Collete English Dixon, executive director of Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University (MBIRE), has launched Brick, Grass (&) Steel, a podcast exploring how the built environment can support equitable, sustainable and resilient communities.
“From my days working in commercial real estate investment to my current role at the institute, I’ve seen firsthand that the built environment is never neutral.” said English Dixon. “Every decision about what gets built, where, and for whom shapes the fabric of our communities — impacting equity, sustainability and resilience. Experiencing this directly throughout my career inspired me to start this podcast.”
The series kicked off Monday, Sept. 22, with Eric Klinenberg, sociologist and New York University professor, whose groundbreaking book “Palaces for the People” examines how libraries, parks and other social infrastructure can strengthen democracy and reduce inequality. Klinenberg’s research and commentary have been featured widely in The New Yorker, The New York Times and other leading outlets.
New episodes are released biweekly, with a total of 10 episodes this season, each running 35–45 minutes (except for the 60-minute finale). Most episodes will spotlight a single guest, with one episode featuring a two-guest conversation. Confirmed participants include:
– Samuel Stein, urban planner and author of “Capital City”
– Richard Rothstein, author of “The Color of Law”
– Leah Rothstein and Richard Rothstein, co-authors of “Just Action”
– Dr. Robert D. Bullard, widely recognized as the father of environmental justice
– Nina Idemudia, CEO of Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT)
“In this first season, we’re reflecting where we’ve been and what can be improved,” English Dixon said. “We’re asking: What can we do better? Why are these conversations happening? Each episode offers a different lens on equity, sustainability and resilience in the built environment.”
Episodes will address how physical spaces influence survival and recovery in the face of climate change and natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfire, as well as how redevelopment affects equitable rebuilding. The conversation also explores how inequities in communities were created and prolonged.
“Brick, Grass (&) Steel comes from a place of both urgency and hope,” English Dixon said. “Urgency, because the choices of the past still shape our world today — highways splitting neighborhoods, industries polluting without consequence, and disasters disproportionately affecting certain communities. And hope, because I have witnessed the impact that people, ideas and policy can have on reimagining our cities. Equity and resilience are within reach, but only if we confront the past honestly and take bold steps forward.”
Episodes are available on major platforms, including Spotify or Apple Music.