Listening Recommendations for Strong Towns Thinking
I’m back working in the office now where I’ve got a recording studio setup and other things that make me more productive. (Don’t worry, I’ve been here over two weeks and never seen another person in the entire building.) I also, quite frankly, needed to stop eating big lunches—despite the delight of being with my family—and really need the walking commute to shed my COVID-5.
During the stay-at-home period, I was invited to be a guest on a string of podcasts. It was quite enjoyable because they all had a different angle we were exploring. One of my favorites was the GovLove podcast, a production of Engaging Local Government Leaders. It wound up being personal in a way I would usually be uncomfortable with, but it seemed to work here.
Some of the stuff we touched on:
Life before Strong Towns.
The city decision that cut so deep it hurt.
The false starts for Strong Towns and finally settling on a theory of change.
An economy based on transactions versus one based on wealth, which is really a broader take on the Growth Ponzi Scheme narrative.
How spreading out is the luxury we’ve chosen to spend our wealth on (as opposed to having nice things).
How small town insights translate to larger cities.
Dealing with massive maintenance backlogs with debt and wishful thinking.
The echo effect of infrastructure maintenance in the Suburban Experiment.
Reorienting cities towards building wealth and stability instead of merely chasing growth.
My music choice for ending the show, and more.
I also had a special moment last week when I was on my walking commute. There are two podcasts I never miss. The first is Gleeman and the Geek, a show about the Minnesota Twins. The other is the McAlvany Weekly Commentary, a financial podcast featuring David McAlvany. Some of you might remember David who was a guest on my podcast earlier this year. I have a deep respect for his company’s approach to investing (disclosure: years before having any interaction with them on a personal level, we moved a portion of our family’s savings to their management team).
So imagine my surprise as I’m walking to the office when I hear this:
I read a book earlier this year by Charles Marohn. It’s a thoughtfully written book called Strong Towns. It was riveting. It was very interesting.
He’s a certified professional engineer and a land use planner—that’s what he does for a living—and he cares very much about what the future looks like.
David went on to talk about rebuilding America from the bottom-up and how the Strong Towns insights were critical for making that happen. It really meant a lot to have someone I respect and admire be so generous.
You should listen to the entire show because it’s good, and subscribe to the podcast because it’s always insightful. And share both of these—GovLove and McAlvany—with people you think might enjoy them and subscribe. These are great adjacent conversations.
I try to never turn down an opportunity to share this message, especially if it’s with an audience we don’t normally reach. That means I do a lot of these talks—for example, this week I’m meeting with a book club in Denver—and share Strong Towns ideas in many different ways. We do that as an organization because the more people who hear this message, the more eyes that are opened to how simple it is to build a prosperous place, the less resistance all of you will have to making change.
You’re pushing. We’re pulling. Together we are a great team.
Cover image via Unsplash.
Strong Towns interviews Dr. Christopher Berry, of the University of Chicago, on how we can begin making meaningful changes to the U.S.’s broken property tax system.