Ep. 119: Responding to Supply Skepticism with Vicki Been

July 08, 2026 5:00am 1:09

Supply skeptics don’t believe that building more homes improves affordability. Vicki Been tells us what the latest research says about their main arguments.Read about the Lewis Center's work at lewis.ucla.edu.Follow our ...

Ep. 118: Road Scholars on Microtransit with Michael Hyland

June 24, 2026 5:00am 1:11

Transit agencies are using microtransit services to increase the reach and access of their overall service. We talk with Mike Hyland about how agencies can think about pricing and fleet sizing to balance cost and service...

Ep. 117: Road Scholars on Density, Displacement, and Driving with Dan Chatman

June 10, 2026 5:00am 54 min

Does building housing near rail stations reduce driving, even if it prices out lower-income residents? Dan Chatman's research suggests the answer hinges not on who lives there, but on how much housing gets built. Chatman...

Ep. 116: ‘Stuck’ Book Club pt. 3 with Yoni Appelbaum

June 01, 2026 5:00am 1:50

Part 3 of our book club series on Yoni Appelbaum's 'Stuck', covering chapters 9–10. Appelbaum himself joins us to wrap up the series. Show notes:Appelbaum, Y. (2025). Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke th...

Ep. 115: Road Scholars on Major Transit Stops with Jacob Wasserman and Aaron Barrall

May 27, 2026 9:00am 52 min

California created a definition for major transit stops in state code and ties this definition to a lot of housing policies. Jacob Wasserman and Aaron Barrall explore the different ways this definition could be interpret...

Ep. 114: 'Stuck' Book Club pt. 2 with Giselle Hale

May 18, 2026 5:00am 1:37

Ep. 113: Road Scholars on Parking Requirements with UC(LA)'s Amy Lee

May 13, 2026 5:00am 54 min

California passed a landmark law in 2022 prohibiting cities from mandating minimum parking requirements near major transit stops. Amy Lee explores how cities and developers have responded.Show NotesLee, A., Millard-Ball,...

Ep. 112: 'Stuck' Book Club pt. 1 with Attorney General Rob Bonta

May 04, 2026 5:00am 2:22

We're doing a three-part book club series on Yoni Appelbaum's 'Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity.' This is episode one, covering chapters 1 through 4. In the second hal...

Ep. 111: Land Value Tax Would Fix This with Lars Doucet (Incentives Series pt. 11)

April 22, 2026 5:00am 1:27

We close out the Incentives Series with Lars Doucet offering a primer on land value taxes, the ultimate incentive-aligned housing policy. This is part 11 of our series on misaligned incentives in housing policy.Show note...

Ep. 110: The Measure ULA Episode with Jason Ward and Mott Smith (Incentives Series pt. 10)

April 01, 2026 5:00am 1:30

We're joined by our co-authors to discuss a few Lewis Center studies on Measure ULA, a transfer tax in the city of Los Angeles, that made a big splash. This is part 10 of our series on misaligned incentives in housing po...

Ep. 109: The Renter Wealth Creation Fund with Chris Herrmann

March 18, 2026 5:00am 1:07

Enterprise Community Partners has been running a renter wealth-building program since 2022. How’s it going? And what comes next?Show notes:Enterprise Community Partners’ Renter Wealth Creation Fund website.The Renter Wea...

Ep. 108: Building Wealth by Renting with Shane Phillips and Bob Simpson

March 05, 2026 5:00am 1:18

Joined by a 20-year veteran of Fannie Mae, Shane shares findings from his work on a proposed new model for building renter wealth: shared prosperity rental housing.Show notes:Phillips, S. (2025). Building Renter Wealth: ...

Ep. 107: A Better Mortgage with Kevin Erdmann (Incentives Series pt. 9)

February 05, 2026 5:00am 45 min

Fixed-rate mortgages are expensive, but adjustable-rate mortgages are volatile — but do they have to be? Kevin Erdmann pitches an alternative that captures the best qualities of both. This is part 9 of our series on misa...

Highlights: Ep. 106. Mortgage Lending Standards with Kevin Erdmann

January 28, 2026 5:00am 23 min

This is the shortened "highlights" version of episode 106. You can listen to the full interview here.Was the housing market really oversupplied in the mid-2000s? Kevin Erdmann says no, and he explains how this misunderst...

Ep. 106: Mortgage Lending Standards with Kevin Erdmann (Incentives Series pt. 8)

January 21, 2026 5:00am 1:08

Was the housing market really oversupplied in the mid-2000s? Kevin Erdmann says no, and he explains how this misunderstanding is at the root of present-day affordability problems. This is part 8 of our series on misalign...

Ep. 105: Shane Talks Housing on Lusk Perspectives

January 08, 2026 5:00am 1:01

Shane makes a guest appearance on USC's Lusk Perspectives to talk state housing law, barriers to missing middle housing and condos, managing transportation systems in densifying cities, building wealth for tenants, and m...

Ep. 104: Why We Don't Build Condos with Muhammad Alameldin (Incentives Series pt. 7)

December 17, 2025 5:00am 1:07

Why do many U.S. states build so few condos? Muhammad Alameldin explains the role of construction defect liability laws — and how to fix them. This is part 7 of our series on misaligned incentives in housing policy.Show ...

Ep 103: Fire Safety in Multifamily Housing with Alex Horowitz (Incentives Series pt. 6)

December 03, 2025 5:00am 59 min

In which types of homes are people safest from fires? Alex Horowitz shares research showing that multifamily is safer than single-family housing, newer homes are much safer than older homes, and that a single stairwell’s...

Ep 102: Minimum Standards vs. Affordability with Benjamin Schneider (Incentives Series pt. 5)

November 19, 2025 5:00am 55 min

We’ve been grappling with trade-offs between stricter building codes and declining affordability for over 100 years. Benjamin Schneider helps us trace the history. This is part 5 of our series on misaligned incentives in...

Ep 101: Beyond Zoning with John Zeanah and Andre D. Jones (Incentives Series pt. 4)

November 05, 2025 5:00am 1:10

Your city just legalized “missing middle” housing in its zoning code… now what? With Memphis, Tennessee, as a case study, John Zeanah and Andre D. Jones discuss the hidden non-zoning barriers to developing small apartmen...