Rephonic
Artwork for The Messy City Podcast

The Messy City Podcast

Kevin Klinkenberg
Urban Development
Urban Planning
Community Engagement
New Urbanism
Kansas City
Housing Affordability
Architecture
Community Development
Affordable Housing
Small-Scale Development
Real Estate Development
Urban Design
Housing Crisis
Zoning
Strong Towns
Housing Policy
YIMBY Movement
Housing Shortage
Adaptive Zoning Code
Real Estate

Embracing change, uncertainty and local initiative for our cities and towns kevinklinkenberg.substack.com

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes120Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Society & CultureArtsDesign

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Messy City Podcast

Latest Episodes

Zach Molzer is 25, and he wants you to know that’s an advantage. His team is young, energetic, and optimistic. His story of quickly becoming a developer with impact in Kansas City shows us that you don’t need to have decades of experience. You just n... more

YouTube

Bobby Fijan doesn’t want you to give up on families living in cities. One thing he said in this episode that really stuck out with me, “People tolerate disorder less when kids are around.” I think that’s right on, and that we too easily acquiesce to ... more

YouTube

Social media is an unlikely place to find truly positive and optimistic people. But occasionally you find one. Today’s example: the charming and determined Coby Lefkowitz, whose relentless optimism can only rub off on you.

Coby is a developer in New... more

YouTube

We take a break from our routine conversations today to have some fun, and talk about the wonders of travel hacking with my sister, Cindy Weir. Cindy epitomizes how to really leverage having a system for travel hacking, as she made the most of her sm... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Upzoned
UpzonedStrong Towns
The War on Cars
The War on CarsThe War on Cars, LLC
The Urbanist Agenda
The Urbanist AgendaNot Just Bikes

Recent Guests

Zach Molzer
Developer, Molzer Development
Molzer Development
Episode: You Can Just Do Things
Bobby Fijan
Founder of American Housing Corporation
American Housing Corporation
Episode: Rowhouses for America
Coby Lefkowitz
Developer and urbanist, author of Building Optimism
Building Optimism / Substack: Building Optimism
Episode: The Case for Optimism and Beauty
Cindy Weir
Former alteration shop owner and travel hacking enthusiast
Self-employed (retired business owner)
Episode: The Best Life Hack, Ever
Abby Newsham
Planner at Olsson Associates (Kansas City office)
Olsson Associates
Episode: Do our communities need better hardware or better software?
Steve Nygren
Founder of Serenby, an innovative community focusing on sustainable living and urban design.
Serenby
Episode: Transforming Your Own Backyard
Justin Pregont
Developer and founder of Pomeroy Development
Pomeroy Development
Episode: Brooklyn Doesn't Need Your Butt
Gabriel Metcalf
Head of planning for California Forever, with experience in housing, transportation, and urban policy.
California Forever
Episode: Can California Forever begin to cure the state's housing woes?
Andrew Burleson
Co-founder and board chair of Strong Towns
Strong Towns
Episode: How to Unleash the Swarm

Host

Kevin Klinkenberg
Host and principal voice guiding discussions on urban design, development, and community change.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 61 ratings
  • :)

    I love the host’s bias towards action over policy. His guests are so interesting! They are largely people I would never have heard about otherwise, and it’s so instructive to hear their stories. I do wish the host had a better mic. His content quality deserves equivalent sound quality.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    nsmcc
    United States2 months ago
  • Recommended for those interested in cities and places

    As someone with an interest in urban design and improving where I live, I really enjoy the messy city podcast. Kevin is a very knowledgeable and down to earth host, interviews interesting guests, and doesn’t need to over hype. A genuinely good podcast.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AnAussieListener
    Australia3 months ago
  • A great listen even for non-experts like me

    I’m a dilettante urbanist, and this podcast is one of my favorites for hearing experts break down how to improve our cities in tangible ways. Kevin does a great job of keeping the conversations informative yet still accessible for non-technical folks like me.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    the stellion
    United States2 years ago
  • Econ Dev

