We have chosen a rural life—who pays for our infrastructure? The short answer is: we don't have much of it, but we take care of our own needs. Strong towns require strong citizens: people who learn to take control of their lives and do for themselves things that are doable.
Read MoreThe destiny of America is probably set, but that of my community doesn’t have to be.
Read MoreThese steps will make it a whole lot easier for people to age in place.
Read MoreHint: It's not a farmstead in the countryside.
Read MoreA Strong Towns member talks home renovation, parenthood and how he's living a resilient life.
Read MoreAn intentional, incrementally built village blossoms in northern Missouri. Strong Towns advocates can learn a lot from its example.
Read MoreI'm leaving my small southern town for a mid-sized Rust Belt City. Here's why that decision makes sense.
Read MoreLike a cavity that starts at the enamel and eventually hollows out a whole tooth, so too has the larger economy been hollowing out the local capability to be self-reliant.
Read MoreHands-on collaboration between local government and citizens can open up opportunities for experimentation, learning, and relationship building—all essential parts of effective community resilience building.
Read MoreFood isn't just nutritious and tasty; it can also be the backbone of a healthy economy and a strong town.
Read MoreKea Wilson paid off $25k in college debt in a year and has continued to live a simple, frugal life ever since. Here's why it made her a happier person.
Read MoreLiving far from the limits of our means gives us a richer, happier and more secure life. Building strong towns starts with building a strong household.
Read MoreReligious congregations across the country are facing declining attendance. How can they become more resilient in a changing religious and economic landscape?
Read MoreBy buying wholesome food in bulk directly from small family farms I’ve radically shortened the supply chain.
Read MoreIn the summer of 2010, our family of four made a decision that would transform our lives for the better: we ditched our car and committed to a bike and walk lifestyle.
Read MoreHow exactly do you live a normal mainstream life in a way that also happens to allow you to ride out an unexpected storm – be it natural, economic, medical, or political?
Read MoreScranton, Pennsylvania is not a wealthy place, but it is a place with underappreciated intrinsic wealth. Bet on older mid-size cities like Scranton, whose built-in advantages leave them well-positioned to weather future economic disruption.
Read MoreIn an era of looming economic, social, and environmental disruption, the urban planning profession needs to be talking less about how to make cities efficient and attractive and more about how to make them resilient to the worst-case consequences of our actions. This is where Strong Towns thinking fits in.
Read MoreA Strong Town is a resilient or antifragile town: one that can weather unforeseen disruptions to its economy, society, and environment. Building Strong Towns means creating the conditions for experimentation and being comfortable with the lack of a road map for what the future will look like.
Read MoreYou can't adapt without surplus. Surplus DNA. Surplus farmland. Surplus building space. Surplus building materials. If you have no surplus, you have nothing with which to work, and so you have no adaptability.
There have been plenty of efficient creatures in the history of this planet—most of the extinct ones. They were not adaptable to change.
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