THE PROBLEM: GROWTH WITHOUT PROSPERITY
The way we build our cities now squanders precious resources that should be used to make our communities more prosperous.
We are trading short-term growth for long-term liabilities and it's slowly bankrupting us. We deserve better.
The good news: There is a better way.
Take Control of Your Community’s Financial Future
Get the tools and resources to be an effective advocate for change.
Find examples of people taking Strong Towns action that we have written up, interviewed, or documented.
Connect with a community of people who are actively working for change, both at the national level and at home.
Transportation is getting worse and costing more. This is how we do better.
The new book from Strong Towns president Charles Marohn pulls back the curtain on the North American transportation system. You’ll learn:
• How transportation got so bad in the first place…and why it’s getting worse.
• The high cost we’re paying—not just in dollars, but in time, safety and quality of life.
• How to fix it.
Strong Towns is an international movement dedicated to making communities across the United States and Canada financially strong and resilient.
The Strong Towns Approach
The Strong Towns approach is a radically new way of thinking about the way we build our world. We believe that in order to truly thrive, our cities and towns must:
Stop valuing efficiency and start valuing resilience
Stop betting our futures on huge, irreversible projects, and start taking small, incremental steps and iterating based on what we learn
Stop fearing change and start embracing a process of continuous adaptation
Stop building our world based on abstract theories, and start building it based on how our places actually work and what our neighbors actually need today
Stop obsessing about future growth and start obsessing about our current finances.
But most importantly, we believe that Strong Citizens from all walks of life can and must participate in a Strong Towns approach—from citizens to leaders, professionals to neighbors, and everyone in between. And that means we need you.
Praise for Strong Towns and the Strong Towns Book
Charles Marohn brings the same incisive creativity to Strong Towns that citizens and city leaders alike must bring to their communities.
—JANETTE SADIK-KHAN, Bloomberg Associates, former NYC Transportation Commissioner, author of Street Fight
A must-read for mayors, city builders, urbanists, and all of us who want to live in and create stronger, more vibrant, and inclusive places.
—RICHARD FLORIDA, author of The Rise of the Creative Class, The Great Reset, and The New Urban Crisis
"Somewhere between Small is Beautiful and Cities and The Wealth of Nations can be found the gem of Strong Towns, our current moment's most cogent, practical, and necessary response to the problem of urban economics."
—JEFF SPECK, author of Walkable City and Walkable City Rules
We have the ability to rebuild our communities and create a broader prosperity. This book is your paradigm shift to get started.
—Michele Martinez, Former City Councilmember, City of Santa Ana , CA, from the foreword to Strong Towns
“Sometimes, in our depleted and cynical times, one hears 'Well then, what is your genius plan? ' Here it is, finally, with extraordinary force and clarity: a genius plan.”
—ANDRES DUANY, author of Suburban Nation and founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism
You’re not to blame.
And you’re not alone.
We all inherited the development pattern invented by Americans in the last century. Most consider it normal, the way things are done, despite how radical an experiment it is. It’s only human to justify the pain and instability this new approach has caused, to focus on the symptoms, because an alternative is too difficult to imagine.
Yet, a prosperous alternative is available, and we all have a role to play in making it happen.
Free Online Course:
Strong Towns 101
You recognize the economic challenge your community is facing, and you want to do something about it. We created a free online course to help folks understand the insolvency crisis that is quietly bankrupting cities and towns everywhere. You’ll learn how we got to this point, why you’re not to blame, and a simple yet radical approach to fix it.
You don’t need an urban planning degree, experience in local government, or even a good grade in high school math to participate fully. All you need is a passion for helping your town grow stronger.
