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Townbuilders is a production of the National Townbuilder’s Association, implementers of the New Urbanism. The NTBA is a group of the leading developers, builders and architects building walkable, human centric places, neighborhoods, and cities, across the globe. These are their stories.
30 Episodes
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In this episode, Levi sits down with developer and NTBA veteran Joel Embry, the visionary behind Amelia Park, one of the earliest and most fully realized traditional neighborhood developments (TNDs) in the Southeast. Joel shares the origin story of Amelia Park—from his early exposure to Seaside and meeting Andrés Duany, to navigating the banking world and architectural challenges of building something radically different. Their conversation dives deep into the importance of aging in place, community design as a tool for public health, and the social science behind walkable neighborhoods. Joel also introduces his latest venture, Civic Telehealth, which aims to bridge the gap between healthcare and home life in aging communities. This is an inspiring, wide-ranging discussion on legacy, purpose, and how design can shape human flourishing—especially in our later years.
In this episode, Levi and Alli Thurmond Quinlan explore the complexity of building great places — from small infill projects to large-scale master plans. Alli shares how her multidisciplinary background as an architect, landscape architect, developer, and Executive Director of the Incremental Development Alliance has shaped her approach to vertically integrating her firm, RANGE. They discuss the challenges of working with cities, strategies for making suburban development 25% better, and how IncDev may be prepared to train the next generation of town builders.
In this episode, Levi sits down with Rob Parker — president of the NTBA, co-founder of the Town at Trillith,and a longtime leader in purpose-driven placemaking. Rob shares how his background in nonprofit leadership shaped his approach to townbuilding, and why human flourishing has become the guiding principle behind his work. They also discuss the groundbreaking Global Flourishing Study from Harvard, Baylor, and Gallup, and what its early findings could mean for developers, planners, and specifincally, other townbuilders. Whether you’re new to placemaking or deep in the trenches, this episode offers practical wisdom and fresh inspiration for building places that matter.
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 can guide more thoughtful design. Laurence also reflects on his work in communities like Seabrook, Bella Beach, and Woodbury.
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 from the early days of Kentlands, insights on balancing design and development realities, and his reflections on what still excites him about this work decades into his career.
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 the physical design of our built environment shapes everyday human connection. Ross also offers practical insights for townbuilding, on how to extrapolate these design patterns across the transect while also fostering a resilient community culture through proper governance. Whether you’re a builder, planner, or someone dreaming of a better neighborhood, this conversation is packed with timeless wisdom and grounded inspiration.
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 to townbuilding that’s as strategic as it is values-driven.
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 Seabrook and book a stay at https://seabrookwa.com.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Aaron chats with John Marsh of Marsh Collective and Redemptification from Opelika, Alabama http://redemptification.comhttps://marshcollective.com
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