I (Don’t) Want More Than This Provincial Life

When the pandemic shut down our town, I realized how much I'd taken for granted the neighbors who showed up every day to make our community work.

Community, Pattison, Rural, Top StoryJohn PattisonApril 27, 2022community, community building, neighborliness, Small Towns, small towns, Oregon, rural

Herriges Rezoned: The Neighbor's Dilemma

NIMBYs are responding to a set of very rational incentives. That presents a challenge for those of us who hope to alter the course of the Suburban Experiment.

Neighborhoods, Engagement, Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 20, 2022suburbs, community engagement, community, Community, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, NIMBY

Pen People and Office Cities

Shopping locally means getting to be among your people—and in this case, it’s pen people!

Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Community, Top StoryKarla TheilenApril 19, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, local business, neighborliness, Brainerd MN

Accidentally On Purpose

Massive property damage and pedestrians being injured (or killed) is our transportation system functioning precisely as designed. This is how it was designed to work.

Community, Member Post, Neighborhoods, Transportation, Walkability, Planning Profession, In the Neighborhood, Engineering Profession, Urban Design, dear winnipeg, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodApril 14, 2022advocacy, canada, Winnipeg, neighborhood, city council, community

Think of This as Your Sanctuary

Our Neighborhood Storyteller discovers a kind of community support that simply can’t be found in online retail.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Community, Top StoryKarla TheilenApril 12, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, local business, neighborliness, Brainerd MN

Street Trees: The Roots of a Strong Town

Street trees provide a lot of pragmatic benefits to a community—and they also serve a social purpose.

Community, Sheppard, Top StorySeairra SheppardMarch 29, 2022trees, street trees, community, Neighborhoods

Can We Please Stop Fighting About Gardens

In this town where so many people have front-lawn gardens, why is anyone still arguing that they shouldn’t be allowed?

Local Food, Sheppard, Top StorySeairra SheppardMarch 15, 2022gardening, Gardening, food deserts, local food, community, Community, city council, Illinois, Small Towns, small towns

Sew Much to Learn

This community ed teacher shares an important lesson about iterating to success: starting with something imperfect now and working your way toward perfection.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Community, Top StoryKarla TheilenMarch 8, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, montana, arts, neighborliness

I Found My People...in a Completely Different Town

When a community is strong, it can make even an “outsider” feel welcome.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Community, Top StoryKarla TheilenMarch 1, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, Hospitals, hospitals, hospitality, Small Towns, small towns, montana

Sometimes the Ending Isn't the Part That Matters

Building a Strong Town is not a tidy project with a clear conclusion. It's an ongoing practice made up of thousands of small actions—such as this Valentine’s Day tradition.

Community, Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Top StoryKarla TheilenFebruary 22, 2022alaska, neighborhood storyteller, community, Community, arts

Native American New Urbanism: How America's Poorest County Created a Vision for the Future of Cities

This nonprofit has created a template for what a 21st-century, regenerative community could look like; one that asks us what we really want for our future—and means it.

Wildfires and Ice Storms and Pandemics…Oh My!

Co-housing not only saves money for these two families—and enabled them to buy a home, in the first place—it’s also allowed them to better weather hard times.