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In this episode, we dive deep into the challenges and opportunities of housing reform with our special guest, Burhan Azeem, Cambridge City Councillor. From tackling the housing crisis and improving affordability to exploring sustainable urban development, this episode explores how local policies can create fairer, more livable communities.

Join Vee, Jimmy, Peter and Burhan as we discuss the realities of housing policy, the importance of innovation in urban planning, and what meaningful reform could look like for cities like Cambridge and beyond.

Burhan Azeem is serving his second term on the Cambridge City Council as the youngest councillor in the City's history. A graduate of MIT, Burhan’s primary focuses are on housing affordability, street safety, and universal pre-K.

In his first term as councillor, Burhan expanded zoning for 100% affordable housing projects, successfully removed costly parking minimums that limited housing development, and played a key role in establishing universal pre-K for all Cambridge residents.

Now serving as co-chair of the Housing Committee, Burhan is focused on expanding housing in Cambridge. His main initiative centers on legalizing multifamily housing up to six stories throughout the city, ensuring that Cambridge remains an affordable and accessible place to live for all its residents. Burhan is also a strong supporter of the Grand Junction passenger rail and municipal broadband.

Bio from Cambridge City Council https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/citycouncil/members/burhanazeem

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Housing is more than just shelter—it's a reflection of our values, policies, and priorities. In this episode, we dive into the intersection of racial justice, climate change, and housing equity. From discriminatory housing practices to the growing threat of climate displacement, we unpack how systemic challenges are shaping where and how people live today. In today's episode, we're excited to have guest Pete Harrison from the Regional Plan Association.

Pete Harrison joined Regional Plan Association in February 2022 as the DesegregateCT Director, leading a statewide program to enact equitable and sustainable land use policies in Connecticut. In 2024 he became RPA’s director of Connecticut programs. Pete previously served for a year as Senior Policy Fellow for DesegregateCT crafting the 80-member coalition’s policy briefs, communications strategy, and local organizing campaigns and helped pass the first statewide zoning reform bill in over 30 years.

Prior to joining DesegregateCT, Pete worked on the intersection of housing, climate, and land use policy as a research scholar for the Buell Center of Architecture at Columbia University. He co-authored a portion of the textbook Green Reconstruction: A Curricular Toolkit for the Built Environment laying out a framework for graduate-level planning, architecture, and preservation programs to center equity and sustainability in their practices. Before that he was the senior national housing advisor for the progressive think tank, Data for Progress, where he co-authored briefs and articles on federal housing and land use policy including the Homes for All report. He also advised on the presidential campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and former HUD Secretary Julian Castro.

Biography from RPA

https://rpa.org/about/staff/pete-harrison

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Connecticut is fast becoming the modern template for long-term growth and sustainability, particularly for its approach to gender, equality, diversity, and inclusion, and for how it plans to build the State by investing in innovation at all levels (not just big corporations and entities). Today, we are honored to welcome Connecticut's 109th Lieutenant Governor, Susan Bysiewicz. Susan developed a distinct work ethic while growing up on a farm, and she explains how this, her parents, and other life experiences shaped her passion for public service. She is passionate about helping young girls and women to see themselves becoming whoever they want to be, so after explaining how she motivates young women to pursue leadership positions in all fields, Susan walks us through the great work being done by Connecticut’s Governor’s Council on Women and Girls. We learn about the economic development opportunities in CT, what the State is doing for housing and affordability, how it approaches DEI, how it plans to improve healthcare, and what it has lined up for the fight against climate change. To end, Susan details an important and impressive notch in her legacy as a governor as we learn about the brilliance of Connecticut Paid Leave.

Key Points From This Episode:

• How LT Governor Susan Bysiewicz’s life experiences shaped her zeal for public service.
• Why she deems it vital to motivate young women to pursue leadership positions in all fields.
• Understanding the work of the Governor’s Council on Women and Girls.
• Economic development opportunities in CT, specifically for housing, affordability, and DEI.
• Programs, grants, and other resources that aim to improve the lives of Connecticuters.
• How Susan and her team plan to improve healthcare and student life in CT.
• What the State is doing for the environment and sustainability.
• Susan describes a standout achievement in her legacy as a governor: CT Paid Leave.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

LT Governor Susan Bysiewicz

LT Governor Susan Bysiewicz on LinkedIn

LT Governor Susan Bysiewicz X

LT Governor Susan Bysiewicz on Instagram

Ella: A Biography of Ella Grasso

Governor’s Council on Women and Girls

Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development

Connecticut Small Business Boost Fund

Ignite: A WBDC Grant Program

The Women’s Business Development Council

Connecticut Paid Leave

Connecticut Student Loan Repayment Program

Vincencia Adusei on LinkedIn

Vincencia Adusei on X

VASE Construction

Censere Consulting

Peter Wood on LinkedIn

YIMBY Nation Email

YIMBY Na