Benjamin Herold: The Unraveling of America’s Suburbs

Benjamin Herold, author of Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America’s Suburbs, joins host Chuck Marohn on this week’s episode of the Strong Towns Podcast.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 18, 2024podcast, suburban experiment, suburbs, suburban development pattern, books

Lessons on Development Patterns From America’s Oldest Planned City

The unique planning and eclectic architecture of Savannah, GA, provide a PhD education on urban design—but there are also cautionary tales about development to be gleaned from this historic city.

Edward Erfurt, Top Story, TrendingEdward ErfurtMarch 8, 2024georgia, traditional development pattern, neighborhood change, local regulation, suburban experiment

It’s Time to Stop Getting “Used to It”

Let’s save our capacity to adapt for better design choices.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedMarch 5, 2024suburban experiment

The End of Suburbia Starts With Disobedience

A quirk of Houstonian zoning has enabled some residents to start thickening up their neighborhoods, albeit through technically illegal means.

Top Story, TrendingRobert RiceOctober 13, 2023texas, Incremental Housing, incremental growth, suburban experiment, zoning

Ixnay on the Ay-play

Residents of Douglas Park in Vancouver have blocked the expansion of a local day care, citing it as a threat to the residential character of the neighborhood.

Herriges, Top Story, TrendingDaniel HerrigesSeptember 6, 2023NIMBY, zoning, neighborhood change, canada, suburban experiment

Walkable City Design Is Critical for Economic Health

On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, author Tristan Cleveland goes in depth about why cities struggle to retrofit their car dependence, and what could actually be done to create change.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 28, 2023walkability, downtown, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, safe and productive streets

Why Private Wealth Should Lead Public Investment

In today’s cities, governments sink millions of dollars into public investments before securing any taxable private wealth to fund said investments. This is a financial risk we can’t afford to continue taking on.

Marohn, Top Story, Trending, BradleyCharles MarohnJuly 10, 2023suburban experiment, public investment, transparent local accounting, development, infrastructure

The Earliest Roots of the Suburban Experiment

This series of studies of 19th-century development in St. Paul, MN, can help us understand some of the earliest traces of what would later become the suburban development pattern.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 7, 2023traditional development pattern, Incremental Housing, incremental growth, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, history, suburbs, minnesota

Will America Ever Change Its Urban Patterns?

If there has ever been a good time to change our development pattern, the time is now.

Top StoryMarcelo RemondMay 30, 2023development pattern, suburban development pattern, traditional development pattern, urbanism, car culture, suburbs, suburban experiment

3 Trade-Offs Parents Make Living in Suburbs Vs. Cities

We’ve created a society in which families have to choose between either spread-out, single-family living or dense urban living—and each side of this (artificial) binary can come with upsides and downsides.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedMay 30, 2023children, suburbs, suburbanization, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, car culture, traditional development pattern, cars, car dependency

Progress Isn't Inevitable

The winds are shifting for cities. Are you paying attention?

Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergFebruary 27, 2023urban design, urbanism, suburban experiment, suburbs, suburban development pattern, suburbanization

Where’s My Flying Car? Who Cares?

New technologies can solve problems—or make them worse. In the chase for technofixes like flying cars, it's important to know when to pump the brakes.

Top StoryTony DutzikFebruary 24, 2023car culture, cars, car dependency, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, history, highways, technology, end highway expansion

The Largest Mistake of Our Generation

The proposed annual budget for Winnipeg, MB, reveals the true cost of the Suburban Experiment, and the vibrancy that the city (and so many others like it) has sacrificed in many of its neighborhoods.

Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodFebruary 22, 2023suburban experiment, canada, suburban development pattern, infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, budget, finance, public finance, transportation, transportation spending, transparent local accounting, growth ponzi scheme

A Century-Old Neighborhood Provides a Model for the Present Day

Good urbanism doesn’t have to mean large apartment buildings or an immaculate row of brownstones; the ad-hoc version on display in this Florida neighborhood is more relevant as a model of adaptation for the rest of us.

Herriges, Top Story, Community StoriesDaniel HerrigesFebruary 22, 2023history, traditional development pattern, Incremental Housing, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, housing, housing crisis, infill, aesthetics, accessory dwelling unit, florida, neighborhoods

3 Predictions for 2023 as Communities Continue Climbing Out of the Pandemic

As America’s cities continue their halting climb up and out of the last few years, data analytics firm Urban3 foresees a few crises—as well as opportunities—waiting for them in 2023.

Trending, Top StoryKerry HayesFebruary 16, 2023economics, Economy, gentrification, climate, Climate Change, natural disasters, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, infrastructure bill, urban3, taxes, transparent local accounting

Why Is It So Difficult To Build Walkable Places?

A recent report from Smart Growth America highlights the extent to which zoning laws (in a staggering percentage of U.S. communities) stifle our ability to create walkable, human-centered places.

Top StoryBen AbramsonFebruary 14, 2023zoning, walkability, Incremental Housing, Smart Growth America, urbanism, suburban experiment, safe and productive streets, development

Revised Zoning Rules Make Minnesota City Legal Again

Zoning restrictions in this Minneapolis suburb have rendered much of its original development in violation of its current rules. The city’s leadership is looking to change that.