This Florida Town Rode a Rail Trail to an Economic Revival

Residents of Winter Garden, FL, realized they needed to take action to revive their declining town. They did this by focusing on one straightforward goal: bring people back downtown.

On Choosing a Place

Settling down from a cross-country move, Strong Towns Editor-in-Chief Daniel Herriges reflects on what makes a place feel like “home,” and what prompts people to put roots in a location—even if it’s not a “perfect” place.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 5, 2023home, community, Community, Florida

Don’t Like Sprawl? Just Call It Something Else.

The state of Florida has a bold new strategy to eliminate the adverse effects of urban sprawl: Change the definition.

News, Top StoryBen AbramsonMarch 22, 2023sprawl, Florida, suburban development pattern, development pattern, urban planning, local government

A Century-Old Neighborhood Provides a Model for the Present Day

Good urbanism doesn’t have to mean large apartment buildings or an immaculate row of brownstones; the ad-hoc version on display in this Florida neighborhood is more relevant as a model of adaptation for the rest of us.

Herriges, Incremental Housing, Top Story, Community StoriesDaniel HerrigesFebruary 22, 2023Florida, history, traditional development pattern, Incremental Housing, neighborhood, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, housing, housing crisis, ADUs, accessory dwelling units, infill, aesthetics

Appeals Court Gives Group Second Chance To Fight Florida Development

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has done the math on a proposed development in rural Collier County, FL, and what they discovered enabled them to take a large-scale developer to court.

Transparent Accounting, News, Success Story, Top StoryBen AbramsonFebruary 3, 2023Transparent Local Accounting, Florida, developers, Development, development, suburban development pattern, Urban3, financial solvency, success, success stories

What's Actually Wrong With This Building?

Heated discussion about a new condo in Sarasota, FL, has got locals calling the building an eyesore. But is this a case of misdirected ire?

Architecture, Herriges, Urban Design, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 25, 2023architecture, design, density, f, Florida, downtown, zoning, urban design

In This Housing Fight, It’s Conservative Politicians vs. Conservative Policies

One would expect a Republican governor to endorse free-market solutions on a local level, yet housing and zoning tend to scramble traditional political debates in unexpected ways.

Incremental Housing, News, Top StoryBen AbramsonJanuary 12, 2023Incremental Housing, housing, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, Housing, housing cost, politics, Florida

The #BlackFridayParking Exception That Proves the Rule

Most parking lots on Black Friday are not going to be full. Here’s one retail complex that’s an exception—but it just proves that having “enough” parking is always less important than creating a place people want to be.

#BlackFridayParking, Parking, Herriges, Top Story, End Parking MandatesDaniel HerrigesNovember 25, 2022Parking, parking, parking minimums, End Parking Mandates and Subsidies, #BlackFridayParking, greenspace, Florida

2 College Towns Leading the Way on Land-Use Reform

Although they stand in very different parts of the country, these college towns are spearheading the push to eliminate harmful, longstanding land-use policies.

The Deadliest Stroad in America

Find out why this stretch of Floridian stroad has been nicknamed “death valley” by locals.

#SlowtheCars, Roads and Streets, Stange, Top StoryJay StangeAugust 16, 2022STROADS, pedestrian safety, Safety, safety, Safe and Productive Streets, #SlowTheCars, car crash, pedestrians, #PedestrianUnfriendly, Florida, Street Design

Modern Urban Planning Is Inside Out

Today, city planning departments obsess over what happens inside buildings but pay scant attention to the quality of the space outside them.

Urban Design, Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 6, 2022urban design, urban planning, Parks, parks, public space, planning process, Privatization, Florida, design, Development, development

Reflections on Seaside

What does and doesn’t work about the “great-granddaddy” of New Urbanism?

Walkability, Urban Design, Incrementalism, Top StorySeth ZerenApril 22, 2022Florida, urbanism, New Urbanism, urban planning, urban design, placemaking, human scale, incrementalism, incremental development, incremental, traditional development pattern, walkability

A Strong Town Designs Its Places for All, Not Just Cars

When we design our streets to make them safer for people with disabilities, it also makes them safer for people, as a whole.

#SlowtheCars, Roads and Streets, Walkability, Top StorySteve WrightApril 15, 2022disability, Disability, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, pedestrians, pedestrian crossing, #PedestrianUnfriendly, walkability, Safety, safety, Florida, #SlowTheCars

Herriges Rezoned: A Suburban Poverty Boomtown - Lehigh Acres, Florida

This suburb is a growing place, but it's not a successful place. It risks becoming an increasingly isolating place full of people who are cut off from the economic mainstream.

Suburban Poverty, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Housing, Transportation, Top Evergreen, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 13, 2022suburbs, Florida, suburban experiment, Ferguson, page highlight, housing

Inspiring Citizen-Powered Change in Pensacola

Residents of Pensacola, FL, are working to make their city a better place to place to live, work, and thrive in as they implement incremental changes.

Video, Top StorySeairra SheppardApril 12, 2022Florida, Pensacola, incrementalism, Development, development

My County's Award-Winning Smart Growth Plan is a Disaster. Here's Why.

Sarasota County, FL, is viewed as a trailblazer in the prevention of unchecked suburbanization. So why has its growth management plan has not resulted in a better pattern of development?