It's Time to Fix Our Fragile Food Systems

Local food is the easiest and most immediately profitable way for a community to build its resiliency. But the benefits extend far beyond that too.

Local Food, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 10, 2020Food Week, local food, gardening

California’s New Law Is a Game-Changer for Home Chefs… and for Cities That Want to Get Stronger

Home chefs in California can now prepare, sell, and serve food prepared in home kitchens—as long as the county gets on board. Here’s why this is a potential game-changer.

Top Story, Quednau, Local FoodRachel QuednauJuly 15, 2020local food, coronavirus, California

To Promote Local Food Resilience: Get Social

With global supply lines disrupted, people are getting “social” again to buy local food. To build lasting resilience, we’re going to need to keep it up.

Rural, Economic Development, Local Food, FisherLauren FisherJuly 9, 2020local food, Coronavirus, Wisconsin, agriculture, Farming

8 Resources to Help Your City Become More Food Resilient

The coronavirus has revealed just how fragile our industrialized and globalized food system always was. It’s time to strengthen our local food economies. These resources can help.

Local Food, Pattison, Top StoryJohn PattisonJune 9, 2020local food, Coronavirus, fragility

Better Bike Infrastructure, Better Budgets? This Member Thinks So.

Streets designed to keep people on bikes safe also boost community wealth. And budget-conscious city officials are starting to take notice.

Your Voice at Strong Towns: A Weekly Roundup 5/15

Fifteen people joined the Strong Towns Movement this week, and our community shared some great resources for people who want to get connected with their local farmers.

Your Voice at Strong Towns: A Weekly Roundup

Our Strong Towns Canada Community Group leads some thoughtful discussion, and we explore Daytona Beach with our Member of the Week.

The Other Pitchforks

Laws and rules often prohibit the very things that could make our neighborhoods more resilient. Like producing more of our own food — no small consideration during a time of social distancing and fragile supply chains.

Local Food, Sanphillippo, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoMay 7, 2020Gardening, Granola Shotgun, Coronavirus, local food

This Is What Happens When Markets Are Too Efficient

What do the negative price of oil and fields of discarded potatoes have in common? They point to a market increasingly abstracted from reality. Unfortunately, the real-world consequences are anything but abstract.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 5, 2020Podcast, Strong Towns Academy, Oil Prices, local food

Your Voice at Strong Towns: A Weekly Roundup

Our first Member of the Week, Karl Fundenberger, tells us about Topeka, Kansas, and some of our advocates get heated about cycling.

This is How Local Food Systems Shine Amid Covid-19

As we witness the fragility of centralized food systems amid Covid-19, this LA-based nonprofit has demonstrated how local food systems integrated in their communities have responded to meet the needs of their neighbors.

Your Voice at Strong Towns: A Weekly Roundup

Beg buttons, ordering takeout, and a Strong Towns success story—who could ask for a better week? And you made it happen.

How Driving Ruins Local Flavor

A new study shows that car-dependent cities have fewer independent restaurants. This not only makes our places weaker, it makes them less interesting too.

Top Story, Local Food, City ObservatoryJoe CortrightFebruary 20, 2020restaurants, local food, car culture, Joe Cortright

Beyond the Diet: 7 New Year's Resolutions for Your Neighborhood

Get in shape. Get organized. Read more. Most New Year’s resolutions are focused on personal improvement. These are important, but what if this year we resolved to improve our places too?

"If you have people who are willing to try, you have to bet on them."

When its only supermarket pulled out, a neighborhood suddenly found themselves living in a “food desert.” Could it end up being a blessing in disguise?

The Street That Made Me Love My City

A begrudging trip downtown opened this suburb dweller’s eyes to the delights of a wonderful city street. What similar experience have YOU had that helped you see your place in a new light?

Horbovetz, Urban Design, Top StoryArian HorbovetzNovember 6, 2019Rochester, Third Places, Place Attachment, local food

How a Beloved Corner Store in South Los Angeles Addressed Food Deserts (and Much More).

Visit the Hyde Park neighborhood in South Los Angeles and you’ll find the usual culprits of a food desert, such as fast-food chains and gas stations. But enter Kelli Jackson’s corner store—Hank’s Mini Market—and you’ll discover how cities can address food deserts without forgoing future tax revenue.

Podcast, It's The Little Things, Success Story, Top StoryJacob MosesSeptember 25, 2019Strong Citizenship, how to, local food, food deserts, community, impact

How Strong Towns Inspired a Local Food Movement

Andy Diaz—founder at Urban Acres in Peoria, Illinois—shares how you can use local food to build community in your own neighborhood, including how to find the right investment for your neighborhood, how to grow your efforts incrementally, and why cities like Peoria and beyond need more $1,000 heroes (not $1 million heroes).

What Neighborhood-Led Investment Looks Like in Detroit

Rafa Wright—Detroit native, community leader, and soon-to-be owner of a new, Detroit-based neighborhood grocery—shares how you can make neighborhood-led investments in your community, including how to observe where people struggle, how to find the right investments for your neighborhood, and how to get your neighbors involved in the process.