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Strong Towns
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Replace a Historic Building With a Parking Lot? Not on Their Watch.
Replace a Historic Building With a Parking Lot? Not on Their Watch.

The demolition of dangerously neglected buildings gives Bloomington, Illinois, an opportunity to revitalize long-vacant parts of its downtown. Strong Towns Blono is making sure the city doesn’t waste it.

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Top Story 2Strong TownsJuly 23, 2025illinois, safe and productive streets, local conversations, redevelopment, historic preservation
Bottom-Up Shorts: One Soldier’s Stand for Safer Streets
Bottom-Up Shorts: One Soldier’s Stand for Safer Streets

Meet Army Master Sgt. Ben Hultquist of Fayetteville, North Carolina. After a string of preventable pedestrian deaths, Ben started advocating for safer streets. Here’s how his testimony is changing the conversation.

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Podcast, Top Story 2Strong TownsJuly 22, 2025North Carolina, safe and productive streets, local conversations, podcast, Bottom-Up Shorts, The Bottom-Up Revolution
They Shared a Vision for Better Housing. Will Their Cities Listen?
They Shared a Vision for Better Housing. Will Their Cities Listen?

From New Mexico to Connecticut, Strong Towns advocates are turning hometown newspapers into platforms for change—using op-eds to push for housing reform that’s local, practical, and powerful.

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Top Story 2Strong TownsJuly 22, 2025housing activism, member commentary, local conversations, bottom-up, localism
What Happens When Housing Prices Go Down (because they are)?
What Happens When Housing Prices Go Down (because they are)?

A reflection on affordability, finance, and the deep contradictions we refuse to face.

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MarohnCharles MarohnJuly 21, 2025Incremental Housing, housing market, developers, small scale development, housing crisis
Want To Pass Statewide Parking Reform? Try Reframing the Conversation
Want To Pass Statewide Parking Reform? Try Reframing the Conversation

In a game-changer for housing and small business development, Washington state eliminated or capped parking mandates statewide. Here’s how they did it.

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Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 18, 2025end parking mandates and subsidies, Incremental Housing, washington, state government, economic development
This Small Restaurant Outperforms Walmart — Here’s Why
This Small Restaurant Outperforms Walmart — Here’s Why

What do a taqueria, a bike shop, and an art center have in common? They’re all outpacing a retail giant when it comes to property tax revenues.

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Top StoryAsia MieleszkoJuly 17, 2025land value tax, value per acre, urban3, minnesota, economics
How Community Gardens Can Make Cities Stronger
How Community Gardens Can Make Cities Stronger

Linda Appel Lipsius is the executive director of Denver Urban Gardens, a network of community gardens that produce 650,000 pounds of food annually. She discusses the benefits of community gardens and how a permaculture design philosophy can make cities resilient.

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Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 17, 2025podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, sustainability, community gardens, community building
Removing an Urban Highway Is Step One. Here’s What Comes Next
Removing an Urban Highway Is Step One. Here’s What Comes Next

Removing an urban highway is a big win—but the work doesn’t stop there. Providence shows how cities can take the next steps to repair their communities.

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Top StoryMya RileyJuly 16, 2025end highway expansion, Rhode Island, public investment, strong towns approach, safe and productive streets, redevelopment, freeway removal
Suburbs Broke the American Sunbelt. Now What?
Suburbs Broke the American Sunbelt. Now What?

Sunbelt cities have long prided themselves on having affordable and abundant housing. However, they’re now seeing housing construction stagnate and rapidly rising costs. Abby is joined by trained architect and video creator Rachel Leonardo to discuss whether these cities can course correct.

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Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 16, 2025podcast, upzoned, Incremental Housing, suburbs, zoning
Bottom-Up Shorts: How To Give People Better Transportation Options
Bottom-Up Shorts: How To Give People Better Transportation Options

Wendy Nash is the founder of Get Around Caboolture, a group that advocates for more transportation options in Caboolture, Australia. They were the first group to host a Week Without Driving outside of the U.S.

