Sometimes, a hot new story will cross our desks that we need to talk about right away. That's where Upzoned comes in. Join Multistudio's Abby Newsham, Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn, and other guests to talk in depth about one big story from the week in the Strong Towns conversation, right when you want it: now.
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UpZones Podcasts
UpZones podcast features stories from the people building a richer, more cosmopolitan new Seattle. Host Ian Martinez, a former journalist and Obama Administration adviser, brings his unique conversational manner to long-form interviews with community leaders in the arts, politics & activism, business, and general civic life.
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Provocative and insightful, Richie Greenberg and Erica Sandberg join forces to critique San Francisco City Hall shenanigans. The two are long-time residents of the City by The Bay, work as journalists and political commentators. Questions, comments? Find us on our website, greenbergsandberg.com
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Why a Legal Home Addition Sparked Outrage in Fairfax County
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A multigenerational home addition sparked national attention and local outrage in Fairfax County, Virginia. Chief Technical Advisor Edward Erfurt sits down with guest host Norm Van Eeden Petersman to explore why legally allowed housing can still feel deeply disruptive — and what this reveals about zoning, design, and incremental change. ADDITIONAL …
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S3 E1: Congressional Candidates! Happy New Year!
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Welcome to 2026! Richie and Erica are back, discussing the Congressional candidate forum held Wednesday, January 8th, 2026. Scott Wiener, Connie Chan and Saikat Chakrabarti took the stage and unloaded their far-left Progressive ideology for all other hear. They're running to succeed Nancy Pelosi. THANKS FOR LISTENING If you'd like to make a sustain…
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S2 Episode 23: Mayor Lurie Approves Reparations Funding
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In the final episode of 2025, Richie and Erica lament the approval by the city’s mayor of the Board of Supervisors’ legislation creating a Reparations fund. Daniel Lurie, novice mayor, has outraged a significant portion of San Franciscans by sneaking in his last-minute signature on the ordinance just before Christmas and failed to mention it via so…
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Zoning Reform Is Only Step 1 in Fighting the Housing Crisis
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Utah wants to override local zoning to boost housing supply, but allowed by right doesn't mean possible in practice. Abby and Edward dig into the hidden barriers — complicated permits, scarce financing, and broken systems — that stop housing from actually getting built. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES "Utah’s Governor Suggests Overriding Local Zoning. Could …
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S2 Episode 22: The $1 Billion Lurie Deficit
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Richie and Erica chat Sunday 12.7.2025 on location at a local cafe, examining the latest news from San Francisco's Mayor Daniel Lurie's office: There will be be a $1 Billion shortfall, a major budget deficit next year, 2026. Why? How? Was should be done? THANKS FOR LISTENING If you'd like to make a sustaining donation in support of this podcast, fe…
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S2 Episode 21: SFPD Chief, Upzoning Plan, SF Sues Food Producers
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Erica starts off this information-packed episode looking at the latest lawsuit by San Francisco against the nation's top 10 food producers over the quality and ingredients of products. San Francisco SFPD has a new chief. The City Council/Board of Supervisors has approved a zoning plan for new home construction, and more. So much to talk about! THAN…
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What Happens When Official Decisions Clash With Community Traditions?
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Who decides when community traditions change? Lafayette, Louisiana, recently rerouted its Mardi Gras parade. The goal was to improve public safety, but the change left neighborhoods, businesses, and long-standing customs in the lurch. Guest host Norm Van Eeden Petersman sits down with Lafayette resident and former city staffer Carlee Alm-LaBar to e…
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How To Fix Washington DC's New Rules for Outdoor Dining
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Last week, we heard how DC's outdoor dining regulations threaten local businesses. Today, urban designers Abby Newsham and Edward Erfurt explore how DC could course-correct. They share creative ways that cities can maintain safety while supporting local businesses and even improving the design of their streets. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES "After five yea…
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S2 Episode 20: Latest on Pelosi Successor; RV's in San Francisco
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On today's episode, Richie outlines who's currently running for the House of Representatives to succeed Nancy Pelosi. Erica walked a long way exploring San Francisco's southeast and central neighborhoods and relates what shocking things she saw along the way. THANKS FOR LISTENING If you'd like to make a sustaining donation in support of this podcas…
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DC Is Charging Thousands for Outdoor Dining. Is This a Good Idea?
