Land Matters

A behind the scenes look at what makes cities tick. Whether financing infrastructure, adapting to climate change, or building more affordable housing, a big part of innovative solutions can be traced back to land.

Puzzling Out the Housing Crisis 04/16/2024

Puzzling Out the Housing Crisis Highlights from the Lincoln Institute’s Journalists Forum: Innovations in Affordability reveal emerging solutions to the extraordinary challenge of the housing crisis—reforming statewide zoning to increase supply, outmaneuvering institutional investors, shifting the property tax to a land value tax, and changing the home financing system. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/30847893

COP28 and the Future of the Planet 02/02/2024

COP28 and the Future of the Planet An assessment of what was accomplished at the recent COP28 climate summit in Dubai, including more prominence for the critical issue of land use and cities, by four members of the Lincoln Institute staff who were there /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/29776958

Paige Cognetti and the Reinvention of Scranton 12/12/2023

Paige Cognetti and the Reinvention of Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti is guiding the postindustrial reinvention of Scranton, a coal-mining crossroads in northeastern Pennsylvania that is President Biden’s hometown—and has gained notoriety as the setting for the TV comedy series “The Office.” /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/29040708

Water in the West 10/31/2023

Water in the West 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. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/28479149

Summer of Smoke and Swelter 08/03/2023

Summer of Smoke and Swelter 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. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/27649332

Staying Calm and Planning On 06/07/2023

Staying Calm and Planning On 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. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/27071502

Leading by Example 04/17/2023

Leading by Example The former President and First Lady of Costa Rica, taking a year in the United States after being in power from 2018 to 2022, reflect on their home country’s record of leading by example on climate, from rainforest conservation to electric buses. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/26570127

Housing and hope in Cincinnati 03/17/2023

Housing and hope in Cincinnati As a relatively affordable city protected from some of the worst effects of climate change, Cincinnati is poised for growth. In the 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. For links and resources related to this episode, please visit our show notes at Not yet live (ETA Monday afternoon) /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/26263899

Orchestrating Impact 02/01/2023

Orchestrating Impact Three scholars retiring from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy – Armando Carbonell, who led 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 nonprofit organization to have real-world impact. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/25803090

Confronting extreme heat in Africa 12/08/2022

Confronting extreme heat in Africa The mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, Yvonne Aki-Sawyer, explains her appointment of Africa’s first chief heat officer, fighting climate change with land use planning and planting a million trees, and an overhaul of the property tax system to ensure fiscal sustainability. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/25271418

The Quest for Zoning Zen 10/27/2022

The Quest for Zoning Zen Zoning may not be something most people think about every day. But behind the scenes, local land use rules have been blocking affordable housing, hindering climate action, and exacerbating racial segregation, according to author M. Nolan Gray and Cornell University professor Sara Bronin. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/24821397

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín: We need to build new housing 09/23/2022

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín: We need to build new housing Berkeley, California, is a classic case of a built-up city facing tensions over future development. In this candid interview, Mayor Jesse Arreguín talks about the need to make the city more affordable by clearing the way for new housing and discouraging speculation among owners sitting on vacant lots and properties. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/24469980

Climate Journalists Consider the Land-Climate Connection 08/24/2022

Climate Journalists Consider the Land-Climate Connection Thirty journalists on the climate beat came to the Lincoln Institute recently to consider global warming’s impact on land, whether deforestation, inundation, or drought. The conclusion: new policies and practices in land use planning will be required to head off a worsening crisis. A full recap of the 2022 Journalists Forum is available /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/24154536

Climate Journalists Consider the Land-Climate Connection 08/24/2022

A Force of Nature on Chicago’s South Side 06/16/2022

A Force of Nature on Chicago’s South Side On the South Side of Chicago, Rev. Otis Moss III has led initiatives in green building and community empowerment that are having a ripple effect across the city and beyond. This interview follows his delivery of the keynote address for the Lincoln Institute’s 75th anniversary celebration. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/23453021

Burlington, Vermont, Goes Bona Fide Green 05/16/2022

Burlington, Vermont, Goes Bona Fide Green Burlington, Vermont – already sourcing 100 percent of its energy from renewables – is pledging to end all use of fossil fuels by 2030. Mayor Miro Weinberger says he has the political support to eliminate planet-warming emissions across all sectors. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/23126303

Randall Woodfin and the realities of revitalization 03/12/2022

Randall Woodfin and the realities of revitalization Randall Woodfin, Birmingham’s “millennial mayor” and rising star in Alabama politics, has launched an urban mechanic’s agenda for revitalizing that post-industrial city: restoring basic infrastructure on a block-by-block basis, setting up a command center so federal funds are spent wisely, and providing guaranteed income for single mothers. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/22427672

