These Louisiana advocates are on the front lines taking on the powerful network of highway-building interests—and they’re here to teach you how to do that work in your community, too.

Top StoryStrong TownsMay 10, 2023National Gathering

Is Parking Reform Hurting the Poor in San Francisco?

Public policy has winners and losers, and parking reform is, unfortunately, no exception. So how should that knowledge impact the way we approach parking reform?

A Welcome Sign in Texas Kept Getting Hit. TxDOT Wanted Nothing To Do With It.

TxDOT’s inertia in response to this series of crashes in Killeen, TX, exhibits just how narrowly transportation agencies view their commitment to road safety.

Give a Little Grace

Rapid villainization is easy; grace for city staffers and elected officials is the harder path.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedMay 9, 2023city government, local government, city council, advocacy

We Just Dropped the Full Agenda for National Gathering 2023!

We’ve finalized the calendar for the event (May 30–31 in Charlotte, NC), and it’s not too late to get your ticket and join us there.

Strong TownsMay 9, 2023National Gathering

Alan Fisher and CityNerd to Join Strong Towns at the National Gathering

Join Alan Fisher, CityNerd, Tiffany Owens Reed, and John Simmerman as they teach you how to get started on content creation and reach new audiences receptive to the Strong Towns message.

Top StoryStrong TownsMay 8, 2023National Gathering

Strong Towns Chats Lead to $100k Grant for Sioux Falls Neighborhood

In 2018, a group of concerned citizens met in a South Dakota coffee shop to talk about their city’s problems. Now, they’re working with a $100k budget for small-scale—but big-impact—projects in their community.

Strong Towns National Gathering: Learn How To Fight Parking Mandates From the Experts

Join us at the Strong Towns National Gathering to hear from Tony Jordan and Jane Wilberding of the Parking Reform Network!

Top StoryStrong TownsMay 5, 2023National Gathering

Envisioning a Safer Future for This Deadly Intersection in Richmond, VA

Richmond, VA, architect Erik Bootsma shows through some simple (but effective) illustrations how a dangerous intersection can be made safer.

A Quarter of Downtown Dallas Is Parking Lots. Could That Change?

As Dallas examines its land use plan, it's time to talk about parking lots.

The Hidden Lessons of Catastrophic Tree Loss

Having a city filled with one type of tree may look pretty, but what happens when pests or pestilence start killing off that particular tree species en masse?

An Abandoned Downtown Equals a Pot of Gold?

Developers are starting to view downtown abandoned office buildings as easy cash—that is, if you can find the right sort of abandoned office.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 3, 2023podcast, developers, development pattern, downtown, redevelopment, upzoned

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Isn’t a Park Project, It’s a Highway Expansion

NYCDOT is dangling the prospect of "park-like opportunities" in order to advance its latest highway expansion project, but New Yorkers aren't buying it.

On Learning to Not Avoid “Politics”

Advocating for stronger towns eventually means engaging with your city’s systems of governance.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedMay 2, 2023advocacy, public engagement, politics

Ian Lockwood: Thoughts From an Engineer

How should engineers be thinking about building wealth in communities? That’s just one of the questions Chuck Marohn asks of Ian Lockwood, a recognized national leader in sustainable transportation policy and urban design.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 1, 2023podcast, engineers, transportation, safe and productive streets

Parking Reform Is Snowballing

Parking reform is gaining substantial momentum even in recent months—a policy development that will impact missing middle housing production, reuse of old buildings, and vehicle miles traveled, experts say.

No City Should Rely Primarily on a Sales Tax for Funding

At a glance, the sales tax is a nearly invisible revenue source that is also a cash cow. Yet, for local governments, it is the most distorting of taxes. Here’s why.

Be More General(ist)

A cautionary tale on rain gardens.

Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergApril 28, 2023street trees, aesthetics, urban design, environment, sidewalks

Guest Opinion: Why We Oppose a Mandatory Helmet Law for Adults in New Jersey

The New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition responds to a proposed helmet mandate, explaining how while helmets increase safety for individuals, they can actually decrease safety for bicyclists, overall.