Podcasts

The postindustrial city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, developed some curiously 21st century claims to fame. But now the city of 75,000 is setting its sights on new strategies for equitable economic revitalization, as Mayor Paige Cognetti explains.

Jim Holway, who retired as director of the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy this summer, reflects on decades of trying to solve the puzzle of sustainable water resources in the West, and looks to what the future may hold.

Record-breaking heat, out-of-control wildfires, and eye-stinging smoke have made the impacts of climate change inescapable for millions of people this summer. Containing the destructive fires is mostly a matter of land use management, says Canadian science journalist Ed Struzik.

The job of the urban planner is getting tougher these days, as cities confront climate change and a shortage of affordable housing, amid increasingly divided constituencies. Veteran journalist Josh Stephens shares insights from his interviews for the book Planners Across America.

After leading Costa Rica, former President Carlos Alvarado Quesada and First Lady Claudia Dobles Camargo were ready for a new adventure. Their quest brought them to Tufts and Harvard, where they are continuing to explore the issues that defined their time in office, including small state diplomacy and decarbonization.

As a relatively affordable city protected from some of the worst effects of climate change, Cincinnati is poised for growth. In this episode of the Land Matters podcast, Mayor Aftab Pureval reflects on the challenges he is confronting—including fending off predatory real estate investors—and discusses how the city can grow thoughtfully and equitably.

Three scholars retiring from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy - Armando Carbonell, who leads programs in urban planning and land conservation; Daphne Kenyon, an economist studying the property tax and municipal finance; and Martim Smolka, director of the Latin America program - share thoughts on what it takes for a non-profit to have a real-world impact.