Redlining Maps Were Burned—But the Fundamentals Are Still Taught

Why is this official course from the International Association of Assessing Officers still teaching outdated redlining practices to categorize neighborhoods?

Transparent Accounting, Top StorySeairra SheppardApril 25, 2023redlining, Transparent Local Accounting, race, Race, Neighborhoods, Assessments, Just Accounting for Health

Nolan Gray: How Zoning Broke the American City (and How To Fix It)

“What if scrapping one flawed policy could bring U.S. cities closer to addressing debilitating housing shortages, stunted growth and innovation, persistent racial and economic segregation, and car-dependent development?”

Zoning, Top StorySeairra SheppardApril 17, 2023zoning, National Gathering, post roundup, urban planning

This “Accidental Developer” Wants To Show You How To Revitalize Your Neighborhood

All too often, the job of development is handed to large developers with large swaths of cash to implement an all-at-once, large-scale development. This small-scale developer is showing how there is another (and better) way.

Incremental Housing, Top Story, Community StoriesSeairra SheppardApril 13, 2023Incremental Housing, small scale developers, small scale development, Indiana, developers, neighborhood revitalization

Peoria Takes a Walk—And Steps Toward Reforming Its Transportation System

Through a series of walk audits, local leaders in Peoria, IL, are not only observing the urban environment, but starting to understand how small, simple actions can profoundly shape it.

Safe & Productive Streets, Top Story, Community StoriesSeairra SheppardApril 6, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, walkability, pedestrians, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, Illinois, sidewalks, Complete Streets

Don’t Give Up on Your Small Town

Oftentimes, people in rural settings drive long distances to bigger towns to find community engagement. This renovated soda fountain shop shows why it’s worth looking for that sense of community a little closer to home.

Public Space, Community, Top Story, Community StoriesSeairra SheppardMarch 30, 2023Wyoming, rural, Small Towns, small towns, community, Third Places, restaurants, coffee shops, public space

Madison, WI, Is Lowering Traffic Deaths—But There’s Still Work To Do

Political and engineering leaders in Madison, WI, are working to make their city streets safer by developing a culture of safety with the efforts of their Vision Zero initiative.

Safe & Productive Streets, News, Top StorySeairra SheppardMarch 22, 2023Wisconsin, Safe and Productive Streets, biking, bikeability, bike lanes, car crash, vision zero, Safety, safety, transportation

What Algorithms Get Wrong About Taxes (and What Humans Fail To Fix)

In Buncombe, NC, flawed computer formulas are being used to generate thousands of dollars in "tax breaks" for owners of larger, more expensive homes.

Transparent Accounting, Top StorySeairra SheppardMarch 15, 2023Just Accounting for Health, Transparent Local Accounting, property tax, North Carolina, local finance

Detroit Considers Changing its Property Tax System to No Longer Punish Investments

Detroit is studying a solution that might curb the raging decline of the city: a split-rate tax.

Incremental Housing, Top StorySeairra SheppardMarch 9, 2023Detroit, property tax, land value tax

Pocket Parks: A Small Bet That Makes a Big Difference

This nonprofit is transforming pockets of St. Louis, MO, into delightful and welcoming parks—and at a low cost!

Top Story, Community StoriesSeairra SheppardFebruary 28, 2023public space, Third Places, Parks, parks, small bets, little bets, nonprofit sector, missouri, Missouri

A New Tool to Calculate the Lifecycle of Infrastructure

Calculating the 100-year lifecycle costs of new development shouldn’t be an obscure process, and the province of British Columbia, Canada, has created a tool to help its communities do exactly that.

Infrastructure, Incremental Housing, Top StorySeairra SheppardFebruary 23, 2023Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, maintenance, Maintenance, Incremental Housing, canada, Canada, British Columbia, Development, development pattern

History Teacher Steps Up and Starts the Conversation for Change in Bloomington, Illinois

Local Conversation leader Noah Tang appeared on the radio to talk about how his group, the Bloomington Revivalists, are making positive changes for housing in their community.

Incremental Housing, Success Story, Top Story, Community StoriesSeairra SheppardFebruary 21, 2023community, local conversations, Illinois, success, success stories, accessory dwelling units, ADUs, Incremental Housing, advocacy

A Year of Building Optimism: 365 Days of Beautiful Modern Buildings

These buildings—all built within the past 20 years in the U.S. and Canada—show that we can still create things of beauty, and that gives us something to look forward to (and to fight for)!

Architecture, Incremental Housing, Top StorySeairra SheppardFebruary 7, 2023aesthetics, architecture, Incremental Housing, member story

Buncombe County Has the Conversation No One Wants to Have: Property Taxes

All over the U.S., studies have shed light on how much residents in lower-valued homes are being overassessed on property taxes. Now, Buncombe County, NC, is offering residents a space to appeal their assessments.

Sheppard, Transparent Accounting, Urban3, Top Story, NewsSeairra SheppardFebruary 2, 2023finance, tax revenue, tax exemption, property tax, Transparent Local Accounting, Urban3, Just Accounting for Health

Road-Widening Project Threatens 30-Year-Old Farmers Market

Residents of Mooresville, NC, are outraged as a road-widening project and ensuing regulatory dispute pushed by city officials threaten the future of a longstanding farmers market.

End Highway Expansion, Local Government, Sheppard, News, Top StorySeairra SheppardJanuary 23, 2023End Highway Expansion, farmer's market, local business, local politics, local government, North Carolina, DOT, freeway widening

Roundabout Woes in North Denver

Design flaws in these Denver roundabouts are undermining their potential as tools for calming traffic.

Sheppard, Safe & Productive Streets, Transportation, Top StorySeairra SheppardJanuary 11, 2023Roundabouts, Safe and Productive Streets, Safety, safety, traffic engineering, colorado, transportation

Traffic Engineers Blame YOU for THEIR Mistakes

MDOT’s M.O.: create deadly streets, and then blame drivers for high traffic death rates.

#SlowtheCars, Roads and Streets, Sheppard, Transportation, Top StorySeairra SheppardDecember 9, 2022safety, Safe and Productive Streets, Street Design, streets, forgiving design, car crash, engineers, traffic engineering, transportation, #SlowTheCars

Spanish Fork Prioritizes Driver Speed Over Child Safety

Residents of Spanish Fork, UT, have raised the alarm about a dangerous stroad where children regularly cross, but local officials refuse to acknowledge the danger until someone gets injured or killed.

Northside Neighborhood in NC Reduced Property Tax Values by $7 Million

Neighbors in Chapel Hill, NC, mobilized to raise awareness of property tax inequities within their community…and ultimately brought about a $7-million reduction in home assessed values.

#DotheMath, Finance, Sheppard, Top Story, News, Transparent AccountingSeairra SheppardNovember 29, 2022local finance, property tax, Just Accounting for Health, Transparent Local Accounting, homeowners, Homeownership, homeownership, North Carolina, #DoTheMath

Toronto’s Curbside Patios Made 49 Times More Money Than the Parking They Replaced

A recent study on curbside dining in Toronto found that there are loads of financial possibilities waiting in empty parking spaces.

#BlackFridayParking, Parking, Sheppard, Top Story, End Parking Mandates, NewsSeairra SheppardNovember 22, 2022Parking, parking, parking minimums, End Parking Mandates and Subsidies, #BlackFridayParking, canada, Canada, Toronto, local finance, finance, local business

Speed Traps Have No Long-Term Effect on Speeding

This Strong Towns member was skeptical of claims that a speed trap had successfully slowed the cars on a local street…so, he conducted a speed study. Here are his results.

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