Building Codes Are Political. We Just Don't Talk About Them. (with Ed Mendoza)

Building Codes Are Political. We Just Don't Talk About Them. (with Ed Mendoza)

The zoning debate is about what we build and for whom. The building code is supposed to be about how we build it. But the "how" has a way of quietly dictating the "what" and "whom" — making the building code just as political and just as consequential to our cities as anything that happens at a planning commission. In this episode, host Kate Gasparro talks with Eduardo Mendoza [https://www.metroabundance.org/members/eduardo-mendoza/], Policy Manager at the Metropolitan Abundance Project [https://www.metroabundance.org/] and California YIMBY [https://cayimby.org/], about the silent rulebook shaping nearly every piece of city infrastructure around you. They cover what building codes actually are and where they come from, why an American elevator costs three times as much as a European one, and how requirements like double staircases and sprinkler thresholds quietly kill the small multifamily buildings that make for more sustainable cities. The conversation digs into how outdated rules are slowing the shift toward sustainable infrastructure and walkable, mid-rise neighborhoods, and what reforms — from single-stair buildings to performance-based codes — could change about the development landscape. They close on the harder question: who actually has the power to rewrite the code governing building infrastructure across the country, and on what timeline change is realistic. If you care about housing affordability, sustainable cities, or the future of how we build, this is an episode worth your time. Resources:  North America’s Elevator Problem (About Here) [https://www.sightline.org/2026/01/11/video-fixing-north-americas-big-elevator-problem/] The American Elevator Explains Why Housing Costs Have Skyrocketed (NYTimes) [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/08/opinion/elevator-construction-regulation-labor-immigration.html] The hidden double standards driving our housing crisis (Vox) [https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/476647/housing-crisis-affordability-building-codes-yimby] Decades-Old Zoning and Building Codes are Responsible for Our Housing Choices (Common Edge) [https://commonedge.org/decades-old-zoning-and-building-codes-are-responsible-for-our-housing-choices/] Your city legalized triplexes. The building code said no. (Congress for New Urbanism) [https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2026/04/01/your-city-legalized-triplexes-building-code-said-no] Why single-stair reform leads to more livable, adaptable infill (Congress for New Urbanism) [https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2026/03/23/why-single-stair-reform-leads-more-livable-adaptable-infill] Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here [https://buildingbettercities.com/]. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com [kate@buildingbettercities.com].

Why Local Developers Matter More Than Ever with Jim Heid

For generations, cities were built by the people who lived in them. That's why so many of our most beloved neighborhoods feel like quilted fabrics of architectural styles, mixed uses, interwoven public spaces, and human-scale details. These vibrant neighborhoods weren't delivered all at once through a single master plan — they emerged gradually through incremental urban development, one building, one block, one local investment at a time. But somewhere along the way, building small became harder. Harder for local developers and entrepreneurs to shape the places they live. Harder for neighborhoods to evolve incrementally. And easier for growth to be defined only by scale. Today, many communities say they want more housing, more walkable neighborhoods, more local character, and more vibrant main streets. But too often, the systems shaping urban development and city projects only make room for the biggest players and the largest deals — leaving small-scale, sustainable development on the sidelines. So what would it look like to reopen the door to small-scale urban development? In this episode, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Jim Heid — founder of Building Small, developer, strategist, and author of Building Small. Jim has spent years championing a different approach to growth: human-scale projects, adaptive reuse, local ownership, and the idea that smaller developments can create outsized impact on neighborhoods and local economies. Together, Kate and Jim explore what "building small" actually means, why today's development system favors scale, the barriers small builders and lenders face, and what developers, planners, urbanists, real estate professionals, and everyday city lovers can do to help create more vibrant, sustainable neighborhoods in their own communities. Resources:  Building Small: Tools for Doing Development Different (Jim Heid) [https://www.jheid.com/small/] Small Scale Forums (Jim Heid) [https://www.jheid.com/small/forums/] Where did all the small developers go? (Strong Towns) [https://archive.strongtowns.org/journal/2021/10/18/where-did-all-the-small-developers-go] Why small developers are getting squeezewd out of the housing market (Coby Lefkowitz) [https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/why-small-developers-are-getting] The challenges facing small or emeging housing developers and strategies to overcome them (Urban Institute) [https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/The_Challenges_Facing_Small_or_Emerging_Multifamily_Housing_Developers_and_Strategies_to_Overcome_Them.pdf] The lost art of small-scale development (Jim Kumon, Incremental Development Alliance) [https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/04/29/the-lost-art-of-small-scale-development/] How 'Developer' became such a dirty word (NY Times) [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/29/upshot/developer-dirty-word-housing-shortage.html] Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here [https://buildingbettercities.com/]. Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com [kate@buildingbettercities.com].

