Go Cultivate! (Verdunity)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Go Cultivate!
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05 Apr 2022 | Demystifying Affordable Housing — with Deborah Myerson | 01:05:40 | |
Have you ever heard the phrase "affordable housing" used by 5 different people, but it seems like every one of them is talking about something slightly different? This episode will help shed some light on this sometimes confusing, always complex subject. AJ and Deborah go deep and we are here for it. Lots of great content to check out after you listen to this episode: Deborah’s Business: https://dmyersonconsulting.com/ Mentioned in This Episode: How Did They Do It? Discovering New Opportunities for Affordable Housing https://dmyersonconsulting.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/how-did-they-do-it-jan-2017.pdf Few American Cities are Truly Dense. We Can Do Better. https://www.governing.com/community/few-american-cities-are-truly-dense-we-can-do-better Public Meetings Thwart Housing Reform Where it is Needed Most https://www.governing.com/now/public-meetings-thwart-housing-reform-where-it-is-needed-most Some of Deborah’s Work: Invisible Neighbors: How To Include People Left Out of B-town’s Neighborhoods https://limestonepostmagazine.com/invisible-neighbors-left-out-of-neighborhoods/ Best in American Living (Blog) https://bestinamericanliving.com/?s=deborah+myerson Prospects for New Housing Cooperatives: Feasibility Study for Housing Cooperatives in the Northern Rockies Multifamily Housing Development: Ten Case Studies of Innovative Projects Other Relevant Tools and Articles: Are We Doing This Right: Granny Flats Edition https://www.verdunity.com/podcast/episode-37 The Affordable City: Strategies for Putting Housing Within Reach (and Keeping it There) by Shane Phillips https://islandpress.org/books/affordable-city Supportive Housing: A Community Solution https://www.csh.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/BeyondNIMBYpdf.pdf The Radical Way Cities are Tackling Affordable Housing https://www.fastcompany.com/90618596/the-radical-way-cities-are-tackling-affordable-housing Local Tools to Address Housing Affordability: A State-By-State Analysis https://www.nlc.org/resource/local-tools-to-address-housing-affordability-a-state-by-state-analysis/ Cooperatively Owned Builder Sees Affordable Housing, Climate Action in ‘Granny Flats’ | |||
| 02 May 2023 | Rural Community Transformation — with Julianna Dodson | 01:19:09 | |
Rural communities are a focus for us here at Verdunity. In this episode, AJ interviews Julianna Dodson, Deputy Executive Director, and Radically Rural Director for the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship. Prior to her work with Hannah Grimes, she was primarily in the financial services industry (which according to her is a lot more vibrant and dynamic than one might imagine!) but has also taught English overseas, and runs her own small business on the side. Together they chat about how to transform these places for the better. You might be surprised to hear that rural communities face some of the same issues that bigger cities do – housing shortages, inability to find affordable child care – but they also face issues like the hollowing out of medical support systems that historically have been a part of the rural fabric. Julianna highlights how rural communities have attempted to recover from one financial crisis after the next and how they do that differently than cities. - If you have a spare minute, please take part in our 2023 podcast survey! https://www.verdunity.com/2023survey Press Coverage:Radically Rural 2023 Summit https://www.radicallyrural.org/2023-summit/ Radically Rural PitchFork Challenge https://www.radicallyrural.org/pitchfork-challenge/ The News Project – ‘Radically Rural’ https://gnat-tv.org/the-news-project-radically-rural/ Tight knit: Connection is critical for progress in rural entrepreneurial ecosystems https://www.kauffman.org/currents/connection-is-critical-rural-entrepreneurial-ecosystems/ Radically Rural: Turning the Silver Tsunami into Gold https://dailyyonder.com/radically-rural-turning-the-silver-tsunami-into-gold/2020/01/06/ In Little Keene, NH, Boosting Rural Economies and Entrepreneurship
Resources: Federal Resources for Rural America The Rural Business Show, Episode 42: Radically Rural https://www.ruralbusiness.com/episode-42-radically-rural/ E&P Reports Vodcast, Episode 101: Focusing on Small-Town America 2022 Radically Rural Summit Recap https://www.radicallyrural.org/2022-summit/ Mentioned in This Episode: Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover https://bookshop.org/p/books/educated-a-memoir-tara-westover/15280731?ean=9780399590528 | |||
| 07 Apr 2020 | How local governments should respond to the small business crisis — with Basel Musharbash | 00:46:45 | |
The COVID-19 crisis has been a disaster for small businesses across the country. In this episode, Kevin speaks with Basel Musharbash about why an aggressive local government response to the small business crisis is essential—and what legal strategies cities and towns should be using immediately to help them survive and eventually recover. In this episode we discuss the key takeaways from Basel’s recent blog post: Directing Capital to Small Businesses Affected by COVID-19: Legal Strategies for Texas Local Governments. In it, Basel outlines three specific strategies that local governments can use to leverage public, private, and philanthropic resources toward liquidity for small business:
Disclaimer from Basel: Please note that the Texas constitutional requirements for the issuance of city and county debt apply to time warrants, even though those requirements are not addressed in the podcast. Local officials should always consult their city attorney or bond counsel prior to issuing debt. ALSO: It wasn't mentioned in the show, but Basel compiled a terrific resource for local governments—The Manual of Aid to State and Local Governments Under the CARES Act. It’s a comprehensive guide to the coronavirus relief bill for states and localities. Basel Musharbash is an attorney with the Patel Law Group. His practice focuses on real estate, corporate, and community development matters. He also writes about lawyering for sustainable, integrated, and democratic communities on his blog, Lawyering For The Town. You can follow Basel on LinkedIn. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (The music in this episode is from No Money, Custodian of Records, & Isaac Horwedel.) | |||
| 04 Apr 2023 | Place and Prosperity — with William Fulton | 01:11:05 | |
William Fulton is one of America’s most established thought leaders in urban planning. From 2014 to 2022, he served as Director of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Prior to moving to Houston, he served as Mayor of Ventura, CA and Director of Planning and Development for San Diego. He’s the author of multiple papers and books, including his most recent book Place and Prosperity, which is the focus of this episode. Kevin and Bill discuss Bill’s experience growing up in a factory town in New York, stepping into community planning and city leadership roles in California, and personal stories detailing how quality of life for he and his family has been impacted by the design of the different neighborhoods he’s lived in. Bill makes the case that building great places is fundamental to cultivating prosperity, and better cities emerge when the people who shape them think more broadly and intentionally about the places they are creating. Some of the topics covered include:
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| 19 Aug 2020 | Are We Doing This Right? // Budgeting Edition | 00:59:33 | |
This time on our ‘Are We Doing This Right?’ series, we take a look at the local budgeting process. Here’s what you can expect from this episode:
Want to do some further research on the topic? Head on over to the show page for this episode to find a list of resources we found helpful in compiling this show. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money, Custodian of Records, Scott Joplin, and The Kinks.) | |||
| 10 Dec 2018 | 16 – Economic development: questioning the status quo | 00:42:33 | |
We're following up on the economic development discussions of the last two weeks. Where is the status quo approach to economic development leaving our cities and our citizens? How do recent changes in economic trends affect the ways cities attempt to do business? What does a more localized, sustainable, and people-focused version economic development actually look like? Links to things discussed in the show:
Unfortunately, we've had to push off our next webinar. But, you CAN watch the recording of our most recent webinar: How to Cultivate (Real) Fiscal Sustainability + Community Engagement. And we'll still take your questions! Just send them to info@verdunity.com. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 11 May 2023 | Development Bills at 2023 TxLEG—with Michael Kovacs and Tom Yantis | 00:46:40 | |
There are a number of bills working their way through this year’s session of the Texas Legislature that will impact cities’ ability to guide development in a manner that ensures fiscal sustainability and affordability. Proposed bills address topics like: annexation/deannexation; prohibiting cities from requiring development value and infrastructure costs as a factor in development approvals; reducing the minimum lot size; and allowing accessory dwelling units by right. One side of the conversation centers on those who want to preserve personal property rights and are opposed to higher density development via smaller lots and units. From the local government side, city officials are concerned about losing the ability to guide what gets built and the impact it will have on their ability to provide services to current and future residents and businesses. Suffice to say these are very important discussions and decisions that will have significant impacts. This discussion is not limited to Texas, either. Numerous other states are having similar debates as pressure to address growing affordability and infrastructure costs increases at the state and local level. In this episode, Kevin talks with two city management officials about which bills concern them and the unintended consequences that could result if they’re passed. Michael Kovacs, the City Manager of Fate, a fast growing suburb east of Dallas, and Tom Yantis, the Assistant City Manager of Taylor, a community outside Austin that recently landed one of the largest economic development deals in Texas with Samsung have been leaders in adjusting development processes to ensure their cities have the money they need to maintain quality services and infrastructure long-term while keeping housing and taxes affordable. Both cities received national awards for their Comprehensive Plans for embracing principles of fiscal sustainability. These two guys are extremely knowledgeable about how development impacts short and long-term costs and affordability, and how things “work” in Texas, so their input is worth listening to. Discussions in Austin are ongoing and votes will start happening very soon, so we wanted to get this episode out quickly so it can be shared to inform voters, lobbyists, and especially our representatives in Austin that are casting votes. - Don't forget to take part in our 2023 podcast survey! | |||
| 02 Nov 2018 | 12 – What cities can learn from socially-engaged art | 00:51:24 | |
Jim Walker is CEO, cofounder, and lead artist at Big Car Collaborative, an Indianapolis-based art and design organization "brings art to people and people to art, sparking creativity in lives to support communities." Jim and Jordan talk about the role of artists in making neighborhoods more loving, vibrant, and homelike—and the ways partnerships are always messy but always necessary in making good things happen. Here’s a further sample of our conversation topics:
Follow Jim on Twitter: @walkerjj The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 20 Dec 2019 | Are We Doing This Right? // Food Trucks & Pop-ups Edition | 01:02:42 | |
For the December installment of 'Are We Doing This Right?’ on the Go Cultivate! podcast, we’re diving deep into the world of pop-up retail and food trucks. The whole concept is a lot older than you (might) think. Join us for a walk through some of the history, regulatory and social issues, and much, much more. Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & AJ Fawver. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. | |||
| 03 May 2022 | Rethinking Budgeting – with Andrew Kleine & Shayne Kavanagh | 01:06:46 | |
Andrew Kleine is the author of "City On the Line" and is working tirelessly toward a future in which municipal budgeting produces the results that leaders are looking for. Shayne Kavanagh, the Senior Manager of Research for the Government Finance Officers Association, has spent his career looking at how government policy interacts with the fiscal health of the places in which he works. To some, municipal budgeting is a black box, but today's conversation aims to make this sometimes-confusing topic a little more transparent. Can the budgeting process be communicated to the public in a way that actually helps them understand and be a part of the process? The answer is yes. Kevin, Shayne, and Andrew look seriously at how we can we take a data-first approach to planning for the future and come up with ways for our budgets to actually produce meaningful results in our communities. Lots of great content to check out after you listen to this episode: https://www.gfoa.org/rethinking-budgeting Some books worth checking out: City on the Line by Andrew Kleine | |||
| 29 Jul 2020 | A recovery toolkit for local leaders – with Rachel Quednau | 01:03:58 | |
Our friends at Strong Towns have put out a new resource for folks in local government called The Local Leader's Toolkit: A Strong Towns Response to the Pandemic. Jordan speaks with Rachel Quednau of Strong Towns and then with Verdunity's AJ Fawver to discuss some of its key points. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money and Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 28 Jan 2020 | Building a bus system that works – with Jerome Horne | 01:09:31 | |
In this episode, we speak with Jerome Horne, ridership experience specialist for IndyGo, about Indianapolis's ongoing transit transformation and some of the key elements in building a reliable and effective bus system. Indianapolis makes a great case study for car-dependent cities looking to overhaul under-performing transit systems or even start from scratch. Some of the topics we cover in this episode include:
Find Jerome on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Check out the incredible International Micro Museum of Transit, curated entirely by Jerome. And if you're up to it, take a peek inside New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens (you don't have to be a teen to join). *Note: We had some issues with the audio files on this episode. You might notice the occasional brief skipping. :( We think it's still very listenable, but we apologize for the less-than-ideal sound on this one! -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from No Money & Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers.) | |||
| 20 Dec 2022 | Meet the Verdooners — with AJ Fawver | 00:30:18 | |
Episode 5 of “Meet the Verdooners” introduces us to AJ Fawver, who leads Verdunity’s Community Consulting Program. In this episode we learn what initially brought AJ into the planning world and what element of community building she is most concerned about. AJ is a firm believer that we serve communities best when we remember that people are at the center of everything we do, and she greatly admires communities that are willing to have difficult conversations in order to effect positive change in their cities.
