Struggletown

On the latest pod, Chet and Jeff discuss how the real estate development process mirrors cooking without a meal in mind or playing the the world's worst game of Monopoly. The current setup of municipal building departments ensures everyone is miserable and encourages NIMBYsm.  There are solutions though and things can get better, but its important that we see the process for what it is today.

As we always suspected, Ice-T was talking about housing. We can't build the type of housing we need, not because a lack of demand, but because the game is rigged. Hosts Chet and Jeff discuss a recent bill in the New Hampshire Statehouse that allows for a desperately needed housing option and how bad regulations keep delivering us a bad product.

While vacancy may seem a mystery to most, there is a very real and rational reason behind an owners decision to leave a property empty. Understanding their position and the financials behind it is a city's key to addressing the problem. On this episode, Chet and Jeff discuss the reasons for vacancy and blight and how city leaders can begin to combat the issue using the tools they already have on hand.

Do utility fees increase every year with no improvement of service? Does the city ignore your phone calls? Do you get treated like you are living in a municipal monopoly? Welcome to Comcast City! On this episode, hosts Chet Clem and Jeff Siegler discuss why operating a city like a cable monopoly might not be the best strategy and how prioritizing customer service could have far reaching benefits for local government.

In this episode, hosts Chet and Jeff discuss why grant money rarely fixes what ails our cities and why monetary windfalls can often exacerbate civic self-confidence issues. Our cities and towns have to start thinking about short term progress and the every day maintenance and effort that ends up brining about real change. Cities need personal trainers and not lottery tickets.