Cleaning My Swimming Pool Is Like Building Strong Towns

Cities are complex systems…and maintaining a healthy system in a stable equilibrium is relatively easy. But restoring an unhealthy system back to equilibrium is very hard.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesOctober 6, 2021complex systems, strong towns approach

Multigenerational Living Isn't Immigrant Culture, It's Human Culture

Living with extended family is something Americans often associate with immigrant households. But why?

Top StoryShina ShayestehOctober 5, 2021family, multi-family, single-family, Single, immigrants, immigration, housing, Social Isolation, zoning

We Live in a "People Aquarium"…and the Water Is Running Out

What can we do at the most immediate, local level when water reservoirs run low?

Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoOctober 5, 2021water, climate, environment, subsidiarity, local government, local regulation, california

Traffic Deaths Aren't "Meant to Be"

Our broken transportation system wasn’t pre-ordained; it was built out of the choices we’ve made. And we need to start making better ones if we want to fix it.

Will We Have an Infrastructure Bill? Who Cares?

We get a lot of questions about a federal infrastructure bill, but at the end of the day…does it really matter?

Other Engineers Make Their Confessions

Today we share some of the confessions we’ve received from readers both involved in and victimized by America’s broken transportation system.

Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 1, 2021engineers, traffic engineering, confessions of a recovering engineer

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Porches, food access, and “back row America.” These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 1, 2021friday faves

Everyone Shops at Walmart. But What If We Didn’t Have To?

What are some of the hidden things we can’t see because we’re blinded by three generations of the Suburban Experiment?

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... a Strong Towns Advocate and Mayor

Strong Towns member Rob Green went from Coast Guard officer to neighborhood association president to mayor of Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 30, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, local conversations, taking action

A Downtown Baseball Stadium in KC: Who Pays?

When (if ever) should taxpayers subsidize a new pro sports stadium?

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 29, 2021stadium, sports, subsidies, upzoned, podcast, missouri, megaproject

About that Spirit Halloween Store You Always See Around This Time of Year...

It’s back. But why?

Top StoryRachel QuednauSeptember 29, 2021commercial real estate, suburban development pattern, blight, pop-up, big box stores

The Secret Sauce (Maybe) of California's Zoning Reform

SB 9 just passed in California, effectively ending single-family zoning there. The open question is, "What now?" Will anything actually change?

HerrigesDaniel HerrigesSeptember 29, 2021zoning, single-family, housing, housing affordability, housing crisis, duplex, fourplex, california

Should Kansas City Taxpayers Foot the Bill for a New Downtown Stadium?

The Kansas City Royals are considering building a new stadium downtown. But who should pay for it: the princes (team owners) or the paupers (taxpayers)?

Top StoryJohn PattisonSeptember 28, 2021stadium, subsidies, transparent local accounting, sports, missouri, megaproject

Engineers Should Not Design Streets: A Programmer's Take

Software engineers don’t design user interface, so why do we let civil engineers design streets?

Freeway-Widening Grifters: Woke-Washing, Fraud, and Incompetence

ODOT has resorted to some truly cheap and deceptive marketing tactics to promote their new freeway-widening project.

The Hidden Inequity of Car-Based Design

For significant populations of people in the U.S., the requirement to drive is a major barrier to participating in city life.

Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedSeptember 27, 2021car culture, car dependency, seniors, children, cars, suburban development pattern, pedestrians, stroad

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Frogger, the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, and Chernobyl. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 24, 2021friday faves

We're Hiring a Content Manager and a Columnist

Apply now to join the Strong Towns team and help advance our mission!

Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 24, 2021jobs, announcement

The School Bus Driver Shortage is a Problem We Didn't Have to Have

Schools across the U.S. are experiencing a bus driver shortage, but the root cause of this issue has less to do with the COVID pandemic than one might think.