67 / Building optimism... & housing / with Coby Lefkowitz

Coby Lefkowitz is back in good traffic. Amidst leading Backyard in developing housing in Southern California (and tweeting up a pleasant storm), Coby has written a new book.

Building optimism is available now. We get into it, in this conversation.

We discuss:

00:00 Building Optimism: the new book.

02:12 The genesis of the book.

05:42 Challenges and realities of American urban development.

10:27 Historical inspirations and modern applications.

17:13 A younger generation of developers.

26:40 Civics and urban planning in U.S. education.

28:41 Balancing optimism with realism.

33:42 Bridging city and rural perspectives.

34:14 Common goals.

35:09 Understanding density and development.

44:47 The human element in development.

50:05 Balancing growth and community concerns.

55:13 The role of specialists and community members.

59:46 Broader participation in urban planning.

For context:

The book.

Backyard (Coby's development firm).⁠

Connect with Coby:

On Twitter.

Connect with me, Brad:

On Instagram.

On TikTok.