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We support a strong America full of strong cities, towns, and neighborhoods.

The Curbside Chat

Why are so many cities and towns across North America going broke? Our roads are deteriorating. Our governments are in debt. No matter how much we increase them, our taxes aren’t enough to fix it all. And no one seems to be able to agree on how we got here—much less how to change the course.

This isn’t just about numbers on a budget. This is about the fate of the communities we love most, and the real people that live there. This is about how to give our citizens, today and tomorrow, a chance at the future they deserve.

If we want American cities to be strong and resilient, we need to change everything about the way we plan and build our places.

Chuck Marohn gives a Curbside Chat presentation in Austin, TX.

In the Curbside Chat, we explain, in plain language, how so many American cities have found themselves in decline after decades of “growth.” And then we show you a revolutionary way forward that could create enduring prosperity—if we just have the courage to change our minds.

Explore the Curbside Chat in Depth

The following films and articles cover the key components of the Curbside Chat. 

Featured
America's Suburban Experiment
America's Suburban Experiment

For thousands of years, humans built settlements scaled to people who walked. In a generation, Americans transformed an entire continent around a new transportation technology. We often fail to appreciate how we are testing this approach as we go. Quite simply: it's a massive experiment.

Mechanisms of Growth
Mechanisms of Growth

America’s cultural belief is that growing cities experience not only opportunity and prosperity today, but also success far into the future. There is a built-in assumption that new growth pays for itself today and generates enough wealth to sustain itself generation after generation This is a flawed assumption.

Illusion of Wealth
Illusion of Wealth

New growth creates an illusion of wealth. Local governments experiencing growth look and feel successful; they have high revenues and very little immediate costs associated with them. Long term though, as the liabilities start to come due, they learn that a free road isn't really free.

Productive Growth
Productive Growth

The biggest problem we face in this country is not a lack of growth. What we lack in America is productive growth—growth that builds wealth generation after generation. Productive growth makes a place better with age. It's full of cycles, endings and beginnings, rather than being a linear journey toward decline.

Incremental Development
Incremental Development

We like our places to emerge fully formed and then we expect them to never change, but that's not how life works. Cities need to be able to change and adapt, to start small and mature incrementally over time. We can't wait around for a big developer or a mega-project to fix our cities. The kind of development we need today happens from the bottom up.

Traditional Development
Traditional Development

The traditional development pattern has tremendous financial upside and limited financial downside. In contrast, our new, experimental approach is incredibly fragile with limited financial upside and a downside that can literally go negative. We can learn from the past in order to stop making the mistakes that will condemn our future.

The Curbside Chat - Live in Lacey, Washington

Live in Vancouver, Canada

Live in Memphis, Tennessee

How can our towns get stronger—not weaker—when our economy changes? How can we repopulate our empty streets and empty storefronts? What can we learn from the earliest days of city building about building better places tomorrow? And how can active citizens, local officials, and ordinary people like you and I make it happen today, no matter how badly we’re starting off?

A live Curbside Chat in your town is your opportunity to hear our answer to these questions, and to participate in a community-specific discussion about how the Strong Towns approach can improve your city.

Watch a recording from a recent Curbside Chat in Olympia, WA. View more presentation examples here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Curbside Chat for?

The Curbside Chat was specifically developed for average citizens, local officials, and anyone who wants to make change in their communities—from the bottom up. Our message applies to cities and towns big and small, across the continent.

What are the main ideas explored in the Curbside Chat?

Three core concepts are central to Strong Towns thinking, and we explore them in depth in the Curbside Chat presentation:

  1. Continuous building (“growth”) is not the measure of a successful town, especially if that so-called growth represents increasing liability for our future citizens.

  2. When we plan for our cities’ futures, we need to look to the history of how resilient cities have been successfully built for centuries—not what our modern predictive models speculate might make our cities better off.

  3. Any citizen can participate in making their town stronger, and no town will truly be made stronger without building a culture of people who care.

Where can I see an example of a Curbside Chat presentation?

You can view dozens of recorded Curbside Chat presentations on our YouTube page.

How long does a Curbside Chat typically last?

This presentation typically takes 90 minutes, with 60 minutes for speaking and 30 minutes for Q&A. It can be condensed to a 60-minute presentation if needed.

What does all of this mean for my town?

To fully explore this question, please fill out this short form and Strong Towns' Pathfinder, Michelle Erfurt, will be in touch with you. 

We also encourage you to visit our event calendar to find out whether there's a Curbside Chat coming to your area soon.