Our Top 5 Articles from the Week

Smart growth, segregation and the neighborhood corner store were among our most discussed topics this week.

Strong TownsApril 8, 2016post roundup

I Love Ruby

Ruby Receptionists make us look really good for a very reasonable price.

Charles MarohnApril 8, 2016

While You Wait

What happens while you wait for a pedestrian walk sign?

#SlowtheCars, Transportation, WalkabilityStrong TownsApril 8, 2016pedestrian crossing

Living On Purpose

Our featured member post this week is a deeply personal piece from Jenn Smith, of Citysmiths. She reflects upon her community work in Rockville and desire to give something back to the place she calls home.

The Restaurant Factor

Good restaurants are essential to neighborhood success, and here are four reasons why.

It's Time to Break up Maryland's State Highway Administration

Maybe the best way to fight the state highway administration is to split it up.

Top Story, Transportation, Member PostJeff LemieuxApril 6, 2016Maryland, STROADS

The butcher, the baker, and candlestick maker

What would a contemporary neighborhood in which people work and proudly display their names and livelihoods on the door be like? It's not what I'd call revolutionary, but in 2016, it's a completely novel and magnetic idea to me.

Field Notes, Top StoryGracen JohnsonApril 6, 2016Monte Anderson, corner stores, Jobs

Influences: Andres Duany

Andres Duany is a perpetual motion machine of thoughts and ideas, the intellectual leader of a movement that -- without exaggeration -- has changed the way the world is built.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnApril 6, 2016Influencers

The Transportation Burden

The cost of commuting places a disproportionally heavy burden on the working poor--some of whom pay as much as 75% of their income on transportation. The gap between “making it” and “falling behind” is literally being exacerbated by the mistakes of transportation and land use planning past.

Transportation, Top Story, HousingStephen HardyApril 5, 2016Washington DC, Milwaukee, commuting

Why mixed-income neighborhoods matter: Lifting kids out of poverty

We need to build cities where mixed-income neighborhoods are the norm, not the exception.

Top Story, Member Post, HousingJoe CortrightApril 5, 2016City Observatory, poverty, children

Bringing Back the Corner Store

The corner store has a mythic place in our view of American cities. Mythic because, in most cities, they exist only in our minds.

Marohn, Neighborhood Design, Top StoryCharles MarohnApril 5, 2016corner stores, Brainerd MN

The Week Ahead

Chuck and Rachel discuss the smart growth movement, neighborhood corner stores, and the winner of the Strongest Town contest.

PodcastStrong TownsApril 4, 2016Smart Growth, corner stores, the week ahead

And the Strongest Town Award goes to...

We started with 16 towns from across the United States. Now we're ready to announce the Strongest.

This Week's SlackChat

This week's SlackChat will be hosted by Jason Schaefer, who serves as Member Support Specialist at Strong Towns. The chat will be held at 2pm Central, on Wednesday (April 6).

SchaeferStrong TownsApril 4, 2016slackchat