Down to Earth: It's Time to Re-examine the Hype around Skyscrapers

A skyline full of skyscrapers makes for a nice postcard…but do skyscrapers actually make our cities stronger?

Urban Design, Top Story, Upzoned, PodcastStrong TownsJuly 22, 2020skyscrapers, Upzoned, urban design

We’ve been critical of single-family zoning — but does that mean that single-family homes have no place in a city’s financial ecosystem?

Zoning, Top StoryFelix LandryJuly 22, 2020single-family, zoning, Value Per Acre

Is This Development "Out of Scale"?

It’s an article of faith among many that big and tall buildings don’t belong around small and short buildings. But does this idea actually stand up to scrutiny?

Can a neighborhood rebuild wealth for the people who actually live there?

A small-scale developer in Atlanta is showing that it’s possible to improve a neighborhood without displacing the people who already live there.

The Mall vs. Main Street: Where Are They Now?

The trajectories of two local shopping districts—a mall built in the mid-80s, and a historic downtown—provide an object lesson on the power of the “chaotic but smart” approach to growing a city.

Will San Francisco's Caltrain Be the Pandemic's Next Casualty?

In some ways, Caltrain was in a better financial position than other public transit agencies. But the pandemic—and a political turf war—have thrown its future into jeopardy.

The Act Like You INVEST In America Act

The problem isn’t a lack of political consensus. The problem is consensus around a failed vision of how to achieve American prosperity.

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

A conservative case for car-free cities, a Minnesota town getting their COVID response right, and big dreams of future travel… Here are a few of the stories our team was reading and thinking about this week.

Friday Faves, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 17, 2020Friday Faves

Thriving Communities Are Built on a Foundation of Optimism

Here are 8 tips for local leaders to keep optimism high as you move your community forward.

Top Story, Studer, CommunityQuint StuderJuly 17, 2020future

The future of "cities" is not just a question for people in New York or LA.

This pandemic will have long-term economic impacts on cities far beyond the coastal metropolises.

Coronavirus, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 17, 2020Recovery, economics, cities, coronavirus

Why the housing crisis demands that we focus on building smaller—not bigger.

Join us at 12pm Central on August 11 to learn from urban designer and architect Dan Parolek in a free online presentation.

Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 16, 2020events

Why Does So Much High-End Redevelopment Occur in Once-Devastated Neighborhoods?

When you make community-led, incremental redevelopment all but impossible, what you get is the wholesale reinvention of neighborhoods in somebody else’s image instead.

Economic Development, Herriges, Neighborhoods, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 16, 2020development, gentrification, race, poverty

A Better Use of Federal Infrastructure Spending

Federal politicians are paving the way for a massive infrastructure spending bill meant to stimulate the economy. Two engineering professors talk about why that approach hasn’t worked in the past, and why real economic stimulus must include #NoNewRoads.

Grandiose visions of urban futures are helpful. Just don't confuse them for plans.

Fantasy can only get us so far. But we're lost without it.

Herriges, Urban Design, WalkabilityDaniel HerrigesJuly 15, 2020urban design, cars, #SlowTheCars, future

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

Parking Minimums Gave Me a Haircut

Too often, “form follows parking” for small developers. A project feasibility starts with on-site parking minimums; only then can it be determined how much is left over for productive use.

I Fought the Railroad (and the Railroad Won)

Countless advocates who want to do something to improve their community run into the “brick wall” of railroad land rights. Here are some of your options.

WalkabilityDaniel HerrigesJuly 14, 2020rail, walkability, Strong Towns Community, policy change, transit

Here's How to Build Wealth for Yourself and Your City at the Same Time

Want to get started in incremental development—or support the developers already at work in your city? These inspiring developers from around North America are showing you how.

What Are Your “Three Wishes” for Your City?

Okay, here’s the game: Name the three things you would change in your city that would have the biggest impact.

#SlowtheCars, Zoning, Top StoryDJ SullivanJuly 13, 2020zoning, single-family, nashville, #SlowTheCars, Form-Based Code

When the Feds Believed in Strong Towns

After World War II, the federal government subsidized a massive suburban experiment that was completely unprecedented in human history. But—as a mostly-forgotten 1942 manual by the Department of Commerce makes clear—it didn’t have to be that way.

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