This Florida Town Rode a Rail Trail to an Economic Revival

Residents of Winter Garden, FL, realized they needed to take action to revive their declining town. They did this by focusing on one straightforward goal: bring people back downtown.

A Perfectly Good School

Another historic building that served an important function in its community gets torn down…to make way for more car storage.

Home Business: In Rovinj, Croatia, a Peek at What's Possible

A visit to a home restaurant in Rovinj, Croatia, shows the kind of small businesses and good urbanism that we could have in the U.S. if we just relaxed our zoning codes.

Weaving Together Community, One Maypole at a Time

A recent wedding in Clutier, Iowa, shows the power of a community that's committed to supporting each other and maintaining their historic assets.

Weaponizing Historic Preservation

Has historic preservation harmed the capacity for cities across the U.S. to address the housing crisis?

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Architects and Planners in Pursuit of a Stronger Town

Strong Towns member Michael Smith and colleague Aaron Holverson are working to make Rockford, IL a more economically resilient place.

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Reactivating a Historic Space for the Whole Community

Alex Rodriguez and Danny Lapin are incrementally revitalizing a historic space for entrepreneurs, artists and community members in rural Lexington, NY.

Sacrifice a Historic Downtown Neighborhood for a Hospital? There's a Better Option.

When we do the math, we find that preserving historic buildings and districts is the best thing we can do for our cities’ economic futures. Utica, New York should consider this when choosing where to locate a new hospital campus.

Saving Our Historic Water Tower, One Bite at a Time

My city council has been offered an impossible choice: spend millions of dollars we don’t have repairing our historic water tower, or permanently destroy an iconic landmark and a piece of our history. But there is a third option.

Marohn, Strategies, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 2, 2019Brainerd MN, maintenance, historic preservation

Making Incremental Development Easier in College Station, Texas

A Strong Towns member shared with us a success story from the city of College Station, Texas, which recently revised its zoning code to make it easier to do incremental development by rehabilitating or expanding older structures.

Niagara’s Fall and Asheville’s Unlikely Rise

70 years ago, these two historic cities were on a similar path. Then one fell into debt while the other was swimming in money. You might be surprised by what they each look like today.

Creative Reuse Saves a Memphis Building

Untapped, a six-week pop-up beer garden in the landmark Tennessee Brewery in downtown Memphis, might well have been a goodbye party for the long-neglected building. Instead, it caught a local developer’s interest and led to a second life for the historic structure.

The Costs of Fragility

When your community is financially fragile, you lose options. In the case of Brainerd, Minnesota, that may mean letting go of a landmark.

MarohnCharles MarohnJuly 23, 2018Brainerd MN, historic preservation, debt, page highlight

A Proper Lament for Fading Mid-Century Suburbia

The debate over historic preservation is ultimately more than one of aesthetics; it is one of cultural memory and even morality.

Top StoryAddison Del MastroSeptember 21, 2017historic preservation, history, architecture

The Clemens House Paradox: When Development Dollars Speed Neighborhood Decline

A big developer bought up tons of historic properties in St. Louis. Now he's letting them crumble and burn.

WIlsonKea WilsonAugust 23, 2017historic preservation, development, Rust Belt

Historic Preservation: NIMBYism for the Rich?

Is historic preservation just thinly veiled NIMBYism?

Housing, Member Post, Top StoryJoe CortrightJune 14, 2017historic preservation, Portland OR

When Public Art and Historic Preservation Clash

Hurdles to revitalization based not on substance but control are the last thing America's cities and towns need.

Member Post, Public Art, Top Story, #ChaoticButSmartAlex PlineMay 24, 2017historic preservation

Walk into History

A "museum without walls" draws visitors and residents to Asheville's downtown, providing an opportunity to learn about the city's history and culture, as well as encouraging patronage at local businesses.

#StrongCitizens, Public Art, Top StoryRachel QuednauMay 17, 2017history, historic preservation