Housing Supply and a More Livable Jersey City

About This Episode

In Episode 6, David Piegaro speaks with Eric Allen Conner, a downtown Jersey City resident and co-founder of Better Blocks New Jersey, about why evidence-based policy matters for housing, transit, street safety, and public space. Eric explains why Jersey City has become one of the Northeast's most interesting urban growth stories and what it will take to keep the city livable as demand keeps rising.

The conversation traces Jersey City's development from Newport to Journal Square, unpacks why additional housing supply can help protect lower-income residents, and walks through how PILOT agreements are often misunderstood in local politics. David and Eric also dig into the Mount Laurel Doctrine, Abbott districts, and the ways New Jersey's school funding rules can create surprising incentives for growing cities.

They also get practical about what should come next: stronger PATH and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service, a more complete protected bike lane network, clearer trade-offs around bus and street redesign, and state reforms like accessory dwelling units and single-stair legalization that could unlock more housing across New Jersey.

Topics Covered

• How Better Blocks New Jersey got started and what it advocates for
• The development arc from Newport to Journal Square
• Why more housing supply can support affordability
• PILOT agreements and the limits of the "giveaway" narrative
• Mount Laurel, Abbott districts, and school funding incentives
• PATH, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, and better transit service
• Protected bike lanes, bus lanes, and street design trade-offs
• ADUs, single-stair reform, and state-level housing policy

About the Guest

Eric Allen Conner is a long-time Jersey City resident, father of two, and co-founder of Better Blocks New Jersey. On the show, he describes Jersey City as home, explains that he moved there after college because it was affordable, and frames his advocacy around making the city and state better places to live for the long haul.

Better Blocks New Jersey describes Conner and co-founder Dario Gutierrez as New Jersey natives, long-time Jersey City residents, and advocates with backgrounds in economics who want elected leaders to implement smart, effective, outcome-oriented policy on housing, transit, safe streets, and public parks.