Local Government
32 episodes
#5874: Who Actually Builds a City's Housing Crisis?
Jerusalem's cranes aren't an accident — they're an incentive machine. Four operators, one load-bearing part, and the rules that could change it.
#5872: When Citizen Engagement Becomes Paperwork Theater
Four names for the same thing: when cities consult residents to produce receipts, not change. A look at participation-washing.
#5779: Tunnel Girl Dug 80 Feet Under Her House
No engineering degree, two books, and ten dead jackhammers. How one woman dug an 80-foot tunnel under her Virginia house — and got it permitted.
#5569: Measuring Democracy Beyond Voter Turnout
Voter turnout is one reading from one instrument. What else tells us whether a democracy is actually engaged?
#5147: Tents vs Container Cities: Rethinking Disaster Housing
Why do disasters still end in tent cities when foldable container homes and container cities already exist?
#4962: Who Decides What Goes on Jerusalem’s Lampposts?
The law is clear on illegal postering. But enforcement? That’s where it gets complicated.
#4768: The Horsebarn Hill Formula: Why One Farm Becomes Iconic
Five ingredients turn a working dairy farm into a regional icon. Most overlooked sites are just one ingredient away.
#4721: New England's Puritan Legacy: Why Connecticut Feels Different
Why does Connecticut feel so different from New York? It's not just culture—it's a 400-year-old theology shaping laws, signs, and daily life.
#4272: Why Are Light Switches Banished to Industrial Wastelands?
How a 1926 Supreme Court case about a "pig in the parlor" still determines where you can buy a pipe fitting.
#4079: Your Beer, Two Steps, and the Law
What happens when police confiscate your legally-bought beer? A deep dive into police discretion and your rights.
#4034: How to Fix Israel's Broken Rental System
Six forced moves in ten years. Can one person build a movement to change Israel's broken rental system?
#4017: When Your City Becomes a Construction Site
Why a 30-minute bus ride became a 2-hour maze of blocked sidewalks, and what cities can learn from it.
#3709: How Scotland and Toronto Rate Landlords
How transparency mechanisms in Scotland and Toronto are changing landlord behavior without price controls.
#3263: Mansfield's Wandering Boulders: Geology Meets Folklore
Why one Connecticut town has 4x the boulders of neighboring areas—and built a culture around them.
#3174: Public Housing in America: A State-by-State Breakdown
How public housing actually works — and why your experience depends entirely on which state you live in.
#3144: When Walls Talk: Graffiti's 17,000-Year Story
From Pompeii to Melbourne 2025 — how cities decide what stays on walls and what gets scrubbed.
#3125: When Democracy Requires Door-Knocking
Why Irish politicians knock on doors while Israeli MKs don't — and what Canada, Japan, and Taiwan do instead.
#3121: Can You Benchmark Government Value for Money?
A century of attempts to measure whether citizens get a good deal on taxes — and why none have fully worked.
#3110: Saving Jerusalem: 6 Policies to Reverse Decline
What would you do if you ran Jerusalem with a mandate for prosperity? Six concrete policies to fix a city in crisis.
#3085: Why Jerusalem Feels Unsteered While Its Mayor Keeps Winning
Jerusalem's secular voters are leaving in droves. Why does the mayor keep winning?
#2849: Fixing Israel's Broken Link Between Voters and Government
How Israel's party-list voting crowds out local issues — and what Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland do differently.
#2804: Who Actually Runs Your City?
Master plans, zoning codes, and the people who shape where you live.
#2774: Open Data That Actually Works
The gap between open data promises and reality, and the rare cases where it actually changes policy.
#2153: How Lobbying Actually Works in DC
Federal lobbying hit $6B in 2025. Here’s what a lobbyist actually does all day—and why the system regulates itself.