After the episode make sure to check out AJ’s book recommendations: The Local Economy Solution by Michael Shuman Placemaking with Children and Youth by Victoria Derr, Louise Chawla, and Mara Mintzer As well as “We Built it That Way”, a podcast she co-hosts with Jordan Clark. | |||
| 07 Jan 2020 | What did we learn about housing in 2019? — w/ Daniel Herriges | 00:53:51 | |
Friend of the show Daniel Herriges, senior editor at Strong Towns, joins us to talk about some important housing-related stories from 2019 and what lessons they hold for those of us who care about housing equity. In this episode, we discuss:
Further reading on the stories we discussed in this episode:
You can follow Daniel on Twitter at @DanielStrTowns and read his latest writings on Strong Towns. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from No Money & Tours.) | |||
| 02 Jan 2019 | 20 – Building a culture of engagement and trust, with Re:Form Shreveport | 01:06:34 | |
In this episode, Jordan speaks with Tim Wright, Levette Fuller, Luke Lee, and Chris Lyon of Re:Form Shreveport. We discuss how they are building a more trusting relationship between the people of Shreveport and City staff and officials, why and how to avoid a "criticize-first" mentality, lessons for city governments on embracing neighborhood-led change (or co-creation) instead of top-down planning, the role of local business, and MUCH more. If you're a city leader or just a neighbor looking for some inspiration to take action heading into 2019, this chat is a great place to start! The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records and Tours.) | |||
| 05 Dec 2019 | Chuck Marohn and the revolution we need | 01:13:08 | |
In this episode, we welcome back Chuck Marohn, Founder and President of Strong Towns, to talk about some of the themes from his brand-new book Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity. Here's a sampling of what Chuck and Verdunity's Kevin Shepherd talk about in this show:
Don't forget to pick up a copy of Chuck's book, and also make sure to check out all three of their fantastic podcast streams: The Strong Towns Podcast, Upzoned, and It's the Little Things. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records & Coleman Hawkins.) | |||
| 02 Mar 2020 | Effort is the enemy of apathy – with Jeff Siegler | 00:48:02 | |
Jeff Siegler, founder of Revitalize, or Die, joins the podcast to talk about the importance of place, how cities can encourage effort (and discourage apathy), how we can cultivate civic pride, and much more. Find out more about Jeff's work at RevitalizeOrDie.com. While you're there, make sure to check out his videos! He's also on Twitter (@jeff_in_one_ear) and Facebook (@RevitalizeOrDie). -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from No Money, Custodian of Records, and Coleman Hawkins.) | |||
| 07 Jun 2023 | Plangineer to Storyteller — with Andy Boenau | 01:13:58 | |
Moving communities beyond status quo is hard. Entrenched practices in zoning, transportation planning, and road design have created places that are unsafe, unhealthy, and inequitable for many, while others who have benefitted from these systems staunchly defend them. In this episode, “Plangineers” Andy Boenau and Kevin Shepherd discuss how their careers evolved from engineering to planning to advocates for change in their respective roles today. They discuss why radical changes to traditional planning and engineering approaches are needed in order to create more inclusive, sustainable, and thriving places. Andy explains the benefits of using storytelling to communicate and simplify concepts to inspire change, as well as how to use online platforms and targeted posts on social media to communicate and test ideas. If you're searching for language and tools to nudge your community forward, Andy is an excellent resource. Andy Boenau is a storyteller disguised as an urban planner that wants to help create happy, healthy communities where we can safely ride bikes at night in dark clothes. He is a filmmaker, photographer, writer, and podcaster. Andy is the founder of Speakeasy Media LLC where he teaches people how to create memorable stories and is the producer of the podcast, How We Get Around. He's also the author of the Substack blog Urbanism Speakeasy where he shares simple truths about city planning & transportation to help you promote healthy infrastructure. Boenau has won awards for three short films, a podcast, and one of his books. His contributions to the design industry have also been acknowledged by Engineering News-Record (Top 20 Under 40, 2016) and Style Weekly (Top 40 Under 40, 2016). Andy is currently working on an upcoming documentary called White Collar Epidemic: Infrastructure is Crumbling our Minds and Bodies.
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| 16 Oct 2018 | 10 – Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns | 00:51:43 | |
Kevin sits down with (fellow engineer) Chuck Marohn from Strong Towns to talk about recognizing our delusions, admitting failure, and embracing the "chaos" of bottom-up action at the local level. Here are some highlights from the discussion:
Links:
The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of VERDUNITY. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 18 Apr 2019 | UPDATE! New opportunities, y'all | 00:12:35 | |
Hope y'all have been coping during our short hiatus. We'll be back with more episodes before you know it. Promise! We're checking back in to let you know about a couple pretty cool opportunities: 1. WORKSHOPS! Our new workshop series is designed to help city leaders diagnose, understand, and explain their city’s financial situation—and get a clear idea of how to close their resource gap. Want to bring us to your town? Visit our Workshops page. Or if you're in the Houston area, consider joining us on May 24 in League City, Texas for our "Cultivating Financially Resilient Communities" workshop! Learn more and get tickets at verdunity.com/workshops/league-city. Early registration ends Friday (4/19), in case you'd like to save a few bucks. 2. ONLINE COMMUNITY! Want to be a beta tester? ** We'll be back soon! Go Cultivate! is a project of your friends at Verdunity. Check out more episodes and blog posts at verdunity.com/go-cultivate (Music: Blank & Kytt) | |||
| 05 Aug 2020 | Connecting housing & community health – with Becky Gray | 01:04:18 | |
In this episode, Kevin speaks with Becky Gray, Director of Housing for Chaffee County, CO, to discuss the County's early efforts to build a more resilient regional housing system. We follow up on their work since the County hosted Kevin and Monte Anderson for a workshop last year. Curious about the original radio show discussed in this episode, featuring Kevin and Monte? We aired it as a podcast episode last year. Note from your producer: The audio quality in this episode is not quite what it usually is! We had an issue with the normal recording and had to fall back on the recording of the video call (which we're very glad we had). We think this episode is still definitely worth listening to, despite it all! -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money, Custodian of Records, and Isaac Horwedel.) | |||
| 01 Apr 2020 | Where do cities go from here? Lessons for the Corona Crisis | 00:52:40 | |
In this episode, Kevin and Jordan discuss (some of) the flaws of the prevailing approach to development that are being exposed and magnified by this growing crisis. We also highlight a few opportunities that cities have for doing things differently from here on out. (It turns out that being resilient is exponentially more important in a disaster.) This will not be our last discussion on these matters! Crises require swift, bold, and informed actions—and they also offer us an opportunity to rethink what we previously took for granted. We'll be continuing to explore some things that cities can be doing in the short term to respond to the new reality, and we'll also be talking more in depth about what, specifically, a more resilient approach looks like for those planning, building, and running our cities. Have suggestions or questions? Let us know and we will cover them in upcoming episodes: podcast@verdunity.com. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. | |||
| 07 Nov 2019 | Are We Doing This Right? // Placemaking Edition (Part 2) | 00:34:38 | |
This is Part 2 of our 'Are We Doing This Right?' discussion on placemaking! This time, we delve deeper into some criticisms of placemaking as it is commonly applied. Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & AJ Fawver. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from No Future & Dr. John.) | |||
| 05 Feb 2019 | 24 – Your city's resource gap (and what you can do about it) | 00:45:51 | |
Running a city is hard work, and it’s even harder when there aren’t enough resources to cover basic service and infrastructure needs. More and more cities are finding themselves in this tricky spot, and it’s easy for city leaders to feel helpless. In this episode, we talk about the challenges facing city administrators (as well as their staff) who are increasingly stretched thin by their city's growing resource gap. Then we discuss what they can do about it. There are plenty of tools (related to land use, growth management, economic development, etc.) that cities across the country are using to become more fiscally viable. But these involve changes to the status quo, and change often generates pushback. This episode is about clarifying and communicating your city's resource gap so that you can build consent for taking measures that cultivate greater financial resilience. We discuss:
Attention Podcast Land! Could you take a moment to help us make this podcast more relevant or interesting to you? We're running a quick (nearly pain-free!) little questionnaire to learn more about what you'd like us to dive deeper into, and what things we could stand to work on. Just go to this Google Form. It'll take you 5 minutes, tops, or your money back. ;) We really appreciate it. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records and Tours.) https://www.verdunity.com/podcast/episode-24 | |||
| 23 Sep 2020 | Are We Doing This Right? // Sidewalks Edition | 01:14:25 | |
In this installment of the 'Are We Doing This Right?' series, we take on the humble sidewalk. We packed a lot into this episode, including:
Want to do some further research on the topic? Head on over to the show page for this episode to find a list of resources we found helpful in compiling this show. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Future, Freddie Kepperd, Peter Grudzien, Dionne Warwick, and Jellybean.) | |||
| 09 Oct 2019 | How smaller cities should prepare for disasters — Laura Clemons | 01:10:58 | |
Federally declared disasters impact countless communities every year, and the vast majority are small municipalities with very limited resources. We brought on Laura Clemons, a disaster recovery and resilience specialist, to talk about what smaller cities ought to do (and sometimes not do!) before, during, and after a disaster. We discuss what cities should be planning for now to take advantage of federal funding opportunities should a disaster strike. This episode is full of practical tips for city officials across the country. You never know when your town could get hit with a disaster (and they don't usually tend to be the flashy events the media fixate on). But if you have a reliable and up-to-date plan in place, you can avoid the additional misfortune of losing your chance to rebuild in a more resilient and equitable fashion. Mentioned in the show: FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program Learn more about Laura's work: Collaborative Communities Follow Laura on Facebook -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! -- (Music in this episode is from No Future, Custodian of Records, and Etta James) | |||
| 16 Sep 2020 | 'Smart growth' and fiscal sustainability | 01:04:20 | |
In this episode, Kevin is joined by a trio of folks from Smart Growth America: Vice President for Economic Development Chris Zimmerman, Deputy Director of Economic Development Jeri Mintzer, and visiting Director of Research Michael Rodriguez. We discuss Smart Growth America's fiscal sustainability research and its implications for communities of all sizes, as well as some things the group would like to see all levels of government doing differently to build a stronger foundation for the communities of tomorrow. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money and Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 20 Nov 2019 | Engineers have feelings, too! | 01:20:10 | |
In this episode, AJ and Kevin sit down with Mike McKay, Assistant City Engineer for Lubbock, Texas, for a wide-ranging discussion on the past, present, and future of the engineering profession, and its role in the way we’ve built our cities. Some of the ground we cover in this episode:
-- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from No Future, Custodian of Records, & Gary Numan.) | |||
| 03 Oct 2019 | So your city's on its way to going broke — Lynda Humble | 00:56:57 | |
