John Pattison is the Community Builder for Strong Towns. He is the author of two books, most recently Slow Church (IVP), which takes inspiration from Slow Food and the other Slow movements to help faith communities reimagine how they live life together in the neighborhood. John and his family live in Silverton, Oregon.
Strong Towns member Victoria Via talks about how advocates of many different personal and professional backgrounds are coming together in Portland, OR.
When Strong Towns member John Holmes was fired for speaking against harmful development practices, he didn’t let that stop him. Working with other advocates, he’s paving the way to success for Charlotte, NC!
The people in our Local Conversations are doing amazing work in their communities—and it’s all thanks to the support of Strong Towns members.
Take a trip with our Community Builder, John Pattison, as he discovers why the design of Scottish roads makes them safe—and downright pleasant—to drive on, even for a foreigner!
Want to get together with your neighbors to talk about Strong Towns ideas? Here’s some tips on getting started.
Being a Strong Towns advocate is less intimidating, more effective, and, frankly, more fun when you’re not doing the work alone. Find a Local Conversation near you!
Front yard businesses were once a natural stage in the evolution of a community. So where have they all gone, and how do we bring them back?
Are you a Strong Towns advocate looking for a job? Or an employer looking to hire a Strong Towns advocate? Well, have we got the resource for you.
Learn more about this two-year project designed to introduce Strong Towns ideas to your community, shift the conversation there, and kickstart the implementation of a Strong Towns approach.
Sometimes, it’s worth it to take a step back from national news and pay attention to the things that are happening in your own community.
Five local Strong Towns groups launched last week. Is one of them near you?
Many people have a love-hate relationship with Facebook, but we can’t deny that it’s an effective place to connect with fellow advocates.
Valuable land is being wasted everywhere in the U.S. on motor vehicle storage. Let’s free up that space so it can be used more productively for our communities.
There are over 100 Local Conversations (i.e., local Strong Towns advocates working together) around North America. And we want to grow that number tenfold.
Sometimes it can be daunting for advocates to begin…well, actually advocating. Here’s a simple, 4-step process that can help you overcome that first hurdle toward making your place stronger.
A crucial part of making your city or town stronger lies in revitalizing your downtown. Here’s how one Local Conversation organizer is doing that work in her place.
We live in a culture that exalts the people who say, “I know.” But sometimes what our places need are people willing to say, “I don’t know,” and, “What do you think?” and, “Let’s figure that out together.”
When the pandemic shut down our town, I realized how much I'd taken for granted the neighbors who showed up every day to make our community work.
Co-housing not only saves money for these two families—and enabled them to buy a home, in the first place—it’s also allowed them to better weather hard times.
What are some of the practical ways that faith communities can contribute to healthy economic ecosystems?
How do we build vibrant local economies that are good for the people who actually live in a neighborhood?
What do fractals have to do with building strong towns? A lot more than you might assume.
This simple, fun workshop will help your community discover just how many assets it has to work with.
Strong Towns Community Builder John Pattison shares his favorite content from this past year.
What if religious congregations are the “sleeping giant” of the Strong Towns movement?
You’re here because you sensed that something was wrong with North America’s development pattern. So what will it be: red pill or blue pill?
Your small town had a 1 in 5,000 chance to receive a reality TV makeover. What can the other 4,999 learn?
This new Not Just Bikes video features an Ontario stroad that’s anything but wonderful.
Strong Towns Community Builder John Pattison shares his favorite content from this past year.