Strong Towns
Cart 0
Articles Podcasts Videos About
Become a Member
Local Conversations Crash Analysis Studio Housing-Ready Cities Community Action Lab
Academy Action Lab Cohort Accelerator Housing Trap All Books
Book an Event Attend an Event Local-Motive Tour National Gathering
Cart 0
ArticlesPodcastsVideos Programs Local Conversations Crash Analysis Studio Housing-Ready Cities Community Action Lab Learn Academy Action Lab Cohort Accelerator Housing Trap All Books Events Book an Event Attend an Event Local-Motive Tour National Gathering About
Strong Towns
We support a strong America full of strong cities, towns, and neighborhoods.
Become a Member
How Will Gardner Is Helping Build a Stronger South Coast
How Will Gardner Is Helping Build a Stronger South Coast

Will Gardner is the founder of South Coast Places For People, a new nonprofit in Massachusetts. He discusses the three working groups his nonprofit recently started, which focus on parking reform, backyard cottages, and street safety.

Read More
Podcast, Top Story 2Strong TownsAugust 28, 2025podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, massachusetts, safe and productive streets, Incremental Housing, local conversations
How One California City Teamed Up With Residents To Stop Speeding
How One California City Teamed Up With Residents To Stop Speeding

The city of Artesia, California, has been struggling with a speeding problem. Instead of just blaming drivers, city staff teamed up with local advocates to address the root problem: the street design.

Read More
Top Story 2Mya RileyAugust 27, 2025safe and productive streets, local conversations, california, tactical urbanism, local government
Are Sponge Cities the Flood Control Fix We Need?
Are Sponge Cities the Flood Control Fix We Need?

Abby and guest John Pattison dive into the benefits and drawbacks of "sponge cities," cities that incorporate natural features like wetlands into their stormwater management infrastructure.

Read More
Podcast, Top Story 2Strong TownsAugust 27, 2025podcast, upzoned, stormwater, flooding, green infrastructure, transparent local accounting
Adding Third Places To Unlock a Small Town’s Potential
Adding Third Places To Unlock a Small Town’s Potential

Jess and Dan Sollaccio are city commissioners and a small-scale developers from Warrenton, Oregon. They explain their asset-based mindset for strengthening their community, as well as their efforts to turn a vacant building into a community hub.

Read More
Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 26, 2025podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Bottom-Up Shorts, oregon, city government, small scale developers
The Buttonhook Isn’t Designed To Solve Baxter’s Mythical Congestion
The Buttonhook Isn’t Designed To Solve Baxter’s Mythical Congestion

In Baxter, “fighting congestion” is the sales pitch, but corporate subsidy is the goal.

Read More
MarohnCharles MarohnAugust 25, 2025end highway expansion, stroad, congestion, minnesota, department of transportation
Portland Advocates Defend Life-Saving Street Design — and Win a Pause
Portland Advocates Defend Life-Saving Street Design — and Win a Pause

A 66% decrease in crashes wasn’t enough to protect these traffic diverters, but the unified efforts of local advocacy groups and city officials might be.

Read More
Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 22, 2025safe and productive streets, bikeability, local conversations, oregon, walkability
Fighting for Safe Streets in America’s Most Dangerous City
Fighting for Safe Streets in America’s Most Dangerous City

Memphis was ranked the #1 most dangerous metro in 2024. That’s not stopping Kelsey Huse, an advocate and grad student. She shares the inside scoop on Memphis’ dangerous design and how she’s working to change it.

Read More
Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 21, 2025podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, tennessee, Crash Analysis Studio, safe and productive streets
When a Street Kills a Child, We Put the Parents on Trial
When a Street Kills a Child, We Put the Parents on Trial

When our infrastructure makes normal childhood behavior life-threatening, allowing kids to do typical childhood activities becomes reckless endangerment.

Read More
Top StoryChris AllenAugust 21, 2025car crash, stroad, Street Design, children, public space, safe and productive streets
These Delays Are Making Housing Less Affordable
These Delays Are Making Housing Less Affordable

Slow permitting, shifting utility requirements, and inconsistent rules threaten the small-scale development that cities rely on. Here’s one developer’s story.

Read More
Top StoryAsia MieleszkoAugust 21, 2025Incremental Housing, Infill Development, louisiana, housing crisis, housing cost, housing affordability, policy change
Why Data Center Electricity Use "Scares Me to the Bone"
Why Data Center Electricity Use "Scares Me to the Bone"

Data centers use a massive amount of electricity, sometimes even rivaling major cities. Today, Edward and Abby discuss the far-reaching implications of this kind of land use. (Transcript included.)

