Streets Aren’t the Only Thing That Connects Your City

In Akron, Ohio an alternative-news monthly called The Devil Strip serves to identify, connect and inspire people throughout the community. The newspaper helps bring Akronites together to envision and shape the city’s future.

Akron, #StrongCitizens, Top StoryMark SchweitzerOctober 16, 2018journalism, Strong Citizenship, community building

Reflections on the Strong Towns North Texas Regional Gathering

Our Gathering Coordinator Ivy Vann recaps #StrongTownsNTX, the North Texas Regional Gathering. We brought together aspiring change-makers and seasoned experts from all over Texas and beyond, and helped them connect with each other and learn how to make their own communities stronger.

Taking Action, Success Story, #StrongCitizens, Top StoryIvy VannOctober 12, 2018#StrongTownsNTX

Putting Neighborhoods First in Old Goucher, Baltimore

The core neighborhoods of our big cities and our small towns have more in common than we might think.

Marohn, Top Story, Success Story, #StrongCitizensCharles MarohnSeptember 28, 2018neighborhood change, small bets, Chaotic but Smart

Getting a Response From Local Leaders

Sometimes our community leaders don’t do what we think they should. Here are some suggestions for getting their attention and influencing the agenda in your town or city.

Top Story, #StrongCitizens, PoliticsChris HardieSeptember 6, 2018activism, advocacy, community building

Can Paint Help Prevent Crime in a Troubled Neighborhood Park?

Something as small as public art can help transform the public’s perception of a troubled neighborhood park. It’s a testament to the power of bottom-up, incremental change.

WIlson, Top Story, Public Art, #StrongCitizensKea WilsonAugust 29, 2018small bets, public space, Parks, mural

What Would You Do with Five Minutes of Your Mayor's Time?

If you had five minutes to plant a seed in the mind of an influential leader in your community, what would you tell them? Or give them to read? What article do you wish Strong Towns would publish that would help you make a concrete, needed change in your own community?

The Case for Community Gardens

The idea of a community garden isn’t a new one. Now, when modern life seems to be more stressful and uncertain than ever, community gardens could prove to be the salve that heals our hurting communities.

Top Story, Local Food, #StrongCitizensScott JenkinsAugust 16, 2018gardening, community building, Public Safety, local food

3 Urban Planning Lessons from the New Mister Rogers Movie

“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.”

#StrongCitizens, Quednau, Top Story, Planning ProfessionRachel QuednauAugust 10, 2018children

You Can't Have It All, but You Can Have Most of What Matters

We have chosen a rural life—who pays for our infrastructure? The short answer is: we don't have much of it, but we take care of our own needs. Strong towns require strong citizens: people who learn to take control of their lives and do for themselves things that are doable.

#StrongCitizens, Local Food, Rational Responses, Top StoryKaren TreanorAugust 10, 2018rural, Infrastructure, resilient, local economy

Ask Strong Towns #5

Today we've got the video and audio from a recent Ask Strong Towns webcast conversation featuring President and founder Chuck Marohn and Communications Director Kea Wilson.

Ask Strong Towns webcast, Podcast, #StrongCitizensStrong TownsAugust 9, 2018Strong Citizenship

Your Planet or Your Life: Pick One?

Policy choices are often presented to us as simplistic binaries, or irresolvable clashes of competing values. Have the courage to step outside that box and ask more fundamental questions.

A Strong Towns Member Toured 6 Places on the Right Track

A tour of 6 successful towns helped one Strong Towns member to better understand what makes a community resilient. His journey offers lessons for all of us.

Success Story, Top Story, #StrongCitizensRachel QuednauAugust 7, 2018travel, inspired

See Your City Differently by Slowing Down

One of the best ways to deeply understand the place you live is to slow down—way down—the way you get around it.

Top Story, Walkability, Herriges, #StrongCitizensDaniel HerrigesJuly 27, 2018neighborhood, biking, cycling, placemaking, walkability

How to Expand Your Organization, Association, or Community Group's Impact with Social Media

We shared our most helpful tips and tricks in this recent webcast.

Video, #StrongCitizensStrong TownsJuly 27, 2018resource, how to

What a Difference $1,000 Makes: Part Two

With a modest investment and a lot of heart, communities are transforming homes and moving entire neighborhoods towards a better future.

Akron, Donatelli, Small Scale Developers, Housing, #StrongCitizensJen Jones DonatelliJuly 25, 2018revitalization

Stop Playing Public Hearing Bingo

Here are a few ideas to make you a more effective—and interesting—public hearing participant.

Kobos, #StrongCitizensSarah KobosJuly 11, 2018Public Participation, community engagement, resource, how to

Scanning the radio or hitting the presets?

Unless we change the underlying rules that govern the design of our cities, we'll be fiddling with radio dials instead of zeroing in on exactly what we need.

#StrongCitizens, Gardner, Top StorySpencer GardnerJuly 11, 2018local government, resource