In this episode, Levi sits down with Laurence Qamar is a town planner and architect with over three decades of experience designing walkable neighborhoods and new-urbanist developments across the country. Laurence shares his “Scales of Community” framework — a scalable, flexible approach to town planning that allows neighborhoods to grow organically, block by block. We explore what makes a place walkable, how alley-loaded blocks change the development equation, and how tools like the transect ca...
Aug 14, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In this episode, Levi and Michael discuss the role of the town architect. For nearly 40 years, Mike has worked at the forefront of the new urbanism movement—starting at the charrette for Kentlands, Michael eventually became town architect of the pioneering development in Maryland and he now continues to guide planning and design for developments across the country. We get into the practicalities and philosophy of town architecture—what it is, how it works, and why it matters. Mike shares stories...
Jul 30, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In this conversation, Levi sits down for a long-anticipated conversation with Ross Chapin, who instigated a national revival of "pocket neighborhoods"—small clusters of homes designed to foster real community. Ross shares how a single project in a small Washington town sparked a national movement and reshaped how we think about neighborhood design. We explore the foundational ideas behind his work, including the “scale of sociability,” the use of pattern languages, and the essential role of how ...
Jun 20, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In this episode, Levi sits down with David Horwath of Land Innovations to unpack what it means to develop with purpose in a landscape dominated by conventional suburbia. They explore the challenges—and opportunities—of scaling the traditional neighborhood development (TND) model while preserving the character, craftsmanship, and culture that make great places work. From aligning with legacy-minded landowners to building resilient, cross-functional teams, David shares a deeply thoughtful approach...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this episode, our host Levi Wintz sits down with Casey Roloff, founder and CEO of Seabrook which has been affectionatly coined, “Washington’s Beach Town”. Casey shares his journey from painting houses in college to building one of the most celebrated coastal communities in the country. They dive into the challenges of starting young, the lessons learned along the way, and Casey’s newest venture—The New American Dream, aimed at scaling Seabrook pattern of development across the country. Visit ...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In the reboot episode of the Townbuilders Podcast, new host Levi Wintz sits down with Aaron Lubeck — builder, land planner, zoning reformer, and former host of the show. Aaron is a prolific writer and as editor of Southern Urbanism, he brings sharp insights and passion as he shares what it takes to build a better built environment — and why it matters more than ever.
May 07, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Aaron talks with Jim Anthony of Anthony Property Group about his experience on the front lines brokering and developing better neighborhoods. Jim talks about what he is seeing the market is looking for in both walkable projects and build-to-rent. Lastly, Jim discusses his role in facilitating a Raleigh development that may be Habitat for Humanity’s largest ever.
Dec 15, 2021•42 min
Aaron talks with Mike Ciriello, the Planning Director in Butner, NC about the NTBA’s Spring 2021 visioning exercises in Butner, NC, including what worked and what could be added in future offerings. Mike also talks about how difficult it is to do walkable urbanism in highly regulated Southern watersheds, and why there is such a shortage of good urbanist planning, design, and development talent.
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Aaron talks with Louis Nequette of Nequette Architecture and Design, an early entrant into the build-to-rent space, where he has proven that student housing can be inspiring. Louis is one of the best New Urbanist architects practicing today, and he shares what he has learned about navigating the twin development pressures of managing project costs while creating great places.
Nov 17, 2021•49 min
Aaron talks with Fernando Pages Ruiz, one of the most ambitious and successful builders of true affordable housing. Fernando talks about how every stud matters, new innovations in materials, and what cities have to do to stay affordable.
Nov 10, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Aaron talks with Monte Anderson of Options Real Estate in Dallas about his founding of the CNU spin-off Incremental Development Alliance, how he took the early steps to catalyze districts such as Bishop Arts, and why code reform should be the top priority for cities to foster local equity.
Nov 03, 2021•59 min
Aaron talks with Mike Hathorne of Commun1ty.one about his unique research within the Mormon (LDS) community along Utah’s Wasatch Front, showing that community and church success both correlate with diverse neighborhoods. His theory, proven by results, is that homogenous housing development makes for weaker communities, and ultimately LDS “ward collapse.” Mike parlays this belief into a strong critique of the build-to-rent development model.
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr
Aaron talks with Brad Lonberger of Place Strategies about his experiences writing form-based codes, the unique idiosyncrasies of development in Texas, urban development in conservative metros, and a teaser for NTBA’s 2021 Fall Roundtable in Ft. Worth, TX.
Oct 20, 2021•49 min
Aaron talks with Bill Allison of Allison Ramsey Architect about what urbanists have to learn from third world slums, his long running relationship with Habitat for Humanity, and how builders and developers use his massive stock plan catalogue of traditional architecture to create better places.
Oct 13, 2021•57 min
Aaron talks with Marta Goldsmith, the Director of the Form-Based Codes Institute about the successes of form-based codes, a focal point of the NTBA’s Fall 2021 Roundtable in Ft. Worth, Texas. Marta discusses what form-based codes are, how fast they are expanding, why Euclidean rules are still the norm, and how governments are using form-based codes to return cities to traditional urbanism.
Oct 07, 2021•54 min
Aaron kicks off the second season of the Townbuilder’s Podcast with the newly appointed Executive Director of the Congress for the New Urbanism, Rick Cole. Rick talks about the need to engage the next generation of New Urbanist practitioners, the state of the organization, the timelessness of the Charter’s principles, and how he hopes to pivot CNU to ensure organizational success for decades to come.
Oct 01, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Aaron chats with John Marsh of Marsh Collective and Redemptification from Opelika, Alabama http://redemptification.com https://marshcollective.com
Apr 12, 2021•50 min
Aaron discusses co-housing, affordable housing, and urban development strategies with Eli Spevak
Mar 29, 2021•40 min
Aaron talks with Frank Starkey, a developer in New Port Richey, FL and board member of the Congress for the New Urbanism
Mar 15, 2021•45 min
Aaron talks with Ward Davis about financing for good urbanism, what works and what does not. Davis is principal at High Street Real Estate & Development, developer of The Village of Hendrix, in Conway, Arkansas, and currently developing two new urban neighborhoods and various infill projects in rapidly growing northwest Arkansas. Previously, Mr. Davis was a corporate finance investment banker with a focus on private equity and head of acquisitions for a public Real Estate Investment Trust (R...
Mar 01, 2021•41 min
Feb 14, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Eric Kronberg of Kronberg Urbanists + Architects joins the podcast to discuss Atlanta development and sensible zoning reforms.
Feb 01, 2021•1 hr 20 min
A History of Weathering Downturns. Why Treating People Right Matters.
Oct 05, 2020•53 min
Marketing Walkable Neighborhoods
Sep 21, 2020•36 min
How Pandemics Affect Cities. Are Compounds the Architecture of the Future?
Sep 07, 2020•39 min
Market Outlook, Uncertainty, and the Sustainability of Urbanism
Aug 24, 2020•41 min
Leadership through Townbuilding, How Do You Manage a Project During a Pandemic?
Aug 10, 2020•28 min
