An Abandoned Downtown Equals a Pot of Gold?

Developers are starting to view downtown abandoned office buildings as easy cash—that is, if you can find the right sort of abandoned office.

Podcast, Upzoned, Top Story 2Strong TownsMay 3, 2023Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, developers, development pattern, downtown, redevelopment

This “Accidental Developer” Wants To Show You How To Revitalize Your Neighborhood

All too often, the job of development is handed to large developers with large swaths of cash to implement an all-at-once, large-scale development. This small-scale developer is showing how there is another (and better) way.

Incremental Housing, Top Story, Community StoriesSeairra SheppardApril 13, 2023Incremental Housing, small scale developers, small scale development, Indiana, developers, neighborhood revitalization

The Goldilocks and the Three Bears Approach to Redevelopment

Developers and builders often ask the same question: “What can I build on x lot?” But what is it that they’re actually looking for, and how can the urban planners they work with help them make the most of a given space?

Urban Design, Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtMarch 24, 2023urban design, urban planning, developers, Development, development, redevelopment

With Flexibility Over Parking, Oregon Homebuilders Get to Work

Tens of thousands of homes are now more buildable, including several projects now resurrected that local parking mandates had previously killed.

End Parking Mandates, News, Top StoryCatie GouldFebruary 15, 2023End Parking Mandates and Subsidies, Incremental Housing, Parking, parking minimums, parking, housing, Housing, developers

Gateway to Hell

A troubled project in Mission, KS, speaks to the problems with large, single-developer projects—but also why fixating on the "bad developer" narrative isn't necessarily helpful.

Incremental Housing, Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergFebruary 7, 2023small scale developers, small scale development, Development, development, developers, incremental, Incremental Housing, incrementalism, incremental development

Appeals Court Gives Group Second Chance To Fight Florida Development

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has done the math on a proposed development in rural Collier County, FL, and what they discovered enabled them to take a large-scale developer to court.

Transparent Accounting, News, Success Story, Top StoryBen AbramsonFebruary 3, 2023Transparent Local Accounting, Florida, developers, Development, development, suburban development pattern, Urban3, financial solvency, success, success stories

Who Does it Take to (Physically) Build a Neighborhood?

If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes a whole community to build a building. The small-scale developers of South Bend, IN, are showing how to do just that—and do it successfully in the long term.

Herriges, Incremental Housing, Top Story, Community StoriesDaniel HerrigesFebruary 1, 2023Incremental Housing, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, Indiana, developers, Development, development, small scale developers, small scale development

A Better Suburban House

A lot of suburban house models distort traditional architectural styles and patterns. Here’s a simple markup showing how they could be improved, without increasing building costs.

Erfurt, Housing, Top StoryEdward ErfurtJanuary 27, 2023housing, architecture, suburbs, developers

We Have Plenty of Land in the United States. But Can All of It Support Housing?

A recent article from The Wall Street Journal claims that land must be positioned in a very specific way to support more development. What’s the Strong Towns take on this?

Upzoned, Podcast, Top Story, Housing, Incremental HousingStrong TownsOctober 5, 2022Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, housing, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, Incremental Housing, developers, Development, development

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Uniting For-Profits and Nonprofits to End Homelessness

Beth Silverman is working on a non-traditional—and very successful—approach to housing affordability.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Top Story, HousingStrong TownsMay 26, 2022Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, developers, landlords, homelessness

Vernacular Is Beautiful—If We Would Just Allow It

The work of this small-scale developer shows why cities shouldn’t be so restrictive about building in their own vernacular.

Architecture, Neighborhoods, Small Scale Developers, Top StoryMatthew RobareMarch 21, 2022zoning, South Carolina, small-scale developers, architecture, aesthetics, small scale development, success, success stories, Neighborhoods, neighborhood, developers, Development, development

Bringing Gentle Density to Memphis

These brothers are pushing for incremental infill development in Memphis, Tennessee, with a community they’re building just north of downtown.

How Big Is an Incremental Step? Let's #DoTheMath

For our real-estate markets to allow incremental development to be economically viable, there are some challenges we need to confront.

#DotheMath, Incrementalism, Small Scale Developers, Top StorySeth ZerenJanuary 20, 2022incremental development, incrementalism, incremental growth, incremental, next increment, real estate, housing, Housing, housing cost, developers, #DoTheMath

Love, Money, or Desperation

Who is actually going to do the work of incremental development, and what will their motivations be?

Herriges, Incrementalism, Small Scale Developers, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesOctober 22, 2021incrementalism, incremental development, Incremental Development Alliance, incremental, small scale developers, small-scale developers, small scale development, developers, South Bend, Indiana, series, Unleash the Swarm Series

Fixing Finance for Small-Scale Development

For most small-scale developers, capital is a significant barrier to doing small infill projects. But that isn't because the money isn't there to be had.

A New Generation of Town Makers

A cohort of small developers representing over 100 properties in poor, disinvested neighborhoods are, together, the largest developer in South Bend, IN. Can their success be replicated?

Where Did All the Small Developers Go?

We need people who will build in the places where big, corporate developers won’t. But how do we get enough small-scale developers back to make a difference?