The 15 Minute City - A Good Life or an Infringement on Freedoms?

Is the hype over 15-minute cities warranted or not?

Podcast, Upzoned, Top Story, Planning ProfessionStrong TownsMarch 8, 2023Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, urban design, 15-Minute Cities

28 Promises Jeff Speck Says All Planners Should Make to the Public

In the 10th anniversary edition of his book Walkable City, Jeff Speck suggests a new pledge that professional planners should take in order to qualify for certification—and to better serve society.

Safe & Productive Streets, Planning Profession, Top StoryJeff SpeckMarch 6, 2023urban planning, planning profession, walkability, planning process, Jeff Speck, books, Safe and Productive Streets

Recovering the Lost Art of Mixed-Use Development

Mixed-use development was once the norm in cities and towns, but most Americans no longer remember how it works. Here are 3 easy-to-understand forms that mixed use could (and should) take in your community.

Edward Erfurt, Planning Profession, Zoning, Top Story 2, Incremental HousingEdward ErfurtDecember 2, 2022mixed use, development pattern, traditional development pattern, urban planning, Development, development, planning profession, planning process

Top of the Bottom-Up: Building Gentle Density and a Grassroots Campaign for City Council

Ashley Salvador is a housing advocate and city councilor in Edmonton, Alberta.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Planning Profession, Housing, Success Story, Top Story, Incremental HousingStrong TownsDecember 1, 2022The Bottom-Up Revolution, local conversations, taking action, city council, accessory dwelling units, ADUs, Incremental Housing, success, success stories

Local Control or Centralized Planning? There’s a Third Answer.

The problems with "community input" are many and obvious. One misguided response is to favor more top-down policy making, simply overriding the objections of local "NIMBYs." But there is a third way.

Local Government, Herriges, Planning Profession, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 29, 2022localism, local government, local regulation, local politics, bottom-up, top-down, planning process, strong towns approach, incremental, incrementalism, Small Change, small bets

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Community Design for Stronger Towns

Ann Zadeh is a Strong Towns member, former city councilwoman, and community design leader in Fort Worth, TX.

Wealth and Buildings

In the realm of urban planning, there’s plenty of discourse out there about housing affordability—but what about household wealth building?

Housing, Suburban Experiment, Urban Design, Planning Profession, Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergMay 23, 2022Kevin Klinkenberg, housing, housing affordability, finance, housing finance, Homeownership, homeownership, urban planning, urbanism, suburbs, suburban experiment, suburbanization

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

My County's Award-Winning Smart Growth Plan is a Disaster. Here's Why.

Sarasota County, FL, is viewed as a trailblazer in the prevention of unchecked suburbanization. So why has its growth management plan has not resulted in a better pattern of development?

Herriges, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Planning Profession, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 6, 2022Development, development pattern, planning profession, planning process, growth, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Smart Growth, suburbs, Florida

Does a Thrift Store Really Need a 40-Page Zoning Decision?

This document shows just how much our arcane land-use regulations prohibit neighborhoods from developing organically and un-self-consciously.

Zoning, Planning Profession, Top StoryAddison Del MastroMarch 15, 2022NIMBY, zoning, big box stores, business, local business, Addison Del Mastro, planning process, urban planning, Maryland

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Using Communicative Planning

Shelley Denison is a city planner in Sandy, OR, who views planning as a relationship between residents and leaders.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Planning Profession, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 3, 2022taking action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, missing middle, urban planning

Forget What You Know About Public Engagement

It’s no secret that the conventional process for public engagement in urban planning is broken. So, what should we be doing, instead?

Engagement, Planning Profession, Urban Design, Top StoryJames Rojas and John KampFebruary 2, 2022public engagement, planning process, urban planning, books, urban design, California

Jarrett Walker: "Prediction and Freedom Are Opposites"

Special guest Jarrett Walker shares his thoughts on the limitations of prediction.

ST Podcast, Transportation, Planning Profession, Podcast, Public Transit, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 24, 2022Podcast, podcast, Jarrett Walker, projections, traffic projections, transit, public transit, public transportation, planning profession, planning process, urban planning

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Building Gentle Density and a Grassroots Campaign for City Council

Ashley Salvador is a housing advocate and city councilor in Edmonton, Alberta.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Planning Profession, Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 18, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, local conversations, taking action, city council, accessory dwelling units

Planning Without Plans

In everyday life, people usually say “I need a plan” if something has gone wrong. Plans should play a similar role in cities.

Incrementalism, Member Post, Planning Profession, Urban Design, Walkability, Top StoryTristan ClevelandNovember 3, 2021planning profession, planning process, urban planning, urban design, walkability, incrementalism

Planning Is a Bigger Job Than Planning Can Do

Planning must become a job that planners can actually do in a 40-hour work week. This will require a different approach to planning, altogether.

Incrementalism, Member Post, Planning Profession, Urban Design, Top StoryTristan ClevelandNovember 2, 2021planning profession, urban planning, urban design, history, History, halifax, incrementalism, complexity, Complexity

Engineers Should Not Design Streets: A Programmer's Take

Software engineers don’t design user interface, so why do we let civil engineers design streets?

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Data-Driven, Community-Centered Planning

Sarah Davis is fresh out of planning school and interned for Strong Towns and Urban3 this summer.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Davis, Planning Profession, Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 23, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, planning profession, students, Urban3, taking action

Confessions of (Another) Recovering Engineer

Fellow “recovering” engineer Kevin Shepherd offers his confessions: “Looking back now, I can say that many projects I designed actually hurt people and their communities.”

Member Post, Confessions Book, Engineering Profession, Planning Profession, Suburban Experiment, Transportation, Top StoryKevin ShepherdSeptember 20, 2021engineering profession, engineering ethics, traffic engineering, engineers, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, member story

Let's Talk Great Streets

Abby and Chuck deviate from the norm a little on this week’s Upzoned by talking not about an article from the internet, but about one chapter of a particular book (hint: it’s Confessions).