“The Strong Towns voice needs to be heard by elected and appointed officials across the US. ”
— Toby Dougherty of Hays, KS
“Strong Towns is doing some of the most important work in this country.”
— Stephen Lassiter of Tulsa, OK
“Strong Towns is a simple concept with a never-ending depth behind it.”
— Lawrence Andre of Mission, KS

Thank you to everyone who became a member this week. We can't do this without you.

See you back here on Monday when we resume our regular schedule.

Featured
The Zombie Freeway Project in Shreveport That Won't Die
The Zombie Freeway Project in Shreveport That Won't Die

There’s every reason not to build a freeway through a poor, mostly-black neighborhood in Shreveport, Louisiana. So why is the state government taking money away from needed maintenance to push this bad project forward?

My Journey from Free Market Ideologue, Part 5: Commercial Development
My Journey from Free Market Ideologue, Part 5: Commercial Development

If local governments are going to lose money on residential development, then they have to make it up on commercial development. That’s a risky business model, one that doesn’t pencil out.

Top 5 Recent Stories (July 1–July 12, 2019)
Top 5 Recent Stories (July 1–July 12, 2019)

Don’t miss our top 5 recent stories! In the last few days we’ve covered historic zoning reform in the Pacific Northwest; the lessons of European urbanism; the transformative power of public art; and our own founder’s journey to understanding the perverse incentives that shaped the world he was building as a young civil engineer.

Should We Save the American Mall?
Should We Save the American Mall?

A failed mall can feel like a monument to your community’s economic failure. A presidential hopeful has an idea to bring them back to life. But is it a good thing?

Join the Strong Towns Book Club!
Join the Strong Towns Book Club!

Pre-order your copy of Strong Towns: A Bottom-up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity to get in on the action.

About Those Swelling Suburbs....
About Those Swelling Suburbs....

Another spate of headlines suggest that rapid suburban growth means that Millennial homebuyers must prefer the greener pastures of suburbia to life in inner-city neighborhoods. Here’s why the real story is not that simple.

Is It Better to Be a Soldier or a Scout?
Is It Better to Be a Soldier or a Scout?

The best judgments are made with a “scout” mindset—your job is to survey the terrain and understand it—rather than that of a “soldier” whose job is to win a battle (or an argument). A social scientist explains the difference.

Announcing the First Details of the Strong America Tour
Announcing the First Details of the Strong America Tour

To coincide with the release of Strong Towns: the book this fall, Strong Towns founder Charles Marohn is hitting the road on a coast-to-coast Strong America Tour! We have dozens of stops in the works, and we’re excited to finally be able to officially announce a few of them.

How Public Art can Boost the Pride (and Resilience) of Your Neighborhood
How Public Art can Boost the Pride (and Resilience) of Your Neighborhood

Greta McLain—Artistic Director at GoodSpace Murals, a Minneapolis-based organization that promotes community development through public art—shares how you can use public art to build community in your own city or town, including how to create a tribe of public art advocates in your community, and how to turn stakeholders leery of public art into advocates.


My Journey from Free Market Ideologue, Part 4: Analyzing the Cul-de-Sac
My Journey from Free Market Ideologue, Part 4: Analyzing the Cul-de-Sac

In a suburban development pattern, the cul-de-sac is the gravy. It’s the cherry on top. It should be the most profitable part of the system, the place with the most tax base for the least amount of cost. If that’s not true, then something is terribly wrong with our model of growth.

How I Learned That an Urban Lifestyle Does Not Imply Living in a Huge City
How I Learned That an Urban Lifestyle Does Not Imply Living in a Huge City

During a semester in Spain, I realized that an urban, walkable place need not imply high rise buildings, crazy traffic and overcrowded streets. Traditional development offers the convenience and productivity of urban living at a small-town pace.

Come Work for Strong Towns
Come Work for Strong Towns

We’re hiring a full-time Content Manager to help us manage our content production process, support our Content Team, and grow our movement. Our hiring process is a little unconventional, so find out here how to apply.

My Journey from Free Market Ideologue, Part 3: What is Infrastructure?
My Journey from Free Market Ideologue, Part 3: What is Infrastructure?

In very simple terms, infrastructure is a platform for expanding wealth. If infrastructure doesn’t expand our wealth enough to justify its construction, it’s not an investment. It’s merely a form of consumptive spending.

Happy 4th!
Happy 4th!

We will not be publishing on Thursday, 7/4 or Friday 7/5. Happy 4th of July to our U.S. readers!

Want to Organize Strong Towns Advocates in Your City? Join Us for an AMA Webcast Where You Can Learn How It's Done.
Want to Organize Strong Towns Advocates in Your City? Join Us for an AMA Webcast Where You Can Learn How It's Done.

Our next Ask Strong Towns: Celebrity Edition webcast features two rock-star local organizers who have advanced the Strong Towns movement in their cities: Jim Hodapp of Strong Indy, and Jordan Deffenbaugh of Strong Towns Sioux Falls. This live, members-only webcast is coming your way on Tuesday, July 23rd!

What Neighborhood-Led Investment Looks Like in Detroit
What Neighborhood-Led Investment Looks Like in Detroit

Rafa Wright—Detroit native, community leader, and soon-to-be owner of a new, Detroit-based neighborhood grocery—shares how you can make neighborhood-led investments in your community, including how to observe where people struggle, how to find the right investments for your neighborhood, and how to get your neighbors involved in the process.

Making Normal Neighborhoods Legal Again
Making Normal Neighborhoods Legal Again

The growing movement to end exclusive single-family zoning—as Oregon just did in its cities—is not a radical or untested experiment: it’s a return to a historical norm. The actual radical experiment is the strange notion that a neighborhood should be required to contain only one type of home.

Why Are U.S. Drivers Killing So Many Pedestrians?
Why Are U.S. Drivers Killing So Many Pedestrians?

U.S. drivers are killing 50 percent more pedestrians than a mere decade ago; meanwhile, European drivers are killing a third fewer. Why?

My Journey from Free Market Ideologue, Part 2: Pequot Lakes Bypass
My Journey from Free Market Ideologue, Part 2: Pequot Lakes Bypass

Early in my career, I helped plan a highway bypass for a small town that I was sure would generate a positive return on investment in the form of economic growth. The only problem? The actual numbers we calculated told a different story.

Sacrifice a Historic Downtown Neighborhood for a Hospital? There's a Better Option.
Sacrifice a Historic Downtown Neighborhood for a Hospital? There's a Better Option.

When we do the math, we find that preserving historic buildings and districts is the best thing we can do for our cities’ economic futures. Utica, New York should consider this when choosing where to locate a new hospital campus.

"Start Small, and Make a Lot of Noise": How to Improve a Neighborhood from the Bottom Up
"Start Small, and Make a Lot of Noise": How to Improve a Neighborhood from the Bottom Up

There are huge swaths of 1950s and 1960s suburbia that need a bit of TLC—and expensive, top-down “sprawl repair” isn’t going to be up to the task. What’s required is a more patient, grassroots approach. Urban planner John Yung has some ideas.

Watch a Licensed Engineer Coach Cities on How to Game FEMA Assistance
Watch a Licensed Engineer Coach Cities on How to Game FEMA Assistance

Got potholes? Can’t get federal funding for routine street maintenance? That’s what you think! As it turns out, there are all sorts of ways that cities game that system.

My Journey from Free Market Ideologue to Strong Towns Advocate
My Journey from Free Market Ideologue to Strong Towns Advocate

I’ve had to reconcile my foundational belief in markets with my experiences working with cities. This has been a painful process.