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The Building Culture PodcastAuthor: Austin Tunnell
Fusing the liberal arts with architecture, construction and real estate to build a more beautiful, resilient, and thriving world for PEOPLE. I believe a more thriving world is possible through restoring our built environment. But today's hyper-segregated, financialized building industry is not conducive to solving complex problems or creating dynamic places for human flourishing. I interview a wide range of guests involved with crafting the built world: developers, architects, urban designers, builders, investors, inventors & officials, exploring holistic solutions to a better human habitat. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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#46 Jan Sramek: California Forever - Building the Next Great American City
Episode 46
Tuesday, 13 January, 2026
In this episode, I sit down with Jan Sramek, Founder and CEO of California Forever, to talk about one of the most ambitious development efforts in the country: they're building the next great American city. Chapters0:00 — Why This Conversation Matters02:05 — Meeting Jan and the Origins of California Forever06:45 — Growing Up in the Czech Republic and Coming to America12:10 — What California Forever Is Actually Trying to Build17:55 — The Housing Crisis and Why Incremental Fixes Aren’t Enough23:40 — Walkability, Safety, and Designing for Families30:15 — Why Cities Should Work for Kids and the Elderly Alike35:50 — The Reality of Building a New City in California41:30 — Regulation, Risk, and the Cost of Not Building47:20 — Reviving American Manufacturing and Shipbuilding53:10 — Master Planning, Density, and Mixed-Use Neighborhoods59:00 — Learning from Traditional Urban Design1:04:45 — Community, Belonging, and Social Trust1:10:30 — What Success Would Actually Look Like1:15:40 — Long-Term Vision and Final ReflectionsCONNECT WITH JAN SRAMEKCalifornia Forever - Building the next great American cityJan Sramek | LinkedInhttps://x.com/jansramek?s=11CONNECT WITH AUSTIN TUNNELLNewsletter: https://playbook.buildingculture.com/https://www.instagram.com/austintunnell/https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/https://twitter.com/AustinTunnellCONNECT WITH BUILDING CULTUREhttps://www.buildingculture.com/https://www.instagram.com/buildingculture/https://twitter.com/build_culturehttps://www.facebook.com/BuildCulture/