Verdunity CEO Kevin Shepherd sits down with Lynda Humble, city manager of Bastrop, Texas, to talk about what she learned from a fiscal model of the city's development pattern, how that reshaped discussions with City Council and citizens, and how it is informing Bastrop's overhaul of plans and codes that don't align with its goal of fiscal sustainability. (Spoiler: they learned the city would soon go broke if it kept its current approach to growth.) Lynda and Kevin also discuss the immediate and long-term fallout from the 86th Texas Legislative Session for Texas cities, and Lynda gives advice to city managers working in communities with similar situations. By the way, if you want to learn a bit more about the most impactful laws passed in that Texas Legislative Session, check out the webcast we recently did on the subject. And to hear earlier episodes we did with Bastrop leadership, look up episode 3 and episode 24. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! -- (Music in this episode is from No Future, Custodian of Records, and Cosmic Dan & the Mole Men.) | |||
| 18 Feb 2019 | [B-Side] 25 - Dollars, decisions, and your city's future | 00:36:13 | |
We're back with the B-Side to episode 25! That discussion ran too long for one episode, so we're back to talk about some specific ways cities could tie their zoning codes, subdivision ordinances, transportation plans, and economic development decisions to a rigorous fiscal analysis. Attention Podcast Land! Could you take a moment to help us make this podcast more relevant or interesting to you? We're running a quick (nearly pain-free!) little questionnaire to learn more about what you'd like us to dive deeper into, and what things we could stand to work on. Just go to this Google Form. It'll take you 5 minutes, tops, or your money back. ;) We really appreciate it. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records and Tours.) | |||
| 27 Nov 2019 | Are We Doing This Right? // Public Engagement Edition (Part 2) | 00:32:14 | |
For the November installment of 'Are We Doing This Right?’ we’re tackling public engagement. What does it look like when it’s done well? What are some pitfalls to look out for? Who and what is it for, exactly? It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s no one-size-fits-all right answer to public engagement. But we think there is such a thing as the right approach. In this double episode, we dig into literally everything you need to know about public engagement. Just kidding; we probably left a few things out. But we do think this sets a good starting point for moving toward a more productive and inclusive (and, importantly, ongoing!) public engagement process. And the good news is: there are so many good examples out there already! You can find recommendations for further reading at the show page for this episode. This is Part 2 of our discussion. You can find the other episode in the same feed as this one! Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & AJ Fawver. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from No Future & Rick Springfield.) | |||
| 07 Dec 2021 | Fiscally Informed Planning - with the City of Taylor, Texas | 01:41:18 | |
Does your community say it values fiscal responsibility but continue to make development decisions that increase infrastructure and service liabilities without a plan to pay for them in the future? If so, a fiscally-informed comprehensive plan process like the one Verdunity helped Taylor, Texas prepare might be beneficial. Taylor is a small town in Central Texas who’s heyday came and went in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Originally a major hub for commerce in Williamson County, Taylor stagnated due to a number of factors including having I-35 routed significantly west of town bypassing the community entirely. Now in the early part of the 21st century Taylor is poised for major growth as more people move outside of Austin. Major employers have taken notice – Samsung has just inked a deal for the single largest silicon chip manufacturing facility in the US to be built at the edge of Taylor. Having just completed the first major rewrite of their comprehensive plan in 20 years Mayor Brandt Rydell and Assistant City Manager Tom Yantis discuss why the city wanted financial resilience to be at the center of their planning process, the role Verdunity’s fiscal analysis played in informing decisions and building alignment in the community, and why it’s important to have these conversations in your community before you jump into investing valuable time and dollars into code updates or capital improvement projects. Envision Taylor Comprehensive Plan (PDF) Envision Taylor Comp Plan Promotional Video (5 big ideas) Samsung to Choose Taylor, Texas, for $17 Billion Chip-Making Factory - WSJ | |||
| 29 Jan 2019 | 23 – Co-creating the city you want to live in, with Ben Orcutt | 01:07:22 | |
Attention Podcast Land! Could you take a moment to help us make this podcast more relevant or interesting to you? We're running a quick (nearly pain-free!) little questionnaire to learn more about what you'd like us to dive deeper into, and what things we could stand to work on. (Do we say "um" too much? Great, now you're listening for it...) Just go to this Google Form. It'll take you 5 minutes, tops, or your money back. ;) We really appreciate it. Ben Orcutt is a bike-advocate-turned small business owner and candidate for city council of Anderson, Indiana. He joins (one-time Anderson resident) Jordan Clark on this podcast to discuss the importance of believing in your neighborhood, how cities could help clear hurdles for citizens who want to contribute, and what we stand to gain by focusing on authenticity and transparency in local government. Ben has spent years demonstrating—through his neighborhood businesses as well as his advocacy and volunteer work—what is possible when you invest your time making repeated small bets on your community. After being approached by many of his neighbors and peers to take that approach to city government, Ben is now running for a seat on Anderson’s City Council. Ben is the first to tell you he’s still learning, that he doesn’t possess all the answers. But he is serious about asking questions, about observing local needs, and about trying new things out incrementally to see if they make a difference. And if you ask us, that’s exactly the kind of person we need in positions of city leadership. Check out Ben's campaign page here. Near Anderson? Visit Buckskin Bikes for all your bike needs, and then hop over to Jackrabbit Coffee for your caffeine fix. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records and Tours.) https://www.verdunity.com/podcast/episode-23 | |||
| 16 Mar 2020 | Engaging local government leaders! – with Kirsten Wyatt | 00:55:26 | |
In this episode, Kirsten Wyatt, co-founder & executive director of Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL), joins us to talk about how her organization is doing just that. If you enjoy this episode, make sure you find the partner episode over on the GovLove podcast, where Kirsten interviews AJ and Kevin. Follow Kirsten on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. (We recorded this episode before things really got flipped upside down in the past few days with the coronavirus. If you still want to "go out and cultivate," as we suggested at the end of the show, take all the precautions! We'll be back soon with another episode. Stay safe, be kind, and look after your neighbors, your loved ones, and yourself.) -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from No Money and Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 15 Sep 2018 | 05 – Math, maps, and money: How fiscal analysis can change the conversation in communities | 01:28:35 | |
VERDUNITY's Felix Landry joins the show to discuss the importance of understanding the fiscal consequences of our development patterns, as well as the ways that cities can use map-based fiscal analysis to make more holistic land use decisions. 3:29 – Beginning of interview 5:00 – How Felix stumbled into looking at the economics of cities 7:00 – Pro formas—why don't city planning departments have them? (And more questions Felix had during his time in a his city's planning department) 12:00 – Confusion on how to go about applying fiscal analysis in planning work 17:53 – Insolvency issues and how fiscal analysis can be a common language for analyzing cities holistically 20:20 – How your city isn't like a hamburger joint 22:30 – What exactly do we mean by fiscal analysis? 25:25 – The backwards way most cities decide what gets built 26:50 – What would fiscal analysis actually look like for cities? 31:56 – How fiscal analysis maps can show us otherwise unseen trends 33:25 – Which development types are loss leaders for cities, and what it means if those areas make up too much of a city 37:32 – The gym analogy: treadmills vs. swimming pools 39:42 – Other analogies Felix likes to use for understanding development types and fiscal consequences: personal heath and grocery stores 50:05 – What happens when citizens insist on both an unproductive development pattern and a lower tax rate? 53:50 – Differences between modern-day suburbs and pre-war suburbs 1:17:00 – How cities can apply fiscal analysis to decision making? We discuss applications to zoning ordinances, comprehensive plans, economic development, and more. 1:20:20 – What Felix is reading these days 1:22:19 – Wrap-up with Kevin and Jordan Show page: https://gocultivate.org/podcast-episode-05/ For more on our podcasts and blog, visit GoCultivate.org. This podcast is a project of the nice folks at VERDUNITY. (This episode features music from Custodian of Records) | |||
| 20 Feb 2019 | 26 – Should states be setting a limit on city property taxes? | 00:57:48 | |
Today we're talking about a push by state lawmakers in Texas to put a cap on how much cities can raise their property tax rates from one year to the next. This proposed legislation would have huge repercussions, severely undercutting cities' ability to collect enough revenue to pay for needed services. To help us dive deeper into what this means for city governments, we're joined by Mayor Connie Schroeder of Bastrop, Texas. Though this episode is specifically about the legislative battle in Texas, the discussion absolutely has relevance for cities and citizens across the country. As we've talked about repeatedly, so many cities are facing a resource gap between what they have on hand and what they really need. We feel strongly that cities (and the people who make them up) would suffer unnecessarily should their state legislatures restrict their ability to collect revenue. Have some thoughts on this episode? Let us hear it! Email info@verdunity.com. Here's the link to Texas Municipal League's "Our Home, Our Decisions" campaign that Mayor Schroeder mentioned in the episode. Be sure to catch the two videos they produced. Attention Podcast Land! Could you take a moment to help us make this podcast more relevant or interesting to you? We're running a quick (nearly pain-free!) little questionnaire to learn more about what you'd like us to dive deeper into, and what things we could stand to work on. Just go to this Google Form. It'll take you 5 minutes, tops, or your money back. ;) We really appreciate it. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) Show page: https://www.verdunity.com/podcast/episode-26 | |||
| 10 Jan 2019 | 21 – The favorites episode! | 01:09:56 | |
It's a full house on the podcast today. Felix Landry, Tim Wright, and Kevin Shepherd join Jordan to talk about our favorite reads and listens from the year. Here are links to the stuff we talked about in the show: Tim's picks:
Felix's picks:
Jordan's picks:
Kevin's picks:
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| 08 Dec 2022 | Meet the Verdooners — with Karina Castillo | 00:18:00 | |
Episode 2 of "Meet the Verdooners is back with Karina Castillo, a planner here at Verdunity. If you are a young planner, ready to go out and change the world, there is some interesting backstory you might enjoy from Karina. There are some real gems of knowledge here when it comes to trying to get good work done – who really makes the big decisions in your community, and are those the same people who are most qualified to solve the issues in front of them? | |||
| 07 Mar 2023 | Enabling Desirable Neighborhoods - with Melissa Milton-Pung | 01:01:33 | |
