What do you want in a school for your children? Safe surrounding streets? A quiet environment for learning? Plenty of green space for outdoor play? How about a highway ramp encircling nearly the entire school…?
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A new proposal to simplify zoning in Durham, NC is sparking controversy. Host Abby talks with special guest, Aaron Lubeck.
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Get guidance from experts in placemaking, freeway fighting, incremental development, and more September 14–November 2 during the 2023 Strong Towns Local-Motive Tour.
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As working from home grows in popularity, where does that leave downtowns that have prioritized their land for office space—and what does this all say about how we should think about neighborhood design?
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Detroit’s mayor is endorsing a land value tax plan that could lead to 97% of the city’s homeowners getting a 30% reduction in their taxes.
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A site in Asheville, NC, is subject to a new development proposal to build multi-family housing—and in today’s housing market, that should be a good thing. But is this development contributing to a larger problem?
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We lost more than just food access when we stripped small shops out of residential neighborhoods.
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A university campus in Norman, OK, presents a good case study in why transportation engineers must take care when designing streets adjacent to important civic institutions.
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In recent years, a rapidly growing number of cities across North America have begun repealing harmful, wasteful parking minimums. Here are a few highlights from the first half of 2023.
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This festival has all the elements that make for a thriving downtown—elements that should be present year-round.
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After a summer of public outreach, the Seattle Department of Transportation is hearing recurring themes people want for the future of a local street.
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Cities and towns big and small across the nation are ending parking minimums.
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Despite overwhelming local opposition, the Ohio government is forcing an interchange project on the city of Brunswick, threatening homes and funds that had originally been set aside for walkability projects.
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The Minnesota Department of Transportation says they’re “rethinking” this freeway, but then came up with 10 proposals for roads for automobiles, just of different configurations. How rethought is that, really?
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On July 20, 2023, the city council of Austin, TX, passed resolutions that advocates hope will help ease the city’s ongoing housing crisis.
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The critique of car dependence is nothing new for Strong Towns readers—but here’s one that may make you think a little more deeply about the tradeoffs and illusions baked into North America’s transportation industry.
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We talk with Tristan Cleveland, an urban planner and research specialist for Happy Cities, about how to design safer streets.
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Freeport, ME, is famous as the home of LL Bean, but in the aftermath of the retail apocalypse and increasing vacancy rates, town officials and residents are asking, “What do we want downtown Freeport to be?”
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Please join us in welcoming our new curriculum writer and administrative assistant!
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On July 17, 2023, Spokane City Council adopted an interim ordinance that makes off-street parking optional for all housing that’s within half a mile of a transit stop.
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