#urban-planning
269 episodes · Page 8 of 12
#2873: Why Israel's Negev Desert Stays Empty Despite Being 60% of the Land
60% of Israel's land is empty Negev desert. Why can't they just build there to solve the housing crisis?
#2872: Can You Really Live in a Building With a Pub, Gym, and Office?
Can you bundle housing, food, work, and a gym into one monthly fee? The economics are brutal.
#2871: Can a Subscription Restaurant Actually Work?
Monthly fee, unlimited meals — why this model keeps failing and what it would actually take to make it work.
#2847: How AI Could Transform Comparative Policy Analysis
Can AI agents do the work of a distributed think tank for cross-country policy learning?
#2816: Do You Need a Window to Be Happy?
Natural light isn't just nice — your brain has a dedicated biological pathway for it. Here's what happens when you take that away.
#2804: Who Actually Runs Your City?
Master plans, zoning codes, and the people who shape where you live.
#2793: The 100-Meter Gradient: How Your Street Changes Your Health
Air quality and noise can shift 5-8x within a single city block. Here's how to find your enclave.
#2757: Can Cities Engineer Calm?
How much green space per person do cities actually need? The WHO says 9 sq meters minimum. Most cities don't meet it.
#2748: What Cities Look Like Without Cars
How Barcelona, Paris, and others are redesigning streets for people instead of vehicles — and what we can learn from them.
#2746: How Zoning Built the Suburbs We Hate
Why walkability advocates loathe suburbs, from Ponzi scheme infrastructure to deadly stroads.
#2745: What Do Urban Planners Actually Do?
The invisible skeleton of cities, from sewers to zoning fights. What breaks if you let cities grow organically?
#2744: What Walkability Actually Means in Urban Planning
The five D’s of walkability — density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, and distance to transit — explained.
#2742: Where Ancient Jerusalem’s Walls Actually Were
The City of David was only 12 acres. Here’s how Jerusalem’s boundaries shifted over 3,000 years.
#2733: Did the Airplane Actually Kill the Train?
The airplane didn't shrink the railways — the car did. Here's the real story of how we learned to move.
#2721: What Square Meterage Do You Actually Need?
Real numbers for singles, couples, roommates, families, and remote workers — not just vibes.
#2719: How Streetlight-Level Light Disrupts Mammal Immunity
Even minimal artificial light at night—equivalent to street lighting—disrupts immune rhythms and increases mortality 2.35x in wild mammals.
#2718: Small Apartment Storage Without Going Minimalist
How to organize a small apartment without throwing everything out — using vertical space, zone storage, and the container concept.
#2717: Lower Greenville: From Streetcar Suburb to Food Mecca
How one Dallas street went from farmland to counterculture hub to dining destination.
#2686: Why Jerusalem Stays Poor Despite Its Pull
Why Jerusalem’s economy is broken, from the 1948 division to the modern housing crisis.
#2658: The Legal Definition of Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway isn't just smaller Broadway—it's a different legal, economic, and artistic universe defined by seat counts.
#2655: The Crossroads That Became a World
The intersection that became the heart of a university town, from post road to modern-day agora.
#2652: The Mulberry Bubble That Built a University
The silk industry that built UConn, the cows on Horsebarn Hill, and one mysterious firing at the Dairy Bar.
#2631: How Shelter Became a Speculative Asset
Why are millennials turning to barges, yurts, and shipping containers? A deep dive into the financialization of housing.
#2628: Your Snake Plant Isn't Saving You
Why your houseplants aren't cleaning your air — and what they're actually doing for you.