Advocates Across The State Convene to Un-stroad Louisiana

Strong Towns advocates in Shreveport, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette are coming together to work for safer streets.

Top Story, Community StoriesAsia MieleszkoMarch 13, 2023transportation, stroad, louisiana

Washington State Bill Would Reduce Low-Level Traffic Stops

We need to approach traffic safety in a way that encourages safe traveling through design, not through police enforcement.

News, Top StoryBen AbramsonMarch 10, 2023traffic stops, race, policing

Detroit Considers Changing its Property Tax System to No Longer Punish Investments

Detroit is studying a solution that might curb the raging decline of the city: a split-rate tax.

Top StorySeairra JonesMarch 9, 2023property tax, land value tax, michigan

The 15 Minute City - A Good Life or an Infringement on Freedoms?

Is the hype over 15-minute cities warranted or not?

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 8, 2023podcast, urban design, 15-Minute Cities, upzoned

Houstonians Deceived and Displaced

TxDOT is pushing a controversial highway expansion that would displace thousands of residents and destroy hundreds of businesses, churches and homes.

Top StoryAsia MieleszkoMarch 8, 2023transportation, DOT, highways, texas

Sweat the Small Stuff

Your city’s long-term resilience requires paying attention to the little things.

Community Revitalization Expert Majora Carter To Headline Strong Towns National Gathering

Strong Towns is thrilled to welcome urban revitalization strategist, real estate developer, and MacArthur Fellow Majora Carter as the keynote speaker for the inaugural Strong Towns National Gathering.

Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 6, 2023National Gathering

28 Promises Jeff Speck Says All Planners Should Make to the Public

In the 10th anniversary edition of his book Walkable City, Jeff Speck suggests a new pledge that professional planners should take in order to qualify for certification—and to better serve society.

Top StoryJeff SpeckMarch 6, 2023urban planning, walkability, books, safe and productive streets

Strong Towns Annual Report: A Great Year, a Better Future

We’re looking back at a year of great progress in 2022, and ahead to an ambitious agenda for 2023!

Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 3, 2023annual report, Strong Towns

You Have All the Parking You Need—And It’s Hiding in Plain Sight

So, your community has decided it needs more parking. That doesn’t mean you’ll have to destroy buildings and dump a sizeable amount of money into (and take on the long-term liabilities of) a block-sized parking lot.

State, City DOT Agreement Gives Chicago More Control Over Streets

Conflicting priorities between city transportation departments and their state counterparts is one of the biggest barriers to pedestrian safety improvements. Chicago is taking a step toward mending that relationship.

Washington State Bill Would Allow Greater Parking Flexibility

A new bill, currently in committee in Washington’s House and Senate, is intended to spark development in places where parking minimums have hindered housing starts.

Whose Responsibility Is It To Ensure That Buildings Interact With the Public Realm in a Delightful Way?

It’s important to build safe and productive streets, but how do we ensure those streets are a place people want to be and live in?

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 1, 2023podcast, aesthetics, architecture, design, urban design, upzoned, safe and productive streets

10 Ways Rural Communities Sabotage Themselves

Your community may need to reshape how it thinks about community and economic development.

Andy PorteraMarch 1, 2023rural, community development, economic development, community

Gross Negligence by St. Louis County Contributes to Man’s Death

If St. Louis County cares about the lives and safety of its residents, then why has it turned a blind eye to this deadly street?

Top StoryRichard BoseMarch 1, 2023safety, Street Design, streets, car crash, missouri, pedestrians, safe and productive streets

ODOT Proposes That Commuters Pay $600–2,200 per Year for Highway Expansion

ODOT’s expansion of I-205—and subsequent tolling—might make it so that the average household will be spending 8.7% of their household income on transportation needs.

Pocket Parks: A Small Bet That Makes a Big Difference

This nonprofit is transforming pockets of St. Louis, MO, into delightful and welcoming parks—and at a low cost!

Top Story, Community StoriesSeairra JonesFebruary 28, 2023public space, Third Places, parks, small bets, little bets, nonprofit sector, missouri

Social Infrastructure: The Real Investment Our Cities Need

Too often, cities invest in the storage and movement of cars rather than the movement, visibility, and interactions of human beings. But the latter is precisely what makes for communities that are worth caring about.

OwensTiffany Owens ReedFebruary 28, 2023community, community site, public space, public safety, safety, Third Places

Progress Isn't Inevitable

The winds are shifting for cities. Are you paying attention?

Highway Ramps Promised To Deliver Chester From Hardship. Residents Are Still Waiting.

10 years ago, PennDOT promised that two new highway ramps in Chester, PA, would produce “an explosion of economic development.” Now, the city is filing for bankruptcy.

News, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoFebruary 27, 2023DOT, highway spending, Economy, end highway expansion, pennsylvania, municipal finance

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