Kara Swisher: What Big Tech Can do for Climate 01/29/2022

Kara Swisher: What Big Tech Can do for Climate The big technology companies could do big things to address climate change, says Silicon Valley chronicler Kara Swisher, host of the “Sway” podcast at The New York Times. New inventions await in manufacturing, materials, batteries, growing food, sequestering carbon – and using artifical intelligence to understand climate data and land use changes. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/21945725

How a Toad Might Guide a Better Climate Future 12/21/2021

How a Toad Might Guide a Better Climate Future The cane toad, introduced in Australia in the 1930s to control pests, quickly became a major problem itself – one of many examples of human interventions in natural systems that scientists should keep in mind while trying to tackle the climate crisis, says New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/21565142

Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez, breaking new ground 11/22/2021

Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez, breaking new ground Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez talks about local climate action, land value capture for more equitable urban development, and the importance of supporting women in society, in an interview as she was en route to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/21250586

Bruce Babbitt would like to add land and water to the COP26 mix 10/30/2021

Bruce Babbitt would like to add land and water to the COP26 mix As world leaders descend on Glasgow, Scotland for the COP26 climate summit, the critical role of land and water isn’t getting enough attention, says former Arizona Governor and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. The destruction of forests is spewing emissions and taking away natural carbon sinks. And dwindling water supplies – seen in real time in the looming crisis in the Colorado River Basin – demands immediate action, he says. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/20993093

Addressing structural racism in urban planning 09/28/2021

Addressing structural racism in urban planning This summer a coalition of city planners came together to acknowledge past discrimination in urban development policies and commit to becoming “change agents” to help create more racially equitable communities. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/articles/2021-10-land-matters-addressing-structural-racism-urban-planning /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/20634848

Land’s crucial role in fighting climate change 08/12/2021

Land’s crucial role in fighting climate change In this summer of 2021, land is being ravaged. Wildfires burn in the western U.S., Canada and elsewhere, and the Amazon rainforest has been scorched so much for ranching and agriculture it now emits more carbon than it absorbs. Land conservation veteran Jim Levitt explains the central role of land, land management, and land conservation in confronting climate change, now and in the future. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/20119253

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson reflects on equity and regeneration 05/28/2021

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson reflects on equity and regeneration Mayor Frank Jackson is happy about the myriad efforts to revitalize Cleveland – from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to the University Circle cultural center and the recent “innovation hub” activity in tech and life sciences. But as he finishes out his fourth and final term, Jackson says that the city’s ultimate success should be defined by one standard only – whether future regeneration is equitable for all. Show notes and more at https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/podcasts-videos /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/19273823

Affordability on a fast track 04/16/2021

Affordability on a fast track Home to global tech companies and a record number of millionaires, Cambridge, Massachusetts has been trying to make the city more accessible for all. Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui talks about recent strategies, including an innovative affordable housing overlay that streamlines permitting and awards extra height and density for below market-rate residential projects. For links and resources discussed in this episode, please visit our show notes at https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/series/land-lines-magazine /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/18749576

Finding Answers in Land 03/30/2021

Finding Answers in Land As the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy marks its 75th anniversary, Chair Kathryn J. Lincoln and President George W. “Mac” McCarthy reflect on the past, present, and future of an organization that recognizes the central role of land in solving some of the world’s greatest challenges, from confronting climate change to making global cities better places for all. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/18544448

Rising rents, families on the edge 02/25/2021

Rising rents, families on the edge Rising rents are straining family budgets now more than ever, says NYU professor Ingrid Gould Ellen, co-author of the Lincoln Institute report “Through the Roof” – and the pandemic has both revealed and exacerbated the affordability crisis. Local governments should establish comprehensive plans to create more housing, she says, but action at the state and federal level will help as well. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/18094559

Moving forward on climate 01/22/2021

Moving forward on climate In the first of the year’s shows marking the 75th anniversary of the Lincoln Institute, environmentalist and author Bill McKibben breaks down the actions of the incoming Biden administration to confront the climate crisis, from rejoining the Paris accord to halting the Keystone XL pipeline. Land use and land policy, he says, are critical components as the planet readies for inevitable impacts such as rising seas, which is expected to trigger massive migration. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/17649365

Marking the End of 2020 12/11/2020

Marking the End of 2020 As the world prepares to bid farewell to 2020, taking stock of an unprecedented year involves both understanding the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic and looking ahead to what the future may hold. New York Times reporter Emily Badger and author Diana Lind reflect on the prospects for cities, housing, and transportation in the times ahead. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/17161004

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and the changing Southwest 11/12/2020

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and the changing Southwest Recently reelected Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego reflects on a supercharged election season – and how, among other changes, Phoenix is becoming a more sustainable, and more urban, place. The nation’s fifth-largest metropolis is battling COVID, stepping up measures to conserve water, and providing new housing and transit options for its growing population. /episode/index/show/landmatterspodcast/id/16790540

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