I had a good pair of events this week in Birmingham with some people very enthused to help their communities become Strong Towns. It was really nice to be back in Alabama and I'm hoping for an opportunity to go back soon. In the meantime, here's what the schedule for sharing the Strong Towns message in person looks like for the next couple of months.

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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 (Strong Towns members should have received an email this week.)
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....

Featured
What's Wrong With This Picture?
Daniel Herriges
What's Wrong With This Picture?
Daniel Herriges

Commuter rail stations in the San Francisco Bay Area should be some of the most valuable land in the region (and by extension, the world). So why are there so many parking lots and one-story buildings right next to them?

Daniel Herriges
Three Cheers for Lexington's ADU Ordinance
Nolan Gray
Three Cheers for Lexington's ADU Ordinance
Nolan Gray

Lexington, Kentucky recently proposed an ordinance that would allow accessory dwelling units. Nolan Gray explains how ADUs are good for renters, good for homeowners, and good for the city — and why Lexington’s ordinance is (almost) perfect.

Nolan Gray
How "Small and Smart" Ideas can Boost Your City's Creativity (and Financial Resiliency)
Jacob Moses
How "Small and Smart" Ideas can Boost Your City's Creativity (and Financial Resiliency)
Jacob Moses

Greg Wright—Executive Director at CREATE Portage County—shares how you can foster creative (and financially resilient) communities where you live, including how to inspire creative residents, how to demonstrate the economic impact of creativity, and why you should root all initiatives in a “small and smart” way.


Jacob Moses
Refuge and Prospect: The Front Porch
Beth Ann Fennelly
Refuge and Prospect: The Front Porch
Beth Ann Fennelly

The Poet Laureate of Mississippi reflects on her adopted South and on the Southern tradition of front porch-sitting: “No other architectural space is so deliciously not/and: not inside, not outside. Not public, not private. Not house, not garden.”

Beth Ann Fennelly
How Should a Strong Town Respond to the Housing Crisis? (And Other Questions from Ask Strong Towns)
Strong Towns
How Should a Strong Town Respond to the Housing Crisis? (And Other Questions from Ask Strong Towns)
Strong Towns

Once a month we host Ask Strong Towns, a members-only live Q&A webcast. Here’s the video and audio from August 2019’s edition.

Strong Towns
Celebrating the American Front Porch
Campbell McCool
Celebrating the American Front Porch
Campbell McCool

Once ubiquitous, then endangered, the American front porch is making a comeback. From rocking chairs to rock music, a conference near Oxford, Mississippi celebrates the past, present, and future of the surprisingly powerful front porch.

Campbell McCool
Plan for Spontaneity
Arian Horbovetz
Plan for Spontaneity
Arian Horbovetz

It’s a paradox, but cities can set the stage for the unscripted. These playful surprises cater both to young and the young-at-heart, and they endear the community to visitors and residents alike.

Arian Horbovetz
The Streets of Paris
Charles Marohn
The Streets of Paris
Charles Marohn

The United States isn’t France, but there are still plenty of lessons to be learned—and myths to be busted—by looking at the way their streets are designed to build wealth.

Charles Marohn
Top 5 Recent Stories (August 12–August 16, 2019)
Strong Towns
Top 5 Recent Stories (August 12–August 16, 2019)
Strong Towns

Infrastructure doesn’t have to be expensive. But in the U.S., we infamously spend a fortune on it… and not always for the best results. This and more in this week’s top 5 articles.

Strong Towns
Meet the Pro Sports Stadium That Won't Make Your City Go Broke
Strong Towns
Meet the Pro Sports Stadium That Won't Make Your City Go Broke
Strong Towns

In North America, stadium projects are almost synonymous with silver bullet disasters. But does that have to be true?

Strong Towns