Melissa Milton-Pung is a Policy Research Labs program manager at the Michigan Municipal League. As a Federally-qualified architectural historian, her expertise is in place-based economic development initiatives, historic rehabilitation, and heritage tourism. She holds a BA in Public History from Western Michigan University and a Master of Historic Preservation from the University of Kentucky College of Architecture, where her research created the Commonwealth’s first historic property tax credit. Melissa is also adjunct faculty in Historic Preservation at Eastern Michigan University and a past president of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN). Prior to joining the League in 2017, Melissa spent more than a decade as economic development & historic preservation project manager for Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor), and worked in cultural resource consulting. It's not enough to hope for better neighborhoods. Meaningful policy needs to be enacted to make better places possible. Melissa Milton-Pung and the Michigan Municipal League have been working to give advocates the tools they need to push for zoning and housing reform in Michigan. But the lessons they provide can be applied across the country. This particular episode covered a large number of fascinating articles and resources. Check them out below. Press Coverage:Plan by MML and MEDC could bring more housing options to communities quicker September 22, 2022 Press Conference https://www.facebook.com/MMLeague/videos/758557258540932 New partnership draws inspiration from catalog and kit homes to shore up state housing stock https://www.secondwavemedia.com/rural-innovation-exchange/devnews/Pattern-Book-Homes-22.aspx Housing experts lay out plan to encourage more infill housing across Michigan CNU Teams with Michigan Leaders on New Guide to Code Reform https://www.cnu.org/news/cnu-teams-michigan-leaders-new-guide-code-reform Resources:Pattern Book Homes https://www.mml.org/pattern-book-homes/ Houses by Mail: A Guide to Houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company by Katherine Cole Stevenson and H Ward Jandl, 1995 America’s Favorite Homes: Mail-Order Catalogues as a Guide to Popular Early 20th-Century Houses (ISBN: 0814320066) 1990 United Way - The ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Project https://www.uwmich.org/alice-report The Project for Code Reform (CNU) https://www.cnu.org/our-projects/project-code-reform Enabling Better Places: Users’ Guide to Zoning Reform https://www.cnu.org/sites/default/files/PCR-9-15-18.pdf Michigan Statewide Housing Plan https://www.michigan.gov/mshda/developers/statewide-housing-plan Michigan Association of Planning Zoning Reform Toolkit https://www.planningmi.org/zoning-reform-for-housing Michigan Association of Planning Housing Michigan Coalition https://housingmichigan.weebly.com/ RSMeans - Construction Cost Estimating Software | |||
| 07 Sep 2018 | 04 – Using the arts to connect neighbors and cultivate inclusivity | 01:14:14 | |
Joanna Taft of the Harrison Center discusses the role of the arts, place, and story to humanize, connect, and empower a neighborhood. We talk about how a neighborhood can change and improve in inclusive and equitable ways, and how important it is for people to feel known and loved in their community and their homes. Central to it all is being a neighbor to your neighbors. This is a jam-packed discussion you can't afford to miss! 2:15 – Brief recap of our Cultivating Strong Towns workshop in Shreveport 9:30 – Introducing Joanna Taft & the Harrison Center 14:15 – Beginning of interview: Joanna's role as a neighbor, helping her neighborhood grow stronger through the arts, education, entrepreneurship, youth development and more 15:00 – What "community building" means to Joanna, and how her thinking on the matter has evolved over the years 18:00 – Harrison Center's neighborhood partnerships, and how residents' concerns about being left out of their neighborhood's story and evolution led her organization to try a new approach to storytelling 22:45 – "Preenactment," or reimagining a neighborhood the way it ought to be 28:00 – How Joanna's team collected stories and concerns from the neighborhood 32:00 – Changing behaviors and attitudes, not just the physical makeup of a neighborhood, and how Joanna uses the concept of preenactment in her personal life 38:00 – Preenactment as a response to the question: "How do we revitalize in an inclusive way?" 39:05 – The centrality of art and place in building vibrant, equitable, and human neighborhoods 43:05 – Cultivating a generation of arts patrons at Herron High School 48:10 – Partnerships with the City of Indianapolis 50:15 – Some of the challenges (and unique opportunities) that come from working directly with a city government 52:50 – The role of relationships and how other cities could set themselves up to be welcoming to grassroots community building 54:00 – The Harrison Center's City Gallery: "Could the arts actually help with the abandoned housing issue?" 57:45 – Porching! How the simple act of inviting neighbors onto your front porch can begin to change your neighborhood 1:00:25 – How to start a grassroots community building movement in a neighborhood without much current involvement (We had some audio quality issues on this episode. Sorry about that! Hoping to have those fixed for the next one.) Links: Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records and Tours | |||
| 14 Dec 2018 | 17 – Embracing the "messy" city, with Kevin Klinkenberg | 01:03:04 | |
In this episode we speak with Kevin Klinkenberg, an urban designer, planner, architect, and writer on all things cities. We discuss what city leaders can learn from the messiness of cities past, why small scale development is better for our communities (and why these days it's so hard to actually do), how to balance top-down and bottom-up action, zoning recommendations for cities that want to become walkable, and more.
Links to things discussed in the podcast
The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records and Tours.) | |||
| 22 Aug 2018 | 02 – Dollars and sense: the future of civil engineering | 00:51:17 | |
An in-depth discussion with VERDUNITY's Kevin Shepherd, P.E., on the past, present, and future of the civil engineering profession—and the lasting fiscal and social impacts their work has on communities. 1:30 – What does is mean to be considered a "creative engineer”? 5:15 – What the conventional approach to civil engineering misses, and how Kevin’s thought process changed as his career progressed 9:50 – The impact of considering financial implications in the design process, vs. the assumption that “the money’s always going to be there” 15:00 – What is the engineer’s role and responsibility with regard to financial viability? 16:20 – Why Kevin left his big A/E firm to start VERDUNITY, and how he approaches his work with cities 17:55 – Why desperation makes cities more interested in fiscally viable infrastructure decisions 23:20 – How city planners tend to think differently than engineers, and the constraints on how much impact they can have 25:00 – Why a conventional approach to engineering is so prevalent, despite its broad lack of sustainability 27:50 – Why exactly did we start designing and building in such a destructive way to begin with? 32:00 – We can't let the planning profession off the hook, either 33:30 – Why other engineers used to think Kevin was crazy, and now they’re getting curious—and why it’s hard for engineers at big, status-quo-affirming companies to shift their organization’s approach 37:00 – Guiding cities and technical professionals to a more fiscally-informed and people-friendly approach to city-building 39:30 – What does it actually look like to give a city recommendations for a more financially viable infrastructure project? 43:00 – A “plangineer’s” approach to spanning silos and working at different scales 45:50 – Return on investment for infrastructure projects Episode page: gocultivate.org/podcast-episode-02. Learn more about VERDUNITY here. (This episode features music from Custodian of Records and Tours) | |||
| 27 Nov 2019 | Are We Doing This Right? // Public Engagement Edition (Part 1) | 00:56:52 | |
For the November installment of 'Are We Doing This Right?’ we’re tackling public engagement. What does it look like when it’s done well? What are some pitfalls to look out for? Who and what is it for, exactly? It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s no one-size-fits-all right answer to public engagement. But we think there is such a thing as the right approach. In this double episode, we dig into literally everything you need to know about public engagement. Just kidding; we probably left a few things out. But we do think this sets a good starting point for moving toward a more productive and inclusive (and, importantly, ongoing!) public engagement process. And the good news is: there are so many good examples out there already! You can find recommendations for further reading at the show page for this episode. This is Part 1 of 2. You can find the other episode in the same feed. Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & AJ Fawver. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from No Future & Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 06 Jul 2022 | Embracing Incrementalism - with Colleen Askew | 01:01:38 | |
Incremental improvement is a key element to the success of any place. The biggest projects, developments, and infrastructure also come with the biggest collection of dangers and places that something can go wrong. Starting from the bottom and working to solve an immediate need in the most effective way possible can also solve big problems over time, we just need to embrace that way of thinking. Kevin and Colleen Askew discuss just this (and more). | |||
| 10 Apr 2020 | Leveraging federal emergency management funding: COVID-19 edition — with Laura Clemons | 01:05:15 | |
Disaster recovery & resilience specialist Laura Clemons rejoins the program to talk about taking advantage of federal disaster relief funds to build more resilient cities and towns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Laura previously joined us to talk about how smaller cities should be preparing for natural disasters—not just how to mitigate them but also how to effectively take advantage of (and not miss out on) federal funding. In this episode, Laura talks about the same process, but tailored to pandemic response. As before, this episode is absolutely full of practical tips for leaders of municipalities of all sizes. As we mention in the discussion, we're here to talk if you have questions on how to respond to this new reality. Email Kevin at kevin@verdunity.com or Laura at lclemons@collaborative-communities.com. See the show page for this episode for links and resources from Laura. Learn more about Laura's work: Collaborative Communities Follow Laura on Facebook -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (The music in this episode is from No Money, Custodian of Records, & Isaac Horwedel.) | |||
| 08 Jul 2020 | Who gets to participate? – with Shari Davis & Derrick Braziel | 00:58:01 | |
In this episode we’re joined by Shari Davis, Executive Director of the Participatory Budgeting Project, and Derrick Braziel, co-founder and Development Director of MORTAR Cincinnati. On today’s show, we follow the money. We discuss public budgeting processes, the moral weight of budget decisions, and the opportunities we have to make these documents “living, breathing reflections of community need and community-driven investment.” Participatory budgeting (PB) is a process by which all people in a community can play a role in shaping the kinds of projects their governments spend money on. We discuss what this means in general, and what role PB plays in rethinking public safety and economic development. We also discuss the reality for many Americans—especially in communities of color—who have a business idea but lack the connections to necessary tools and resources to get off the ground. Derrick started MORTAR to help people from marginalized groups get the training and resources to start and grow their own businesses. In addition to the programs MORTAR runs, Derrick discusses some of the policies they pushed for locally that have helped ensure the viability of the Cincinnati's Black-owned businesses. In addition to this background, we discuss:
Links to things mentioned in this show:
-- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money & Custodian of Records) | |||
| 24 Aug 2018 | BONUS: A student's perspective on engineering | 00:20:51 | |
Kevin sits down with VERDUNITY's summer intern Nadia Whitehouse for a brief chat on the ways the engineering profession is changing, and what it means to bring a resource-conscious, people-first attitude to engineering school. They also get into some of the ways Nadia sees the world differently after a few months with the VERDUNITY crew. | |||
| 19 Sep 2018 | 06 – How to start a productive conversation in your community | 01:16:03 | |
