Cheese Nation!

Chuck is heading to Wisconsin for a Curbside Chat tonight and then to give Transportation in the Next American City tomorrow. Exciting opportunity to share our message. Here's the most current schedule of upcoming events, including Alabama next week.

April 9-10 - La Crosse, WI
April 14-15 - Birmingham, AL
April 24-25 - Stevens Point, WI  - Half day training session, AICP Credits will be offered - Register Here
April 28 - Dallas, TX - Curbside Chat
April 30 - Dallas, TX - Member Appreciation Event - More details to come to Strong Towns Members by email
May 13 - Fargo, ND - Curbside Chat
May 14 - Grand Forks, ND - Curbside Chat
May 19 - Hays, KS - Curbside Chat
May 21 - Lewiston, ME - Conference Keynote
June 17 - Boston, MA - Conference Keynote
June 18 - Denver, CO - Strong Towns on Tap
June 23 - Detroit, MI - Conference Panel
June 30 - Des Moines, IA - Conference Keynote

In case you missed it this week...

Featured
Who Hates a Hot Dog? Parking Mandates Ban a Beloved Food Truck
Edward Erfurt
Who Hates a Hot Dog? Parking Mandates Ban a Beloved Food Truck
Edward Erfurt

Do you have a favorite food truck? These micro businesses are often features of their communities, and they represent an important stage of incremental development. But strict zoning laws can put these businesses at risk. Hot Dog House FL learned this the hard way when parking mandates evicted them from their main operating location.

Edward Erfurt
Practical Ways Public Art Can Strengthen Your Community
Emma Durand-Wood
Practical Ways Public Art Can Strengthen Your Community
Emma Durand-Wood

Public art can do more than add personality and beauty to a space — it can change the way people behave, bring the community together and avoid the resistance other changes to city policy face. It’s time to stop overlooking this powerful and accessible tool and start making our towns stronger, one bucket of paint at a time.

Emma Durand-Wood
Instead of Hating Your HOA, Make Your City Take Responsibility
Ben Abramson
Instead of Hating Your HOA, Make Your City Take Responsibility
Ben Abramson

From arbitrary restrictions to overly harsh penalties, many homeowners associations (HOAs) do little to endear themselves to their neighborhoods. But your city may have more responsibility for these conditions than you realize.

Ben Abramson
Cincinnati Pledges $200K in Funding for Popular Bikeshare Service
Strong Towns
Cincinnati Pledges $200K in Funding for Popular Bikeshare Service
Strong Towns

The city of Cincinnati has pledged $200k to keep the popular bikeshare program Red Bike alive for another year. Joining us to talk about bikeshare programs and Red Bike’s financial difficulties is Bryce Mortera, a member of Civic Cincinnati. Are these programs really beneficial for residents? And if so, is there a more sustainable way to fund them than relying on sponsors?

Strong Towns
75-Year-Old Houston Advocate Refuses To Surrender to Highway Expansion Project
Asia Mieleszko
75-Year-Old Houston Advocate Refuses To Surrender to Highway Expansion Project
Asia Mieleszko

At 75, she didn’t think she’d spend her time fighting freeways, but that’s exactly where Susan Graham finds herself. Founder of Stop TxDOT I-45, Graham has been fighting highway expansion in Houston for almost five years — and she’s nowhere near done. (Get to know Graham before she brings her knowledge to the national stage at the Strong Towns National Gathering, May 14-15!)

Asia Mieleszko
The Drip Effect: A Small Change Can Be Powerful, Too
Tiffany Owens Reed
The Drip Effect: A Small Change Can Be Powerful, Too
Tiffany Owens Reed

As an advocate, it’s easy to feel discouraged when you can’t prompt any big changes in your community, or even among your loved ones. Be patient: Just as many small actions can help cities grow incrementally stronger, the small impacts you have on others can lead to big changes over time.

Tiffany Owens Reed
Arizona’s Culdesac: A Car-Free Paradise or Part of the Problem?
Ben Abramson
Arizona’s Culdesac: A Car-Free Paradise or Part of the Problem?
Ben Abramson

A new development in Tempe, Arizona, claims to be “the best place to live car-free in the U.S.” But while this development has many of the trappings of a strong town, it’s lacking one of the most important elements: resilience born from incremental development.

Ben Abramson
Ron DeSantis Doesn’t Like Bike Lanes. Floridians Seem To Agree.
Charles Marohn
Ron DeSantis Doesn’t Like Bike Lanes. Floridians Seem To Agree.
Charles Marohn

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation to accelerate road projects, claiming it will make driving less miserable. However, driving in Florida isn’t miserable because of a lack of roads —it’s miserable because the road network is designed in nonsensical, dangerous ways that increase congestion and make it impossible to drive anywhere in a straight line.

Charles Marohn
Whatever Works (Doing What You Can To Survive the Housing Crisis)
Johnny Sanphillippo
Whatever Works (Doing What You Can To Survive the Housing Crisis)
Johnny Sanphillippo

Many cities in the United States are experiencing a housing crisis, with pressure growing for someone to find a solution. But is an official solution even possible? With dysfunctional institutions and a divided culture, the “solution” might come down to individuals doing what they can in the moment.

Johnny Sanphillippo
The Suburban Approach Won’t Help Us Out of the Housing Trap
Edward Erfurt
The Suburban Approach Won’t Help Us Out of the Housing Trap
Edward Erfurt

Connecticut is trying to reform state and local zoning laws to allow diverse and affordable housing production. However, their efforts still rely on the suburban approach — accruing large amounts of debt in anticipation of future growth — so they may be doomed to failure.

Edward Erfurt
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Alleviating Neighborhood Poverty at a Root Level
Strong Towns
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Alleviating Neighborhood Poverty at a Root Level
Strong Towns

Christian Grey is the executive director of inCOMMON Community Development, an organization that aims to alleviate poverty at a root level by uniting and strengthening vulnerable neighborhoods.

Strong Towns
Charles Marohn