Nolan Gray — Senior Director of Legislation and Research at California YIMBY — is in good traffic this week for a discussion on how the state with America’s biggest housing problem has become a national leader in reforming the rules of the built environment. California is often treated as both a cautionary tale and a blueprint — derided for its crises yet envied for its innovation.

Nolan walks us through California’s last decade of housing policy evolution — from failed early bills like SB 827 and SB 50 to seismic wins like SB 79, which legalized mid-rise multifamily housing near transit, and AB 130, which exempted infill housing from certain environmental reviews. He explains how bipartisan coalitions, local data, and a willingness to rethink outdated laws like CEQA have made real change possible.

We also touch on: Why density is environmentalism. The cultural paradox of Los Angeles and car dependence. How Sacramento quietly became California’s model midsized city. The future of transit funding and infill development. Lessons from working across political divides to make housing work. How storytelling and communication shape real policy progress.

Timeline:

00:00 The nuance of California.

01:15 The contradictions of California’s reputation.

02:29 Economic powerhouse, housing failure.

04:21 Newsom, YIMBYs, and the new momentum.

05:20 Nolan Gray.

07:23 California’s housing crisis explained.

08:47 Why families are leaving the state.

09:51 The political wake-up call.

10:12 Origins of recent SBs.

11:33 Early lessons from failed reforms.

12:24 The ADU revolution.

13:20 Environmental review reform (AB 130).

14:17 Construction costs and the next frontier.

15:11 Inside the CEQA reform victory.

20:02 Rethinking “environmentalism” in housing.

22:47 How CEQA became weaponized.

24:20 The irony of “greenfield” development.

25:40 Real environmentalists vs. procedural ones.

26:09 Bridging divides across California.

27:37 Exporting the housing crisis inland.

28:18 Bipartisan coalitions and shared values.

29:28 Property rights and family housing narratives.

30:14 SB 79 as a national model.

31:14 The transit funding question.

32:18 Transit agencies as landowners.

33:02 Revenue models for sustainable transit.

33:47 Building costs and American inefficiency.

34:31 Transit as geometry, not ideology.

35:14 The LA paradox.

36:08 Car culture as identity.

37:23 Angelenos waking up to change.

38:38 Sacramento’s quiet leadership.

45:34 Practical vs. theoretical planning.

47:20 UCLA and the civic responsibility of planners.

48:06 Donald Shoup’s influence.

50:33 Communicating policy and nuance.

52:24 The gap between research and perception.

53:05 Policy storytelling and responsibility.

54:16 How to make complexity accessible.

55:06 Why housing reform depends on communication.

56:22 Wrapping up.

For context:

Read Nolan's work on Substack.

On SB79.

On CEQA.

California YIMBY.

Nolan's book, on zoning.

Ryan Short — author of the new book The Civic Brand, and founder of place-branding firm Civic Brand — joins the show this week for a discussion on how cities can more meaningfully define their brand. The term has been used and overused in almost every industry imaginable, and yet, Ryan argues the importance of the idea at its root. Particularly, for places.

Through this, we spend time on the lifecycle of a cliché, and how cities of various sizes can and should) go about avoiding becoming one.

The new book zooms in, and surveys places that have done the work around brand intentionally, across the states. It's a great starting spot for folks in and around local government, and citizens alike.

Timeline:

00:00 Ryan Short is in good traffic.

03:14 Cities at the tipping point with brand.

04:55 Why Ryan wrote The Civic Brand.

07:31 An Alaska project and triple bottom line.

09:37 Tourism vs. place management.

10:25 Listening to locals, not just departments.

12:00 Branding as a tool for equity and alignment.

13:18 Urbanism and marketing.

15:06 Walkable cities vs. livable cities.

17:15 Who the book is for — civic leaders to citizens.

19:17 Libraries, Dewey Decimal, and early feedback.

21:13 Marketing professionals and the shift toward destination management.

23:20 How local culture actually drives big decisions.

27:54 Power, culture, and the street-level brand.

29:18 Balancing capitalism, people, and place.

32:08 Density as environmentalism.

33:53 Realism over idealism.

34:38 When words lose meaning — “brand” and “place.”

38:06 “Keep Austin Weird” and what it really means.

39:09 Religion, symbols, and the depth of meaning.

41:35 Making “welcoming” real in the built environment.

43:28 Incongruities between vision and reality.

44:10 Brand as civic north star.

46:39 Why alignment matters.

47:32 How to start civic alignment locally.

49:18 Housing, universities, and shared goals.

52:16 “Civic alignment” as the real message.

52:54 The thesis chapter — start with Chapter 1.

53:36 Commute — living and walking in Salida, CO.

55:48 Wrapping up.

For context:

Buy the book.

Ryan's firm: Civic Brand.

An opinion brief, on defining and messaging urban design's healthcare-equivalent issue.

Democrats are centering the current government shutdown showdown around a salient issue: healthcare. It's a smart framework, as the issue has long been a winner for them, and it benefits large swathes of folks across the political aisle.

We need to do a better job of strategizing our shorthand, and communicating accordingly.

Timeline:

00:00 The urbanist wish list.

00:33 Strategy.

01:29 Lessons from the current government shutdown.

02:24 Why healthcare works.

04:09 Finding a shorthand - safe cities for kids.

05:08 What’s our healthcare?

05:41 Designing and planning for kids.

06:35 The Bike Bus precedents, and safe streets for kids.

07:29 Nostalgia and the long-term play.

08:10 Plugging into mainstream conversations, such as The Anxious Generation.

09:17 Wrapping up.

For context:

ACA enrollee data (Kaiser Family Foundation).