Kevin sits down with Tim Wright, co-founder of Re-Form Shreveport, to talk about about the conversations and actions that incrementally help make a community stronger. Tim gives insight into ways to build momentum and trust, through his roles as both a civil engineer and as a neighbor in a new city. -- 1:00 – Introducing Tim Wright and Re-Form Shreveport 4:50 – Teasing our involvement in the upcoming Strong Towns Regional Gathering (join us for that!) 13:05 – Beginning of Kevin’s discussion with Tim 15:26 – Why Tim (and Kevin) joined the Strong Towns movement 17:45 – Key challenges for an engineer who is concerned about social and fiscal sustainability 21:27 – The soft skills today’s engineer’s need to have 23:35 – On discussing the adverse effects of sprawling development with other engineers and city officials (vs. the benefits of infill) 25:45 – “Do you know what a block of your street costs?” and “Do you think your city has enough money to fix it when it needs to be replaced?” 31:50 – What it means to “Re-form Shreveport” 39:33 – Putting the principles of a people-friendly, fiscally-sustainable approach into action 51:00 – Starting small, by making Shreveport’s Highland Park a true place 54:24 – Harnessing citizens’ ideas for ways their neighborhoods could be better (and then implementing them) 1:00:07 – Advice for someone in a new city who wants to make a difference 1:02:11 – Takeaways from the discussion 1:06:38 – An impromptu discussion on resource shortages and what that means for the wellbeing of cities and citizens -- We'd love to see you at the Strong Towns Regional Gathering in Plano (or the free Curbside Chat in Arlington)! For more on our podcasts and blog, visit GoCultivate.org. This podcast is a project of the nice folks (whose voices you're listening to) at VERDUNITY. (Music from this episode is from Custodian of Records) | |||
| 22 May 2020 | From local advocate to elected official – with LeVette Fuller | 01:03:57 | |
LeVette Fuller, Shreveport councilmember and co-founder of Re:Form Shreveport, joins the show to talk about her journey from citizen advocate and "land-use nerd" (her words) to local elected official—plus a few specific challenges the city has faced during her tenure. Some of what we cover in this show:
Mentioned in the show: The Memphis 3.0 Plan Follow LeVette on Facebook (that's her official councilmember page) and Twitter. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money, Custodian of Records, and Isaac Horwedel.) | |||
| 03 Feb 2022 | Vibrant Downtowns - with Catherine Sak | 01:11:16 | |
What makes a great downtown? What do we sometimes miss that can influence the way new visitors feel about our downtown? AJ interviews Catherine Sak, Executive Director of Texas Downtown to get the answers to these questions. Links: | |||
| 10 May 2019 | Who do you trust? [Part 1] | 00:46:43 | |
What happens when the public doesn't trust planners? What does that even mean? And how can we work to build trusting, responsive, two-way relationships between community members and the folks in local government? On today’s episode, we’re returning to two common themes from this show: "change" and "trust.” Changes to the failed status quo of city building and trust between the people who live in a city and the ones pulling the levers of power. So much of the business as usual in cities is leaving them bankrupt, making them more fragile socially, environmentally, and economically—and because of this, our discussions have centered on some of the ways to establish a more resilient approach to land use, development, and community building. But change is always hard, it’s often scary, and it usually generates pushback from someone. And much of this stems from a lack of trust, maybe even more so than a lack of having the “facts." This is a discussion about why there is so often a breakdown of trust in cities, and how city leaders—and we’re especially thinking about this from a planning and development standpoint—can build trust with the community they serve. Who you're hearing in this episode: Jordan Clark (your host), Daniel Herriges of Strong Towns, and Verdunity's Felix Landry. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. -- [Jordan’s note: Yes, I used “who” and not “whom” in the title. Most people don’t use whom anymore in cases like this. Language evolves.] (Music in this episode is from NO MONEY & Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 06 May 2020 | Credit downgrades, budget shortfalls, & federal relief — with Liz Farmer | 00:51:20 | |
In this episode, Kevin speaks with Liz Farmer about the current economic situation and how it compares (so far) to the 2008 recession. They discuss the magnitude and impact of unemployment, recent credit downgrades for cities and states, and the ramifications of projected budget shortfalls for Medicaid, pensions, and infrastructure. They also delve into the Federal Relief Bill and what it covers, as far as state and local agencies go. And finally, Liz gives her thoughts on what recovery looks like, plus some advice for local leaders while navigating this crisis. Liz Farmer is a fiscal policy expert and journalist whose writing centers on the ways state and local governments spend taxpayer money. Her areas of expertise include budgets, fiscal distress, tax policy, and pensions. In the past, you may have read her excellent work for Governing (including the Finance 101 series); nowadays, you can find all of her writing at Farmers Field. Follow Liz on Twitter & LinkedIn. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money, Custodian of Records, Cosmic Dan & the Mole Men, and Isaac Horwedel.) | |||
| 04 Oct 2022 | Neighborhood Evolution in South Bend - with Mike Keen and Monte Anderson | 01:19:02 | |
How sustainable is any system which requires the agreement and buy-in of those with the deepest pockets and largest portfolios to be successful? Can many small players create the same value in a place that the big guys do? This week's guests will tell you that the former simply isn't sustainable, and not only is the latter, but it also creates more lasting value for the community. Monte Anderson and Mike Keen are working in two different places (South Dallas and South Bend, Indiana). Still, they are working to create incremental wealth in the communities where they live, and as you will hear, both of them have been successful at this bottom-up approach to development. The discussion on this week's podcast covers topics like financing these small projects and how imperative it is that common sense and effective land use entitlements are to the success of these small, locally-led projects. About Mike KeenMike Keen is a Managing Partner with Hometowne Development LLC, and President of The Bakery Group LLC. A LEED-AP with two decades experience as a sustainability professional, he spent 30 years as a professor of sociology and sustainability studies at Indiana University South Bend. As Managing Partner of Hometowne Development for the last six years, Mike has taken the lead role in the development of Portage Midtown, a sustainable neighborhood demonstration infill project located in South Bend, Indiana. He is also the facilitator of the Michiana Town Makers ecosystem, an informal network of small scale developers, design professionals, finance officers, real estate agents, property managers, contractors, neighbors, and municipal officials dedicated to helping to create wealth in neighborhoods for neighborhoods. A social entrepreneur, Mike is trained in The Natural Step’s Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. He offers seminars, workshops and consulting services to developers, municipalities, and not-for-profits wishing integrate sustainability and/or incremental development into their localities. About Monte AndersonSince 1984, Monte has been improving the living and working environments in Texas’ southern Dallas and northern Ellis counties. He’s an outspoken man who cares about people, and he is an advocate for policies and practices that serve urban neighborhoods. Items to check out after the podcast:
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| 14 Feb 2019 | 25 - Dollars, decisions, and your city's future | 00:52:20 | |
In this episode, we follow up on last week's chat on the crucial challenge facing city administrators across the country—their city's resource gap. We talk about how city leaders can understand whether their current processes and daily decisions are moving them toward or away from long-term fiscal health. We say often that in many cities, "business as usual is broken." But that doesn't mean city administrators have to throw everything they know out the window. We explore some new ways cities can put the tools they already possess to work to close their resource gap. We got so wrapped up in talking about this that we had to split it into two parts. Check out the 'B-Side' (coming soon) for some more specifics on how cities might tie their zoning codes, subdivision ordinances, transportation plans, and economic development strategies to their goals of financial strength. Joining Jordan Clark on this episode are Kevin Shepherd, CEO of Verdunity, and Felix Landry, urban planner at Verdunity. Attention Podcast Land! Could you take a moment to help us make this podcast more relevant or interesting to you? We're running a quick (nearly pain-free!) little questionnaire to learn more about what you'd like us to dive deeper into, and what things we could stand to work on. Just go to this Google Form. It'll take you 5 minutes, tops, or your money back. ;) We really appreciate it. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) https://www.verdunity.com/podcast/episode-25 | |||
| 01 Aug 2023 | Season 3 Wrap Up — with Kevin Shepherd | 00:43:43 | |
We’ve reached the end of Go Cultivate! Season 3! To wrap us up, Kevin details the impacts that the suburban experiment has had on our country and asks the question: what does ‘quality of life’ really mean, and does an auto-centric lifestyle support these outcomes? After defining actionable steps to take in order to address the challenges posed by the suburban development pattern, Kevin emphasizes the importance of finding and connecting with other people and groups in your area to drive meaningful change at the local level. We believe that by working together, we can create more vibrant and inclusive communities that are built to last and benefit everyone.
Stay updated with our newsletter! | |||
| 04 Jul 2023 | Leadership and Inclusive Prosperity — with Dr. Kaye Monk-Morgan and Shaun Rojas | 01:16:53 | |
In this episode, AJ interviews Dr. Kaye Monk-Morgan and Shaun Rojas of the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) where Kaye is the President and CEO, and Shaun is the Senior Director of Civic Engagement. Their discussion emphasizes the importance of building a culture of civic leadership and engaging with community members to address their concerns and build stronger, healthier, and more prosperous communities. The conversation also touches on the idea that leadership is an activity rather than a title or position, and the need to develop skills and engage in activities that promote leadership.
Kaye Monk-Morgan, KLC President and CEO A third-generation Kansan, Dr. Kaye Monk-Morgan is the president and CEO of the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC), an internationally recognized center of excellence for leadership development and civic engagement. She previously served as the inaugural chief impact officer. Her work fosters civic leadership for stronger, healthier, and more prosperous communities in Kansas and beyond. Service and education have been hallmarks of Monk-Morgan’s personal and professional story for decades. Prior to her time at the KLC, Monk-Morgan dedicated her talents to higher education. Over 30 years, she served in roles ranging from residence hall director to Assistant Dean of Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and ultimately the Vice President for Strategic Engagement and Planning at Wichita State University. Her areas of responsibility varied over the years and included community and economic development, strategic planning, assessment and accreditation, and coordination of WSU’s First-Generation student services. Her longest appointment was as director of the TRIO Upward Bound Math Science program. An active community servant, Monk-Morgan has served on non-profit and corporate boards at the local, state, regional and national levels. She currently serves as a board member for: NXTUS, a non-profit that catalyzes startup ecosystems, The African American Museum of Kansas; and Emprise Bank. She is a trustee for the Wichita Land Bank; and advisor to the Ulrich Museum at Wichita State University. Shaun Rojas, Senior Director of Civic Engagement As Senior Director of Civic Engagement at the Kansas Leadership Center, Shaun oversees the organization’s Civic Engagement Initiative tasked to equip Kansans in public life to build civic trust on the most pressing issues. Shaun works with the Civic Engagement Team to develop Tresources for those in elected and appointed office and partners with organizations who are facing a civic challenge. Starting at KLC as an intern in 2008, Shaun has been around the KLC block. Over the years, he has done everything from help support community leadership programs across the state to help Kansans have better conversations on divisive issues. Shaun’s dedication to help communities engage in better civic dialogue goes well beyond his role at KLC. He is the founder of the Young Latino Professionals of Wichita – which helps raise the profile and equip young professionals with leadership skills – and was a previous board member for the Association of Leadership Programs. In 2014, Shaun was named as Young Professional of Year for Wichita Urban Professionals. In 2016, he was named to the City of Wichita’s Citizen Review Board by the City Manager. Shaun also serves on the District Six Advisory Board for the City of Wichita.
