28 Promises Jeff Speck Says All Planners Should Make to the Public

In the 10th anniversary edition of his book Walkable City, Jeff Speck suggests a new pledge that professional planners should take in order to qualify for certification—and to better serve society.

Safe & Productive Streets, Planning Profession, Top StoryJeff SpeckMarch 6, 2023urban planning, planning profession, walkability, planning process, Jeff Speck, books, Safe and Productive Streets

Recovering the Lost Art of Mixed-Use Development

Mixed-use development was once the norm in cities and towns, but most Americans no longer remember how it works. Here are 3 easy-to-understand forms that mixed use could (and should) take in your community.

Edward Erfurt, Planning Profession, Zoning, Top Story 2, Incremental HousingEdward ErfurtDecember 2, 2022mixed use, development pattern, traditional development pattern, urban planning, Development, development, planning profession, planning process

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Moving from Planning to Action

Strong Towns member Spencer Gardner is the new planning director for the city of Spokane, WA, and he’s been helping his city take action on important housing issues.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Top Story, Success Story, Membership, Member Profiles, Gardner, Housing, ZoningStrong TownsSeptember 1, 2022Podcast, Spokane, planning profession, urban planning, Incremental Housing, accessory dwelling units

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Community Design for Stronger Towns

Ann Zadeh is a Strong Towns member, former city councilwoman, and community design leader in Fort Worth, TX.

My County's Award-Winning Smart Growth Plan is a Disaster. Here's Why.

Sarasota County, FL, is viewed as a trailblazer in the prevention of unchecked suburbanization. So why has its growth management plan has not resulted in a better pattern of development?

Herriges, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Planning Profession, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 6, 2022Development, development pattern, planning profession, planning process, growth, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Smart Growth, suburbs, Florida

What Have Cities *Actually* Accomplished in the Past 100 Years?

The modern conceit is that we are far more advanced than the people of past generations—but how do our cities really stack up against those of the past?

Urban Design, Zoning, Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergMarch 2, 2022history, urban planning, planning profession, urban design, Kansas City, missouri, Missouri, zoning

Jarrett Walker: "Prediction and Freedom Are Opposites"

Special guest Jarrett Walker shares his thoughts on the limitations of prediction.

ST Podcast, Transportation, Planning Profession, Podcast, Public Transit, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 24, 2022Podcast, podcast, Jarrett Walker, projections, traffic projections, transit, public transit, public transportation, planning profession, planning process, urban planning

Planning Without Plans

In everyday life, people usually say “I need a plan” if something has gone wrong. Plans should play a similar role in cities.

Incrementalism, Member Post, Planning Profession, Urban Design, Walkability, Top StoryTristan ClevelandNovember 3, 2021planning profession, planning process, urban planning, urban design, walkability, incrementalism

Planning Is a Bigger Job Than Planning Can Do

Planning must become a job that planners can actually do in a 40-hour work week. This will require a different approach to planning, altogether.

Incrementalism, Member Post, Planning Profession, Urban Design, Top StoryTristan ClevelandNovember 2, 2021planning profession, urban planning, urban design, history, History, halifax, incrementalism, complexity, Complexity

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Data-Driven, Community-Centered Planning

Sarah Davis is fresh out of planning school and interned for Strong Towns and Urban3 this summer.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Davis, Planning Profession, Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 23, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, planning profession, students, Urban3, taking action

We Need a New Conventional Wisdom About Streets

We're at a tipping point in how we design and think about our public streets. And things can tip the right way, once we confront the bankrupt ideology guiding our transportation system.

#SlowtheCars, Engineering Profession, Herriges, Confessions Book, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesSeptember 7, 2021Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, STROADS, planning profession, engineers, engineering profession, traffic engineering, #SlowTheCars

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Reactivating a Historic Space for the Whole Community

Alex Rodriguez and Danny Lapin are incrementally revitalizing a historic space for entrepreneurs, artists and community members in rural Lexington, NY.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Member Post, Community, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 11, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, planning profession, revitalization, historic preservation, New York State, member story, taking action

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... People-Centered Urban Planning

Through concerted and creative efforts to know their neighbors, listen to resident concerns and educate people on the city’s trajectory, these planning professionals are going against the grain and fighting for the city they love.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Planning Profession, Top Story 2, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 4, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, planning profession, Gould Evans, Kansas City, taking action

How Planners Misuse Context

Too often, city planners defer to “context” in the most superficial way—privileging the massing of buildings over the deeper forces that define a neighborhood’s identity.

Top Story, Planning Profession, GrayNolan GraySeptember 22, 2020planning profession, New York

For City Planners, Community Consensus Shouldn't Be the Standard

Community consensus sounds nice. But, as a final standard for planners, it ends up supporting the status quo rather than challenging it.

Planning Profession, Podcast, Upzoned, Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 16, 2020public engagement, Upzoned, planning profession

Land Use and Services: A More Perfect Union

What’s missing from most comprehensive plans? Dollars and cents. Here’s a simple reform that will focus the conversation on development patterns that create real wealth.

Top Story, Planning Profession, #DotheMathSpencer GardnerSeptember 10, 2020Land Use, comprehensive plans, planning profession, #DoTheMath

In Praise of Streetcar Suburbs

The streetcar suburb was the dominant development type in American cities between about 1890-1930. What lessons can we learn about how to build our cities today?