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

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

Maximum Impact and a Low Price Tag: Putting Paint and Planters to Work in Edmond, OK

Over the course of a Sunday afternoon, this Strong Towns member created a simple and achievable plan to transform a local street—all on a small budget!

The Suburbs Are a “One-Life-Cycle” Product

A recent CNBC documentary features Strong Towns insights from Charles Marohn about why suburban development is so risky.

Housing, Quednau, Top Story, Transparent AccountingRachel QuednauSeptember 20, 2022suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, suburbs, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, Incremental Housing, housing cost, housing, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, Housing

New Tools To Visualize How Your City Could Benefit From Incremental Development

The American Enterprise Institute has released some impressive—and free—data tools for understanding housing markets and development potential. And as a bonus, attend their upcoming talks if you’re in California!

Herriges, Housing, Incrementalism, Top Story, Incremental HousingDaniel HerrigesSeptember 16, 2022housing, housing crisis, incrementalism, incremental development, incremental, Incremental Housing, Housing Crisis, walkability, California, events, event, maps

Letting Ugly Things Grow

If you value the end state of a walkable, diverse, dynamic place with a lot of local character, then you must also value the process that gets you there.

Herriges, Incrementalism, Urban Design, Top Story, Incremental HousingDaniel HerrigesSeptember 7, 2022urban design, urbanism, aesthetics, ecology, incremental growth, incrementalism, incremental

We Often Don’t Think About Design—But It Tells Us How To Think

Design affects us in a multitude of ways, and when we look to nature as inspiration for designing the built environment, the core takeaways are: adaptation and incrementalism.

Incrementalism, Sheppard, Zoning, Top StorySeairra SheppardAugust 9, 2022design, urban design, Neighborhood Design, aesthetics, incrementalism, incremental, incremental development, incremental growth, zoning, traditional development pattern

Spokane Opens the Door for Middle Housing Expansion

Last week, the city council of Spokane, WA, voted on a truly “bold, transformational package” that will allow for more forms of missing-middle housing and infill development in the city.

Incremental Development and Mass Construction

Strong Towns founding member Seth Zeren stopped by the Mass Construction podcast recently for a conversation on incremental development, New Urbanism, and the Strong Towns movement.

Incrementalism, Podcast, Top StoryJay StangeJuly 25, 2022construction, Podcast, podcast, guest podcast, incrementalism, incremental, Incremental Development Alliance, Congress for the New Urbanism

Oak Tree Road and the Second Life Cycle Blues

Small-scale, incremental development works in the suburbs too, if we let it.

Incrementalism, Suburban Experiment, Top StoryAddison Del MastroJuly 21, 2022Addison Del Mastro, immigrants, immigration, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, strip malls, suburbs, suburban development pattern, New Jersey, second life cycle, suburban experiment

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

This “Homegrown Project” Offers a Place To Thrive for Small Business Owners

These pop-up shops in Berwyn, IL, are a great example of how communities can provide low-cost, low-risk spaces for local business owners to get their foot in the door.

Incrementalism, Sheppard, Success Story, Top StorySeairra SheppardJune 14, 2022pop-up, small business, local business, incremental, incrementalism, Illinois, business, localism, small bets, success, success stories

Legalizing Incremental Change—Everywhere—To Meet America’s Housing Needs

For too long, our housing policy has put investor returns and macroeconomic goals over the universal human need for shelter. The Strong Towns approach to incremental housing is a badly needed corrective.

Herriges Rezoned: A City Shaped by Many Hands

Incrementalism is not an end in itself. Nor is it about a “small-is-beautiful” aesthetic for its own sake. Instead, it’s a practical pathway toward resilient, financially sound places.

Herriges, Housing, Urban Design, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMay 11, 2022Chaotic but Smart, traditional development pattern, small-scale developers, Charleston, incremental development, incremental, incrementalism, North Carolina, urban design, housing, Housing

Reflections on Seaside

What does and doesn’t work about the “great-granddaddy” of New Urbanism?

Walkability, Urban Design, Incrementalism, Top StorySeth ZerenApril 22, 2022Florida, urbanism, New Urbanism, urban planning, urban design, placemaking, human scale, incrementalism, incremental development, incremental, traditional development pattern, walkability

House Hacking: Urbanism at Its Smallest and Most Personal

This catalog is a primer on house hacking, with plenty of real-life examples of how it is done.

CNU, Housing, Incrementalism, Top StoryRobert SteutevilleApril 7, 2022housing, housing affordability, housing cost, housing activism, Housing, small scale developers, small scale development, incremental development, incremental, incrementalism

“How Can My Town *Not* Be Wealthy When There’s Been So Much Growth?”

Let's talk about some core Strong Towns concepts: complexity, incrementalism, fragility, and more!

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 7, 2022Podcast, strong towns approach, incrementalism, fragility, complexity, Complexity, complex systems, incremental growth, incremental, incremental 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.

What Does “Radical Neighborhood Change” Look Like?

“No neighborhood should be exempt from change. No neighborhood should be subjected to radical change.” Let’s examine what this core Strong Towns principle actually means.