Press Coverage: Local Entreprenuership Pilot Program https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kauffman-Grant-Communities_FINAL.pdf Heartland Together Partnership https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/kansas-leadership-center-launches-multi-state-listening-tour/ Resources: Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/ KLC’s Civic Mission Heartland Together Project https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/heartland-together/ Mentioned in this Episode: Create Campaign, Inc. https://www.createcampaignks.com/about-us The Journal: A Civic Issues Magazine When Everyone Leads, by Ed O’Malley and Julia Fabris McBride https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/when-everyone-leads/ Network Kansas https://www.networkkansas.com/ Center on Rural Innovation Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation | |||
| 11 Dec 2020 | 2020 Wrapup & survey | 00:06:59 | |
2020 is almost over, and it's time for our annual assessment of how we're doing and what we want to focus on in the upcoming year. In this short update, Kevin and AJ talk about Verdunity's commitment to serving our listeners, followers, and partners and how we use listener feedback to inform what we write and talk about. To help us make the podcast and other content as relevant and helpful as possible, we're asking our friends and followers to complete a quick survey. Click HERE to let us know what podcast episodes and blogs were your favorites, what your biggest challenges are, and what information and topics you'd like us to cover in upcoming episodes! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Verdunity-GoCultivate2020 Thank you for listening to the Go Cultivate! podcast. We look forward to continuing to share content to help you cultivate meaningful improvement in yourself, your neighborhood, and your community! -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn | |||
| 30 Nov 2018 | 15 – Is debt a bad thing for cities? | 01:10:54 | |
[Some of you may have had a sound issue at the beginning of this podcast. We've fixed it but it still might show up for some listeners. Sorry about that!] This is the second of a short series on city growth. Are there good ways or bad ways to grow? In this episode, we're asking: What should a city's relationship with debt look like? Are there bad debts? Are there good debts for a city to take on? Felix Landry (Verdunity's resident city planner and data geek) is back on this week's episode to talk with Jordan about the following:
It's a full episode, and despite its length, we still didn't get to cover nearly as much as there is to say about the subject of debt and cities. We'd love for you to inform the way this discussion progresses. Do you have thoughts? We want to hear from you. Email us: info@verdunity.com. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 07 Feb 2023 | Bridging Infrastructure Gaps — with Mark Funkhouser and Liz Farmer | 01:14:03 | |
Fiscal policy, municipal finance, thoughtful budgeting, and infrastructure maintenance. If you ever wanted to know where and why your city's money gets spent, you'll want to hear this. Mark Funkhouser, former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, with decades of experience in municipal finance, and Liz Farmer, a writer, thinker, and consultant on policy and budgeting, are two of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to local finance. They present us with some really tangible options for getting more out of those in this episode and explore how the systems we have built are fragile, like we've seen in places like Pittsburgh and even in a place like Texas that is ostensibly booming. | |||
| 06 Dec 2022 | Meet the Verdooners — with Marshall Hines | 00:19:03 | |
We are heading into this holiday season with a little series of episodes called "Meet the Verdooners. You'll get to hear from each of our team members and get a little background on them and what makes them tick. This first episode introduces Marshall Hines, our Creative Director and the person responsible for helping us communicate this message of fiscal responsibility in the most compelling and understandable way possible. After the episode be sure to check out the books Marshall recommended: | |||
| 16 Dec 2020 | Aligning City Budgets with Desired Outcomes – with Andrew Kleine | 01:11:07 | |
Andrew Kleine is the Former Chief Administrative Officer for Montgomery County, MD, and before that, he was the budget director for the City of Baltimore. He’s the author of one of our favorite books, City on the Line: How Baltimore Transformed Its Budget to Beat the Great Recession and Deliver Outcomes. He describes the city's implementation of outcome-based budgeting during his time there. It’s an excellent resource for any city looking to implement an outcome budgeting approach. Learn more about Andrew (or get in touch with him): @awkleine on Twitter / andrew@andrewkleine.com / cityontheline.com Mentioned in the show:
-- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! (This episode features music from No Future, Tours, and Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 22 Jul 2020 | Are We Doing Doing This Right? // Comprehensive Plans Edition | 01:10:36 | |
For this month’s edition of ‘Are We Doing This Right?’, we’re turning our attention to the comprehensive plan. There’s a lot to talk about, including:
Want to do some further research on the topic? Head on over to the show page for this episode to find a list of resources we found helpful in compiling this show. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money; Custodian of Records; and Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, & Emmylou Harris.) | |||
| 05 Mar 2019 | 28 – A small city does the math on new development | 01:07:25 | |
Hey listeners! If you're a Strong Towns follower, don't forget that March 10 is the deadline to submit your city to the 2019 #StrongestTown contest. Verdunity is proud to be a sponsor of this year's contest. Even if you don't submit, it's a great way to learn how other cities are incrementally building financial strength and improving lives. Sign up here! ** [EDIT: The original release of this episode had some audio we meant to clip out. We've gotten that taken care of now! Re-download your episode if it's still showing up. You'll know it when you hear it. :-P Sorry about that!] Today's show (interview starts at 8:15): We’ve talked before about the importance of understanding your city’s true financial situation. For the majority of cities across the country, their development pattern has put them in a long-term budget shortfall. Our guests today are a pair of city leaders who are doing everything they can to make sure their development decisions strengthen their financial situation, rather than jeopardizing it. Michael Kovacs and Justin Weiss are the city manager and assistant city manager for the City of Fate, Texas, a small city on the outskirts of Dallas. We talk about their transition from business as usual city management to the realization that their city’s development pattern was actually setting them up to go broke—and the way they conveyed that to staff and council to get them on board with making some pretty drastic changes. We also talk about the spreadsheet model they have been using in negotiation with developers, to steer any new development in a direction that puts them in a better long-term financial position. And we talk about their economic development strategy, which is focused on a small core footprint in the center of the town, and is geared toward small, local businesses rather than courting big outside corporations. Link to the Curbside Chat videos mentioned in this episode: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/7/27/a-strong-towns-crash-course ** The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records and Tours.) https://www.verdunity.com/podcast/episode-28 | |||
| 23 Oct 2019 | Parcel data, Detroit, and you — with Jerry Paffendorf | 01:21:11 | |
The fascinating Jerry Paffendorf, CEO & co-founder of Loveland Technologies, joins the show to talk about the ways that fine-grained parcel data can be a tool for making cities more equitable and transparent. We also discuss Detroit’s history and present, where its majority Black population is undergoing a historic loss of property ownership due to a flawed tax foreclosure problem—as well as what Jerry’s team is doing to help arm residents with information they need. And of course, we geek out a bit on the history and long legacy of the U.S. public land survey, as well as the centrality of city form in generating (or constricting) possibilities for the next generations of society. [Editor’s note: We had a few brief instances of audio issues in this episode. It’s noticeable but (we hope) not overwhelming.] Mentioned in the episode: Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & Felix Landry Learn more about Jerry’s work at Landgrid.com, or send them an email at team@landgrid.com. You can follow Jerry on Twitter, too: @wello. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! -- (Music in this episode is from No Future and The B-52's) | |||
| 03 Jun 2020 | Emerging stronger | 00:05:57 | |
Most cities lack the resources to keep up with infrastructure and service demands, yet daily decisions continue to prioritize growth and short-term wins over long-term costs and impacts. If you’re in local government and are looking for ways to get more out of your existing resources—while building community trust and making immediate progress—we've been working on something we think will help you do just that. We’re hosting a free, 10-part training webinar series called Emerge Stronger, where we're walking through the process we use to help city leaders align vision, policies, and investments with what citizens are willing and able to pay for. These interactive webinars are taking place every other Friday through September. If you missed the first webinar (hosted May 22), where we talked about how you can assess the plans and other tools that your city already has at its disposal, you can still watch that one here. The next webinar will take place on Friday, June 5, at 1:30pm Central. Register here! In this one, we'll talk about how you can assess and maximize the various resources your community has available. In particular:
-- Want to take advantage of our COVID-19 discounts? Head over to verdunity.com/covid for more information on our assessments, fiscal analysis, and workshops. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records) | |||
| 28 Aug 2018 | 03 – "No is an acceptable answer" | 00:48:59 | |
Many citizens think their local government has enough money to maintain its infrastructure and keep up services, because they pay taxes. The reality is most cities do not, and it can be challenging for city leadership to communicate this to citizens. Today's guests are bucking that trend of silence. We talk to three key leaders (Mayor Connie Schroeder, City Manager Lynda Humble, and Hospitality & Downtown Director Sarah O'Brien) from the City of Bastrop, TX, about what managed growth means to the future of their city. They discuss Bastrop's resource constraints and affordability challenges, why they are openly talking about their infrastructure funding gap when many cities' leaderships are reluctant to do so, and why cities need to be doing the math on the eventual costs of repairing roads and subdivisions. Find out more about their Building Bastrop initiative, which aims "to streamline the development process and create fiscally sustainable standards for future projects." Your city may go by a different name, but it's likely facing many similar challenges to those in Bastrop, and it could certainly learn from this refreshing approach to sustainable development. Follow Bastrop's progress on Twitter (@CityofBastropTX) and facebook.com/bastroptx Show page: https://gocultivate.org/podcast-episode-03/ | |||
| 03 Jan 2023 | Engaging Youth in Planning — with Mara Mintzer | 00:52:11 | |
We’re kicking off 2023 with an interview with Mara Mintzer, a co-founder and the Executive Director of Growing Up Boulder, an initiative to engage with city children and youth and offer them opportunities to affect change within their community. In 2017, Mara hosted a TEDx talk on including young people in city planning—which has amassed nearly 2 million views—and she recently co-authored the book, "Placemaking with Children and Youth: Participatory Practices for Planning Sustainable Communities". In this episode, we discuss Mara's mission and inspiration, young people’s natural ability for intuitive and smart city design, and the connection between the inclusion of children in community building with the residents they’ll become in the future as adults. "Placemaking with Children and Youth" book "How kids can help design cities" TEDx talk "The Nature of Cities" documentary trailer
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| 09 Nov 2018 | 13 – Is fast growth a bad thing? | 00:54:37 | |
This is the first of a short series on city growth. Are there good ways or bad ways to grow? In this episode, we're asking whether there is such a thing as growing too fast or too slow. Jordan speaks with Verdunity's Felix Landry about both the financial and social/cultural implications of fast growth vs. slow growth. We discuss the ways building standards can help or hurt, what it means to love a place, whether cities have knobs that can speed up growth or slow it down, whether it matters that you build a whole block out at once or over time, why scapegoating renters is off-base, and much more. Have thoughts on this discussion? We want to hear from you. Email us: info@verdunity.com. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 18 Jan 2019 | 22 – Scaling the city: Have we gotten size all wrong? | 01:05:01 | |
