If I Eat at a Chain Restaurant, Does That Make Me a Bad Local Advocate?

What do you do when living your ideals feels impossible?

Local Food, Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedApril 18, 2023local food, localism, advocacy, local business, restaurants

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

Mere's Magic Universe and Tea

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller connects with a new community and its residents through exploring downtown and some local businesses.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Community, Top StoryKarla TheilenNovember 13, 2022neighborhood storyteller, downtown, local business, community, localism, montana

“The City Should Put a Trader Joe’s There” (and Other Muddled Thinking About Development)

Many of us are keen to express the “what” that we’d like to see in the built environment, but unwilling to think rationally and clearly about the “how.”

Herriges, Local Government, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesOctober 17, 2022development, local government, Municipalism, city government, localism, community, Community, big box stores

What Customer Service Should Mean for a City

Many local governments have taken on a “the customer is always right” mindset, but that’s simply not the best approach, especially for decisions that should be made at the block level.

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Local Government, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 10, 2022Podcast, podcast, local government, city government, localism, neighborliness, Neighborhoods, neighborhood

Why I Started Reading the Local Newspaper

Sometimes, it’s worth it to take a step back from national news and pay attention to the things that are happening in your own community.

Community, Pattison, Top StoryJohn PattisonJuly 20, 2022local conversations, politics, localism, local government, Small Towns, small towns, Oregon, community, Community

Community Is Important. But “The Community” Is an Illusion.

You should be wary of anyone who claims to speak for “the community” or “the public,” especially when it’s in lieu of telling you who will benefit from the actions they support.

Local Government, Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 20, 2022community, politics, local government, city government, state government, localism, NIMBY, YIMBY, local politics

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

Keep It Simple, Cities!

So, you want to attend a city council meeting? Good luck getting past all the jargon! Check out these “translations” of a real-life council agenda, and why it’s important to be more transparent with citizens.

#StrongCitizens, Engagement, Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedJune 16, 2022local government, public engagement, Public Participation, city council, localism, Strong Citizenship, community engagement

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

Large Scale, Small Scale

What if we could get back large buildings hosting businesses at a hyperlocal scale—and what if that actually helped reduce the sentiment we call NIMBYism?

Top StoryAddison Del MastroMay 24, 2022New Jersey, Addison Del Mastro, localism, NIMBY, Small Towns, small towns, hotels, history, History

This Vancouver-Based Artist Is Writing Music…About Building Strong Towns!

We’ve seen a lot of fascinating takes on the Strong Towns approach, but this none quite like this musical take.

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 9, 2022Podcast, strong towns approach, Economic Gardening, arts, localism

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

Want To Make Your Town Stronger? Look for the Amateurs.

We live in a culture that exalts the people who say, “I know.” But sometimes what our places need are people willing to say, “I don’t know,” and, “What do you think?” and, “Let’s figure that out together.”

Community, Pattison, Top StoryJohn PattisonMay 4, 2022community, Community, local conversations, localism, community building

2 Things Local Leaders Can Do to Fix Their City's Broken Transportation

#1: Stop framing every problem as a transportation problem.

Local Government, Podcast, Confessions Book, Transportation, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 14, 2021transportation, localism, public transportation, leadership, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, Podcast, guest podcast, Institute for Local Self-Reliance

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

If we want to make things better, we’ll have to do it ourselves.

The only way to fix what is broken is from the bottom up, starting with a covenant between each other.

Marohn, Taking Action, Top StoryCharles MarohnJanuary 18, 20212020 election, #blacklivesmatter, taking action, localism

Local and Diverse > Networked and Global

Across North America and around the world, people are discovering the power of localism.

Upzoned, Top Story, PodcastStrong TownsNovember 11, 2020localism, Upzoned, Podcast

It's All Local Now

Let’s keep our ideals and our vision for a better America while we simultaneously continue to do what we can to make ours a strong town.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnNovember 4, 2020Democracy, localism

Everybody Loves Local Businesses Now. How Do We Make the Enthusiasm Last?

The coronavirus economy is revealing to us that countless people love and want to support small, local businesses—we just have an economy where we’ve stacked the deck in favor of large chains.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 22, 2020small business, local business, localism, coronavirus

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