Spaces Podcast

What do a 1970 psychology experiment and the 2008 housing crash have in common? In Episode 6 of Built to Divide, Dimitrius Lynch traces how social identity theory—the instinct to form “us vs. them” groups—became a political weapon that helped sell a bipartisan push for mass homeownership, weaken skepticism, and pave the way for subprime mortgages, mortgage-backed securities (MBS), CDOs, and a crisis engineered by incentives. We move from NAFTA-era globalization and Peter Drucker’s “core competencies” mindset, to the dot-com bust, Fed rate cuts, and the explosion of “stated income” lending. The episode spotlights Washington Mutual (WaMu)—from community-friendly bank to shareholder-driven mortgage machine—then follows the collapse, the scapegoating of low-income borrowers, and the rise of institutional investors turning foreclosures into portfolios. A story about housing, finance, and the narratives that keep us divided—even when the math says we share the same stakes. Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content found during research. Episode Credits: Production in collaboration with Gābl Media Written & Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez

In August 1971, Richard Nixon went on television and detonated the global financial system. By severing the U.S. dollar from gold, the Nixon Shock ended Bretton Woods, ushered in fiat money, and unleashed a new era of credit, speculation, and inequality. What followed wasn’t just inflation and currency volatility—it was a fundamental rewiring of housing, wealth, and power. In this episode of Built to Divide, Dimitrius Lynch traces how the end of the gold standard collided with housing policy, stagflation, and a rising market-first ideology. As public housing construction collapsed, Section 8 vouchers expanded, the mortgage interest deduction quietly became America’s largest housing subsidy, and real estate lobbying reshaped Washington. Jimmy Carter framed housing as a moral obligation—but crisis, inflation, and backlash undercut reform. Then came Milton Friedman, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and the think-tank machine, turning deregulation, tax cuts, and privatization into governing doctrine. The result? Housing shifted from shelter to leverage. Neighborhoods hardened. Inequality accelerated. McMansions replaced porches. Master-planned enclaves rose as public responsibility retreated. And the rails were laid for subprime lending, securitization, and collapse. This is the episode where money floats, housing fractures, and the modern economy takes its irreversible turn. Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content found during research. Episode Credits: Production in collaboration with Gābl Media Written & Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez

In the summer heat of Birmingham, children faced police dogs and fire hoses. On a bus in Montgomery, a 15-year-old refused to stand. From Claudette Colvin to Rosa Parks, from Greensboro counters to the March on Washington—the Civil Rights Movement shook America awake. Yet, even as laws changed, maps and mortgages quietly redrew the lines of belonging. In this episode of Built to Divide, Dimitrius Lynch tracks what happened after the marches. The Civil Rights Act outlawed discrimination, but zoning boards found new tools to enforce it. Highways tore through Black neighborhoods in San Francisco and Detroit. Urban renewal became “Negro removal.” Birmingham forced the country to look. Kennedy named it a moral crisis. Johnson created HUD, appointing Robert C. Weaver, the first Black cabinet secretary. Then came the pivot—Section 235, 236, vouchers, block grants, Pruitt-Igoe, Moses vs. Jacobs, Nixon’s New Federalism, and a shift from building homes to subsidizing rent. This is the story of how a movement won rights—but lost ground in planning rooms, mortgage offices, and zoning maps. How public housing gave way to vouchers. How the market replaced the public builder. And how America traded homes as social infrastructure for housing as financial asset. If you want to understand why affordability collapsed, why public housing withered, why vouchers fall short, and how modern inequality took shape—Episode 4 shows the pivot point. Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content found during research. Episode Credits: Production in collaboration with Gābl Media Written & Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez

What happens when the machinery of war is turned loose on the home front? In this episode of Built to Divide, host Dimitrius Lynch traces how the end of World War II, the GI Bill, and federal housing policy combined to build the largest middle-class expansion in U.S. history—while quietly deepening racial and economic division. Beginning with the surrender in Tokyo Bay and the massive demobilization of Operation Magic Carpet, Lynch follows millions of returning veterans back to a country racing to answer a simple question: Where will they all live? The answer reshaped the nation. FHA and VA loans, the rise of Fannie Mae, and the secondary mortgage market drove homeownership from 43% to nearly 62% by 1960, cementing the single-family house as the centerpiece of the American Dream. But this “great reset” came with a price. Lynch unpacks how zoning laws, redlining, racial covenants, and underwriting standards drew hard lines around who could belong in postwar suburbia. He contrasts the inclusive vision of Case Study Houses and Eichler Homes with the mass-produced segregation of Levittown, where black families were explicitly barred and violence met the first to cross the color line. From John Dean’s warning about homeownership “booby traps” to the weaponization of media by business elites like Henry Regnery, this episode reveals how corporate interests used patriotism, racial fear, and Cold War anxiety to roll back New Deal gains and reframe government as the enemy. Along the way, Lynch explores how Fannie Mae’s privatization, the birth of American Express credit cards, and the cultural glorification of the nuclear family turned housing into a speculative asset, a consumption engine, and a source of isolation. We end in Roseto, Pennsylvania, where a community’s disappearing social bonds literally changed its heart attack rates—proof that how we house ourselves shapes how we live, connect, and survive. If you want to understand how postwar housing policy, suburbanization, zoning, media, and finance fused into a system that still determines who gets stability and who gets left behind, this episode shows how the board was reset—and who it was reset for. Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content found during research. Episode Credits: Production in collaboration with Gābl Media Written & Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez

