The discipline of not acquiring more until we've wrung true value out of what we already possess can make our lives richer and fuller. And this is a lesson we need to apply to our cities as well.
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Regional fragmentation allows cities to pursue quick growth and shift the long-term costs onto their neighbors. Can a proposal to merge St. Louis with its suburbs make the region stronger by fixing these incentives?
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There are many ways for state and local governments to run hidden deficits, one of which is deferred maintenance. But it turns out there is a way to measure the extent to which local governments kick the maintenance can down the road.
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County leadership continually brags about its low tax rate and high amount of services. But if you doubt the fundamental math behind that equation, there’s no need to look behind the curtain because the ratings agencies have given Cobb top marks.
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Why do places like Cobb County, Georgia keep spending more and more, while their municipal budgets go further and further into the red? This week at Strong Towns, we’re going to dig into the tale of Cobb County: a poster child for the Ponzi-scheme approach to growth.
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The crazy distortions we see in housing and real estate won't be solved by centralized interventions, be they corporate or government. Only at the local level do we have the nuance to start creating something that works.
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Edina, MN, is a very impressive suburb that is asking a lot of the right questions.
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Suburbia is a massive experiment, and millions of Americans are finding out that it doesn’t work.
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Strong Towns kicks off Big Box Week, looking at the promises cities make and the risks they take when a new big box store goes in.
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Most American cities experience a modest, short term illusion of wealth in exchange for enormous, long term liabilities.
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This story is not unique: a mid-sized Minnesota town is preparing to adopt a 50-year-old neighborhood. As the neighborhood struggles to pay for long-term maintenance on its roads and pipes, it seems like neither annexation nor autonomy will really solve the problem.
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For local governments, the Growth Ponzi Scheme has allowed national politicians to promise a free lunch while forcing those lower on the food chain to absorb the long term costs associated with hitting this quarter’s GDP targets.
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A reference list of Strong Towns terminology.
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Over the last several years, we have seen the Strong Towns message of financial resilience and strong communities reach dozens of towns and cities across the country. Last week, the message was shared at a conference in Dubuque, Iowa by a Strong Towns member, John Griffin.
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Following a Curbside Chat earlier this year, Waco, Texas, is taking some difficult and important steps towards getting their financial house in order.
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Necessary repairs to roads and streets often get put off for a later time despite the fact that we see them decline before our eyes. This is an even bigger problem for underground infrastructure where the problem is out of sight, out of mind.
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Jobs and growth are the results of a productive system, not a proxy for one.
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Massive, quick change is only going to come by having a nation of people who care about their communities and are prepared, as an expression of that caring, to share the Strong Towns message with their friends and neighborhoods, then take action together to change their places. That's the Strong Towns movement.
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We have to stop looking at the stagnation and decline of our blocks and neighborhoods as a normal part of the development process.
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