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

Making the Most of Your Transportation Options—And Getting Your Neighbors Onboard

White Flint, MD, presents a great case study for how a community can begin shifting the conversation on its transportation infrastructure and development pattern.

Engagement, Edward Erfurt, Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryEdward ErfurtMarch 17, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, Maryland, traditional development pattern, Development, development pattern, suburban development pattern, traffic congestion, community engagement

Progress Isn't Inevitable

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

Urban Design, Urban Renewal, Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergFebruary 27, 2023urban design, urbanism, suburban experiment, suburbs, suburban development pattern, suburbanization

Where’s My Flying Car? Who Cares?

New technologies can solve problems—or make them worse. In the chase for technofixes like flying cars, it's important to know when to pump the brakes.

End Highway Expansion, Top StoryTony DutzikFebruary 24, 2023car culture, cars, car dependency, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, history, highways, End Highway Expansion, technology

The Largest Mistake of Our Generation

The proposed annual budget for Winnipeg, MB, reveals the true cost of the Suburban Experiment, and the vibrancy that the city (and so many others like it) has sacrificed in many of its neighborhoods.

Transparent Accounting, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodFebruary 22, 2023Transparent Local Accounting, suburban experiment, canada, Canada, suburban development pattern, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, budget, finance, public finance, Growth Ponzi Scheme, transportation, transportation spending

Colorado Development Scheme Yields Billion-Dollar Debt

The town council in Castle Rock, CO, received a shocking briefing at a recent meeting: that their single, mid-sized region within a single, mid-sized state has accrued almost a billion dollars of debt. But how?

Transparent Accounting, News, Top StoryBen AbramsonFebruary 22, 2023colorado, debt, Municipal Debt, Infrastructure, Ponzi Scheme, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Transparent Local Accounting, finance, suburban development pattern

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

3 Predictions for 2023 as Communities Continue Climbing Out of the Pandemic

As America’s cities continue their halting climb up and out of the last few years, data analytics firm Urban3 foresees a few crises—as well as opportunities—waiting for them in 2023.

Urban3, Trending, Top StoryKerry HayesFebruary 16, 2023Urban3, tax revenue, economics, Economy, Transparent Local Accounting, gentrification, Gentrification, climate, Climate Change, natural disasters, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, infrastructure bill

Revised Zoning Rules Make Minnesota City Legal Again

Zoning restrictions in this Minneapolis suburb have rendered much of its original development in violation of its current rules. The city’s leadership is looking to change that.

Incremental Housing, Top StoryBen AbramsonFebruary 9, 2023Incremental Housing, zoning, Minnesota, housing, Development, development pattern, development, traditional development pattern, suburbs, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment

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

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?

Urban Design, Edward Erfurt, Top Story, End Parking MandatesEdward ErfurtOctober 21, 2022urban planning, urban design, traditional development pattern, suburban development pattern, Taco Johns, Brainerd MN, Parking, parking, suburban retrofit, productive place

Hawaii's Suburban Experiment

How does the suburban development pattern present itself in a smaller island space, versus in the contiguous United States?

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Top Story, Transparent AccountingStrong TownsSeptember 26, 2022Podcast, podcast, Growth Ponzi Scheme, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, Hawaii, suburbanization

The Suburbs Are a “One-Life-Cycle” Product

A recent CNBC documentary features Strong Towns insights from Charles Marohn about why suburban development is so risky.

Housing, Quednau, Top Story, Transparent AccountingRachel QuednauSeptember 20, 2022suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, suburbs, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, Incremental Housing, housing cost, housing, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, Housing

The Jackson Water Crisis Is Not a Fluke. Your City Could Be Next.

For seven weeks Jackson’s residents had to bear the brunt of a failing water system, and unfortunately it was bound to happen.

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Top Story, Transparent AccountingStrong TownsSeptember 19, 2022Podcast, podcast, Growth Ponzi Scheme, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, mississippi, water, sprawl, fragility

This Ice Machine Is a Case Study in Neighborhood Decline

When you prioritize fast car movement on a street that should be for building community wealth, don’t be surprised when you end up getting neither.

Marohn, Roads and Streets, Top Story, Safe & Productive Streets, Transparent AccountingCharles MarohnSeptember 19, 2022Safe and Productive Streets, streets, STROADS, Brainerd MN, Minnesota, capitalism, decline, neighborhood, Small Towns, small towns, suburban development pattern

Suburbia Was a Housing Program

Suburbia was an experiment—an experiment in the service of building lots of housing very quickly.

Housing, Suburban Experiment, Top Story, Incremental Housing, Transparent AccountingAddison Del MastroSeptember 12, 2022Addison Del Mastro, suburban experiment, suburbs, suburban development pattern, housing, housing policy, housing cost, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, housing affordability, NIMBY, Incremental Housing

Oak Tree Road and the Second Life Cycle Blues

Small-scale, incremental development works in the suburbs too, if we let it.

Incrementalism, Suburban Experiment, Top StoryAddison Del MastroJuly 21, 2022Addison Del Mastro, immigrants, immigration, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, strip malls, suburbs, suburban development pattern, New Jersey, second life cycle, suburban experiment

Water Wars in the Modern Wild West

Residents of Maricopa County in Arizona find themselves engaged in a war over water, as the county builds itself out beyond its means.

Upzoned, Podcast, Top Story, Suburban ExperimentStrong TownsJuly 13, 2022Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, resource, water, Arizona, Development, development pattern, suburban development pattern, environment, suburban experiment

"We Won't Raise Our Kids in Suburbia"

In this Not Just Bikes video, Jason Slaughter explains how raising children in the suburbs significantly restricts their ability to be independent.

Suburban Experiment, Video, Top StoryJay StangeJune 23, 2022suburbs, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, suburbanization, Not Just Bikes, children, Safety, safety, car dependency, car culture

Neighborhoods Were Never Meant to Be Unchanging

The idea of a permanent community “character” was an invention of the suburban era, and it's showing its cracks now—because it was never an attainable or desirable goal.

Herriges, Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Design, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 23, 2022neighborhood change, zoning, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, history, History, New York, neighborhood, Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Design

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