Instead of waiting for someone else to fix their community’s transit problems, this group of local advocates took initiative with something simple—and powerful.
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Danny Wind is a Local Conversation leader and Regional Transportation Commission member from California. Danny discusses their Open Street Map Project, which gives people a space to share the everyday challenges they face. (Transcript included.)
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By embracing the Crash Analysis Studio model, New Haven residents are shifting the conversation away from blame and towards preventing the next tragedy.
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What happens when everyday people dig into a city’s balance sheet? In Columbus, it sparked a three-hour conversation—and maybe a shift in mindset.
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Hazen Elwood is a student and Local Conversation member in Calgary, Alberta. Norm and Hazen discuss ways to build an advocacy network and the power of raising local awareness through storytelling. (Transcript included.)
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Sacramento’s growth looks strong, but what do 21 years of financial data really show? Dive into the numbers with the Strong Towns Finance Decoder.
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How do you create a walkability initiative that gets covered on the news, triggers a city-funded pilot program, and inspires people to stay in the city long-term? Andrew Neidhardt and Dustin Moore explain.
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An advocate group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, started with an email. Now, it’s expanded to cover the metro area and even beyond. Here’s how it happened.
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Saeed Vahid, a Local Conversation leader from Richmond Hill, Ontario, joins Norm to talk about how his group collaborates with city officials and how the expansion of the Greater Toronto Area has affected Richmond Hill. (Transcript included.)
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Even as cities edge towards bankruptcy, crossing the street remains risky, and property values climb far out of step with wages, Strong Towns has built a movement that’s ready for this moment.
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Daniel Bloemker is a Strong Towns member and Local Conversation leader from Bellingham, Washington. He joins Norm to discuss his work advancing parking reform, housing, and community spaces. (Transcript included.)
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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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What if you could look at your city’s finances and understand what’s going on—not just this year, but over the long haul? Meet the Strong Towns Finance Decoder.
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What if you could see where your city makes money—and where it quietly loses it? That’s what a group of residents in Langley, British Columbia set out to do.
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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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Kip Santos is a trained civil engineer and construction manager who quit his job to build Local Conversations full-time. Now he splits his time between the U.S. and Canada, nurturing the groups he's founded and building missing middle housing. (Transcript included.)
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Cities thrive when residents actively participate in conversations about their future. Whether through public comment or the written word, speaking up isn’t just an act of protest—it’s an act of stewardship. Here’s how one Albuquerque resident advocated for more housing in his city.
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Tiffany is joined by Montana Gau, a Local Conversation leader in Denver. They discuss how Gau built the group into a registered nonprofit with several hundred members and how his role shifted from advocating “on the ground” to creating a space where others can more effectively advocate. (Transcript included.)
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David Jenkins is a city councilor and Local Conversation leader in La Plata, Maryland. He joins Norm to discuss his work with the city’s budget, particularly his efforts to share financial information in a simple way that lets residents participate in the budgeting process. (Transcript included.)
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In this Bottom-Up Short, Norm is joined by Christian Schick, a Local Conversation leader from Virginia. His group has built a lot of momentum in the past year, and Schick talks about how they did that in a productive and helpful way, particularly while juggling local elections. (Transcript included.)
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