The Christmas Present Test

You can learn a lot about a place by how easily you can do some great Christmas shopping.

Economic Development, Member Post, Top StoryMichael NatelliDecember 14, 2022local economy, localism, local business, shopping malls, member story

Can New Jersey Supermarkets Predict an End to the Suburban Experiment?

The trajectory of these Jersey supermarkets is a microcosm of how the suburban experiment altered small towns, turning them from tiny cities into suburban lifestyle accouterments.

Big Box Stores, Suburban Experiment, Top StoryAddison Del MastroAugust 9, 2022main street, Traditional Main Street, big box stores, Small Towns, small towns, suburban experiment, suburbanization, New Jersey, Addison Del Mastro, local economy

Strong Towns Need Strong Downtowns

A crucial part of making your city or town stronger lies in revitalizing your downtown. Here’s how one Local Conversation organizer is doing that work in her place.

#StrongCitizens, Community, Pattison, Top StoryJohn PattisonMay 18, 2022advocacy, main street, Traditional Main Street, Small Towns, small towns, Louisiana, community, Community, local economy, downtown

Hey, Starbucks: Your Drive-Thru Doesn't Belong in My Community

Or in anyone else’s, for that matter! A strong neighborhood has businesses that keep money in the local economy, instead of siphoning money out.

Neighborhoods, Quednau, Top StoryRachel QuednauMay 9, 2022coffee shops, local business, local economy, business, small business, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, cars, car culture, localism, Wisconsin, Third Places

Sharing the Pie: How Farmers Are Using Cooperatives to Stay Profitable and Grow Local Economies

This excerpt from Beth Hoffman’s Bet the Farm tells how both local economies and farms can benefit from co-ops.

Local Food, Rural, Top StoryBeth HoffmanOctober 15, 2021Farming, local food, books, rural, local economy, resilience, agriculture

Chuck Marohn Answers Your Questions

We get a lot of questions over at the Action Lab, and today we’re going to answer some of them!

Podcast, Action Lab, #SlowtheCars, Marohn, Top Story, ST PodcastStrong TownsAugust 30, 2021Podcast, Strong Towns Community, Action Lab, #SlowTheCars, incrementalism, incremental development, local economy

What Is Wealth? How Do We Make It?

Today, prosperity isn’t gold, land, or natural resources; it’s know-how.

Economic Development, Membership, Top StoryDavid AlbrechtJune 10, 2021economics, economic growth, local economy, history, member drive

Accelerate Success in Your Place with Economic Gardening

Conventional economic development practice focuses on recruiting new businesses to relocate to the community. In reality, the most stable and prosperous businesses are those that are homegrown.

Economic Development, Marohn, Resource Trap, Strategies, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 21, 2021RBC Series, Economic Gardening, local economy, resource trap, local business, how to, Resource Trap - Core Content

Communities Need to Make Space for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship plays an important role in building prosperous local communities. Here are some steps for creating a more active ecosystem of entrepreneurs in your place.

Community, Economic Development, Marohn, Resource Trap, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 20, 2021local business, local economy, Entrepreneurship, small business, how to, resource trap, RBC Series, Resource Trap - Core Content

How to Retain Capital in Your Community

Let’s go beyond the “buy local” mantra and start replacing things we send money out of the community for with viable local alternatives.

Community, Economic Development, Local Food, Marohn, Resource Trap, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 19, 2021how to, RBC Series, resource trap, local economy, local food, local business, localism, Resource Trap - Core Content

How Social Capital Helps Build Strong Local Economies

Social capital isn’t as easy to build these days, but it can still be done, and should be done, for the sake of our communities.

Community, Neighborhoods, Member Post, Top StoryPatricia RattrayMay 14, 2021community, community building, community engagement, social capital, local economy

Will Pandemic-Era Migrations Lead to Further Insolvency?

The shift to remote work is prompting people to move away from cities. What are the long-term implications of this “urban shuffle”?

Podcast, Upzoned, Coronavirus, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 5, 2021local economy, Podcast, Upzoned, coronavirus, suburbs

Amazon vs. Malls: What Does it Mean for Local Economies?

Amazon has been turning malls into fulfillment centers. What does this expansion look like, viewed through a Strong Towns perspective?

Podcast, Upzoned, Top StoryStrong TownsApril 28, 2021amazon, local economy, Podcast, Upzoned, big box stores

Best of 2020: Building Strong Local Economies (without Cheesecake Factory)

If we want a Strong Town, we must stop tilting the playing field against the small businesses, against the local entrepreneur.

Economic Development, Best of Blog, Top StoryCharles MarohnDecember 16, 2020featuredcc, local economy, economic development, Best of 2020

Building Strong Local Economies (without Cheesecake Factory)

If we want a Strong Town, we must stop tilting the playing field against the small businesses, against the local entrepreneur.

Top Story, Economic DevelopmentCharles MarohnMarch 30, 2020featuredcc, local economy, economic development

Building Strong Towns, One Storefront at a Time

Top Story, Architecture, Economic Development, Public SpaceJaime IzurietaFebruary 5, 2020local economy, local business, small business

50 Independent Bookstores in 50 Days

Local bookstores are a surprising bright spot in an era that’s been tough for other retail. The key to their resurgence: they’ve turned themselves into a symbol of community and quirk worth celebrating. And they inspired one author to sing their praises in a slightly unusual way…

Economic Development, Top StoryJohn PattisonJanuary 10, 2020local economy, books, bookstores, local business

How to invest in real estate in your town without taking out a mortgage or swinging a hammer.

So you want to invest in real estate in your town—but you’re not so keen on taking out a mortgage and rolling up your sleeves. Is there another way to buy in to your community’s future?

Economic Development, Top StoryKea WilsonOctober 17, 2019economic development, investing, local economy, MainVest, Small Change, Massachusetts

The Unlikely Urbanism of a Flea Market

This place is a work horse. It grows small businesses from scratch without recourse to bank loans or government subsidies. It provides products and experiences that are genuinely needed in the community. And it costs almost nothing to create.

Sanphillippo, Strategies, Economic Development, #ChaoticButSmart, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoJuly 23, 2019flea markets, pop-up, farmer's market, Economic Development, local economy, poverty, small bets, small business

Why Grocery Co-ops Build Strong Towns and How to Start Your Own

Jacqueline Hannah—assistant director at the Food Co-op Initiative—shares how you can start a neighborhood grocery co-op in your town, including how to pitch the vision to community members and elected officials, how to translate your enthusiasm into action, and how the Food Co-op initiative can help through every step of the process.

Podcast, It's The Little Things, Top StoryJacob MosesApril 10, 2019Strong Citizenship, how to, community building, local economy, community engagement, community, local food, food deserts

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