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Washington DC is charging restaurants thousands of dollars to keep their streateries — outdoor dining areas built during Covid-19. Are these fees fair compensation for public space, or will they kill the local businesses they were meant to save? Guest host Norm Van Eeden Petersman dives into this question with Carlee Alm-LaBar, a former city offici…
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S2 Episode 19: San Francisco Uneven Neighborhood Rise
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Erica takes the lead in today's discussion with Richie as they explore the uneven development, growth, and excitement over San Francisco's rise. Mayor Lurie is a cheerlead for the city, yet many districts remain left behind. Excitement is here, yet not everyone benefits. THANKS FOR LISTENING If you'd like to make a sustaining donation in support of…
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5 Ways Ordinary People Are Making Their Places Stronger
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56:07
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Abby is joined by Carlee Alm-LaBar, the chief of staff for Strong Towns, and John Reuter, advisory board member for Strong Towns. They discuss several stories of people across the country taking action to make their communities better, from building houses to painting curbs. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement …
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Will Elon Musk's Data Centers Actually Help Memphis?
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Elon Musk's company xAI is building massive data centers in Memphis, promising economic transformation. But at what cost? Abby is joined by Strong Towns Blog Editor and podcast host Asia Mieleszko to dissect the billion-dollar AI infrastructure boom and explore why cities keep falling for "shiny object urbanism." ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Hear more fro…
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S2 Episode 18: San Francisco Will Have A New Police Chief Any Minute
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Richie and Erica discuss the announcement, expected any time now, and expected Tuesday Nov 4th, 2025, of the next Chief of Police for San Francisco. Erica explains in detail the process of compiling the list of candidates and how they are considered for making the finals. Check out our new podcast homepage: GreenbergSandberg.com THANKS FOR LISTENIN…
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Historic Bridge Battle: Will 1 Town Profit While the Other Pays?
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Two towns, two states, and two historic bridges that nobody wants to pay for. Brattleboro, Vermont, wants to reactivate two historic bridges with a pedestrian greenway. Hinsdale, New Hampshire, worries about increased crime and being saddled with the majority of maintenance costs while getting fewer returns. Abby and Norm discuss this dilemma, comp…
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S2 Episode 17: Trump Grants Mayor Lurie a Reprieve
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Richie and Erica discuss last Thursday's announcement President Trump will hold off "surging" federal agents into San Francisco, at city mayor Lurie's request. The pressure is squarely on Mayor Lurie as he has to perform. Instead, Lurie, joined by city hall officials, pushed back and celebrated fending off Trump. Listen as we critique this decision…
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When a Town's Biggest Taxpayer Becomes Its Biggest Problem
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What do you do with 720,000 square feet of dead mall? Towns across America are struggling to find the answer as their malls shut down, leaving budget craters and infrastructure nightmares in their wake. Abby is joined by Carlee Alm-LaBar, Strong Towns' chief of staff and a former city staffer, to explore whether the answer is a grand redevelopment …
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S2 Episode 16: National Guard, Benioff and City Hall Tantrum
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Richie and Erica examine the recent temper tantrum thrown by San Francisco city hall officials over the possibility that federal law enforcement, National Guard, FBI, ICE and more may be sent to our city. We discuss billionaire head of Salesforce and owner of Time magazine Marc Benioff's support of the National Guard deployment, SF District Attorne…
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2 Towns, 2 Responses to the Housing Crisis. Which Will Succeed?
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Littleton, Colorado, wants to ban everything other than single-family homes. The neighboring town of Lakewood wants to allow more housing variety. Norm and Abby dive into what's driving these radically different responses to the housing crisis and what happens when cities try to exempt themselves from change. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Two Denver Subur…
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Public Transit Will Collapse in a Year. Should We Save It?
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By the end of 2026, many U.S. cities could see large parts of their public transit systems crumble under a lack of federal funding and a development pattern that was never designed to support it. In this episode, Chuck Marohn and Abby Newsham explore why transit can’t survive as a charity and how localized funding and smarter land use could create …
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S2 Episode 15: Gary McCoy as Candidate for Supervisor
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Erica and Richie rant on the newly-announced candidacy of controversial activist Gary McCoy for San Francisco District 8 Supervisor/city council in 2026. McCoy has a checked past and legal actions which render him unqualified for public office. And several well-known politicians strangely are endorsing him. THANKS FOR LISTENING If you'd like to mak…
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LA Just Avoided 1600 Layoffs. Is That a Good Thing?
