One of the most difficult things to explain about Strong Towns is what success looks like.
Part of the challenge is that we live in a culture obsessed with completion. We want to finish the project. Complete the plan. Build the thing. Cut the ribbon. Solve the problem.
The promise of the Suburban Experiment is that we can build something to a finished state. We make the investment. Construct the road. Build the subdivision. Expand the school. Install the infrastructure. Complete the project. We imagine a future where all the difficult work is behind us and we can finally enjoy the result.
Strong Towns has always rejected that idea.
Not because the work isn't important. Not because progress isn't possible. But because cities are never finished. A neighborhood is never complete. A street is never done. A local economy is never solved.
A community is not a product to be assembled and delivered. It is a living thing, shaped and reshaped across generations by the people who care for it. That understanding changes everything. If there is no finish line, then success cannot be measured by completion. Success must be measured another way.
Success is living a good life in a prosperous place.
There Is No Finish Line
That may sound disappointingly simple, but I have never found a better way to describe what we are trying to accomplish.
A good life is not a life where all the problems have been solved. It is not a life where the work is finished. It is not a life where someone else has taken responsibility for making things better.
A good life is a life of participation. It is a life spent caring for something beyond yourself. A family. A neighborhood. A congregation. A business. A city.
It is a life where you inherit something imperfect, add what you can, and then pass it along to the next generation.
There is a saying from Judaism that has always resonated with me: "It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it."
That captures the Strong Towns approach as well as anything I know.
None of us is responsible for finishing the work. In fact, none of us can. The city we inherit was shaped by people who came before us. The city we leave behind will be shaped by people who come after us. We are participants in an ongoing story, not authors of the final chapter.
That realization can be frustrating if your goal is completion. But it can also be liberating. The pressure to finish the work disappears. What remains is the responsibility to contribute. To show up. To care. To leave things a little better than we found them.
That is what it means to live a good life.
But Strong Towns has always been about more than that. It is possible to live a good life struggling against a system that is falling apart. Many people do. But a Strong Town is not merely a place filled with good people. It is a place where the work of caring and building actually accumulates over time. A place where each generation adds to the foundation instead of depleting it. A place where today's efforts create opportunities rather than burdens for the people who come next.
That is what prosperity means.
Not wealth in a bank account. Not a growing GDP. Not a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Prosperity is the experience of knowing that the work matters. That the small improvements add up. That the sacrifice creates something durable. That the next generation will inherit a stronger place than the one we received.
The Work of Stewardship
That is why Strong Towns exists. We help people see their place differently. We connect them with others who care. We create ways to learn, to experiment, to test ideas, and to build confidence through action. We support local leaders as they navigate the difficult work of implementation.
But none of those things are the goal. They are all in service to something larger.
A good life in a prosperous place.
Everything we do is rooted in the belief that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things when they care deeply about where they live. Not because they possess special expertise. Not because they hold political office. Not because they have unlimited resources.
Simply because they choose to participate.
The Strong Towns movement has never been about delivering a finished product. It has never been about arriving at a final destination where all the problems are solved and the work is complete.
It is about helping people do the work.
The work of building relationships. The work of strengthening neighborhoods. The work of making streets safer. The work of creating homes people can afford. The work of stewarding public resources wisely. The work of leaving behind a place that is a little stronger than the one we inherited.
That work is never finished. And that's okay. In fact, that is exactly as it should be.
Every generation receives an inheritance. Not just buildings and streets, but institutions, traditions, knowledge, and relationships. We benefit from the sacrifices of people we will never meet. In turn, we have an obligation to add what we can before passing that inheritance on to others.
That is the essence of stewardship. It is also the essence of Strong Towns.
This week, we have been celebrating the members who make this movement possible. They support the articles, podcasts, videos, events, campaigns, conversations, and programs that help people engage in this work. But more than that, they sustain a movement built around the simple belief that our places become stronger when more people choose to care for them.
If you are already a member, thank you. You are helping people do the work. And if you are not yet a member, I invite you to join us.
Not because we have finished the work, but because we never will.
[[divider]]
More Information:
- Learn More About Strong Towns Membership
- Become a Member
- Strong Towns Media
- Local Conversations
- Do you have thoughts on this that you'd like to share with us? Join Chuck and our members in the Strong Towns Commons to continue the conversation on this article!
Charles Marohn (known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues) is the founder and president of Strong Towns and the bestselling author of “Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis.” With decades of experience as a land use planner and civil engineer, Marohn is on a mission to help cities and towns become stronger and more prosperous. He spreads the Strong Towns message through in-person presentations, the Strong Towns Podcast, and his books and articles. In recognition of his efforts and impact, Planetizen named him one of the 15 Most Influential Urbanists of all time in 2017 and 2023.
%20(1).avif)
.avif)