The Modern Approach to Development Doesn't Work for Local Communities

There is much we can learn from cities of the past—especially small, remote cities that grew up around the exploitation of natural resources.

Economic Development, Incrementalism, Marohn, Resource Trap, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 18, 2021RBC Series, history, traditional development pattern, economics, resource trap, incrementalism, Resource Trap - Core Content

What's Your Transportation Confession?

Industry standards have made good people complicit in projects that are unsafe, unaffordable, and ineffective.

Confessions Book, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 17, 2021confessions book, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer

Why Communities Must Break Out of the Resource Trap

Resource-based communities rarely experience the prosperity their labor makes possible for others. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Marohn, Resource Trap, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 17, 2021local finance, series, RBC Series, resource, community, resource trap, Resource Trap - Core Content

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Intergenerational living, gardens of gratitude, and gaslighting as official policy. These are just some of the stories from around the web that Strong Towns staffers were reading and talking about this week.

Friday Faves, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 14, 2021Friday Faves

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

6 Principles for Building a Strong Town

6 principles for building stronger and more prosperous places.

Strong Towns Academy, Pattison, Top StoryJohn PattisonMay 13, 2021Strong Towns 101 Articles, Strong Towns Academy

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, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, neighborhood, Cleveland, cooperatives, community, taking action

Scaling Down America

We live in a society where the tendency is to scale up more and more, but are we actually on the path to a small-town revival?

Podcast, Upzoned, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 12, 2021Podcast, Upzoned, Small Towns, Economy, Growth Ponzi Scheme

When The Mine Closes

How one Colorado town is breaking away from its former dependence on mining.

Herriges, Success Story, Urban3, Resource Trap, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMay 12, 2021colorado, idaho springs, community, Urban3, Resource Trap - Case Studies

Put Your Town on the Map

You're surrounded by more Strong Towns advocates than you might realize. Here's a simple, 3-step plan for how to connect with them.

Action Lab, Community, Pattison, Taking Action, Top StoryJohn PattisonMay 11, 2021community building, community development, local conversations, advocacy, taking action, Action Lab, how to

"Urbanism" Isn't Synonymous with "Big City"

These photos of Staunton, Virginia, serve as a reminder that the benefits of “urbanism” aren’t limited to big cities.

Big Box Stores, Urban Design, Top StoryAddison Del MastroMay 11, 2021Small Towns, Addison Del Mastro, Virginia, Staunton, big box stores

This Simple Program Allows People to Transport Their Stuff Without a Car

A brilliant cargo bikeshare program in Germany could serve as a model for North American cities.

Bikeability, Public Transit, Quednau, Success Story, Transportation, Top StoryRachel QuednauMay 10, 2021biking, bikeability, bike share, Germany, Europe, car-lite, public transit, transportation

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Motivations for relocation, pothole mosaics, and bitcoin. These are just some of the stories from around the web that Strong Towns staffers were reading and talking about this week.

Friday Faves, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 7, 2021Friday Faves

Want to build a strong town? Make it work for people with disabilities.

Significant effort should be dedicated to creating more accessible built environments—because doing so benefits people of all abilities.

Infrastructure, Member Post, Public Space, Urban Design, Walkability, Top StorySteve WrightMay 7, 2021disability, Infrastructure, walkability, Justice, #PedestrianUnfriendly

Missing Middle and My Grandmother

The benefits to a bottom-up approach to affordable housing don’t just build wealth and resilience; they can be deeply personal, too.

Housing, Zoning, Member Post, Top StoryMarlene DrukerMay 7, 2021housing, housing affordability, housing cost, housing policy, bottom-up

Engineers Should Not Design Streets

Engineers are great at building roads, but we should never ask them to build our streets.

#SlowtheCars, Marohn, Engineering Profession, Top Story, Engineering ReformCharles MarohnMay 6, 2021roads, traffic engineering, engineers, streets

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Promoting More Housing, More Options, More Access

These Strong Towns members are helping build homes for those that need them and advocating for more flexible housing policy in Texas.

Podcast, Taking Action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Member Post, Housing, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 6, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, housing policy, Texas, member story, taking action

Communities Should Take Charge of Their Own Economic Development

When communities support small businesses, it helps give them agency over their own economic development.

Community, Economic Development, Finance, Top StoryNick MathewsMay 6, 2021local business, small business, community, economic development, MainVest

Will Pandemic-Era Migrations Lead to Further Insolvency?

The shift to remote work is prompting people to move away from cities. What are the long-term implications of this “urban shuffle”?

Podcast, Upzoned, Coronavirus, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 5, 2021local economy, Podcast, Upzoned, coronavirus, suburbs

Crime Scene Photos

In the postwar era, North American cities bulldozed whole blocks and neighborhoods for freeways, parking, and urban renewal. Old fire insurance maps can help us piece together what happened.

Herriges, Urban Renewal, Engineering Profession, Planning Profession, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMay 5, 2021history, maps, human scale, Urban Renewal

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