We Need More Charming, People-Centered Places

Residents of small towns shouldn’t have to travel to a large urban downtown to get a taste of a walkable, people-centered environment.

Sheppard, Walkability, Top StorySeairra SheppardMay 31, 2022walkability, Small Towns, people centered places, Third Places, Israel, pop-up, local business, markets, Markets, midwest

Announcing a New Plan for the Strong Towns Movement

We’re pleased to present the new Strong Towns Strategic Plan, which will guide the organization for at least the next five years (until we craft a new one)!

Announcement, Top StoryRachel QuednauMay 31, 2022strategic plan, strong towns approach, announcement

Same Story, Different Eyes to See It

Of course, history has a way of repeating itself, but what’s always changing are the eyes we look through and the way our neighbors see us.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Top StoryKarla TheilenMay 31, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, walkability, neighborliness, retail

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

The writing process, disability and artistry, and architectural populism. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Friday Faves, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 27, 2022friday faves, Friday Faves

Membership Dues Are Free in the Gym of Life

This latest video from Not Just Bikes explores the link between the walkability of a place and how much daily exercise people get.

Walkability, Video, Stange, Top StoryJay StangeMay 27, 2022walkability, Not Just Bikes

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Uniting For-Profits and Nonprofits to End Homelessness

Beth Silverman is working on a non-traditional—and very successful—approach to housing affordability.

Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Success Story, Top Story, HousingStrong TownsMay 26, 2022Podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, developers, landlords, homelessness

“I Want To Make a Change in My Community…but Where Do I Start?”

Sometimes it can be daunting for advocates to begin…well, actually advocating. Here’s a simple, 4-step process that can help you overcome that first hurdle toward making your place stronger.

Pattison, Top StoryJohn PattisonMay 26, 2022taking action, how to, community, Community, advocacy, Strong Towns Academy, Local-Motive Tour

Social Housing and the Strong Towns Approach (Part 2)

Why isn’t social housing the silver bullet it's sometimes sold as, and what it would take to be successful? (Hint: You still have to fix the market.)

Herriges, Housing, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMay 26, 2022housing, housing cost, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, Housing, housing policy, co-housing, social housing series

Corporate Investors Own Nearly Half of This City's Residential Property

What does this case study imply for housing in the U.S., as a whole?

Upzoned, Podcast, Top Story, HousingStrong TownsMay 25, 2022Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, housing, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, housing market, Housing, housing policy, Homeownership, homeownership

CityNerd: Which Affordable, Walkable City Should You Move To?

This week’s CityNerd takes you on a tour of 10 cities you might not expect to be the most affordable, livable, walkable, and transit-friendly places in America.

Housing, Video, Top StoryJay StangeMay 25, 2022housing, housing affordability, housing cost, Housing, CityNerd, cities

Social Housing and the Strong Towns Approach (Part 1)

Forget what you've heard; this isn't your granddad's social housing.

Herriges, Housing, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMay 25, 2022housing, housing cost, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, Housing, housing policy, co-housing, social housing series

CDOT Cancels Highway Expansion Plans

In a moment to be celebrated, CDOT cancels highway expansion plans, stating they "have no money" to add vehicle capacity to I-25.

#NoNewRoads, Sheppard, Success Story, Transportation, Top StorySeairra SheppardMay 24, 2022transportation, transportation spending, highways, highway spending, freeway widening, freeways, colorado, success, success stories, #NoNewRoads

Large Scale, Small Scale

What if we could get back large buildings hosting businesses at a hyperlocal scale—and what if that actually helped reduce the sentiment we call NIMBYism?

Top StoryAddison Del MastroMay 24, 2022New Jersey, Addison Del Mastro, localism, NIMBY, Small Towns, small towns, hotels, history, History

Here Is Where the Pieces Connect

What started as a simple email group turned into a storytelling forum.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Theilen, Community, Top StoryKarla TheilenMay 24, 2022neighborhood storyteller, Community, community site, Iowa

Mike McGinn: Making America More Walkable

This week on the Strong Towns Podcast, host Chuck Marohn gets to talk with Mike McGinn, executive director of America Walks.

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Top Story, WalkabilityStrong TownsMay 23, 2022Podcast, walkability, America Walks, Mike McGinn

Wealth and Buildings

In the realm of urban planning, there’s plenty of discourse out there about housing affordability—but what about household wealth building?

Housing, Suburban Experiment, Urban Design, Planning Profession, Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergMay 23, 2022Kevin Klinkenberg, housing, housing affordability, finance, housing finance, Homeownership, homeownership, urban planning, urbanism, suburbs, suburban experiment, suburbanization

I'm Retiring From the Engineering Profession

To protect our advocacy work against future harassment from the Minnesota licensing board, Strong Towns President Charles Marohn is retiring as a professional engineer.

Engineering Reform, Engineering Profession, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 23, 2022engineering profession, engineering ethics

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Wilderness loss, Peppa Pig, and ride-hailing apps. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Friday Faves, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 20, 2022friday faves, Friday Faves

High Value, Chapter 12: Brad Riese

This week on High Value, tensions come to a head as High Value representative Brad Riese make his case for bringing the big-box store to Chippewa Falls.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigMay 20, 2022High Value series, series

Seeing the Glass as Half Full: Exploring the Reuse Opportunity for Houses of Worship on Main Street

Up to one-third of all houses of worship in the United States will have closed over the next few years. What will we do with the spaces they leave behind?

Faith, Top StoryRick ReinhardMay 20, 2022churches, Religion, religion, main street, downtown, revitalization, public institutions, Faith Featured, faith communities

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