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Write to us at startingpoint@globe.com. To subscribe, sign up here. If you’ve been following debates over the Democratic Party’s future, you may have come across a new buzzword: “abundance.” Popularized in a March book by the journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, abundance argues that in order to win back voters and bring about a better future, Democrats need to build: more housing, mass transit, a better power grid, and other public projects. Yet the book sparked a backlash from progressives. Some took issue with the argument that Democrats should cut the government rules and regulations that its authors say impede the construction of new apartment buildings and mass transit in blue cities. But not every Democrat sees a contradiction. One of them is Burhan Azeem, a second-term Cambridge city councilor, who coauthored an essay in The Nation arguing that abundance and economic progressivism work together to improve people’s lives. “I am a progressive in the literal sense of the word, which is like, you need progress,” Azeem told me at a cafe last month. Abundance is “just the how of how you solve problems. And what problem you’re solving really does matter.” Azeem has focused on what is in many ways the original abundance issue: housing. In 2020, long before the term came into vogue, he founded an advocacy group called Abundant Housing Massachusetts. This year he spearheaded passage of a law that eliminated single-family zoning and allowed buildings of up to six stories across Cambridge, aiming to increase the supply of housing and lower its cost. Azeem’s background helps explain his interest in abundance. He’s 28, the youngest city councilor in Cambridge history, and has experienced high housing costs firsthand. An immigrant from Pakistan, he brings an international perspective to the US’s failures to build infrastructure as quickly and cheaply as other countries. And he studied material science and engineering at MIT, good training for navigating the maze of zoning codes and permitting regulations that can slow new construction. Azeem sees abundance as a way to solve some of his party’s struggles — provided Democrats first admit some hard truths. “We should be profoundly disappointed in ourselves in some ways,” he said. Boston, he points out, built America’s first subway. Now it struggles to build new stations or electrify rails. “We should not only be able to build the core stuff that other countries have, but we should be able to do so much more,” he said. Part of what abundance can do is communicate “an optimistic vision for the future.” That vision will be tested tomorrow, when Azeem is up for re-election. But he concedes there’s more to do. “We actually still have all of these other rules and restrictions, and it’s going to take time to get through all of them,” he said. “What’s important from the abundance perspective of all of this is that it’s possible.” Here’s more from our conversation. Why Azeem focuses on housing: “You look at everyone’s bill and the number one thing by far is housing. You look at everyone’s number one concern in the city and it’s like, there’s a ton of things, but housing is like 40 percent. And you fundamentally have to solve that problem.” What holds up building: “Everyone, for the longest time, will give you excuses. Like, ‘Oh, it’s just labor costs.’ ‘Oh, it’s just very hard to do all these.’ ‘Oh, it’s just a democracy and people having different opinions.’ And my answer is, No, those are just excuses that we tell ourselves so that we don’t have to feel bad about it. Fundamentally, it is doable and it is very solvable. In fact, our transit costs are the highest in the world. Other countries, which have plenty of strong unions, from Canada to Spain, everywhere, they can do this and they do do this.” What success means: “Success is actually delivering results. And I think that that is a profoundly different answer. Because if still housing units are not getting built in the amount that we promised people, I feel like that’s a failure.” On potential backlash to housing reforms: “We will see if there’s pushback in Cambridge or not. I think fundamentally the question is like, are people more scared about change than they are about the problem of high housing costs?” More on housing: Winthrop’s efforts to protect itself from floodwaters are being held up by a seemingly unrelated issue: the town’s failure to comply with a Massachusetts law that requires communities to rezone for new housing. 🧩 6 Down: Mushroomed | 🌦️ 62° Sunny, then cloudy, then wet RIP Setti Warren: The Iraq War veteran led Newton, becoming the first Black mayor of a Massachusetts city, and later Harvard’s Institute of Politics. He died at 55. ‘We’re going backward’: State officials will supervise tomorrow’s elections in Lawrence amid allegations that supporters of several candidates — including the incumbent mayor — manipulated absentee ballots. For residents, it’s another blow to the long-struggling city’s battered image. Harvard explosion: Investigators continue to probe what caused a small explosion inside a Harvard Medical School building on Saturday. The explosion seemed to be deliberate but caused no injuries, and the school said the affected floor, which houses neurobiology research labs, would be back to normal today. A five-year tour: Meet Redwing, a torpedo-shaped robot glider launched from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution last month, that’s trying to become the first to circle the globe. Traffic jam: Georgetown is a small town in the Merrimack Valley with a huge traffic problem. One downtown light can create backups that stretch a mile. New money: Gen Zers say they’re struggling to make ends meet, but also that they’re willing to spend on streaming services, dining out, and other nonessentials. If you’re looking to scrimp, the Globe’s Sean P. Murphy recommends batch cooking and these other hacks. Taking no chances: President Trump has teased the idea of getting around the Constitution’s limits to serve a third term. Massachusetts Democrats plan to thwart one way he could try. Near miss? The FAA is investigating an incident at Logan Airport last week in which a Delta flight aborted landing to avoid a Cape Air plane that was taking off. “That was close,” the Delta pilot said. Some officials warn that the government shutdown is straining the nation’s 13,000 air traffic controllers, who have now been working for a month without pay. (Politico) FDA shakeup: Dr. George Tidmarsh, the head of the agency’s drug division, resigned amid an investigation into criticisms he made of a drug tied to a former associate and a drug company lawsuit. But Tidmarsh, who denied the suit’s claims, says the probe was retaliation for his concerns about a program to quickly approve new drugs. (NYT 🎁) New York City Marathon: Hellen Obiri of Kenya broke the women’s course record, finishing in 2:19:51. Another racer was Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who turned 50 last month and finished his first marathon in 4:37:51. By David Beard 🍿 Noirvember: That’s not a typo, it’s the peg for a series of “noir” films being shown around Boston this month. So have your slinky dresses and fedoras ready for everything from “Sunset Boulevard” to “The Night of the Hunter.” ⚾ MOOKIE! Unforgivably let go by the Red Sox, Mookie Betts got his fourth World Series championship ring, closing out the Dodgers’ squeaker triumph. It was, he says, by far the hardest championship. 📺 Better Call Vince: This week’s TV highlights includes a new series by “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan, Kim Kardashian starring in “All’s Fair,” and a witchy “Wicked” special. Keep those Halloween broomsticks handy! ⛄ Snow! Sand! Mariah Carey! Here are eight holiday escapes worth checking out. We think Anguilla sounds nice. 📕 Late bloomer: Does life get in the way of your dreams? Erin O. White went a long way before getting her debut novel published, at age 52. 💰 Don’t be suckered: Michelle Singletary writes about retirement savings. Nvidia’s epic run isn’t changing her winning strategy. (WashPost 🎁) 🤖 Modern Family: She built herself an AI family. They can be as complicated as the real thing. Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by David Beard. ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at startingpoint@globe.com. ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can sign up for your own copy. 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday.
