What do you do when living your ideals feels impossible?
Read MoreYou can learn a lot about a place by how easily you can do some great Christmas shopping.
Read MoreThis week, our Neighborhood Storyteller connects with a new community and its residents through exploring downtown and some local businesses.
Read MoreMany 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.”
Read MoreMany 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.
Read MoreSometimes, 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.
Read MoreYou 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreSo, 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.
Read MoreThese 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.
Read MoreWhat 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?
Read MoreWe’ve seen a lot of fascinating takes on the Strong Towns approach, but this none quite like this musical take.
Read MoreOr in anyone else’s, for that matter! A strong neighborhood has businesses that keep money in the local economy, instead of siphoning money out.
Read MoreWe 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.”
Read More#1: Stop framing every problem as a transportation problem.
Read MoreLet’s go beyond the “buy local” mantra and start replacing things we send money out of the community for with viable local alternatives.
Read MoreThe only way to fix what is broken is from the bottom up, starting with a covenant between each other.
Read MoreAcross North America and around the world, people are discovering the power of localism.
Read MoreLet’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.
Read MoreThe 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.
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