Top of the Bottom-Up: Creating a Coffee Shop for the Whole Neighborhood

Coté Soeren’s “Resistencia” coffee shop in Seattle is a space for community connection and support, not gentrification.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Neighborhoods, Top Story, Community StoriesStrong TownsJanuary 26, 2023The Bottom-Up Revolution, neighborhood, neighborhood revitalization, Seattle, coffee shops, gentrification, taking action

Will There Still Be Chinatowns in Utopia?

“Community character" is often invoked to support exclusion and discrimination, but there are also communities whose unique "character" matters—a lot. How (if at all) should local government support such places?

Neighborhoods, Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 18, 2023neighborhood, Neighborhoods, local government, local regulation, race, Race, housing policy

The Block Party

This Sunday, a Strong Towns member invites our Neighborhood Storyteller to see how his neighborhood alliance is building community…with a block party!

Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Community, Neighborhoods, Top StoryKarla TheilenSeptember 11, 2022neighborhood storyteller, montana, neighborhood, neighborhood association, community, community development, community engagement

Want to Build Community on Your Street? Just Hit "Print"!

Sometimes, building connections with your neighbors is as simple as hosting a block party.

Community, Neighborhoods, Van Eeden Petersman, Top StoryNorman Van Eeden PetersmanAugust 22, 2022neighborliness, neighborhood, community, Community, community building

Where Are All Our Front Yard Businesses?

Front yard businesses were once a natural stage in the evolution of a community. So where have they all gone, and how do we bring them back?

Pattison, Zoning, Neighborhoods, Top StoryJohn PattisonAugust 16, 2022business, small business, local business, Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, zoning

Neighborhoods Were Never Meant to Be Unchanging

The idea of a permanent community “character” was an invention of the suburban era, and it's showing its cracks now—because it was never an attainable or desirable goal.

Herriges, Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Design, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 23, 2022neighborhood change, zoning, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, history, History, New York, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Design

Majora Carter: Reclaiming Your Community

In this interview with author Majora Carter, she explains an empowering truth: that you don’t have to move out of your neighborhood to live in a better one.

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Top Story, NeighborhoodsStrong TownsJune 20, 2022Podcast, podcast, books, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, neighborhood change, neighborhood revitalization, New York, community, Community

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...a Neighborhood Storyteller

Meet one of our weekly columnists, the fascinating Karla Theilen.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Top Story, Neighborhood Storyteller, NeighborhoodsStrong TownsMay 19, 2022Podcast, neighborhood

The Magic of Legacy Shops Comes Back to Life in Buffalo

If you live in a city or town with old, abandoned storefronts, this one’s for you!

Neighborhoods, Small Scale Developers, Success Story, Top StoryBernice RadleMay 17, 2022business, small business, local business, coffee shops, New York, small-scale developers, traditional development pattern, mixed use, success, success stories

Hey, Starbucks: Your Drive-Thru Doesn't Belong in My Community

Or in anyone else’s, for that matter! A strong neighborhood has businesses that keep money in the local economy, instead of siphoning money out.

Neighborhoods, Quednau, Top StoryRachel QuednauMay 9, 2022coffee shops, local business, local economy, business, small business, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, cars, car culture, localism, Wisconsin, Third Places

Herriges Rezoned: The Neighbor's Dilemma

NIMBYs are responding to a set of very rational incentives. That presents a challenge for those of us who hope to alter the course of the Suburban Experiment.

Neighborhoods, Engagement, Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 20, 2022suburbs, community engagement, community, Community, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, NIMBY

Accidentally On Purpose

Massive property damage and pedestrians being injured (or killed) is our transportation system functioning precisely as designed. This is how it was designed to work.

Community, Member Post, Neighborhoods, Transportation, Walkability, Planning Profession, In the Neighborhood, Engineering Profession, Urban Design, dear winnipeg, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodApril 14, 2022advocacy, canada, Winnipeg, neighborhood, city council, community

Who Should Be Able to Veto New Housing Production?

Should states and counties push back against local governments to crack open more options for housing, or will that be counterproductive?

Upzoned, Podcast, Suburban Experiment, Neighborhoods, Top StoryStrong TownsApril 13, 2022Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, suburban experiment, suburbs, Washington DC

Not Just Bikes: The Only Car-Free Place in Canada (and Why You Can’t Live There)

Just off the coast of Toronto, Canada's largest city, you'll find a group of 15 small car-free islands. But just in case you thought you'd like to live here: you can't.

Video, Neighborhoods, Top StoryJay StangeApril 13, 2022Not Just Bikes, canada, Canada, car-lite, car culture, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, walkability, Homeownership, homeownership

The Village of Providence and Its Supposedly Impossible Stuff

You might not guess by looking, but this traditional neighborhood development is an employment powerhouse.

Economic Development, Neighborhoods, Success Story, Top StorySteve MouzonApril 11, 2022Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, mixed use, traditional development pattern, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, alabama, success, success stories, business, local business

In Hospitable Cities, You’re Welcomed by Design

Some neighborhoods can feel downright hostile, especially to outsiders. But many places have become this way due to inhospitable design, not inhospitable people.