In this episode of our podcast It’s the Little Things, Jacob chats with Alissa Walker, urbanism editor at Curbed, about how you don’t have to be a professional urban designer to have an impact on the built environment. Documenting your own observations can capture the attention of your peers and inspire much-needed improvements to the livability of your city.
Read MoreNovelty Colonies are unusual, themed settlements that promise the resident an alternative to the vinyl-sided raised ranch houses of suburbia. However, the charm of these settlements is superficial, and the good ideas they do offer would be better incorporated into our existing towns.
Read MoreA nonprofit placemaking organization is bringing events, parks, public art and more to downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas, one playful experiment at a time.
Read MoreTo assume that a street-forward, mixed use development will activate a lifeless area is like assuming that gardening is a matter of “just add water.” In reality, different urban environments—like different soils, climates, and plants—require different elements of care.
Read MoreCan stronger schools help a city grappling with an identity crisis get residents to put down roots? In Akron, Ohio, another transformation, driven not by celebrity philanthropy but by local partnerships, is sweeping through the school system.
Read MoreThis week on the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck talks with Jase Wilson, the founder and CEO of Neighborly, about bringing small-scale investors back to the municipal bond market, empowering people to invest in the real, observed needs of communities they care about.
Read MoreWide, straight, monumental streets have always served the interests of those in power. They allow for the mobilization of military force, subordinate the unplanned chaos of the city to grandiose visions, and have been used to dispossess and displace small businesses, the poor, and racial and political minorities.
Read MoreDecades ago, we decided where roads will go. Whether it makes sense or not today, that is where they must go.
Read MoreDo we need to fail in order to succeed? When our experiments go awry—in science or otherwise—should we be dismayed, or treat it as just as vital information as if our hypotheses had been confirmed? Check out the latest episode of our new podcast Upzoned to hear Kea Wilson and Chuck Marohn wax philosophical about failure.
Read MoreWill this new development make traffic worse? The conventional wisdom about the relationship between development and traffic contains a number of important misconceptions.
Read MoreIn this episode of our new podcast It’s the Little Things, Jacob Moses chats with Nick Kittle, author of the recently released book Sustainovation: Building Sustainable Innovation in Government, One Wildly Creative Idea at a Time. Nick argues that—even in government—innovation is an attainable workplace culture that, when embraced, can create meaningful change in our cities, towns, and neighborhoods.
Read MoreOn November 16th, you can ask us anything. And we mean anything.
Read MoreA pilot project in Denver aims to help low-income homeowners add accessory dwelling units to their property. If it succeeds, it will help people remain in their communities, build wealth, and deliver affordable homes to a new generation of neighbors.
Read MoreThe physical design of the modern public realm, with its emphasis on speedy efficiency, advances a dehumanizing tendency. It undermines the opportunity to be a neighbor.
Read MoreResearch from the University of Virginia powerfully illustrates one of the most important trends in American cities in the 21st century so far: the return of the wealthy and educated to traditional downtowns.
Read MoreThe more we invest in something, the harder it becomes to walk away. Yet, we need to walk away from a lot of what we’ve built.
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