๐ŸŽ™ A Teen Podcast

REAL
TOPIA

Real estate. Real conversations. Hosted by a teenager who wants to understand the world she's about to inherit.

NC
Naomi CohenHost & Creator
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3Seasons
23Episodes
13Guests So Far
Stephanie Perez ยท Jennifer Rosenfeld ยท Michael Young ยท Leon Azicri ยท Ruben Jimenez ยท Kobi Karp ยท Eli Rouimi (Plad Homes) ยท Jerry Chu (Lofty.ai) ยท Carlos Moreno (Sorbonne) ยท Majora Carter (Princeton) ยท Dr. Colin Ellard (Waterloo) ยท 15-Minute City ยท Regenerative Cities ยท Psychology of Home ยท Tokenization ยท Climate Migration ยท Smart Cities ยท     Stephanie Perez ยท Jennifer Rosenfeld ยท Michael Young ยท Leon Azicri ยท Ruben Jimenez ยท Kobi Karp ยท Eli Rouimi (Plad Homes) ยท Jerry Chu (Lofty.ai) ยท Carlos Moreno (Sorbonne) ยท Majora Carter (Princeton) ยท Dr. Colin Ellard (Waterloo) ยท 15-Minute City ยท Regenerative Cities ยท Psychology of Home ยท Tokenization ยท Climate Migration ยท Smart Cities ยท    
01
Understanding the Industry

What Real Estate Is

Season 1 introduces the real estate lifecycle through clear, role-based conversations with professionals in the field โ€” from designers and agents to investors and builders.

โ–ถ Season Trailer
Intro
The Beginning
Introduction to Real Estate
Why Naomi started Realtopia
What real estate actually includes
Why teens should understand housing early
Cities as systems that shape our lives
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Episode 01
Interior Designer
Stephanie Perez
How interior design impacts value
Function vs aesthetics
Lifestyle reflected in space
Emotional connection to home
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Episode 02
Real Estate Agent
Jennifer Rosenfeld
What agents do day-to-day
Negotiation & relationship-building
Helping families make major decisions
The importance of community knowledge
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Episode 03
Real Estate Investor
Michael Young
Buying property as an investment
Risk and long-term thinking
Renovation and value creation
Real estate as wealth-building
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Episode 04
General Contractor
Leon Azicri
Turning plans into structures
Budgeting and timelines
Construction problem-solving
Coordinating large projects
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Episode 05
Architect
Ruben Jimenez
Designing buildings from concept
Creativity within structural limits
Architecture shaping cities
Long-term urban impact
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02
Challenging the System

Does Today's Housing Model Work for My Generation?

Season 2 moves from understanding to questioning โ€” examining affordability, ownership, sustainability, and whether traditional structures still serve young people. Eleven episodes, ten guests.

โ–ถ Season Trailer
Kobi Karp
Episode 06
Architecture & Climate Responsibility
Kobi Karp
Climate resilience in design
Long-term planning responsibility
Luxury vs sustainability
Designing for future generations
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Eli Rouimi
Episode 07
Modular Housing & Affordability
Eli Rouimi ยท Plad Homes
Modular construction explained
Speed and cost efficiency
Flexible ownership models
Adaptable housing solutions
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Jerry Chu
Episode 08
Real Estate Tokenization
Jerry Chu ยท Lofty.ai
Fractional ownership via digital shares
Blockchain and property investment
Accessibility vs. traditional real estate
What needs to happen for mainstream adoption
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Carlos Moreno
Episode 09
The 15-Minute City
Prof. Carlos Moreno ยท Sorbonne University
Proximity over infrastructure
Reducing car dependency
Walkability, local services, and belonging
Young generations reshaping cities
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Majora Carter
Episode 10
Regenerative Cities
Prof. Majora Carter ยท Princeton University
Regenerative vs. extractive development
Environmental justice in the South Bronx
Third spaces and community belonging
Mixed-income neighborhoods and anti-displacement
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Colin Ellard
Episode 11
The Psychology of Home
Dr. Colin Ellard ยท University of Waterloo
Psychogeography and how space shapes emotion
Why blank buildings hurt mental health
Autonomy, belonging, and teen space
Measuring community through real-world indicators
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Marc Norman
Episode 12
Solving the Homeownership Crisis
Prof. Marc Norman ยท Associate Dean, NYU Schack
Why post-WWII zoning killed affordable housing
Neighborhood REITs and shared ownership
Gentrification, displacement, and protecting renters
The real "belonging index" โ€” walkability and choice
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Toby Israel
Episode 13
Decoding the Hidden Psychology of Home
Dr. Toby Israel ยท Founder of Design Psychology
Environmental autobiography โ€” how childhood places shape us
Design psychology and people-centered spaces
Recreating vs. rejecting the homes we grew up in
Personalizing rented and temporary spaces
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Greg Clark
Episode 14
Cracking the DNA of Great Cities
Prof. Greg Clark ยท Advisor to 400+ Cities
Endowed, inherited & acquired traits that make a city unique
Why copycat cities lose their identity
Belonging and the social contract of a city
Affordability, climate, and the future of cities
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Nolan Gray
Episode 15
How Zoning Shapes Cities, Housing, and Belonging
Nolan Gray ยท Research Director, California YIMBY
What zoning quietly controls
The YIMBY movement & ending the shortage
Why new housing prevents displacement
Suburbs, abundance, and belonging
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Episode 16
The Future of Neighborhoods
Guest TBA
Remote work impact
Suburbs vs urban living
15-minute cities
Infrastructure and opportunity
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03
Reimagining the System

If We Could Redesign Housing from Scratch

Season 3 is on the horizon โ€” eight episodes diving into structural redesign and future-thinking. Topics are set; guests and details coming soon.

Episode 17
Land Ownership
Coming Soon
Land concentration
Public vs private control
Long-term leases vs permanent ownership
Rethinking land as a shared resource
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Episode 18
Housing as a Service
Coming Soon
Rent-to-own & shared equity
Housing as a service model
Institutional landlords
Redefining what ownership means
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Episode 19
Smart Cities & AI
Coming Soon
Data-driven urban design
Surveillance vs efficiency
Algorithmic zoning
Who controls city technology?
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Episode 20
Climate Migration
Coming Soon
Coastal retreat & insurance collapse
Heat and environmental danger zones
Planning new safe communities
How climate reshapes the map
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Episode 21
Intentional Communities
Coming Soon
Co-living and shared spaces
Intergenerational housing
Social infrastructure by design
Designing for belonging
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Episode 22
Tokenization 2.0
Coming Soon
Practical viability & regulation
Secondary markets
Scalability challenges
Long-term durability of the model
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Episode 23
The Psychology of Home
Coming Soon
Emotional attachment to property
Stability and identity
Teen perspectives on space
Mental health and architecture
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Episode 24
Policy & Power
Coming Soon
Zoning boards & NIMBY vs YIMBY
Civic participation
Who truly shapes cities?
Making your voice heard
โš–๏ธ
Season 1
Learn the Professions

A clear introduction to the core roles behind real estate: design, build, sell, and invest โ€” told through conversations with real practitioners.

1
Season 2
Question the Structure

Examining whether traditional ownership, development, and city planning still serve young people โ€” and what's broken about the system.

2
Season 3
Redesign the Future

Structural redesign and future-thinking โ€” elevating Naomi from curious interviewer to young urban thinker on ownership, belonging, and cities.

3