Read More
Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 20, 2025podcast, upzoned, data, electricity, technology, transparent local accounting
How Places Form People: The Moral Pedagogy of Urban Design
How Places Form People: The Moral Pedagogy of Urban Design

Design doesn’t just reflect our values — it forms them. If we want citizens who are engaged, generous, and resilient, we need places that cultivate those virtues.

Read More
Top StoryJarah JacquayAugust 20, 2025design, placemaking, traditional development pattern, community, social trust
Why This Canadian City Said Goodbye to Parking Mandates (And How It Really Happened)
Why This Canadian City Said Goodbye to Parking Mandates (And How It Really Happened)

How a passionate group of locals cracked Nanaimo’s stubborn parking rules—and unlocked new possibilities for housing and community.

Read More
Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 19, 2025end parking mandates and subsidies, parking minimums, canada, housing, biking
The Young Voice Shaping Salt Lake City's Future
The Young Voice Shaping Salt Lake City's Future

Eva López Chávez is a city council member in Salt Lake City, Utah. She and Norm discuss how she’s building prosperity in her city.

Read More
Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 19, 2025podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Bottom-Up Shorts, utah, city council
The Road That Killed Legend Jenkins Was Working Exactly as Designed
The Road That Killed Legend Jenkins Was Working Exactly as Designed

When a child is killed on a street like West Hudson Boulevard, it’s not a tragic fluke. It’s the outcome we designed for.

Read More
Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 18, 2025safe and productive streets, car crash, stroad, Street Design, children
After 3 Crashes in 4 Days, Massachusetts Residents Rally for Safer Streets
After 3 Crashes in 4 Days, Massachusetts Residents Rally for Safer Streets

Four days. Three crashes. Two lives lost. One life changed forever. For residents of Fairhaven and New Bedford, this wasn’t just a bad weekend; it was a turning point.

Read More
Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 15, 2025massachusetts, safe and productive streets, car crash, local conversations
Chicago and Denver Just Ditched Parking Mandates—What Does That Mean?
Chicago and Denver Just Ditched Parking Mandates—What Does That Mean?

Chicago and Denver just joined a growing list of cities including Anchorage, Minneapolis, and Austin in rethinking how city space is used, and what we pay for. 

Read More
Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 14, 2025end parking mandates and subsidies, colorado, illinois, cost of parking, housing cost, Parking Reform Network
How Taking a Walk Can Make Your City Stronger
How Taking a Walk Can Make Your City Stronger

Ashley Thornton is the founder of Waco Walks, an organization devoted to promoting walkability in Waco, Texas. She and Tiffany discuss the design choices that make Waco difficult to walk in and how Waco Walks is working to change that.

Read More
Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 14, 2025podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, texas, walkability, sidewalks
Minneapolis Residents Take Action To Make Their Streets Safer
Minneapolis Residents Take Action To Make Their Streets Safer

After a car crash damaged three houses, these Minneapolis residents are done waiting for officials to act. They're demonstrating a better way of responding to crashes.

Read More
Top StoryMya RileyAugust 13, 2025safe and productive streets, Crash Analysis Studio, minnesota, car crash, Street Design
Why Colorado Is Facing a Senior Housing Crisis
Why Colorado Is Facing a Senior Housing Crisis

Colorado's population is rapidly aging, but limited housing stock means seniors are stuck in homes they can’t afford. Abby discusses this dilemma with Katy Claggett, a developer originally from Colorado who develops infill housing for seniors.

Read More
Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 13, 2025podcast, upzoned, Incremental Housing, seniors, colorado
Burned Out and Backlogged: The Real Blockade in LA’s Post-Fire Recovery
Burned Out and Backlogged: The Real Blockade in LA’s Post-Fire Recovery

Los Angeles is desperate to rebuild after the wildfires that destroyed nearly 60,000 acres back in January. So why is it that 6 months later, not much has changed?

Read More
Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 12, 2025wildfire, Incremental Housing, incremental development, housing policy, california
Older
 

Helping cities, towns and neighborhoods take local action to grow safe, livable and financially resilient.

 

Get Involved

Become a Member
Sign Up for Emails
Pitch a Story
RSS Feed

Resources

Books
Action Lab
Blog Roll
Shop
Press

About

About Us
Team | Board
Employment
Contact Us

Site

Privacy Policy
Comment Policy
FAQ
Search

Each month, this website is funded by Strong Towns members.

Join the movement to keep the message going.
Become a Member

Strong Towns is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our work is performed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please share with others to use for good.

 
Strong Towns
1511 Northern Pacific Rd,
Brainerd, MN, 56401
8442181681 [email protected]
Hours