Often lost in debates about whether or not to “subsidize” transit: the total cost of a system in which everyone drives is much higher than the total cost of a system in which other forms of transportation are attractive alternatives.
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Accessory Commercial Units spur entrepreneurship and build a city’s prosperity. The problem? Many zoning laws make them functionally illegal.
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How pandemics (past and present) have changed architecture, farming at a more humane scale, and why humility should be at the center of social change. These are a few of the articles from around the web that Strong Towns staffers were reading and talking about this week.
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People working to build stronger and more resilient communities will find, in the work of this Kentucky farmer, a voice of clarity and sanity.
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Messaging shapes action, and action shapes communities. That’s why we need to get serious about talking about all that’s going right in our towns and cities.
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Portland, Oregon has joined the ranks of cities ending their apartment bans and allowing the next increment of residential development everywhere. Here’s a run-down of why they just might have passed the best such policy yet.
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Raising poultry allows people to bring their food systems closer to home and build resilience. The problem? Raising chickens is illegal—or regulated into prohibitive expense—in many communities.
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San Elizario’s creative “City In a Box” program is spurring entrepreneurship, while also addressing food scarcity and helping the town weather the coronavirus storm.
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Boulder, Colorado is one of the most complex and competitive housing markets in the country. A ballot initiative that would have helped renters (and those with rooms to rent) died recently under strange circumstances.
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Extend the "open streets" and sidewalk dining revolution to include a fair shake for the smallest of small entrepreneurs.
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Some ideas—like making sure you have an abundant, resilient food supply—seem old-fashioned or even reactionary…until a crisis hits.
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Plano’s first comprehensive plan in 30 years contained good faith efforts to address the city’s looming financial crisis. The city council just scrapped it, reverting to the status quo development approach that caused the crisis to begin with.
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The suburban development pattern has been putting enormous pressure on small businesses for decades. Now with the pandemic, the razor’s edge of survival somehow got even narrower.
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A detailed analysis of 12 cul-de-sacs show the Suburban Experiment is a dead end. What will it take to make this city solvent?
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A trip to the supermarket or a trip to the garden—both can be reminders to see our communities (and the people who live there) as they truly are.
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Three restaurant workers—a bartender, owner and server—help us better understand how the coronavirus is impacting the restaurant industry.
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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.
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How the journey began for one incremental developer, whimsical tactical urbanism, and the longterm effects of the pandemic on children’s learning and parents’ incomes. These are a few stories from around the web that got the Strong Towns staff talking this week.
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What kind of returns will your city actually get from its infrastructure and other public investment spending? These 6 resources will help you uncover the truth.
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With more work going virtual, small towns and mid-sized cities have an opportunity to attract new residents. Here are 6 tips to help communities start attracting and retaining talent.
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