The Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast

Fixing America-One Neighborhood at a Time with Dr. Seth Kaplan

The Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast

Show Notes

This episode of the Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast sponsored by Bearing Advisors, Jim Hunt interviews Dr. Seth Kaplan, the author of Fragile Neighborhoods.

· A candid conversation about rebuilding cities one neighborhood at a time. · And, much more

7 Steps to an Amazing City:

Attitude Motivation Attention to Detail Zing Inclusiveness Neighborhood Empowerment Green Awareness Thanks for listening and look forward to having you join us for the next episode.

Links Mentions During Show: https://sethkaplan.org/ · www.AmazingCities.org · www.AmazingCities.org/podcast to be a guest on the podcast

About Dr. Seth Kaplan:

Dr. Seth Kaplan is a leading expert on fragile states, political transitions, conflict prevention, political risk assessment, political-economic analysis, state-building, governance, and human rights. He is a Professorial Lecturer in the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, Senior Adviser for the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), and consultant to multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, U.S. State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and OECD as well as bilateral donors, developing country governments, think tanks, and NGOs. He is the author of the U.S. State Department's Political Transitions Analysis Framework (2020) and co-author of the United Nations – World Bank flagship report Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict and USAID's Fragility Assessment Framework (2018). He was the lead author, coordinator, and managing editor of both an eight country comparative study for the United States Institute of Peace on social contract formation in fragile states and a 100-page flagship publication for IFIT articulating a new approach to regime transitions in post-conflict and post-authoritarian countries. Dr. Kaplan is the author of two books on fragile states—Fixing Fragile States: A New Paradigm for Development (Praeger Security International, 2008); and Betrayed: Promoting Inclusive Development in Fragile States (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013)—and one book on human rights and culture, Human Rights in Thick and Thin Societies: Universality Without Uniformity (Cambridge University Press, 2018). He is working on a book on reversing social breakdown. Dr. Kaplan has published widely on development issues in publications such as The Washington Quarterly, The American Interest, Orbis, Policy Review, National Affairs, Journal of Democracy, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. He has spoken on development issues in major forums around the world, including the Global Economic Symposium (GES) in Kiel, the World Bank in Washington, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, the Overseas Development Institute in London, and the Aga Khan Foundation in Ottawa. He serves on the Board of Directors of three non-governmental organizations in the United States and abroad. Dr. Kaplan has 20 years of on-the-ground experience managing projects in developing countries, and he has worked for several large multinationals, including Procter & Gamble, Compaq Computers, and Komatsu. During his seven years in Shanghai, Dr. Kaplan founded four companies. Dr. Kaplan has visited over 70 countries and done research in countries as disparate as Somalia, Yemen, Bolivia, Pakistan, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Syria. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and Japanese. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Utrecht and a Master in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Palmer Scholar.

About Your Host, Jim Hunt: Welcome to the "Building Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast" … The podcast for Mayors, Council Members, Managers, Staff and anyone who is interested in building an Amazing City.

Your host is Jim Hunt, the author of "Bottom Line Green, How American Cities are Saving the Planet and Money Too" and his latest book, "The Amazing

More from The Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast

Oct 13, 2026

Are We Getting Plastics Wrong? Dr. Chris DeArmitt on Microplastics, Environmental Science and Better Public Policy In this episode of the Amazing Cities & Towns Podcast, host Jim Hunt sits down with materials scientist Dr. Chris DeArmitt, PhD, FRSC, FIMMM, for a provocative conversation about plastics, microplastics, environmental science, and what happens when public policy gets ahead of the evidence. Much of what we hear about plastics sounds simple: plastics are bad, alternatives are better, recycling is always beneficial, and microplastics represent a growing environmental and health threat. Dr. DeArmitt argues that the actual scientific literature tells a much more complicated story. After spending thousands of unpaid hours reviewing primary scientific research, he has become an outspoken critic of environmental claims that he believes are unsupported, exaggerated, or presented without the proper context. Jim and Chris discuss why elected officials, city managers, sustainability professionals, and policymakers should be especially careful about accepting popular environmental narratives without examining the underlying evidence. In This Episode Jim and Dr. DeArmitt discuss: Why Chris began investigating claims about plastics and the environment rather than simply accepting the conventional narrative.

Sep 21, 2026

Sophie Tipper on Youth Voice, Local Government, and the All-America City Experience

Sep 7, 2026

Doug Linkhart on All-America Cities, Civic Engagement, and Building Trust in Local Government

Aug 10, 2026

This episode of the Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast sponsored by Bearing Advisors, Jim Hunt interviews Michael Pollack · A candid conversation about sidewalks in cities · And, much more 7 Steps to an Amazing City: Attitude Motivation Attention to Detail Zing Inclusiveness Neighborhood Empowerment Green Awareness

Jul 27, 2026

This episode of the Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast sponsored by Bearing Advisors, Jim Hunt interviews Jannet Walker Ford · A candid conversation about making transit work in your city. · And, much more 7 Steps to an Amazing City: Attitude Motivation Attention to Detail Zing Inclusiveness Neighborhood Empowerment Green Awareness Thanks for listening and look forward to having you join us for the next episode. Links Mentions During Show: https://www.wsp.com/en-us/profiles/jannet-walker-ford · www.AmazingCities.org · www.AmazingCities.org/podcast to be a guest on the podcast

See all episodes →