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Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 15, 2025podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Bottom-Up Shorts, australia, safe and productive streets
This Summer’s Hottest Trend? Ditching Parking Mandates.
This Summer’s Hottest Trend? Ditching Parking Mandates.

In three different states, one big idea is catching on: stop forcing parking where it’s not needed, and start building places people actually want.

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Top StoryAsia MieleszkoJuly 15, 2025parking minimums, end parking mandates and subsidies, washington, kansas, colorado, small business
The Housing Crisis Is More Than Just a Supply Problem
The Housing Crisis Is More Than Just a Supply Problem

Chuck explores the popular theory that the housing crisis is caused by a lack of supply and shows how this belief relates to the Strong Towns approach.

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Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 14, 2025podcast, Incremental Housing, housing cost, yimby, housing crisis
The Infrastructure Conversation I Didn’t Expect in New Zealand
The Infrastructure Conversation I Didn’t Expect in New Zealand

When I flew halfway around the world to New Zealand, I expected it to be radically different from North America. But the problems they’re facing are strikingly, painfully familiar.

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Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 14, 2025new zealand, infrastructure, development pattern, maintenance, growth ponzi scheme
This $1.8B Project Shows Why State DOTs Need a New Playbook
This $1.8B Project Shows Why State DOTs Need a New Playbook

North Carolina’s I-26 Connector illustrates everything wrong with the way state DOTs operate—especially in an area still recovering from Hurricane Helene. But it also shows how these systems can change.

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Top StoryMya RileyJuly 11, 2025North Carolina, end highway expansion, state government, department of transportation, bottom-up
How To Drive Change Through Civic Empowerment, With Brandi Thompson
How To Drive Change Through Civic Empowerment, With Brandi Thompson

Brandi Thompson is the co-founder and leader of Strong Towns ABQ, a Local Conversation in New Mexico. She discusses the strategies that have helped her group successfully advocate for zoning reform and against highway expansions.

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Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 10, 2025The Bottom-Up Revolution, podcast, local conversations, New Mexico, end highway expansion, zoning
Small-Scale Housing Wins Big in Bend, Oregon
Small-Scale Housing Wins Big in Bend, Oregon

How do you grow without losing what makes your town special? In Bend, Oregon, Jesse Russell is proving it can start with smaller homes.

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Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 10, 2025housing crisis, housing affordability, oregon, Incremental Housing, infill
Forget Megaprojects—This Teacher Has a Better Way to Fix Cities
Forget Megaprojects—This Teacher Has a Better Way to Fix Cities

What if fixing your city didn’t require a billion-dollar plan—just a neighbor with a shovel and a bold idea? In Bloomington, a high school teacher is quietly leading a local revolution, one small step at a time.

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Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 10, 2025local government, small bets, illinois, Social Media
The Sims Are Taking Over the City
The Sims Are Taking Over the City

If urban planning is playing SimCity in real life, then the Strong Towns movement isn’t made up of distant players — it's made up of the Sims who live and work in the city every day. And they're taking over the game.

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Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 9, 2025National Gathering, urban planning, bottom-up, strong towns approach, taking action
How To Build a Thriving Advocacy Group, With Alyssa Lee and Kay Crumb
How To Build a Thriving Advocacy Group, With Alyssa Lee and Kay Crumb

Alyssa Lee and Kay Crumb are leaders of Strong SacTown, one of the largest and most successful groups in the Strong Towns Local Conversations program. Today, they share their advice for building and sustaining a successful group.

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Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 8, 2025podcast, The Bottom-Up Revolution, Bottom-Up Shorts, california, local conversations
This Canadian City is Ditching Red Tape for Rowhouses
This Canadian City is Ditching Red Tape for Rowhouses

Calgary is cutting delays—not corners—to deliver more housing where it’s needed. And your city should be paying attention.

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Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 8, 2025Incremental Housing, canada, housing crisis, missing middle, productive growth
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