We design our homes to the scale of a human being. We used to design our neighborhoods that way. So what happened? And does it matter how we size our streets or our cities? In this episode, Jordan Clark and Felix Landry discuss the implications—economic, equity, human, and more—of designing cities to primarily accommodate moving objects that are ten times bigger than human beings. We wrap things up by talking about some of the ways we can start addressing the various problems created by an out-of-whack transportation network (starting at the 51:45 mark). This podcast is brought to you by your friends at Verdunity. For more episodes, check out verdunity.com/go-cultivate. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records) | |||
| 21 Mar 2019 | 30 – [PART 2] Revitalization without gentrification? | 00:37:22 | |
We're back with the second part of our interview with Derek and Bianca Avery, incremental developers and community builders with COIR Holdings. In this episode we talk more about the history and very present effects of redlining in American cities and why Derek and Bianca first look for those neighborhoods to invest in. We then discuss some specific things cities can do to set the environment for responsible, incremental development. For part one of this interview, check out episode 29. This is also the last episode of Season 1 of this podcast! We'll be back after a short hiatus with more episodes and some pretty exciting news. ** The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records & Tours.) https://www.verdunity.com/podcast/episode-30 | |||
| 04 Sep 2019 | Are We Doing This Right? // Granny Flats Edition | 00:56:44 | |
Cities across the country face a shortage of affordable housing, despite a nationwide glut of single-family homes. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—often referred to as granny flats or other quaint-sounding names—have emerged as one way to quickly add affordable units to single-family neighborhoods, without tearing down existing homes. Yet, in most cities, they remain illegal to build. And while some cities have re-legalized them, they often put in place so much red tape that few units end up actually getting built. In this episode, we cover:
Want to research this further? Here are some of the resources we found helpful: All About Accessory Dwelling Units Santa Cruz Implements “Granny Flat” Program Why tiny ADUs may be a big answer to the urban housing crisis American Planning Association KnowledgeBase: Accessory Dwelling Units -- Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & AJ Fawver. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! -- (Music in this episode is from No Future, Blue Note Sessions, Chuck Jackson, Custodian of Records, & Fred Rogers.) | |||
| 16 May 2019 | Who do you trust? [Part 2] | 00:45:45 | |
Welcome back to Part 2 of our discussion about trust and distrust between the public and planners. If you haven't listened to Part 1, we'd recommend starting with that. :) Who you're hearing in this episode: Jordan Clark (your host), Daniel Herriges of Strong Towns, and Verdunity's Felix Landry. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn -- (Music in this episode is from NO MONEY & Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 23 Jul 2019 | Are We Doing This Right? // Single-Family Zoning Edition | 01:04:06 | |
Across the country, cities big and small are facing a housing affordability crisis, yet many single-family houses sit vacant. Many of the same cities have serious infrastructure funding shortages. We examine the role of single-family zoning in shaping these issues and more—and we explore why there is momentum building to re-legalize other housing types, such as duplexes and fourplexes. "Are We Doing This Right?" is our new podcast series where we dig deeper into an issue that affects cities across North America, bust (or uphold) a few myths, set some context, and give our frank opinions about whether or not we could be doing things better. (Hint: we usually think we could be doing things better than we currently are, but we always try to find examples of places that already are doing a good job.) Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & AJ Fawver. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn -- (Music in this episode is from No Future, Custodian of Records, & Malvina Reynolds.) | |||
| 30 Sep 2020 | Infrastructure funding! – with Jim Proce | 01:01:13 | |
Kevin speaks with Jim Proce, City Manager for the City of Anna, Texas, about a pressing issue many cities are facing: the struggle to find the money needed to maintain and replace streets and other infrastructure built back in their growth years. Also discussed in this episode:
To see some of Jim's CIP process mentioned in the show, follow this link. Find Jim on LinkedIn -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Future, Jim Croce, and Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 26 Oct 2018 | 11 – How might a city become fiscally sustainable? | 01:06:23 | |
Kevin and Jordan discuss the beginnings of a framework for getting any city in better fiscal shape – all while building trust and collaboration with residents of all neighborhoods. Buckle in! We made Kevin the mayor of a city for this episode. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of VERDUNITY. Learn more at verdunity.com Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 24 Oct 2018 | Let's chat: Neighborhood identity and community involvement | 00:25:51 | |
We're trying something new here. The Verdunity office is always buzzing with good discussions about what's on our minds that week. So, instead of keeping them all to ourselves, we'll be dropping short, spur-of-the-moment conversations like this one into the feed from time to time. It might be something we've read that day, an interaction we've had with a community leader, or just something we ate (hopefully not). Today, Tim Wright (the brand-newest member of Verdunity!) and Jordan Clark chat about neighborhood identity and community involvement. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of your friends at Verdunity. If you like this addition to the podcast feed, or if you hate it—or if you really want us to riff on a particular subject—let us know: info@verdunity.com. Find us elsewhere in cyberspace: Twitter and Facebook (Music in this episode is from Blank & Kytt) | |||
| 21 Nov 2018 | 14 – Amazon HQ2 / CA wildfires / Genuine community engagement | 00:59:33 | |
Today is a bit of a Thanksgiving grab-bag. Kevin and Jordan discuss:
We also take a few moments at the end [50:00] to let you know about a few cool things we’re working on.
This podcast is brought to you by your friends at Verdunity. For more episodes, check out verdunity.com/go-cultivate. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records) | |||
| 11 Jan 2022 | Serving You Better: 3 Reflections from 2021 and Initiatives for 2022 | 00:45:24 | |
In this first Podcast of the year Kevin takes an introspective look look back at Verdunity’s last year and gives a preview of what we expect to be up to in 2022. Listen in to Kevin giving some thought to
As we look forward to 2022 we hope you will join us for some upcoming workshops we will be holding around the state of Texas. Stay tuned, chances are we will be coming somewhere near you! Items mentioned in the podcast: Episode 23 – Co-creating the city you want to live in, with Ben Orcutt "Buckle Up, Baby" – with Chuck Marohn Fiscally Informed Planning - with the City of Taylor, Texas | |||
| 15 Apr 2020 | Small development, trust, & strong local economies – with R. John Anderson | 00:59:32 | |
R. John Anderson, co-founder of Incremental Development Alliance, joins the show to talk about the small developer movement, the CARES Act and its impact on small businesses right now, and what cities can do to cultivate a stronger small business ecosystem. You can learn more about IncDev at incrementaldevelopment.org and on the IncDev Facebook page. John also founded and maintains the excellent Facebook group "We Do Incremental Development" (formerly "Small Developers & Builders") for anyone interested in small-scale, incremental development. John shares some of his thoughts over at his blog, RJohnTheBad.com. John is also Principal at Anderson|Kim Architecture + Urban Design. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (The music in this episode is from No Money, Custodian of Records, & Isaac Horwedel.) | |||
| 29 Apr 2020 | Are We Doing This Right? // Parking Minimums Edition | 01:05:36 | |
We’re back with another edition of our series “Are We Doing This Right?” This time around, we take a closer look at parking minimums. They might seem like a harmless feature of your zoning ordinance, but they play a huge role in shaping the physical environment of your community. Intentionally or not, parking minimums adversely affect the viability of public transit and local businesses, housing affordability, regional ecological health, and the fiscal strength of the cities that enact them. In this episode, we dig into the history and consequences of minimum parking requirements, and then we talk about practical steps cities and towns can take to move beyond them. And of course, we always close by answering the question, “Are we doing this right?” (You might have guessed by now what the answer is on this one.) Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & AJ Fawver. Want to see links to things we discussed in this episode? Head on over to the show page on our website. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money, John H. Glover, Custodian of Records, Cosmic Dan & the Mole Men, Yung Chomsky, and Midnight Star.) | |||
| 02 Nov 2021 | "Buckle Up, Baby" – with Chuck Marohn | 01:26:06 | |
The Go Cultivate! podcast is back! In this episode Kevin introduces Marshall Hines who will be helping out with episodes going forward and they talk about what to expect from us in the future. Chuck Marohn (of Strong Towns) and Kevin Shepherd (of Verdunity) discuss how they came to engineering in the first place, what led them to discover some problems in the profession, and their divergent paths to solving them. It turns out to be a critical conversation between two engineers recovering from the dogma of their chosen career with thoughtful advice for the rest of us. You'll also hear how Chuck and Kevin think about Bottom Up action applies to larger infrastructure projects and planning efforts. Items mentioned in the podcast: Confessions of a Recovering Engineer | |||
| 24 Dec 2018 | 19 – Monte Anderson on incremental development (Part 2) | 00:39:37 | |
Here's what we discuss in part 2 of our interview with Monte Anderson:
The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records and Tours.) | |||
| 28 May 2020 | Talking tax bases & sustainable development – with Patrick Lawler and Chad Janicek | 01:09:18 | |
In this episode, Kevin chats with Patrick Lawler and Chad Janicek, the co-founders of ZacTax, an online sales and hotel tax analysis platform for local governments. Before making the jump to ZacTax full-time, Patrick and Chad both worked in local government, most recently as City Manager and ACM for Hudson Oaks, TX. They share our passion for helping communities move toward a more sustainable development and operations model, and using data to inform decisions. We talk about what led them to create the early version of ZacTax while they were working at the city, how the software has evolved, and what their data is showing about the impact of COVID-19 on city finances. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money, Custodian of Records, and Harlem Hamfats.) | |||
| 09 Aug 2018 | 01 – What to expect on the Go Cultivate! podcast | 00:41:54 | |
In the first episode of Go Cultivate!, we discuss what it means for a city to be financially resilient, resource-conscious, and people-friendly. Then, we talk about 5 key groups of community leaders. 1:03 – Why Go Cultivate? And what's up with the name VERDUNITY? 5:00 – Revisiting the purpose of the podcast: "helping community leaders grow financially resilient, resource-conscious, and people-friendly cities. 5:51 – "Financially resilient" 7:00 – "Resource-conscious" 8:00 – "People-friendly" 11:40 – What is the status quo and what keeps the status quo in place? 16:32 – Community leaders: five broad groups 17:52 – Elected officials 22:21 – City administrators 23:50 – City technical staff 25:28 – Economic development 27:17 – Implementers! 27:50 – The importance of making citizens feel like their contribution is welcome – and what a city might look like when they don't 31:36 – Implementers as allies to official city leaders 35:21 – The connection between working on yourself, your neighborhood, and your community (The music in this episode is by Custodian of Records) https://gocultivate.org/podcast-episode-01 | |||
| 14 Jul 2023 | Meet the Verdooners — with Matt Meals | 00:15:36 | |
In this episode we are sitting down with Matt Meals, the newest addition to Verdunity’s engineering team. He and Kevin discuss Matt’s journey to Verdunity, and his perspective on how land use fiscal analysis gives cities the education they need to plan for communities to take root, as well as how it empowers citizens to take active roles in shaping the future of their communities. Throughout the interview, Matthew emphasizes the importance of context and community in engineering and design, and shares how his passion for environmentalism and sustainable energy led him to where he is today.