    This is my favourite economic development podcast hands down, even ahead of the Strong Towns podcasts. The exploration to incremental development and small developers is super useful information even for small towns. Very insightful and useful conversations. I recommend this to anyone in Econ dev, town/city administration, councils, etc.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Frontball
    Canada2 years ago
  • Great information

    Enjoying listening to what others are doing around the country. Inspiring interviews and discussions.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Lake Dallas Tiny Home Village
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The show often features insightful discussions on incremental development and small-scale projects.
The host fosters thoughtful dialogue and avoids hype, making it a solid resource for urbanists and practitioners.
Listeners find the guest mix inspiring and relevant to mid-sized cities and rural towns.
The podcast is valued for its focus on real-world development stories and clear explanations of complex policy ideas.
The host brings knowledge and practicality to urban design conversations.
Guests are perceived as credible, with a strong emphasis on community impact and practical outcomes.
Interviews are accessible and filled with actionable takeaways for non-experts.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#19
United States/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#122
United Kingdom/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#152
Canada/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#116
Australia/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#130
Germany/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#48
Norway/Arts/Design

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

You Can Just Do Things
Q: What is the Aladdin, and why did you pursue it as your first project?
The host seeks the story behind the decision to acquire and redevelop a historic hotel into a multi-use property, with Molzer emphasizing the right timing, the importance of a strong team, and the belief that it would unlock future opportunities.
You Can Just Do Things
Q: What was your role with the Tulsa group and how did that lead to you starting Molzer Development?
He describes fundraising, deal sourcing, in-house construction, and taking on many roles to understand the business from the ground up, which laid the groundwork for starting his own company in 2024.
You Can Just Do Things
Q: How old are you and how did your background shape your path into development?
He explains growing up in Kansas City, studying in Nebraska, and cutting his teeth in Tulsa before returning to start his own firm, highlighting a hands-on, learning-by-doing approach and an early focus on multifamily and construction.
Rowhouses for America
Q: What were some of the other things besides sort of the bedroom arrangement or what were some of the other things that you saw that maybe other people weren't observing, but like ways to make floor plans more useful for, especially for young families?
The discussion highlights focusing on bedroom size and layout, uses of smaller rooms like a 'baby maybe' room, and the importance of doors and sound separation for working from home, all framed as practical design lessons for families in urban infill.
Rowhouses for America
Q: Yeah, it's interesting. So you came at it more from like the finance background is where you started kind of working into this. And how did you kind of start to educate yourself on all the other aspects of it?
Bobby explains that necessity drove him to learn on the fly, applying financial and underwriting skills to operations, leasing, and development, while also recognizing the value of hands-on experience to understand how projects work beyond spreadsheets.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Messy City Podcast

What is The Messy City Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on urban development, small-scale and incremental city making, and practical solutions for housing and community resilience. Conversations frequently explore zoning reforms, affordable housing, and hands-on projects in mid-sized and rural towns, with a strong emphasis on grassroots initiatives, sustainable design, and the lived realities of developers, planners, and residents. A notable throughline is a preference for human-centered, walkable neighborhoods and policy ideas that enable practical change without waiting for perfect legislation. Guests range from developers and planners to advocates and authors, often sharing actionable stories and strategies that listeners can adapt to real communities. The tone tends to be pr... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Messy City Podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Messy City Podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Messy City Podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Messy City Podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Messy City Podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Messy City Podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Messy City Podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Messy City Podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Messy City Podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Messy City Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Messy City Podcast:

1. The Strong Towns Podcast
2. Upzoned
3. The Bottom-Up Revolution
4. The War on Cars
5. The Urbanist Agenda

How many episodes of The Messy City Podcast are there?

The Messy City Podcast launched 3 years ago and published 120 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Messy City Podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Messy City Podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Messy City Podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Messy City Podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Messy City Podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Messy City Podcast?

Recent guests on The Messy City Podcast include:

1. Zach Molzer
2. Bobby Fijan
3. Coby Lefkowitz
4. Cindy Weir
5. Abby Newsham
6. Steve Nygren
7. Justin Pregont
8. Gabriel Metcalf

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days