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Strong Towns
We support a strong America full of strong cities, towns, and neighborhoods.
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Taco John’s 2.0
Taco John’s 2.0

Our most famous case study revealed the high cost of auto-oriented development. But what if a little creative rearrangement could make things a whole lot better?

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Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtOctober 21, 2022urban planning, urban design, traditional development pattern, suburban development pattern, Taco Johns, suburban retrofit, productive place, minnesota, end parking mandates and subsidies
Introducing Edward Erfurt as Our Director of Community Action
Introducing Edward Erfurt as Our Director of Community Action

Join us in welcoming the newest member of the Strong Towns team!

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Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnOctober 19, 2022announcement, Strong Towns
We Need More Housing—But Also More People Who Can Build More Housing
We Need More Housing—But Also More People Who Can Build More Housing

The Ontario government has stated that the province will need 100,000 new construction workers and 1.5 million homes over the next decade…and industry leaders aren’t feeling optimistic about it.

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Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 19, 2022podcast, housing, housing crisis, housing affordability, housing cost, construction, upzoned
Check Your Temperature—You Might Have an Assessment Fever
Check Your Temperature—You Might Have an Assessment Fever

This new interactive map shows homeowners how their home assessment compares to other properties nearby—and has exposed that many homes of similar value are being overassessed.

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Top StorySeairra JonesOctober 18, 2022homeowners, property tax, Just Accounting for Health, mapping, maps, transparent local accounting, home buyer
“The City Should Put a Trader Joe’s There” (and Other Muddled Thinking About Development)
“The City Should Put a Trader Joe’s There” (and Other Muddled Thinking About Development)

Many of us are keen to express the “what” that we’d like to see in the built environment, but unwilling to think rationally and clearly about the “how.”

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Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesOctober 17, 2022development, local government, Municipalism, city government, localism, community, big box stores
Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup
Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

City planners, Ren in the Glen, and the Orange Line. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

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Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 14, 2022friday faves
Whose Child Will Be Killed on a Stroad?
Whose Child Will Be Killed on a Stroad?

A hundred people gathered in Tacoma, WA, to mourn the death of 13-year-old Michael Weilert, who was recently killed while bicycling in his neighborhood. If we want to prevent more tragedies like this, then we must redesign our streets.

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Top StoryMarlene DrukerOctober 13, 2022car crash, biking, bikes, bikeability, bicycling, bike lanes, bike infrastructure, safety, washington, stroad, safe and productive streets
Yes, Getting Rid of Parking Minimums Is Good for the Climate—But That’s Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Yes, Getting Rid of Parking Minimums Is Good for the Climate—But That’s Just the Tip of the Iceberg

A new, state-wide law in California has ended some parking minimums in response to climate concerns. But what’s been left unsaid in this seemingly big step toward parking reform?

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Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 12, 2022podcast, parking minimums, Parking Reform Network, upzoned, end parking mandates and subsidies
Learn More About the 2 Positions We’re Currently Hiring For
Learn More About the 2 Positions We’re Currently Hiring For

Interested in applying for our video content creator and action team coordinator positions? Get all your questions about these two roles answered in these Q&A videos!

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Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 11, 2022announcement, Strong Towns
What Customer Service Should Mean for a City
What Customer Service Should Mean for a City

Many local governments have taken on a “the customer is always right” mindset, but that’s simply not the best approach, especially for decisions that should be made at the block level.

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Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 10, 2022podcast, local government, city government, localism, neighborliness, neighborhoods
That's Not an Improvement
That's Not an Improvement

Engineers who work on municipal infrastructure need to stop ubiquitously describing their projects as “improvements”—especially when the project is actually harmful, not helpful.

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Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnOctober 10, 2022traffic engineering, engineers, infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, infrastructure cost, transportation, transportation spending, freeway widening, end highway expansion, safe and productive streets
Want To See the World’s Best Library of 2022? Look No Further!
Want To See the World’s Best Library of 2022? Look No Further!

Public spaces are an important investment, and as an example of a public space done right, look no further than Missoula, MT, which is home to the world’s best public library of 2022.

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Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenOctober 9, 2022neighborhood storyteller, libraries, public space, children
Friday Faves - Confessions of the Strong Towns Staff
Friday Faves - Confessions of the Strong Towns Staff

This Friday, the Strong Towns staff “confess” where we each fall short of what you might imagine a Strong Towns advocate to be—to show that you don’t have to be perfect to effectively champion this movement!

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Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 7, 2022friday faves
Pre-Approved House Designs Jump-Start Infill Development in South Bend
Pre-Approved House Designs Jump-Start Infill Development in South Bend

While other places keep finding ways to say “no” to new housing, this Indiana city is offering pre-approved development templates to small-scale developers at no cost.

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Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesOctober 6, 2022housing, housing crisis, Incremental Housing, incremental development, Infill Development, infill, missing middle, success stories, development, indiana, small scale developers
We Have Plenty of Land in the United States. But Can All of It Support Housing?
We Have Plenty of Land in the United States. But Can All of It Support Housing?

A recent article from The Wall Street Journal claims that land must be positioned in a very specific way to support more development. What’s the Strong Towns take on this?

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Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 5, 2022podcast, housing, housing crisis, Incremental Housing, developers, development, upzoned
A Loophole Allowed Me to Flourish
A Loophole Allowed Me to Flourish

Many older homeowners face a tough choice: Age in a home that’s too large or inaccessible for them, or give up their property and move somewhere else. Here’s how one resident of Delta, BC, found a third option.

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Top Story, Norm Van Eeden PetersmanNorman Van Eeden PetersmanOctober 5, 2022canada, homeowners, aging in place, housing, housing policy, zoning, local regulation, Incremental Housing, accessory dwelling unit, home buyer
Find Out More About Our Open Staff Writer Position
Find Out More About Our Open Staff Writer Position

Get all your questions about our open staff writer position answered in this Q&A briefing!

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Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 4, 2022announcement, Strong Towns
Can Your City Afford a Natural Disaster?
Can Your City Afford a Natural Disaster?

If a natural disaster hit your city, would your tax revenue pay for the damage, or would you be underwater—literally and figuratively?

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Top StoryTaylor SchenkerOctober 4, 2022flooding, natural disasters, finance, urban3, taxes, transparent local accounting, local economy
Announcing 2 New Positions at Strong Towns
Announcing 2 New Positions at Strong Towns

Strong Towns is hiring an action team coordinator and a video content creator!

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Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 3, 2022announcement, Strong Towns
The One Ring
The One Ring

Traffic engineers in Canada wear an iron pinky ring as a reminder of their responsibility to public safety. So why, then, do they routinely make street design choices that kill people every day?

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Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodOctober 3, 2022traffic engineering, engineers, engineering ethics, safety, public safety, car crash, canada, pedestrians, safe and productive streets
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