At the dawn of the 20th century, American finance looked modern—telegraphs, syndicates, Wall Street empires—but it had no brakes. In this episode of Built to Divide, host Dimitrius Lynch follows the chain reaction from the Panic of 1907 to the creation of the Federal Reserve, revealing how crises, central banking, and policy choices concentrated power at the top and quietly reshaped who gets to own a home in America. We move from J.P. Morgan locking bankers in his library to stabilize markets, to the secret Jekyll Island meeting that birthed the blueprint for the Fed, to a global financial order built on austerity, gold, and central banks. Lynch unpacks how this shift—from robber barons to central bankers—centralized control over money and credit, setting the stage for a financial system that could either stabilize the economy or supercharge inequality. In parallel, the episode traces a second, brutal story: the clash between slave labor and wage labor, the Civil War, broken promises like Special Field Orders No. 15, Reconstruction, the 13th and 14th Amendments, and the massive land giveaways of the Homestead and Railway Acts that seeded a two-track wealth system. That system was later hardened by Black Codes, Jim Crow, and the rise of the National Association of Realtors, whose restrictive covenants and ethics codes turned racism and class exclusion into standard practice. As Lynch connects the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, Hoover’s homeownership gospel, and New Deal housing programs—HOLC, FHA, Fannie Mae—listeners see how federal support for mortgages expanded opportunity for some while redlining, racial covenants, and “good neighborhood” ideology locked others out. Housing was transformed into a mass wealth engine built on division. This episode is a deep dive into how central banking, war finance, slavery, segregation, real estate professionalization, and federal housing policy fused into a system where housing isn’t just shelter or asset—it’s a sorting mechanism. If you want to understand why today’s housing market feels rigged, this chapter shows how the rig was built. Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content found during research. Episode Credits: Production in collaboration with Gābl Media Written & Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez

Why does housing in America feel so unattainable—and why does it seem designed that way? In this sweeping opening chapter of Built to Divide, host Dimitrius Lynch traces the origins of today’s housing affordability crisis back more than 100,000 years, revealing how our primal instincts around territory, ownership, and status have been shaped—and exploited—over millennia. From the campfire rituals of early humans to feudal Europe’s enclosures, from the rise of divine kingship to the first mortgage systems, and from the U.S. labor movement to the FHA’s propaganda-style push for suburban homeownership, this episode exposes how housing evolved from a shared human necessity to a powerful engine of inequality. Lynch weaves anthropology, architecture, public health data, urban history, and political economy into a gripping narrative that shows how today’s housing insecurity, record-high rents, soaring home prices, and widening inequality were not an accident. They were engineered—over centuries—through policies, incentives, and cultural stories built to divide us. Listeners will learn how the built environment reflects our deepest psychological wiring, how financialization transformed shelter into a commodity, how zoning and mortgages reshaped American life, and why housing policy is inseparable from health, safety, democracy, and collective well-being. This cinematic episode sets the foundation for the entire series, revealing a simple but radical truth: the world we live in was designed—and can be redesigned. Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content found during research. Episode Credits: Production in collaboration with Gābl Media Written & Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez

Built to Divide is a cinematic audio documentary that unearths how America’s homes became the front lines of inequality. From land giveaways to red lines, gated communities to algorithmic rent hikes—each episode reveals the forces that shaped not only where we live, but who gets to belong. Guided by host Dimitrius Lynch Jr., an award-winning architect with a storyteller’s eye for systems and design, this series traces how policy, psychology, and profit converged to build division into the very architecture of everyday life. Through vivid historical narratives, archival sound, and modern parallels, Built to Divide exposes how the dream of homeownership became both symbol and weapon—binding generations to debt, geography, and identity. Across twelve episodes, listeners journey from the dawn of land speculation to today’s algorithmic landlords, uncovering how the built environment reflects our deepest social divides—and what it will take to design something better.

