Reflections on Seaside

What does and doesn’t work about the “great-granddaddy” of New Urbanism?

Walkability, Urban Design, Incrementalism, Top StorySeth ZerenApril 22, 2022Florida, urbanism, New Urbanism, urban planning, urban design, placemaking, human scale, incrementalism, incremental development, incremental, traditional development pattern, walkability

Inspiring Citizen-Powered Change in Pensacola

Residents of Pensacola, FL, are working to make their city a better place to place to live, work, and thrive in as they implement incremental changes.

Video, Top StorySeairra SheppardApril 12, 2022Florida, Pensacola, incrementalism, Development, development

House Hacking: Urbanism at Its Smallest and Most Personal

This catalog is a primer on house hacking, with plenty of real-life examples of how it is done.

CNU, Housing, Incrementalism, Top StoryRobert SteutevilleApril 7, 2022housing, housing affordability, housing cost, housing activism, Housing, small scale developers, small scale development, incremental development, incremental, incrementalism

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Designing Homes that Work for Everyone

Rosemarie Rossetti is an author, speaker, and leader in the field of universal design.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Taking Action, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 17, 2022taking action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, incrementalism, success, success stories, Podcast, podcast, disability, Disability, aging in place

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is... A Special Update Episode

Wondering what our past podcast guests are up to? We checked in with four of them to hear about their progress.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Taking Action, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 10, 2022taking action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, incrementalism, success, success stories, Podcast, podcast

“How Can My Town *Not* Be Wealthy When There’s Been So Much Growth?”

Let's talk about some core Strong Towns concepts: complexity, incrementalism, fragility, and more!

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 7, 2022Podcast, strong towns approach, incrementalism, fragility, complexity, Complexity, complex systems, incremental growth, incremental, incremental development

Bringing Gentle Density to Memphis

These brothers are pushing for incremental infill development in Memphis, Tennessee, with a community they’re building just north of downtown.

What Does “Radical Neighborhood Change” Look Like?

“No neighborhood should be exempt from change. No neighborhood should be subjected to radical change.” Let’s examine what this core Strong Towns principle actually means.

Herriges, Incrementalism, Neighborhoods, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 27, 2022strong towns approach, development pattern, Development, development, traditional development pattern, neighborhood change, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Design, Small Change, incremental, incrementalism

How Big Is an Incremental Step? Let's #DoTheMath

For our real-estate markets to allow incremental development to be economically viable, there are some challenges we need to confront.

#DotheMath, Incrementalism, Small Scale Developers, Top StorySeth ZerenJanuary 20, 2022incremental development, incrementalism, incremental growth, incremental, next increment, real estate, housing, Housing, housing cost, developers, #DoTheMath

What Would Mass Upzoning *Actually* Do to Property Values?

A common objection to broad upzonings is, “Won't allowing more development everywhere set off speculative feeding frenzies?” The answer? No. Here’s why.

Herriges, Zoning, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 19, 2022upzoning, zoning, Development, development, incremental development, incrementalism, next increment

Eden Center: Is This Strip Mall Paradise?

If we’re going to be stuck with strip malls, then this one in Virginia is about as fine-grained and urban as it gets.

Incrementalism, Success Story, Top StoryAddison Del MastroJanuary 18, 2022strip malls, incrementalism, immigrants, small business, local business, placemaking, success, success stories, Addison Del Mastro, fine-grained

Hartford Land Bank Invests in Human Infrastructure

Connecticut’s Hartford Land Bank isn’t just stewarding the rehabilitation of its community—it’s also bringing up the next generation of local small-scale developers.

Housing, Small Scale Developers, Success Story, Top Story, StangeJay StangeJanuary 6, 2022housing, incremental development, incrementalism, housing cost, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, taking action, success, success stories

12 Ideas That Embody How Strong Towns Advocates Think

Here are some touchstone concepts that help underlie the Strong Towns view of how to achieve a world full of places capable of growing bottom-up prosperity

Herriges, Top Evergreen, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesDecember 1, 2021strong towns approach, Jane Jacobs, Nassim Taleb, Antifragile, antifragile, complexity, Complexity, complex systems, Chaotic but Smart, #OrderlyButDumb, incrementalism, lindy, Overton Window, Jonathan Haidt

The Big Fiscal Impact of Small Upzonings

This study conducted in the U.K. supports concepts about incrementalism that could, and should, be adopted in North American places.

Herriges, Housing, Incrementalism, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesNovember 4, 2021Europe, upzoning, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, housing, Housing

The Gathering "Swarm" of Small-Scale Developers

What will it take to get back the ecosystems of tradespeople, laborers, lenders, and small-scale developers who made incremental development possible in the past?

Upzoned, Podcast, Herriges, Incrementalism, Small Scale Developers, Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 3, 2021Podcast, Upzoned, podcast, incremental development, incrementalism, small scale developers, small scale development

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

Love, Money, or Desperation

Who is actually going to do the work of incremental development, and what will their motivations be?

Herriges, Incrementalism, Small Scale Developers, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesOctober 22, 2021incrementalism, incremental development, Incremental Development Alliance, incremental, small scale developers, small-scale developers, small scale development, developers, South Bend, Indiana, series, Unleash the Swarm Series

Fixing Finance for Small-Scale Development

For most small-scale developers, capital is a significant barrier to doing small infill projects. But that isn't because the money isn't there to be had.

A New Generation of Town Makers

A cohort of small developers representing over 100 properties in poor, disinvested neighborhoods are, together, the largest developer in South Bend, IN. Can their success be replicated?

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