"Not the Government, Just Its Money" - The Role of Insurance Regulation in Creating the 'Urban Crisis'
For this episode, I spoke with Professor Bench Ansfield, author of the recent book, Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City.
In the book and the interview, we talked about the kindling (decades of redlining, deindustrialization, and more), the fuel (the government's FAIR program and the financialization of the insurance industry), and the spark (property owners torching their own properties for the payout), as well as the anti-arson movement that came of it.
Music is by Evan Schaeffer.
2 Jul 2026
Connecting to Place as a Way to Build Community and Fight Climate Change
Continuing the theme of the previous interviews with Dr. Thea Riofrancos and Dr. Mijin Cha about the ethical concerns that come with trying to transition away from fossil fuels and to a clean energy system, in this episode I spoke with Dr. Matt Biggar about how he thinks we can move in that direction.
You can find his book, Connected to Place on the author's website or on Bookshop.
In addition to the previous two interviews, I also referred to an earlier interview with Eitan Hersh. You can find that here.
Music is by Evan Schaeffer
21 May 2026
Another World is Possible, and We Can Build It Together
Continuing the theme of the previous interview with Dr. Thea Riofrancos, I spoke with Dr. Mijin Cha about the ethical concerns that come with trying to transition away from fossil fuels and to a clean energy system.
A Just Transition for All: Workers and Communities for a Carbon-Free Future
Additional resources she recommended:
Climate and Community Institute (https://climateandcommunity.org/)
The Climate Jobs Institute (https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/climate-jobs-institute) at Cornell University
Labor Network for Sustainability (https://www.labor4sustainability.org/)
How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Andreas Malm
In upcoming episodes, I'll speak a bit more about some ways to shift behavior and political power that align with these last two conversations:
Connected to Place Regenerating Nature, Communities, and Local Economies Through Systems Change by Matt Biggar
I also have an interview about a historical period that's not
Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City by Bench Ansfield
Music is by Evan Schaeffer
Who has been a guest on DIY Democracy
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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
Annette Gordon-Reed
Eitan Hersh
Amanda Frost
Will Bunch
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