In this episode, Tesho Akindele — former MLS forward turned developer and community-builder at Camp North End in Charlotte, NC — joins us to share how reading Walkable City inspired his mission to design neighborhoods where people can truly live, work, and connect on foot. That vision led him to help transform a fenced-off industrial site into a thriving, mixed-use community. Along the way, he unpacks zoning, NIMBY challenges, and how technology helps deliver hospitality at Camp North End. Let’s kick it off.

What you’ll learn:

• How a professional athlete became an urbanist: Tesho’s journey from the soccer field to shaping the built environment — and what travel taught him about great cities.
• Why zoning is the unglamorous hero: How flexible zoning unlocks mixed-use communities and missing-middle housing.
• How to turn an industrial site into a neighborhood: The playbook behind Camp North End’s transformation and its 1,000+ annual events.
• Where technology meets hospitality: From Wi-Fi that covers the campus to multilingual AI and follow-ups that feel personal.
• What renters really value: Why natural light, balconies, and proximity to life’s best moments beat flashy amenities.

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