The AM/DM podcast: Addressing America’s housing crisis, one lot at a time
Tamara Brown (right) and Terica Lamb pose for a portrait in front of a new single family housing development they are building on Leon Place in Smokey City Sept. 23, 2026. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Leon Place, located in North Memphis, has the feel of both past prosperity and being a current work-in-progress.
There’s a new pocket park and playground but there are also older homes, built from 1912 into the 1930s, and at least one once-grand home stands vacant and boarded up.
Across the way, two brand new houses are going up, as part of the city’s Essential Housing Program. And the people behind those homes are not your typical developers.
Bill Dries joins us today to talk about the nation’s housing crisis, how much it impacts Memphis and what city government hopes to do to solve the problem.
Listen in.
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Topics
AM/DMMary Cashiola
Mary Cashiola has been a Memphis journalist for nearly two decades, beginning her career covering city government and local neighborhoods at the Memphis Flyer before being hired by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s administration.
Before joining The Daily Memphian, she was the managing editor of the Memphis Business Journal, which was named one of the top 10 Best Designed Newspapers in the world by the Society of News Design while she was there.
She also has a background in advertising, with a focus on higher education and the hospitality industry.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories? If you’re a subscriber, scroll down to the comments. If you’re not a subscriber, only paid subscribers can add their thoughts, so subscribe now. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.