How San Diego rewired California housing incentives with Colin Parent

For generations, California has approached housing growth through a familiar playbook: long planning processes, neighborhood-by-neighborhood debates, and major reforms that often struggle to deliver homes at scale. But every so often, an incentive structure quietly changes the system. In this episode of Building Better Cities, we explore one of those policies: California’s Density Bonus Law [https://www.hcd.ca.gov/sites/default/files/docs/planning-and-community/density-bonus-law.pdf], and the findings from Circulate Planning and Policy [https://www.circulatesd.org/]’s new “Win-Win Bonus” report [https://assets.nationbuilder.com/circulatesd/pages/16081/attachments/original/1775797225/Win-Win_Bonus_-_FINAL_%28compressed%29.pdf?1775797225] on how this tool has become one of the state’s most effective drivers of housing production and urban development. Colin Parent [https://www.circulatesd.org/colinparent], Executive Director of Circulate Planning and Policy and a key architect of California’s expanded Bonus Law joins host Kate Gasparro to discuss Bonus Law's success. Colin previously worked under Governor Jerry Brown at the California Department of Housing and Community Development, where he helped shape statewide housing policy during a period of major change following the dissolution of redevelopment agencies. Together, Kate and Colin discuss how Bonus Law evolved from a rarely used statute into a central housing production tool, now accounting for a significant share of multifamily housing approvals in California. We also examine how San Diego became an early testing ground for reform, how local innovation scaled into state policy, and why incentive-based approaches can sometimes outperform more traditional regulatory strategies. Beyond the mechanics, this conversation explores broader questions of housing affordability, urban infrastructure, and coalition-building: what it takes to align public and private interests—and where even successful policies may still leave gaps, particularly for middle-income households. Whether you work in planning, development, public policy, or simply care about the future of housing affordability, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how a local experiment became statewide policy—and what it signals for the next generation of housing and infrastructure reform. Resources: Bonus tracks- your musical experience into understanding bonus law (Circulate Planning and Policy) [https://www.circulatesd.org/bonus_tracks] California's density bonus is a 'win-win' for developers and affordable housing (Planetizen) [https://www.planetizen.com/news/2026/04/137335-report-californias-density-bonus-win-win-developers-and-affordable-housing] San Diego housing density bonus is spurring affordable units (SmartCitiesDive) [https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/san-diego-affordable-housing-density/622441/] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2405141/fan_mail/new] Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here [https://buildingbettercities.com/newsletter].  Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com.

