Lorelei Bailey is a Strong Towns member and Local Conversation leader from Artesia, California. Her story proves that you don’t need to be an expert to lead change—you just have to care enough to act.
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When systems fail, the instinct is to wait for someone with more authority to fix it. We know better. The cavalry isn’t coming. But that’s okay—because we’re not powerless. We can do something today.
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When you recognize that things are broken, you have two options. You can wait helplessly for someone else to fix them, or you can start rebuilding the systems closest to you.
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A deadly hit-and-run in Fayetteville, North Carolina sparks urgent calls for safer streets and stronger action from city leaders.
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Recent publications from The New York Times and the Civitas Institute prove that years of work by the growing Strong Towns movement — by people like you — is successfully spreading a forward-thinking approach to building towns.
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Advocates must adjust the way they talk about city planning. Overuse of jargon and a strict focus on logical debate alienates people, but focusing on the concrete benefits of better urban design — or, even better, showing those benefits — can make change more appealing.
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Just as a fragile ecosystem can wither without the right conditions, our housing system is struggling under the weight of imbalance. But small, intentional shifts can restore stability. The seeds of change are already planted. It’s time to cultivate them.
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Chairman of the Board Andrew Burleson discusses recent strides Strong Towns has made and where the organization needs to go from here.
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This special episode explores the Strongest Town Contest, including what cities can learn from previous winners and a preview of this year's Contest. Joining the discussion are Strong Towns staffers Lauren Ronnander and John Pattison, as well as Stephen Gawron, the former mayor of the 2018 Strongest Town, Muskegon, Michigan. (Transcript included.)
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One of the most powerful things you can do as a strong citizen is to participate in public comment and share appreciation for the things you love about your city. Here’s why.
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To create change, you need community engagement. Unfortunately, many cities have complicated systems for engagement that take a lot of time and effort to work with. Here's how one community in West Virginia is cutting through that red tape.
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Advocacy work means a lot of waiting and hoping for a better future. That makes it a lot like Advent (the weeks before Christmas on the Christian calendar). But waiting during Advent isn’t discouraging or boring: It’s hopeful, active and joyful. Here are a few ways to bring that approach to your community, whether you celebrate Christmas or not.
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Sometimes, small advocacy efforts seem like they’re not worth the time or effort. But every small action plants seeds for future change, both in your city and in yourself.
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Local governments often use terms that downplay, minimize or obscure the severity of a situation. While this isn’t a malicious or even conscious decision, using language that is inaccurate or that the general population doesn’t understand makes it very difficult to build a strong town.
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On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses safe streets advocacy with Amy Cohen, the co-founder and president of Families for Safe Streets.
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You’ve just completed a Crash Analysis Studio and you have a report in hand. Or you found the "Beyond Blame" report compelling and you want to share it with your community. Now what?
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I’ve mostly left Twitter/X over the past few months. Strong Towns, the organization, has pulled back substantially, as well. I want to explain why because it’s for different reasons than the increasing partisan divide (although that doesn’t help).
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Like many Strong Towns advocates, you may struggle with imposter syndrome, feeling like you’re not qualified enough to talk to city officials and staff about changing the way cities are designed or operated. But it’s essential that you keep speaking up. Here’s why.
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Thousands of elected officials and people who work in local government want to make their streets safer. Here’s how you can help them do that.
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Chuck is joined by Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Strong Towns’ director of membership and development, in this special Member Week episode to discuss the history of the Strong Towns movement and how members have brought it to heights Chuck never could’ve imagined.
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