Why is one of these companies succeeding while the other struggles? And what do dollar stores help or harm poor neighborhoods? Listen to this week’s episode to find out.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• “The Dollar-Store Showdown Comes Down to Real Estate” by Kate King, The Wall Street Journal (April 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

In this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by Doug Barrick, the town manager of Rutherfordton, North Carolina. Rutherfordton was one of the contestants in the 2024 Strongest Town Contest. Barrick discusses what it was like to compete, what Rutherfordton is doing to become a stronger town, and how the town’s unique location and history influence those efforts.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• Doug Barrick (LinkedIn).

• Rutherfordton (LinkedIn).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Nonprofit organizations straddle the line between the private and public sectors, receiving both private donations and funding from the government to provide services. The problem with this model, an article in American Affairs says, is that nonprofits are then motivated to sabotage their own efforts so they can receive more money. This is only one example of the kinds of corruption that flourish within the poorly regulated, overly trusted nonprofit sector, the article argues.

What’s the Strong Towns take on this? And what does it mean for local governments? Join host Abby Newsham and co-host Chuck Marohn on this week’s episode of Upzoned to find out.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• “The Nonprofit Industrial Complex and the Corruption of the American City” by Jonathan Ireland, American Affairs (May 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Last month, Strong Towns hosted the National Gathering in Cincinnati. It was a two-day event packed with different speakers and sessions, with many advocates meeting each other in person for the first time. In this episode of Upzoned, Abby talks with Strong Towns founder Chuck Marohn about his unique experience at the Gathering, the process of choosing a keynote speaker, how the National Gathering differs from the Congress for the New Urbanism and ways Gatherings might change in the future.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• Become a member today!

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

This special edition of Upzoned was recorded last week at the 2024 National Gathering. Join host Abby Newsham as she talks to attendees about their efforts to build stronger towns.

Interviewees:

(0:00) Lisa Hutson, a business owner who’s turning an abandoned factory into a mixed-use community hub.

(8:52) Sean Suder, a zoning reform expert who helps cities make their zoning codes more people-friendly and defensible.

(18:40) Chris Wyatt, a transit advocate who’s working to make public transit more pleasant and useful.

(26:00) Hannah Stanton-Gockel, a bike commuter who uses her marketing experience to advocate for people-centric city design.

(38:41) Isaac Gonzalez, one of the National Gathering presenters, who discusses how to be a good long-term advocate.

(50:40) Jackson Lester, a public transit planner who intends to combat the housing crisis through infill development.

(1:02:15) Jaclyn Cheves, director of policy and partnerships for Blue Zones, who discusses how cities can become healthier places.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

The city of Cincinnati has pledged $200k to keep the popular bikeshare program Red Bike alive for another year. Joining us to talk about bikeshare programs and Red Bike’s financial difficulties is Bryce Mortera, a member of Civic Cincinnati. Are these programs really beneficial for residents? And if so, is there a more sustainable way to fund them than relying on sponsors?

The U.S. Department of Justice is opening a criminal investigation into a major software company called RealPage, which is described in the lawsuit as the “big tech” company of rental housing. It provides software that is used by landlords (and, typically, landlords who are large holders of rental property) to estimate supply and demand for their listings in order to help them maximize rents. The question is whether or not RealPage is facilitating algorithmic price fixing for some of the largest residential property owners and management firms—amounting to what DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb has described as a “housing cartel.” And since Strong Towns has just released Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis, we figured there was no better time to discuss this story than now.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• Order your copy of Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis today!

• “DOJ escalates price-fixing probe on housing market,” by Josh Sisco, Politico (March 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Since the 1970s, the number of cars on I-70 between Denver and its surrounding resorts have jumped more than 500%. Coloradans and frequent visitors know that, in order to reach the mountains during the gridlock of ski season, you must leave as early as 3 or 4 a.m. in the morning. Writer Gloria Liu decided to investigate this chaos by jumping directly into the traffic and interviewing the people stuck in it, and the article she penned about her adventure is up for discussion on this week’s episode of Upzoned. Can I-70 be fixed? And what do famous recreational arterials like I-70 reveal about our relationship with nature in the U.S.?

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• “Colorado’s I-70 Has America’s Most Notorious Ski Traffic. Is There a Solution?” by Gloria Liu, Outside (March 2024).

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Chuck Marohn (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Cincinnati is currently undergoing a significant planning reformation effort, which involves unveiling what’s being called the Connected Communities plan. It includes a number of proposed land-use-related policy changes that are intended to help Cincinnati grow, with the goal of advancing zoning code changes, as well as supporting diversification and affordability of housing and bolstering business districts. Here on Upzoned this week to talk with host Abby Newsham about the proposal is John Yung, an urban planner, Program Manager at the Haile Foundation, and co-leader of the Cincy host committee for the upcoming Congress for the New Urbanism, which (along with the Strong Towns National Gathering) will be taking place in Cincinnati in May.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• “Mayor Pureval wants to redesign Cincinnati. Here's what that could look like,” by Becca Costello, WVXU (January 2024).

• Get your tickets for the National Gathering today!

• Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).

• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.