Episode 15: Nolan Gray (Research Director, California YIMBY) — How Zoning Shapes Cities, Housing, and Belonging

Episode 15: Nolan Gray (Research Director, California YIMBY) — How Zoning Shapes Cities, Housing, and Belonging

What if the reason your neighborhood looks the way it does — who lives there, what gets built, and how expensive it feels — isn't random? In this episode of Realtopia, Naomi sits down with Nolan Gray — city planner, Research Director at California YIMBY, and author of Arbitrary Lines — to unpack the invisible rules shaping our cities. Together, they explore one of the biggest questions facing this generation: if we build more housing, do people actually feel more connected to where they live? In this episode: * What zoning really controls * The ideas behind the YIMBY movement * Housing, affordability, and displacement * Whether abundance creates belonging * Rethinking suburbs and neighborhood identity * What makes a place feel like home

Episode 14: Prof. Greg Clark (Advisor to 400+ Cities) — Cracking the DNA of Great Cities

Why does one city feel instantly recognizable while another could be almost anywhere? In this episode of Realtopia, Naomi sits down with Professor Greg Clark — advisor to more than 400 cities across six continents, author, and co-host of The DNA of Cities — to explore what gives places their identity and why the most successful cities of the future may not be the ones that grow fastest, but the ones that become more fully themselves. Together, they unpack the idea of a city’s DNA — the combination of inherited geography, historical choices, culture, institutions, and new adaptations that shape how places evolve. The conversation moves from global competition to local belonging, asking a bigger question: How do we build cities people can actually imagine staying in? In this episode: * The DNA of a city: endowed, inherited, and acquired traits * Why global sameness is the great risk to cities * Turin and the cities that defy their reputation * Building a belonging index: social capital and the social contract * Affordability vs. global competitiveness and the case for 50% affordable housing * Climate, AI, and the just transition

Episode 13: Dr. Toby Israel (Founder of Design Psychology) — Decoding the Hidden Psychology of Home

Why do some spaces instantly feel right — while others never quite do? In this episode of Realtopia, Naomi sits down with Dr. Toby Israel — environmental psychologist, founder of Design Psychology, and author of Some Place Like Home and Designing Women's Lives — to explore how our earliest experiences of place quietly shape the homes we choose, the spaces we create, and even what makes us feel like we belong. Together, they unpack the idea of an environmental autobiography: the hidden story of childhood places, family environments, and memories that can still influence our design choices decades later. Instead of asking what makes a place beautiful, this conversation asks a different question: what makes a place feel like yours? In this episode: * What Design Psychology is — and why psychology can become the primary design tool * Environmental autobiography and the idea of an environmental family tree * Why people often recreate — or reject — the homes they grew up in * How unconscious place memories shape layouts, colors, and objects * Whether Pinterest, algorithms, and AI are disconnecting us from real preferences * How renters can still personalize temporary spaces * What traditional “belonging” metrics may miss about emotional experience of place * Why two people can experience the exact same place completely differently

Episode 12: Prof. Marc Norman (Associate Dean of NYU Schack) — Solving the Homeownership Crisis

What if the housing crisis isn’t just about prices — but about a century of rules that quietly erased some of the most affordable ways people used to live? In this episode of Realtopia, Naomi speaks with Professor Marc Norman, Associate Dean of NYU Schack, about what’s broken in the housing system — and what it would take to fix it. Marc explains why affordable housing is often misunderstood, how postwar zoning rules made duplexes, fourplexes, and other “missing middle” housing nearly illegal, and why those choices helped shape today’s homeownership crisis. They explore new ideas like neighborhood REITs, community wealth building, and shared ownership models that could broaden access to real estate wealth. The conversation also examines gentrification and displacement, the role of community development finance, why affordability and beauty are not a trade-off, and how reforms like California upzoning and New York’s City of Yes may be reopening possibilities. One of the episode’s most original moments comes when Naomi asks Marc what a Belonging Index might include — leading to a discussion about walkability, freedom from car dependence, and whether a neighborhood gives people real choices as life changes. They close with a message for younger generations who feel locked out of ownership: housing is not only shaped by markets, but by people who show up. They discuss: • The hidden history behind the homeownership crisis • Missing-middle housing and zoning reform • Neighborhood REITs, co-ops, and community wealth building • Gentrification, displacement, and protecting vulnerable residents • Walkability, belonging, and the idea of a Belonging Index • Why civic engagement can shape what gets built

Episode 11: Dr. Colin Ellard (University of Waterloo, Author) — The Psychology of Home

In this episode of Realtopia, Naomi sits down with Dr. Colin Ellard, professor at the University of Waterloo and author of Places of the Heart, to explore how the spaces around us shape our emotions, behavior, and sense of belonging.  From city streets to living rooms, Dr. Ellard explains how our environment directly impacts our brains—sometimes in ways we don’t even notice. The conversation dives into the science of psychogeography, revealing how design choices like building facades, density, and access to nature can influence mood, stress, and even long-term health. They discuss: * What psychogeography is and how scientists measure our reactions to space * Why “blank” buildings can create boredom and affect mental health * What truly makes a place feel like home beyond just physical design * How housing types—from high-rises to neighborhoods—shape connection and loneliness * The role of autonomy and personal space, especially for teenagers * How to measure belonging through real-world indicators of community