45,000 Bridges in the U.S. Are 50+ Years Old. And They Are Beginning to Fail.

The recent failure of a Memphis bridge is costing millions every day. And there are 45,000 others like it in the U.S. that could suffer the same fate.

Podcast, Upzoned, Transportation, Infrastructure, #InfrastructureCrisis, Maintenance, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 30, 2021Podcast, Upzoned, Infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, maintenance, memphis

It's Time to Bring Decision-Making Down to the Local Level (Part 2)

Local decision-making must become more accessible to everyday people. Here's how to make that happen in your place.

Dukes, Local Government, Member Post, Neighborhoods, Politics, Top StoryAlexander DukesJune 29, 2021local government, local regulation, Municipalism, subsidiarity, neighborhood, Neighborhoods

How Dutch Cities Restored the “Freedom to Roam”

Five decades ago, Delft made some urban planning decisions that granted children the freedom to freely and safely wander the streets of their city.

Bikeability, Infrastructure, Roads and Streets, Success Story, Transportation, Urban Design, Walkability, #SlowtheCars, Top StoryMelissa Bruntlett & Chris BruntlettJune 29, 2021Netherlands, Delft, bikeability, bike infrastructure, history, #SlowTheCars

Aligning Transportation with a Strong Towns Approach

At every level of decision-making and across the political spectrum, everyone agrees: our transportation system is broken. There is a better way.

Strong Towns Academy, Transportation, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 28, 2021Strong Towns Academy, transportation

It's Time to Bring Decision-Making Down to the Local Level

To increase faith in our democracy we must make local decision-making more accessible and meaningful to everyday people.

Federal Government, Local Government, Top StoryAlexander DukesJune 28, 2021local government, state government, federal government, subsidiarity, Decisions

Strong Towns and the "15-Minute City"

There’s a lot of conversation about how cities can become “15-minute cities.” What role does the Strong Towns approach play?

Success Story, Video, Top StoryJohn PattisonJune 25, 2021Washington, 15-Minute Cities, member story, success stories

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... a Small Business Owner and Community Leader

Strong Towns member Haile McCollum is helping make her community of Thomasville, Georgia, more resilient and more beloved.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Member Post, Membership, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 24, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, Georgia, local business, arts, small, taking action

Could You Move In Next Door?

Given our current pattern of development, is it overly romantic to want to transition through the stages of life while remaining in the same neighborhood, with the same people around us?

Housing, Member Post, Top StoryNorman Van Eeden PetersmanJune 23, 2021Canada, British Columbia, member story, success stories, missing middle, housing, ADUs, aging in place

The Best "New" Ideas in Planning Are All Old News

A lot of supposedly "innovative" proposals are for things that have long existed in neighborhoods, but you wouldn't know it based on the language that planners use.

Herriges, Neighborhoods, Planning Profession, Zoning, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 22, 2021urban planning, Neighborhoods, zoning, Scranton, Pennsylvania, photos

Expertise Is Not Absolute

If you're going to build a bridge, then of course you want engineers. But how far should we go in trusting experts?

Podcast, Confessions Book, Engineering Profession, Engineering Reform, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 21, 2021Podcast, engineering profession, engineering ethics, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book

My Neighborhood's Summer Experiment in Building a Strong Town

In the summer, my neighbors invite things to happen that they will oppose most any other time of the year. It’s the best part of being here.

Community, Marohn, Neighborhoods, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 21, 2021community, community building, neighborhood, Brainerd MN

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Tweets about murals, the racial homeownership gap, and regenerative agriculture. These are just some of the stories from around the web that Strong Towns staffers were reading and talking about this week.

Friday Faves, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 18, 2021Friday Faves

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Building Active Towns

John Simmerman founded Active Towns to help cities think about and create more opportunities for physical activity within neighborhoods.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Top Story, Bikeability, WalkabilityStrong TownsJune 17, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, John Simmerman, active transportation, public health, taking action

To Bypass or Not to Bypass

A question we often hear concerns highway bypasses around small towns. Are they good? Bad? Let's find out by looking at a case study: Starke, Florida, and U.S. 301.

#NoNewRoads, Herriges, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 17, 2021Florida, STROADS, freeways, Small Towns

What Comes Next, When the Freeways Are Gone?

The federal government has proposed $20 billion to be allocated toward targeted freeway removal, but will that be enough to fix America’s cities?

Podcast, Upzoned, Transportation, Infrastructure, Roads and Streets, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 16, 2021Podcast, Upzoned, freeways, freeway removal, Infrastructure

Housing, Not Lodging

Annapolis's downtown has become dominated by short-term rentals, and it’s beginning to degrade the community’s social capital.

Member Post, Community, Housing, Neighborhoods, Top StoryAlex PlineJune 16, 2021housing, tourism, social capital, downtown, Alex Pline, annapolis

The Stock Market Is Not the Economy

If we want to have meaningful conversations about "the economy" and how it affects everyday people, then our focus needs to shift from macro to local.

Community, Economic Development, Top StoryNick MathewsJune 15, 2021local business, small business, community, economic development, MainVest, coronavirus

The Cost of Adaptation Is Too Damn High

One of the realities about cities is that they change—but in America, most cities are trapped in a regulatory environment that makes change extremely costly.

Member Post, Zoning, Suburban Experiment, Neighborhoods, Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedJune 15, 2021local regulation, resilience, neighborhood change, fragility, zoning

Meet the Strong Towns Advisory Board

We’re excited to introduce you to a group of amazing leaders who are helping to guide the future of this movement.

Announcement, Top StoryRachel QuednauJune 14, 2021announcement, Strong Towns

A National Infrastructure Bank is a Stupid Idea

A bill in Congress is pushing for a National Infrastructure Bank, which would mean (in theory) bold federal action to address America's infrastructure crisis. It's a big idea. It's also a really bad one.