What makes a better city? Inside LEED’s urban framework with Dr. Vatsal Bhatt

How do you measure whether a city is actually getting better? Most people know LEED [https://www.usgbc.org/leed] as the gold standard for green buildings. But cities are more than buildings—they’re systems made up of housing, transportation, public space, infrastructure, resilience, health, and opportunity. In this episode of Building Better Cities, Kate Gasparro sits down with Dr. Vatsal Bhatt [https://www.usgbc.org/people/vatsal-bhatt/0011129534], Vice President at the U.S. Green Building Council and global lead for LEED for Cities and Communities [https://www.usgbc.org/leed/rating-systems/leed-for-cities-leed-for-communities], to explore how one of the world’s most recognized sustainability frameworks has expanded from buildings to the scale of neighborhoods, communities, and entire cities. They discuss why LEED for Cities and Communities was created, how it differs from traditional building certifications, and why an outcomes-driven, data-centered approach matters when cities are trying to balance growth, equity, climate goals, and quality of life. The conversation also explores a bigger question: do rating systems simply recognize good projects—or can they actually change how communities are planned, governed, and built? Whether you’re a developer, planner, policymaker, or someone who simply cares about the future of your community, this episode offers a fresh framework for thinking about what it really means to build better cities. Resources: St Paul's The Heights redevelopment hearns LEED Platinum precertification (REJournals) [https://rejournals.com/saint-pauls-the-heights-redevelopment-earns-leed-platinum-precertification/] onMain- Dayton's Innovation District (onMain) [https://www.google.com/search?q=onmain+dayton+leed&newwindow=1&sca_esv=666bf1fb673a79dd&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS998US1001&sxsrf=ANbL-n59wbC-qJlKb23PqwMdcV86EfRT5w:1777420300950&ei=DEjxaf_aOcaP8L0Pv_-9uA8&start=0&sa=N&sstk=Af77f_fU8FzGW-r3DUC31oSkaf55VvfyUVoXya1ReajXsDH8igG-DVloDA0wuZxSapZlRG5OaPa7k3GzUIXkusrwJisQpA-DB-ZbNDwGQA9ohGOHlVrQlAOd6o9c6Vl1NRtU&ved=2ahUKEwj_kJ7N3pGUAxXGB7wBHb9_D_c4ChDy0wN6BAgrEAQ&biw=1485&bih=952&dpr=2] The masterplan of MIND - the Milan Innovation District (Mario Cucinella Architects) [https://www.mcarchitects.it/en/projects/the-masterplan-of-mind-the-milan-innovation-district] Siemensstadt 2.0: Research and industry closely linked (Brain City Berlin) [https://braincity.berlin/en/stories/story/siemensstadt-20-research-and-industry-closely-linked] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2405141/fan_mail/new] Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here [https://buildingbettercities.com/newsletter].  Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com.

Funding city infrastructure at the ballot box: what Nashville got right with Amanda Wall Vandegrift

Transit ballot measures are often seen as a long shot — especially when affordability is top of mind and voters are being asked to raise their own taxes. But in November 2024, 66% of Nashville voters said yes to Choose How You Move [https://transit.nashville.gov/], a half-penny sales tax funding $3.1 billion in transit expansion, sidewalk construction, and urban infrastructure improvements across Davidson County. So what made it work — and what can other cities learn heading into the 2026 midterm elections? In November 2024, sixty-six percent of Nashville voters approved Choose How You Move — a half-penny sales tax funding $3.1 billion in transit expansion, sidewalk construction, and urban infrastructure improvements across Davidson County.  So what changed? In this episode of Building Better Cities, host Kate Gasparro sits down with Amanda Wall Vandergrift [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-wall-vandegrift-17953956/], Deputy CEO of WeGo Public Transit, to unpack the specific messaging, coalition-building, and program design strategies that moved two-thirds of voters to raise their own taxes. In this episode, we discuss: * How Nashville flipped the narrative from "fix transit" to "give us more of what's already working" — and why that distinction matters * Why framing the program around sidewalks, signals, service, and safety resonated more than flashy urban development projects * The one strategic mistake Amanda sees transit agencies repeat when taking infrastructure programs to the ballot box * What cities pursuing sustainable development, urban regeneration, and voter-approved transportation investment should be doing right now ahead of November 2026 This episode is essential listening for local leaders, city planners, transit advocates, and real estate investors betting on transit-oriented infrastructure. Resources: 5 strategies to help transit ballot measures succeed (SmartCitiesDive) [https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/transit-ballot-measures-strategies/815833/] Transit Wins Big Again in Local Electrions Across America (StreetsBlog USA) [https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/transit-ballot-measures-strategies/815833/] Nashville among wave of successful 2024 transit votes nationwide (Tenessee Lookout) [https://tennesseelookout.com/2024/11/11/nashville-among-wave-of-successful-2024-transit-votes-nationwide/] 80% of Public Transit Measures Passed in 2025 Elections (Planetizen) [https://www.planetizen.com/news/2025/11/136342-80-public-transit-measures-passed-last-weeks-elections] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2405141/fan_mail/new] Thanks for listening to Building Better Cities! If you'd like to stay connected, don't forget to Subscribe and Follow. You can find all our archived newsletters and podcasts right here [https://buildingbettercities.com/newsletter].  Want to get in touch? Just email the team at kate@buildingbettercities.com.