Small Bets, Lasting Returns: A Strong Towns Approach to Building Lasting Prosperity

Strong Towns is returning to Campbell River following its previous community presentation in August 2023 for an evening exploring practical approaches to building a stronger, more financially resilient community.

Strong Towns is a member-supported nonprofit organization that helps communities rebuild prosperity through better land use, transportation, and development decisions. Rather than relying on large-scale projects, the organization encourages bottom-up, community-led efforts that strengthen neighbourhoods, support local businesses, and create lasting financial resilience.

Communities across North America are facing familiar challenges: rising infrastructure costs, housing affordability, aging roads and utilities, and increasing pressure on municipal budgets. This presentation examines how communities can respond by making small, practical investments that strengthen the places they already have.

Topics will include:

• Why some patterns of growth generate lasting prosperity while others create long-term financial strain.
• How incremental investments can strengthen neighbourhoods and local economies.
• What value-per-acre analysis reveals about the financial performance of different types of development.
• Practical ways residents, business owners, community organizations, and local governments can work together to create a stronger Campbell River.

If you care about housing, transportation, downtown revitalization, economic development, or local government, this presentation offers practical ideas grounded in examples from communities across North America and British Columbia.