Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Emergent Tokyo, art restoration, and the right to repair. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Friday Faves, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 29, 2022friday faves, Friday Faves

Roosevelt Plaza: A Small Space With Big Impact

When designed right, even small patches of public space can bring a lot of charm to a community!

Urban Design, Public Space, Top StoryArian HorbovetzJuly 29, 2022public space, urban design, design, Buffalo NY, New York State

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Creating a Street Design Team

Strong Towns member and City Councilperson Danny Schaible is leading the way toward safer streets in his Maryland town.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Top Story, Membership, Member Profiles, Success Story, Local Government, #SlowtheCarsStrong TownsJuly 28, 2022Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, streets, Maryland

Join Us in Welcoming Our New Member Advocate!

We’re pleased to welcome the newest member of the Strong Towns team!

Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 28, 2022Strong Towns

City Pattern, Life Pattern

Question: “Why don’t people dance in the street today?” Answer: Because the design of our cities shapes the design of our lives.

Public Space, Urban Design, Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedJuly 28, 2022Street Design, design, urban design, development pattern, public space, neighborhood, community, Community, car culture

Spokane Opens the Door for Middle Housing Expansion

Last week, the city council of Spokane, WA, voted on a truly “bold, transformational package” that will allow for more forms of missing-middle housing and infill development in the city.

Mobilize Your Place for Change with the Community Action Lab

Learn more about this two-year project designed to introduce Strong Towns ideas to your community, shift the conversation there, and kickstart the implementation of a Strong Towns approach.

Announcement, Pattison, Top StoryJohn PattisonJuly 27, 2022Community Action Lab, announcement

Is Wall Street Actually Taking Over the Housing Market?

Are Wall Street-backed investors the reason you can’t afford a house? The truth is a bit more complicated than that.

Housing, Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 27, 2022housing, housing cost, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, housing market, homeowners, Homeownership, homeownership

"Should I Protest My Property Taxes?"

The process for appealing your property taxes can be obscure, even when the appeal is merited (and more often than not, it is). This simple guide will help prepare you for when your property is next assessed.

There’s No Unguarded Hour in Jasper, Indiana, the Beating Heart of Strong Towns

The decision to renovate a local theater presents a simple, but compelling, example of why Jasper, IN, was chosen as our 2022 Strongest Town Contest winner.

Strongest Town Contest, Stange, Top StoryJay StangeJuly 26, 2022Strongest Town Winner, Strongest Town Competition, Strongest Town 2022, Indiana, Jasper IN, Small Towns, small towns

Burned Into Memory: Community Building in a Remote Fire Tower?

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller gets an unexpected—and delighted—visitor at her fire lookout tower.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Community, Top StoryKarla TheilenJuly 26, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, children, montana

Incremental Development and Mass Construction

Strong Towns founding member Seth Zeren stopped by the Mass Construction podcast recently for a conversation on incremental development, New Urbanism, and the Strong Towns movement.

Incrementalism, Podcast, Top StoryJay StangeJuly 25, 2022construction, Podcast, podcast, guest podcast, incrementalism, incremental, Incremental Development Alliance, Congress for the New Urbanism

Don’t Pause the Gas Tax, Redirect It

Congressman Jake Auchincloss: "We don't need a gas tax holiday. We need a gas tax reset: an overhaul of how we approach transportation funding.”

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Love letters to the built world, riding the bus, and NIMBYism. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Friday Faves, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 22, 2022friday faves, Friday Faves

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Helping More People Get Out and Bike!

Strong Towns member Ari Feinsmith is making streets safer in his California town, hosting free bike repair events and more.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Top Story, Membership, Member Profiles, Bikeability, Success StoryStrong TownsJuly 21, 2022Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, California, biking, bike parking, bicycling

Oak Tree Road and the Second Life Cycle Blues

Small-scale, incremental development works in the suburbs too, if we let it.

Incrementalism, Suburban Experiment, Top StoryAddison Del MastroJuly 21, 2022Addison Del Mastro, immigrants, immigration, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, strip malls, suburbs, suburban development pattern, New Jersey, second life cycle, suburban experiment

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

"Streets Closed to Vehicular Traffic"

Downtown Leesburg, Virginia, goes car free for one weekend.

Walkability, Top StoryAddison Del MastroJuly 19, 2022walkability, Small Towns, small towns, Virginia, car-lite, public space, Addison Del Mastro

Our Year Without a Car (With Kids)

It’s not easy to live without a car when you have young children, but it’s certainly possible. Plus, having to walk can help you build unexpected connections with your community.

Public Transit, Walkability, Community, Top StoryGrace OlmsteadJuly 19, 2022walkability, Europe, Gracy Olmstead, children, bus, buses, public transit, community, Community

Get Involved

Resources

About

Site