Who Killed the Starter Home?

Communism, Consumerism, and Rules that Make No Sense.

In this episode, I spoke with Alain Bertaud, urban economist and author of Order Without Design, whose career spans more than half a century planning cities across the globe, from communist systems to market economies. The incredible stories he shares illustrate why we are forced to consume more land and space, where the real hidden costs lie, and why common sense so often disappears in housing policy.
Note: About 20 minutes into the recording, we experienced a technical issue that caused some audio inconsistencies. Our apologies, and thank you for sticking with us.

The Market Is Screaming. Zoning Isn’t Listening. Conversation with Mike Hathorne

In this episode, I speak with Mike Hathorne, author of the new book The Great Housing Reversal and the New American Dream. We talk about how market signals are clear about the kinds of homes people actually want to live in, yet outdated zoning and rigid development models continue to deliver the opposite. If we want affordable, walkable, human-scale neighborhoods again, we have to start listening to the market instead of silencing it.

How States Actually Make Housing Happen - Conversation with Elmer Moore, Jr.

This episode is a special one — our first recorded in front of a live audience on November 12th at the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority conference in Madison. I sat down with Elmer Moore, WHEDA’s executive director, to talk about re-imagining starter homes, the power of combining audacity with innovation, and how WHEDA is putting those words into action to make housing happen.
 
 

Imperfect and Incomplete: And Better for It. Conversation with Benjamin Schneider

In this episode, I talk with journalist Benjamin Schneider, author of The Unfinished Metropolis: Igniting the City-Building Revolution.We explore why cities need room to evolve and innovate, and how that mindset can help bring back starter homes and neighborhood-level creativity. We even dig into the question of where and why one would build an entirely new city and what is an "eco-district."

Sacred Places with Flexible Spaces. Conversation with Pastor Mark Elsdon

Every week, 75 to 100 churches close their doors. Some dilapidated buildings will slowly decay; others will become luxury condos with stained-glass windows. Our guest, pastor and property developer Mark Elsdon, isn’t waiting around. He’s building tools to help communities start early and grow something truly unique in God’s backyard — with patience, trust, and purpose.

Slime Mold Urbanism: Let People Make Mistakes, conversation with Anthony Mattacchione and Raphael Kay

I had so much fun speaking with Anthony Mattacchione and Raphael Kay.
 
They apply what they learned from slime mold to architecture and planning. This fascinating single-cell organism sends pulses through its body and can build efficient networks that resemble cities and transportation systems, only more resilient!
 
I learned that we need a bit of “individual stupidity” for bottom-up community design to work. And that digital twin-making for cities already exists! What are we going to learn from it?

The Real Climate Solution: Agency, Not Fear & Doom. Conversation with Alex Margulis

This episode is a little different. I switch roles and speak with Alex Margulis, a Princeton student and inspiring thinker who is researching and writing about climate, housing, and the power of agency.
We talk about why sustainability shouldn’t be driven by fear, how housing can be one of the most impactful climate solutions, and explore practical ways students can turn their advocacy into real impact.

Want to Fix Housing? Start with A Happy Hour - conversation with Ned Resnikoff

In this episode, I talk with Ned Resnikoff, former policy director at California YIMBY (a pro-housing nonprofit that stands for Yes in My Backyard). My favorite part of our conversation is Ned’s story of how a casual happy hour grew into a statewide movement that rewrote the rules on housing, zoning, and grassroots organizing.
Ned is now a housing policy fellow at the Roosevelt Institute and a fiscal resilience fellow at California Forward, while also working on a new book with Island Press.

A House for Mom, Flexibility for All! Conversation with Carrie Shores Diller

When architect and entrepreneur Carrie Shores Diller heard her clients tell their aging parents, “Oh, we’ll just put these temporary things up, and when you’re gone, we’ll take them back down,” she knew something had to change... That’s no way to face one’s mortality!
In this episode, Carrie shares how her company, Inspired ADUs, has brought hundreds of new homes to life, and how California’s bold housing laws made it possible for these small, beautifully designed Accessory Dwelling Units to deliver flexibility, affordability, and connection.

NIMBYism isn't a Phylosophy, YIMBYism IS! Conversation with Bryan Caplan

Economist Bryan Caplan reminds us that builders aren’t criminals, complainers are the minority, and there’s no way around it: we have to build more homes to meet demand.
If you’ve already read too many boring articles on the subject, Professor Caplan has the solution: a scientific comic book. Turns out, it’s actually fun being a YIMBY!