Matt Recommends: Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam | |||
| 17 Jun 2020 | Advocating for Texas cities – with Bennett Sandlin | 00:53:07 | |
Today’s episode features a conversation with Bennett Sandlin, the Executive Director of Texas Municipal League. We talk about:
-- Want to take advantage of our COVID-19 discounts? Head over to verdunity.com/covid for more information on our assessments, fiscal analysis, and workshops. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money and Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 30 Mar 2023 | 2023 Podcast Survey | 00:01:57 | |
Whether you're a long time follower of our Go Cultivate! podcast or just started listening, we'd love some feedback. This annual survey guides our team in creating content you actually want! As a thank you, all submissions will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Amazon gift card - winner will be announced in our May 2nd podcast episode! Link: verdunity.com/2023survey
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| 07 Jun 2022 | Resurrecting a Dying Downtown - with Jason Duff | 01:13:32 | |
Jason Duff is the Founder of Small Nation which encompasses a group of companies, leaders, and investors who develop places, spaces, and dreams for small towns and small-town entrepreneurs across the county. Jason and his team at Small Nation have completely revitalized the town of Bellefontaine, Ohio. In 10 short years, they have turned a dying town around and helped make it a Best-in-State destination. If you want some serious inspiration for how your downtown can be enlivened with passion and hard work, this is a must-listen. Mentioned in This Episode: About Jason & Small Nation: https://smallnationstrong.com/ Jason’s Work: Downtown Proponent Breathes Life Into One Small Town, Hopes to Repeat Feat BG Leaders Look at Bellefontaine’s ‘Hustle Hard’ Approach Used to Rescue that Downtown Bellefontaine - The Resuscitation of a Dying Small Town https://smallnationstrong.com/case_study/bellefontaine/ Articles by Jason: The Best Entrepreneurs Spend Less Time Marketing And More Time Building Social Media Engagement Other Resources: Incremental Development Alliance https://www.incrementaldevelopment.org/ Building Small: A Toolkit for Real Estate Entrepreneurs, Civic Leaders, and Great Communities, by Jim Heid How to Get Started as a Small-Scale Developer https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017/11/1/how-to-be-a-small-scale-developer Seeing Small 4 Tested Techniques to Catalyze Small Town Redevelopment https://meetingoftheminds.org/4-tested-techniques-to-catalyze-small-town-redevelopment-27017 A Common-Sense Approach to Reinvigorating Small-Town America https://www.ruralbusiness.com/a-common-sense-approach-to-reinvigorating-small-town-america/ | |||
| 30 Oct 2019 | Are We Doing This Right? // Placemaking Edition (Part 1) | 01:04:34 | |
Placemaking is one of those ubiquitous urbanist buzzwords these days. Yet it can be difficult to get a broadly agreed-upon definition. We discuss what is actually means (as far as we can tell), what trends it came about as a response to, and why it might look different depending on the location. We run through some of the key elements of (the different forms of) placemaking, and a few notable (good and bad) examples of where it's been done. This is Part 1 of a two-part discussion. In Part 2, we'll get more familiar with some of the different criticisms of placemaking and its outcomes. Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & AJ Fawver. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from No Future, Custodian of Records, & Sludgefest.) | |||
| 14 Mar 2019 | 29 – [PART 1] Revitalization without gentrification? | 00:34:00 | |
On this episode, we talk with Bianca and Derek Avery of COIR Holdings about what it means to be a responsible developer – especially at a time when many people are skeptical of the profession. We talk the difference between a "spreadsheet developer" and a "community developer," and the possibility of "revitalizing" a neighborhood without generating displacement. Then we dig into their holistic approach to sustainable community development that is focused on creating mixed-income neighborhoods. This is part one of our interview. Part two will be available next week! ** The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) https://www.verdunity.com/podcast/episode-29 | |||
| 15 Aug 2019 | Property tax caps aren't helping | 00:49:43 | |
Texas is the latest state to pass or amend legislation capping the amount cities’ revenue from property taxes can increase year to year. Bills like Texas’ SB2 are passed with the intent of limiting the amount homeowners have to pay in property tax and keeping them from getting priced out of their homes. That stated goal is a noble one (on its face), but there’s another side to the equation, and that includes the increasing costs cities have to provide basic services and maintain aging infrastructure, fund education and support programs intended to cultivate growth and opportunities for residents and businesses. In states where cities rely on property tax revenue as the primary funding source to cover these needs, the property tax caps limit cities’ ability to generate revenue to keep up with these liabilities, and it’s resulting in growing deficits, deferred infrastructure maintenance and cuts to basic services. Additionally, studies of early adopters such as California, Michigan and others have shown that these caps also impact social justice and wealth inequality as well. In this episode, we discuss the fallout from this type of legislation in states across the country—and what cities can do in response. -- Sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not your grandmother's e-newsletter. We round up our favorite reads from the week, alert you to new podcasts and blogs, and give you the scoop on upcoming events you won't want to miss. -- For our Texas friends: -- Want to discuss this further? If you're in local government or part of a local agency, sign up for our FREE online community—the Community Cultivators Network. Join us and like-minded peers across the country to talk about the biggest challenges you face. We're discussing new things every week, and the experience only gets better with more awesome change agents taking part! -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn -- (Music in this episode is from No Future & Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 21 Dec 2018 | 18 – Monte Anderson on incremental development (Part 1) | 00:58:08 | |
We’ve talked about the value of small investments on this podcast before, and in this episode we sit down with someone whose name is synonymous with small, incremental development—Monte Anderson, CEO of Options Real Estate. Monte is a developer, small-business booster, and co-founder of the Incremental Development Alliance. In part one of this discussion, we talk about the ways Monte is trying to help communities build wealth one incremental development at a time, how small development can address affordable housing needs, the importance of finding a low-risk entry point for people who want to own their own business, and much more. In this episode:
Links to things discussed in this episode: More on the DeSoto Market Place:
More on Tyler Station: Extra:
The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. | |||
| 28 Sep 2018 | 07 – City planning: it takes a village (Part 1) | 00:39:23 | |
This is the first of a two-part interview with AJ Fawver, director of planning for the City of Lubbock, Texas. (Follow her on Twitter: @planningguru. Read her blog on ELGL here.) Here's a sampling of what Kevin and AJ get into:
The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of VERDUNITY. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 22 Dec 2022 | Meet the Verdooners — with Kevin Shepherd | 00:27:48 | |
Kevin Shepherd, the founder and CEO of Verdunity is here to talk about where the company has been, where it might be going in the future, and what gifts your city-focused friends might enjoy. Spoiler alert: he loves books. Kevin is an engineer, but as is usually pretty obvious, not your typical engineer, and its interesting to hear from him some of the struggles he has faced trying to communicate a message of fiscal responsibility to sometimes very resistant parties. This episode rounds out our Meet the Verdooners mini-series. We hope you've enjoyed getting to know a little more about our team! | |||
| 13 Aug 2020 | Safeguarding small business during the pandemic – with Kennedy Smith | 01:08:37 | |
In this episode, Kevin speaks with Kennedy Smith, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), about strategies that city leaders can use to help local businesses weather the pandemic—and the post-pandemic world. Kennedy has just authored a report titled 'Safeguarding Small Business During the Pandemic: 26 Strategies for Local Leaders.' The 26 actions outlined are grouped into three main priority areas that address immediate, short-term, and longer-term actions to guide community leaders:
We're big fans of ILSR, and we encourage you to check out the rest of their work as well! -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. (This episode features music from No Money, Custodian of Records, and Petula Clark.) | |||
| 03 Oct 2018 | 08 – Nine lessons for building stronger communities | 01:05:30 | |
We thought this would be a quick chat. It wasn't that quick, but we do think it's a good start to a deeper discussion on ways cities can better serve and engage citizens – and build a more sustainable community in the process. In this episode we walk through Kevin's most recent post on the blog. Here's a rundown of the nine lessons Kevin spells out in his post and this discussion:
The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of VERDUNITY. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find our other episodes and blog posts at GoCultivate.org. (The music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) | |||
| 01 Nov 2022 | Community Branding and Engagement — with Ryan Short | 01:12:28 | |
Ryan Short is the CEO of CivicBrand, a firm that blends together branding, communications, and direct engagement with communities. As we think about the kinds of places we want our cities to grow into and be in the future, it's important to directly connect with members of the community to help identify and then take ownership of a place. CivicBrand is right at the place where those things converge. If you are interested in how to get your community more engaged in discussions both large and small, this episode is right for you. | |||
| 25 Feb 2019 | 27 – Making the jump toward more active towns, with John Simmerman | 00:56:46 | |
We're excited to bring you a conversation with Active Towns founder John Simmerman (@JohnSimmerman), who's been on a long journey to document what cities are doing to become safer and more comfortable places to walk, bike, and be active. John joins Jordan Clark on the podcast talk about his findings since beginning his Active Towns Tour in 2012, including:
If you dig what John's about, and you want to find out more, follow his updates on Vimeo, or find Active Towns on social media: @ActiveTowns on Twitter and facebook.com/activetowns. ALSO: Don't forget that John's Indiegogo campaign wraps up at the end of February. If you'd like to make a contribution, you can do that here. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) https://www.verdunity.com/podcast/episode-26 | |||
| 15 Jan 2019 | Let's chat: Do apartments require more police? | 00:27:46 | |
We hear this a lot: Apartments bring higher crime, which means more police, which means higher police costs. But is that really the case? The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of your friends at Verdunity. If you like this addition to the podcast feed, or if you hate it—or if you really want us to riff on a particular subject—let us know: info@verdunity.com. Find us elsewhere in cyberspace: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn (Music in this episode is from Blank & Kytt) | |||
| 11 Dec 2019 | Affordable housing & incremental development | 01:05:39 | |
It's a crossover episode! Kevin Shepherd (along with our friend Monte Anderson) was recently interviewed on an episode of Chaffee Housing Report from KHEN in Salida, Colorado, and we're delighted to share it on our feed. In this hour-long chat, Kevin, Monte, and the hosts discuss affordable housing, the fiscal impact of development patterns, incremental development, and much more. Want to host a workshop in your city on any of the topics discussed here? We're putting together our 2020 schedule right now. Send us an email to info@verdunity.com. -- The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Find more about this and other episodes (and our blog) at verdunity.com/go-cultivate. You can also find us on social media. Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn And if you haven't yet, sign up for our weekly email digest. It's not lame! (Each week we collectively curate a list of the things we read that caught our attention. Then we hand-package your copy, spank a first-class stamp on that baby, and drop it right in your email inbox.) Sign up here! Join us (and your peers!) in the Community Cultivators Network. -- (Music in this episode is from Scott Joplin & Custodian of Records.) | |||