Show 197: Strength Test
Jim Kumon joins Chuck Marohn to discuss the Strong Towns Strength Test and how it can be applied to measure the strength and resiliency of a place.
A Strong Town should be able to answer “yes” to each of these questions.
Take a photo of your main street at midday. Does the picture show more people than cars?
If there were a revolution in your town, would people instinctively know where to gather to participate?
Imagine your favorite street in town didn’t exist. Could it be built today if the construction had to follow your local rules?
Is an owner of a single family home able to get permission to add a small rental unit onto their property without any real hassle?
If your largest employer left town, are you confident the city would survive?
Is it safe for children to walk or bike to school and many of their other activities without adult supervision?
Are there neighborhoods where three generations of a family could reasonably find a place to live, all within walking distance of each other?
If you wanted to eat only locally-produced food for a month, could you?
Before building or accepting new infrastructure, does the local government clearly identify how future generations will afford to maintain it?
Does the city government spend no more than 10% of its locally-generated revenue on debt service?