Connor Nielsen was an intern with Strong Towns and the geoanalytics firm, Urban3, for the summer of 2018, while studying Economic Development and Dramatic Art at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is passionate about storytelling and urbanism, and he seeks to unite these fields by advocating for urban design in new and compelling ways. He also enjoys acting, producing theater, hiking, and traveling.
When a city annexes surrounding land, it’s usually touted as a benefit for residents and municipal budgets. This could not be further from the truth. Here’s the data to prove it.
70 years ago, these two historic cities were on a similar path. Then one fell into debt while the other was swimming in money. You might be surprised by what they each look like today.
The scale and value of what we’ve sacrificed in order to build parking lots and highways is staggering. Only by understanding that loss can we figure out how to build stronger towns.
New maps from Urban3 visualize the shocking disparities in who is actually footing municipal bills in California.
What would the opposite of the Strong Towns approach look like?
Now, the story of a wealthy family who sold their farm and the developer who exploited an agricultural tax subsidy to keep it all together.
Taxation is a powerful planning tool, whether we want it to be or not.
This is basic and obvious math.
In Minnesota, two cities made entirely of trailer homes show us a different model for affordable housing — one that’s been successfully operating for decades.
Why does Charleston’s quaint downtown have such astronomically high property values?
Communities like Cobb County must address the problems that have plagued them from the outset by encouraging the style of development that produces true value per acre.