103 / Super bowl economics, stadium financing, & sports as a land use / with Dominic Leonardo

Dominic Leonardo — the urban planner and creator behind CityGlowUp — is back in good traffic this week for a conversation about the hidden costs of hosting major sporting events, why cities keep building stadiums they can't afford, and what a leaked 2013 Super Bowl bid book reveals about the NFL's demands. As cities across the country bond for billions to build new facilities hoping for economic windfalls, Dominic's recent videos expose financial inconsistencies that rarely make headlines — and why the math might never add up the way boosters claim.

We also touch on: The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs' new stadium deals. How economic impact studies overstate benefits. Parking requirements as a tax on density. Rhode Island's iterative approach to housing legislation. ADUs in existing non-conforming structures. Massachusetts transit-oriented development laws. Hasbro leaving Rhode Island for Boston. The Washington Bridge replacement project.

*Apologies for the delay in getting this out - an illness slowed us down, last week.

Timeline:

00:00 Dominic Leonardo returns.

02:47 CityGlowUp on YouTube.

03:28 The economics of the Super Bowl video.

04:08 The leaked 2013 NFL bid book.

04:55 Tax exemptions and 35,000 free parking spaces.

05:24 Are cities really seeing economic growth?

05:41 Brad's biggest hypocrisy.

06:33 Why stadium financing is so problematic.

07:07 New England's unique approach to stadiums.

07:42 The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City deals.

08:25 Dallas Cowboys and public subsidies.

11:18 Economic impact studies and their flaws.

15:34 The cultural value of sports teams.

19:47 Other CityGlowUp videos worth watching.

24:12 Parking requirements as a hidden tax.

29:38 Minimum lot sizes and exclusionary zoning.

35:22 Rhode Island's housing production package.

40:15 Iterative legislation year after year.

44:50 ADUs in existing non-conforming structures.

48:33 State preemption of local zoning.

52:41 Comparing Rhode Island to Massachusetts.

57:28 Transit-oriented development laws in Mass.

1:01:15 Commuter rail bleeding into Rhode Island.

1:04:22 The latest in Rhode Island land use.

1:06:23 ADU regulations evolving rapidly.

1:07:23 Hasbro leaving for Boston.

1:07:38 Rhode Island versus other New England states.

1:09:40 Wrapping up and future meetups.

Further context:

CityGlowUp on YouTube.

On Instagram.

On TikTok.