Ben Hunt: Surviving the Widening Gyre Through Hope and Community
Today, Chuck is joined by Ben Hunt, the creator of Epsilon Theory. Their conversation revolves around the concept of the Widening Gyre, a “profound social equilibrium where bad people and bad ideas drive out good people and good ideas.” They discuss this concept from a few different angles:
How it relates to top-down systems like America’s political systems and corporations.
How it has led to the loss of a national narrative and increased division and conflict.
How a community-based approach that focuses on doing the right thing today is the best way out.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Hear more from Ben Hunt:
“Ben Hunt: We're Not Going to Fix This from the Top Down” (podcast).
“Ben Hunt: In Praise of Bitcoin” (podcast).
Ben Hunt (Twitter/X).
Epsilon Theory (site).
Chuck Marohn (Substack).
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55:52
How Do You Build More Housing When No One Wants Neighborhood Change?
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses housing with Cullum Clark, director of the Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. They talk about why there is so much resistance to new development, ways that officials and advocates could engage with the public to reduce that resistance, and what the incoming Trump administration could mean for housing.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
George W. Bush Presidential Center (site).
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
Learn what comes next for incremental housing in 2025 by tuning into the State of Strong Towns address on January 30 at 4 p.m. EST.
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1:02:03
Debunking the "Slow and Incremental" Myth: The Key to Rapid Housing Growth
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses the common misbelief that an incremental approach to housing development is inherently slow. He explains how an incremental approach can actually be much faster than focusing on large housing projects, what that means for major cities, and how to make incremental housing more appealing to people who don’t want their neighborhoods to change.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Transcript available on our site.
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
Learn what comes next for incremental housing in 2025 by tuning into the State of Strong Towns address on January 30 at 4 p.m.
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58:11
Comparing the Strong Towns and YIMBY Approaches to the Housing Crisis
The Building Culture Podcast explores holistic solutions to crafting a more beautiful, resilient and thriving world through the built environment. Its host, Austin Tunnell, recently invited Strong Towns President Charles Marohn and California YIMBY’s Nolan Gray onto the show to debate the housing crisis. It was a great conversation that explores how these movements align and differ in their approaches to housing.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Transcript available on our site.
The Building Culture Podcast.
Nolan Gray (Twitter/X).
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
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1:31:06
Memorable Moments in the History of Strong Towns
Over the years, Chuck has added audio clips to the Strong Towns Podcast outro music to memorialize influential moments and experiences he’s had since founding Strong Towns. Today, in honor of that outro music being retired, he breaks down each of these clips, explaining why they’re significant and how these experiences influenced him and the Strong Towns movement as a whole.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
Netherlands