Rowhouses for America
Bobby Fijan doesn’t want you to give up on families living in cities. One thing he said in this episode that really stuck out with me, “People tolerate disorder less when kids are around.” I think that’s right on, and that we too easily acquiesce to the notion that cities are just for the young, or the retired.
Bobby, like many of my guests, isn’t content to just talk about the issues. He’s become relentless in his pursuit of the best family-friendly floor plans for urban living, and has now taken that to the creation of the American Housing Corporation. Their motto might as well be, “rowhouses for all.” Bobby and his partners are pursuing true vertical integration of a nationwide development company, with the goal of doing really great urban infill housing. Can they do it? I wouldn’t bet against them.
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Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you’d like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.
Intro: “Why Be Friends”
Outro: “Fairweather Friend”
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The Messy City Podcast Rowhouses for America 2 1× 0:00 Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -49:08 -49:08 Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Rowhouses for America Bobby Fijan talks family-friendly floor plans and the American Housing Corporation Kevin Apr 07, 2026 2 Share Transcript Bobby Fijan doesn’t want you to give up on families living in cities. One thing he said in this episode that really stuck out with me, “People tolerate disorder less when kids are around.” I think that’s right on, and that we too easily acquiesce to the notion that cities are just for the young, or the retired. Bobby , like many of my guests, isn’t content to just talk about the issues. He’s become relentless in his pursuit of the best family-friendly floor plans for urban living, and has now taken that to the creation of the American Housing Corporation . Their motto might as well be, “rowhouses for all.” Bobby and his partners are pursuing true vertical integration of a nationwide development company, with the goal of doing really great urban infill housing. Can they do it? I wouldn’t bet against them. Find more content on The Messy City on Kevin’s Substack page . Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here . If you’d like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5. Intro: “ Why Be Friends ” Outro: “ Fairweather Friend ” Discussion about this episode Comments Restacks The Messy City Podcast Embracing change, uncertainty and local initiative for our cities and towns Embracing change, uncertainty and local initiative for our cities and towns Subscribe Listen on Substack App RSS Feed Appears in episode Kevin Recent Episodes Seeking Faith-Based Solutions to Housing 1 hr ago • Kevin You Can Just Do Things Apr 14 • Kevin The Case for Optimism and Beauty Mar 31 • Kevin The Best Life Hack, Ever Mar 17 • Kevin Do our communities need better hardware or better software? Mar 3 • Kevin What is a Starter Home? Feb 10 • Kevin A Conversation with Ross Chapin Feb 2 • Kevin