The Carpetbagger’s Guide to Home Ownership

Johnny Sanphillippo takes a break from writing about his current real-estate activities to talk about how he first bought property when he was younger and infinitely poorer.

Housing, Member Post, Sanphillippo, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoJanuary 11, 2022housing cost, housing affordability, Homeownership, homeowners, housing, Granola Shotgun, California, San Francisco

Lessons from Magnolia’s “Village”

Surprise, surprise: Americans love dense, walkable places connected to a sense of history.

Member Post, Urban Design, Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedNovember 30, 2021Texas, urban design, tourism, master planned

From the Office of Dodge, Wiggle, Hack, Shrug & DeCamp, LLC

Real-world examples of the administrative friction that holds back small-scale developers.

Member Post, Sanphillippo, Small Scale Developers, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoNovember 29, 2021small-scale developers, infill, Infill Development, local regulation, Granola Shotgun, incremental development

The Urban Experiment

We all know about the Suburban Experiment here at Strong Towns—but are we now also starting to see the rise of a new paradigm?

Member Post, Suburban Experiment, Urban Design, Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergNovember 22, 2021Kevin Klinkenberg, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, development pattern, urban design, fragility, design, urban planning

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Saying "Yes" to Your City

City Councilor and Strong Towns member Mason Thompson is committed to making Bothell, WA, a resilient place to live.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Local Government, Membership, Member Post, Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 11, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, taking action, city council, local government

We Need More “Democratic Architecture”

This architect demonstrates how there are so many places ready and waiting to become a part of the housing solution—if we would just allow them.

Housing, Sanphillippo, Member Post, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoNovember 9, 2021Housing, housing cost, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, Granola Shotgun, architecture, Homeownership, homeownership

Holy Leaping Dollars, Batman!

Unless we start making better accounting choices today, we’ll be facing service cuts and tax increases every year going forward. …That is, until the day we can’t anymore.

The Bottom-Up Revolution is... Joining with Neighbors and Taking Action

Tim Wright is the cofounder of a local Strong Towns group: ReForm Shreveport.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Membership, Member Post, Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 4, 2021The Bottom-Up Revolution, Shreveport, local conversations, community, community building, Community, taking action

Planning Without Plans

In everyday life, people usually say “I need a plan” if something has gone wrong. Plans should play a similar role in cities.

Incrementalism, Member Post, Planning Profession, Urban Design, Walkability, Top StoryTristan ClevelandNovember 3, 2021planning profession, planning process, urban planning, urban design, walkability, incrementalism

Planning Is a Bigger Job Than Planning Can Do

Planning must become a job that planners can actually do in a 40-hour work week. This will require a different approach to planning, altogether.

Incrementalism, Member Post, Planning Profession, Urban Design, Top StoryTristan ClevelandNovember 2, 2021planning profession, urban planning, urban design, history, History, halifax, incrementalism, complexity, Complexity

California's SB 9: A Slow Reversion to the Historic Mean

California's Senate Bill 9 has sparked controversy, mainly among owners of single-family homes. But are we returning to historic forms of housing anyway, with or without state legislation?

Housing, Member Post, Sanphillippo, Zoning, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoNovember 1, 2021Housing, California, San Francisco, Granola Shotgun, zoning, housing policy, duplex, ADUs

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?

Local Government, Member Post, Sanphillippo, Suburban Experiment, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoOctober 5, 2021water, California, Granola Shotgun, climate, environment, subsidiarity, local government, local regulation

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.

#SlowtheCars, Member Post, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodOctober 4, 2021Safety, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, STROADS, Street Design, streets, canada, Canada, Winnipeg, transportation, #SlowTheCars

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?

Member Post, Big Box Stores, Neighborhoods, Suburban Experiment, Top StoryPatrick QuigleySeptember 30, 2021big box stores, Entrepreneurship, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, business, small business, local business

In Defense of Sticking Around

Building to last is the only thing we can afford to do. The social and environmental costs of disposable buildings are far too high.

Architecture, Infrastructure, Member Post, Top StoryWill McCartneySeptember 22, 2021second life cycle, maintenance, Maintenance, Florida, capitalism, fragility, Tax Code, Infrastructure, architecture

The High Price of Cheap Buildings

By building disposable structures, we are leading ourselves toward a socially, economically, and environmentally ruinous future.

Architecture, Infrastructure, Member Post, Top StoryWill McCartneySeptember 21, 2021second life cycle, maintenance, Maintenance, Florida, capitalism, fragility, Tax Code, Infrastructure, architecture

Confessions of (Another) Recovering Engineer

Fellow “recovering” engineer Kevin Shepherd offers his confessions: “Looking back now, I can say that many projects I designed actually hurt people and their communities.”

Member Post, Confessions Book, Engineering Profession, Planning Profession, Suburban Experiment, Transportation, Top StoryKevin ShepherdSeptember 20, 2021engineering profession, engineering ethics, traffic engineering, engineers, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, member story

The Anecdotal "Buyback Effect"

What can we learn about the housing market and corporations buying back their own stock...through anecdotal references? (As it turns out, quite a lot!)

Sanphillippo, Housing, Member Post, Small Scale Developers, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoSeptember 13, 2021history, small scale developers, small scale development, California, missing middle, housing, Housing, Granola Shotgun

What To Do When Your City Won't Listen to Reason

When you’re a change-maker, there’ll be times when you’ll feel like you’re losing your mojo. Here’s how to get back on your feet to keep making your city or town a stronger place.

Community, Member Post, Neighborhoods, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodAugust 24, 2021advocacy, canada, Winnipeg, neighborhood, city council, community

Grandpa’s Basement House

Somehow, as a society, we’ve drifted from ordinary people being able to build their own homes on a cash basis in an interactive, iterative way, to immense, hyper-elaborate habitats.