It's Time to Bring Decision-Making Down to the Local Level (Part 2)

Local decision-making must become more accessible to everyday people. Here's how to make that happen in your place.

Dukes, Local Government, Member Post, Neighborhoods, Politics, Top StoryAlexander DukesJune 29, 2021local government, local regulation, Municipalism, subsidiarity, neighborhood, Neighborhoods

The Best "New" Ideas in Planning Are All Old News

A lot of supposedly "innovative" proposals are for things that have long existed in neighborhoods, but you wouldn't know it based on the language that planners use.

Herriges, Neighborhoods, Planning Profession, Zoning, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 22, 2021urban planning, Neighborhoods, zoning, Scranton, Pennsylvania, photos

My Neighborhood's Summer Experiment in Building a Strong Town

In the summer, my neighbors invite things to happen that they will oppose most any other time of the year. It’s the best part of being here.

Community, Marohn, Neighborhoods, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 21, 2021community, community building, neighborhood, Brainerd MN

Housing, Not Lodging

Annapolis's downtown has become dominated by short-term rentals, and it’s beginning to degrade the community’s social capital.

Member Post, Community, Housing, Neighborhoods, Top StoryAlex PlineJune 16, 2021housing, tourism, social capital, downtown, Alex Pline, annapolis

The Cost of Adaptation Is Too Damn High

One of the realities about cities is that they change—but in America, most cities are trapped in a regulatory environment that makes change extremely costly.

Member Post, Zoning, Suburban Experiment, Neighborhoods, Top StoryTiffany OwensJune 15, 2021local regulation, resilience, neighborhood change, fragility, zoning

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Creating a Coffee Shop for the Whole Neighborhood

Coté Soeren’s “Resistencia” coffee shop in Seattle is a space for community connection and support, not gentrification.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Neighborhoods, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 27, 2021Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, neighborhood, neighborhood revitalization, Seattle, coffee shops, gentrification

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Empowering Young People to Rebuild Homes

In Birmingham, AL, a unique high school program trains teens in home renovation and building skills, while revitalizing their neighborhood in the process. Jeanyll Morris shares her experience helping lead the program.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Neighborhoods, Housing, Schools, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 20, 2021Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, neighborhood, alabama, education, children, neighborhood revitalization, revitalization

How Social Capital Helps Build Strong Local Economies

Social capital isn’t as easy to build these days, but it can still be done, and should be done, for the sake of our communities.

Community, Neighborhoods, Member Post, Top StoryPatricia RattrayMay 14, 2021community, community building, community engagement, social capital, local economy

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Starting a Community Laundry Co-op

Marilyn Burns and Leah Ross saw a need in their community for greater laundry access, so they got together with neighbors to make it happen.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Neighborhoods, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 13, 2021Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, neighborhood, Cleveland, cooperatives, community

Local Work, National Impact

In town after town, city after city, all across America, people are making their communities better for the next generation.

Community, Neighborhoods, Top StoryHans ZeigerFebruary 5, 2021neighborliness, Public Participation, community

How Adaptable Is Your Neighborhood?

A new toolkit helps neighborhoods measure their adaptive capacity.

Neighborhoods, Top StoryJoshua PineJanuary 27, 2021Cincinnati, placemaking, neighborhood

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Using Art and Stories to Strengthen Your City

What happens when you open your eyes to the stories around you? How does that change the way you see your community?

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Public Art, Neighborhoods, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 21, 2021Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, South Bend, photos, arts

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Uniting Advocates to Build Strong Towns

Cary Westerbeck brought his neighbors together to collectively build a stronger town.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Neighborhoods, Member Post, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 7, 2021Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, community, local conversations, member story

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Empowering Churches to Connect with Their Neighborhoods

Here’s why everyone benefits when faith communities connect their mission and story to their physical place in the neighborhood.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Walkability, Neighborhoods, Top Story, Member PostStrong TownsDecember 10, 2020Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, churches, proxi, member story

Your City's Wealth Isn't Where You Think

Small investments in poor neighborhoods are the best way for a community to build wealth. They are also the best way to lift people out of poverty without displacing them from their neighborhood.

Marohn, Neighborhoods, Membership, Top StoryCharles MarohnNovember 17, 2020Lafayette, poverty, small bets, public investment, member drive

La riqueza de su ciudad no está donde piensa

Hacer inversiones pequeñas en barrios pobres es el mejor modo de aumentar la riqueza. También, son el mejor modo de ayudar a la gente a salir de la pobreza sin desplazarse del barrio.

Top Story, Membership, Marohn, NeighborhoodsCharles MarohnNovember 17, 2020Lafayette, poverty, small bets, public investment, member drive, Spanish

The Vanishing Houses of Detroit: A Street View Story

How one Detroit resident is using Google Maps to chronicle the accelerating disappearance of some of that city’s neighborhoods.

Top Story, NeighborhoodsDaniel HerrigesNovember 10, 2020Detroit, decline

Nice Is Strong

Don’t underestimate the power of kindness in building stronger, more resilient cities. Its true strength is proven in crisis—as in Oregon’s recent wildfires.

Neighborhoods, Top StoryHilary DumitrescuSeptember 29, 2020Oregon, neighborhood, crisis, wildfires, neighborliness

Neighborhood Revival: A Pandemic Perspective

If your town or city is going to be stronger and more resilient, its neighborhoods need to thrive. Here are 5 ways to help your neighborhood live up to its full potential.