Thank you, Alabama

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.

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
How a Walk Audit Can Build Community and Momentum
Strong Towns
How a Walk Audit Can Build Community and Momentum
Strong Towns

Gioia Calabretta is a Local Conversation leader and Strong Towns staff member. She and Norm discuss a walk audit she recently participated in.

Strong Towns
James Anderson: How to Encourage Innovation in Local Government
Strong Towns
James Anderson: How to Encourage Innovation in Local Government
Strong Towns

James Anderson leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. Today, he explains how to help cities embrace an innovative, people-based approach to local governance.

Strong Towns
Sleeping Babies in the Town’s Living Room
Norm Van Eeden Petersman
Sleeping Babies in the Town’s Living Room
Norm Van Eeden Petersman

When cities attempt to prescribe the exact way a building must be used, they risk regulating away the very life of a place.

Norm Van Eeden Petersman
Northwest Arkansas by the Numbers: Stability or Sugar Rush?
Asia Mieleszko
Northwest Arkansas by the Numbers: Stability or Sugar Rush?
Asia Mieleszko

What the Finance Decoder revealed about Fayetteville, Springdale, and Siloam Springs—through the eyes of a local Strong Towns member.

Asia Mieleszko
How Will Gardner Is Helping Build a Stronger South Coast
Strong Towns
How Will Gardner Is Helping Build a Stronger South Coast
Strong Towns

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.

Strong Towns
How One California City Teamed Up With Residents To Stop Speeding
Mya Riley
How One California City Teamed Up With Residents To Stop Speeding
Mya Riley

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.

Mya Riley
Are Sponge Cities the Flood Control Fix We Need?
Strong Towns
Are Sponge Cities the Flood Control Fix We Need?
Strong Towns

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.

Strong Towns
Adding Third Places To Unlock a Small Town’s Potential
Strong Towns
Adding Third Places To Unlock a Small Town’s Potential
Strong Towns

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.

Strong Towns
The Buttonhook Isn’t Designed To Solve Baxter’s Mythical Congestion
Charles Marohn
The Buttonhook Isn’t Designed To Solve Baxter’s Mythical Congestion
Charles Marohn

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

Charles Marohn
Portland Advocates Defend Life-Saving Street Design — and Win a Pause
Strong Towns
Portland Advocates Defend Life-Saving Street Design — and Win a Pause
Strong Towns

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.

Strong Towns
Charles Marohn