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The city of Los Angeles recently announced that it saved 1,600 jobs that were at risk of being cut to balance its $1 billion budget deficit. But did it actually fix anything, or is it just shuffling money around to hide the problem? What role do unions play? And what should cities actually do when facing a major budget deficit? Strong Towns Chief T…
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Richie Greenberg and Erica Sandberg today discuss Christopher Columbus, the statue dedicated to him in Coit Tower North Beach neighborhood which was removed in 2020 by protesters during early Covid lockdowns, Italian immigrants in San Francisco, the Columbus Day parade and how removing a statue make little sense when society instead needs to know i…
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Tulsa Offers Remote Workers $10K To Move. Is It Paying Off?
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The Tulsa Remote program pays remote workers $10,000 to relocate to Tulsa for a year. A study found that, for every dollar spent, Tulsa sees $4.31 in economic benefits, including increased local spending, tax revenue, and job creation. Abby is joined by John Pattinson, Strong Towns’ community builder, discuss whether this kind of program is a smart…
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Housing Supply Is About to Exceed Demand. Now What?
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As baby boomers downsize, relocate, or pass away, millions of homes are projected to rejoin the housing market by 2030, potentially exceeding housing demand by 1 million homes. In today's episode, Chuck and Abby discuss how generational shifts affect the housing market, what an excess of supply could mean for cities' financial stability, and how a …
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S2 Episode 13: Charlie Kirk death, and San Francisco Fentanyl Crisis
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Richie and Erica discuss the appalling death of Charlie Kirk today, assassinated at an Utah university event. They also tackle the fentanyl crisis as thousands of addicts have dies on the streets of San Francisco, while billions of taxpayers' money is wasted on unaccountable programs. THANKS FOR LISTENING If you'd like to make a sustaining donation…
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Can a Tax on House Flipping Stop Canada's Housing Crisis?
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For years, investors and speculators shaped Canada's housing market. But now, people who actually live in those homes are beginning to have more influence. Today, Abby is joined by Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Strong Towns' director of membership and a Canadian, to discuss how this shift happened, how it'll affect Canada's housing market, and the impl…
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How Mortgage Fraud Makes the Housing Market More Expensive
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Several high-profile members of the government have been accused of committing mortgage fraud recently, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Today, Chuck and Abby explore how mortgage fraud distorts the housing market, why it happens so frequently — and why no one in the financial system is interested …
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Are Sponge Cities the Flood Control Fix We Need?
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Join Abby and guest John Pattison as they dive into the benefits and drawbacks of "sponge cities," cities that incorporate natural features like wetlands into their stormwater management infrastructure. Is this method more resilient in the long term? Do the benefits outweigh the massive cost? How does this relate to the incremental, bottom-up appro…
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S2 Episode 12: Trump Sending Troops to San Francisco?
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31:57
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Richie and Erica discuss the latest freakout from San Francisco city hall elected officials who are reacting to President Trump's asserting federal intervention may be coming. SF District 5 supervisor Bilal Mahmood is especially miffed as the epicenter of the drug-induced humanitarian disaster in right in his front yard, the Tenderloin neighborhood…
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Why Data Center Electricity Use "Scares Me to the Bone"
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Data centers power everything from cloud computing to artificial intelligence, and they use a massive amount of electricity, sometimes even rivaling major cities. Watchdogs claim that tech companies aren’t absorbing the costs of this electricity use, causing rate payers’ electricity bills to spike as they’re forced to subsidize these data centers. …
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S2 Episode 11: Special Episode- Engardio Recall Voting Begins
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Richie Greenberg and Erica Sandberg discuss early voting for the recall of Joel Engardio, San Francisco's District 4 elected city council member (supervisor), which starts today Aug 18th 2025. We review the reasons for recall, the role of a San Francisco district supervisor, why Engardio is viewed as having betrayed his constituents and more. THANK…
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