In this SPACES Recheck, we're revisiting a standout episode from the archive that you may have missed... The incarcerated population has ballooned over the last 50 years and public attitudes have slowly shifted towards active pursuit of criminal justice reform. However, we can't forget about prison design itself. In this episode we highlight key points of criminal justice reform and discuss the evolution of prison design and potential improvements for the future. If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media. Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website LYNES // Gābl Media All rights reserved

In this SPACES Recheck, we're revisiting a standout episode from the archive that you may have missed... We tackle the controversial, complex, and rapidly evolving industry of cannabis...and its history will definitely spark a conversation, maybe even shock you. We also discuss issues and considerations for the various facility types: dispensary, grow, and extraction. Anthony Winston III, of Winston Engineering, helps us out by sharing his expertise in mechanical and electrical engineering. Lastly, Jason and Michelle are quizzed on their cannabis knowledge in a game sponsored by lift-gift.com. How many can you get right? If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media. Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website LYNES // Gābl Media All rights reserved

In this SPACES Recheck, we're revisiting a standout episode from the archive that you may have missed... The controversial art form of Graffiti has grown from its outlaw past to be an accepted element in beautifying some urban communities. Danni Simpson, commercial and street artist, of Danni Simpson Art joins the show to discuss her style and inspiration, participation in the movement and experience of a renewed relationship between graffiti/street art, municipalities and the building industry. If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media. Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website LYNES // Gābl Media All rights reserved Mentioned in this episode: Emerging Gabl CES

In this SPACES Recheck, we're revisiting a standout episode from the archive that you may have missed... Urban population growth and the dependence on transportation has reached a point where 30 to 60% of urban areas are taken by roads and parking lots. Subsequently, mobility issues have exponentially increased. Brandon Reyes P.E., Project Manager at Michael Baker International joins the show to discuss changes in transportation on the horizon and how they may affect the future of spaces we occupy every day. If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media. Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website LYNES // Gābl Media All rights reserved Mentioned in this episode: Gabl CES Vote for GOING GREEN Vote for GOING GREEN Emerging

In this SPACES Recheck, we're revisiting a standout episode from the archive that you may have missed... With busier lifestyles, an array of entertainment options, cable television, streaming services, and social distancing, movie theaters are facing an unprecedented number of challenges that will likely spur evolution in design. Robert McCall, AIA, NCARB, Principal at JKRP Architects joins us in this wide-ranging conversation, discussing various aspects of movie theaters including design, construction, operations, and much more! If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media. Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website LYNES // Gābl Media All rights reserved

In this SPACES Recheck, we're revisiting a standout episode from the archive that you may have missed... What will future stadiums look like? Licensed engineer...architect...AND LEED BD+C certified professional, Erleen Hatfield, PE, AIA, Managing Partner of the Hatfield Group, joins us to discuss structural engineering, stadiums, and her work on the Atlanta Falcons Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Francisco Gonzalez Pulido, from FGP Atelier, shares his experience designing the Diablos Stadium in Mexico City. If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media. Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website LYNES // Gābl Media All rights reserved

Going Green is a Finalist in the Signal Awards—the largest award solely dedicated to podcasting! Now I need YOUR help: The Listener’s Choice Awards are open for voting worldwide through October 9th. Vote here today! This episode of Going Green (a SPACES podcast story) explores the early understanding of climate change and the impact of human activity on the planet. The importance of sustainability and finding a balance between the environment, economy, and society is emphasized. Subscribe to SPACES Podcast Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content I found during my research. Check out the Going Green Soundtrack on Spotify Episode Credits: Production by Gābl Media Written by Dimitrius Lynch Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez Archival Audio courtesy of: Library of Congress, Anna Samsonov, MitUnsDieZukunft, Miller Center, SPACES "An Out of Context Problem"

Going Green is a Finalist in the Signal Awards—the largest award solely dedicated to podcasting! Now I need YOUR help: The Listener’s Choice Awards are open for voting worldwide through October 9th. Vote here today! This episode of Going Green (a SPACES podcast story) explores the themes of westward expansion in the United States, the environmental impact of farming practices, the Dust Bowl, the role of indigenous communities in environmental conservation, the contributions of George Washington Carver and Buckminster Fuller, and the early scientific understanding of climate change. Subscribe to SPACES Podcast Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content I found during my research. Check out the Going Green Soundtrack on Spotify Episode Credits: Production by Gābl Media Written by Dimitrius Lynch Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez Archival Audio courtesy of: Lakeland PBS, Time Capsule, Library of Congress, Children's Media Archive, Tyler Prize, MitUnsDieZukunft, Kinolibrary

