Charles Marohn
Charles Marohn (known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues) is the founder and president of Strong Towns and the bestselling author of “Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis.” With decades of experience as a land use planner and civil engineer, Marohn is on a mission to help cities and towns become stronger and more prosperous. He spreads the Strong Towns message through in-person presentations, the Strong Towns Podcast, and his books and articles. In recognition of his efforts and impact, Planetizen named him one of the 15 Most Influential Urbanists of all time in 2017 and 2023.
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What Hermantown’s data center deal reveals about the limits of local control.
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How public safety messaging shifts responsibility away from the systems that cause harm.
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How known modeling errors keep the federal expansion machine running.
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What the city reveals about the fundamental flaw in how we do public finance.
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How federal transit funding rewards visible transformation over real performance.
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New Zealand is confronting a reality many cities are still avoiding.
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What to do when “allowed” doesn’t mean “possible.”
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How federal funding distorts local streets.
Federal transportation funding fast-tracks highway expansion while cities wait years to fix dangerous streets.
Why supply, demand, and structure lead to very different theories of change.
If your city is under strain in a time of unprecedented investment—that’s a signal.
It’s time to close the interstate construction era and redefine the federal role in transportation.