Going Green is a Finalist in the Signal Awards—the largest award solely dedicated to podcasting! Now I need YOUR help: The Listener’s Choice Awards are open for voting worldwide through October 9th. Vote here today! This episode of Going Green (a SPACES podcast story) explores the history of the environmental movement, focusing on the impact of Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring and the establishment of Earth Day. It highlights the growing awareness of environmental issues throughout history and the role of key figures in advocating for environmental protection. The conversation also discusses the legislative reforms and architectural advancements that resulted from the environmental movement. Subscribe to SPACES Podcast Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content I found during my research. Check out the Going Green Soundtrack on Spotify Episode Credits: Production by Gābl Media Written by Dimitrius Lynch Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez Archival Audio courtesy of: Anna Samsonov, hjvd, The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel, Congressional Archives Carl Albert Center, Nelson Institute, EarthWeek 1970

Going Green is a Finalist in the Signal Awards—the largest award solely dedicated to podcasting! Now I need YOUR help: The Listener’s Choice Awards are open for voting worldwide through October 9th. Vote here today! This episode of Going Green (a SPACES podcast story) explores the evolution of architectural styles from historic to modern to postmodern. It begins with how buildings throughout history have reflected their region and responded to societal changes. The episode examines the emergence of modernism as a reaction to World War I and the socio-economic aspects of elaborate historic architecture. The Bauhaus movement and the international style are highlighted as major branches of modernism. The episode also explores the rise of postmodern architecture, which emphasized diversity, historical references, and contextual significance. Subscribe to SPACES Podcast Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content I found during my research. Check out the Going Green Soundtrack on Spotify Episode Credits: Production by Gābl Media Written by Dimitrius Lynch Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez Archival Audio courtesy of: Boston Society For Architecture, The Orchard Enterprises, DukeLibDigitalColl-Venturi & Brown, Web of Stories, DukeLibDigitalColl-Robert A.M. Stern, DukeLibDigitalColl - Charles Moore, Zak Ghanim

Going Green is a Finalist in the Signal Awards—the largest award solely dedicated to podcasting! Now I need YOUR help: The Listener’s Choice Awards are open for voting worldwide through October 9th. Vote here today! This episode of Going Green (a SPACES podcast story) explores the historical roots, policies, and corporate actions that lead to the energy crisis of the 1970s and President Jimmy Carter's energy policies that aimed to combat the crisis. We examine the evolution of environmental policy in the United States during the Reagan era. The impact of Reaganomics, the role of the Heritage Foundation, and the deregulation and budget cuts that affected environmental programs are also discussed. The episode also highlights significant environmental disasters and the growing awareness of climate change during this period. Subscribe to SPACES Podcast Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content I found during my research. Check out the Going Green Soundtrack on Spotify Episode Credits: Production by Gābl Media Written by Dimitrius Lynch Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez Archival Audio courtesy of: C-SPAN, ThamesTv, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, Miller Center, Movieclips, Free To Choose Network, Larry Bergan

Going Green is a Finalist in the Signal Awards—the largest award solely dedicated to podcasting! Now I need YOUR help: The Listener’s Choice Awards are open for voting worldwide through October 9th. Vote here today! This episode of Going Green (a SPACES podcast story) explores the seeds of an ideological shift on the environment born in the 1980s, marked a period of materialism and individualism. The episode highlights the environmental justice movement, a fight for land reform and preservation of the Amazon rainforest, the founding of the Federalist Society, which aimed to shift the ideological balance of the American legal establishment to the right, and an internal opposition towards the environmental movement within President George H.W. Bush's administration. Subscribe to SPACES Podcast Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content I found during my research. Check out the Going Green Soundtrack on Spotify Episode Credits: Production by Gābl Media Written by Dimitrius Lynch Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez Archival Audio courtesy of: Have You Seen This?, DrBobBullard, Andrew Revkin, The Cato Institute, TheBushLibrary, C-SPAN Sununu, NBC News

Going Green is a Finalist in the Signal Awards—the largest award solely dedicated to podcasting! Now I need YOUR help: The Listener’s Choice Awards are open for voting worldwide through October 9th. Vote here today! This episode of Going Green (a SPACES podcast story) explores the politicization of environmental issues and the emerging communication war on climate change. The evolution of media, politics, and corporate interests and its impact on the public's opinion of climate change are detailed. The episode also highlights the creation of the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) and the establishment of the US Green Building Council and its LEED Green Building Rating System. Subscribe to SPACES Podcast Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content I found during my research. Check out the Going Green Soundtrack on Spotify Episode Credits: Production by Gābl Media Written by Dimitrius Lynch Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez Archival Audio courtesy of: CSPAN, Demux, CSPAN-O'Neill, CSPAN-Wright, Mother Jones, Slipstream, History, Secular Talk, CSPAN-Byrd-Hagel, Channel 4 News, FORA.tv, The Young Turks