Hitsville U.S.A. is known for producing artists, recordings and a distinctive Detroit sound, but it also represents an important element of a strong city: mixed-use development. If Detroit hadn’t let Berry Gordy turn the first floor of his home into a recording studio, Motown Records might not exist today.
Read MoreIncremental development is a low-risk, high-reward method of building a strong town. Here’s some do’s and don’ts to get you started.
Read MoreDo you have a favorite food truck? These micro businesses are often features of their communities, and they represent an important stage of incremental development. But strict zoning laws can put these businesses at risk. Hot Dog House FL learned this the hard way when parking mandates evicted them from their main operating location.
Read MorePublic art can do more than add personality and beauty to a space — it can change the way people behave, bring the community together and avoid the resistance other changes to city policy face. It’s time to stop overlooking this powerful and accessible tool and start making our towns stronger, one bucket of paint at a time.
Read MoreWould you wait a month to fix a leaking pipe that was damaging your kitchen cabinets? No? Then why do we wait so long to fix streets where people continuously die in car crashes?
Read MoreDreaming of big goals for the year can be fun, but it’s also necessary to think of the small steps needed to reach those goals. Similarly, cities need to consider the small things they need to do to achieve long-term prosperity.
Read MoreThe next smallest step for your community doesn’t always involve changing a street’s design or making housing policy reforms. Sometimes, it’s as simple as asking questions and probing the thoughts of local leaders.
Read MoreFor successful placemaking, small, consistent investments over time matter more than grand gestures.
Read MoreAfter one meeting and a little over $3,000, Medicine Hat, AB, decided to take a bottom-up approach to invest in a community-led program that has made better use of their public parks and children’s playgrounds.
Read MoreStarting a business can be daunting, but this California city has made one relatively small bet that’s helping scores of local entrepreneurs get their small businesses off the ground.
Read MoreIs your city leaping before it hops?
Read MoreIt can be difficult to find a free public restroom. Here’s how one city in Alberta is tackling the problem, through small, immediately effective solutions.
Read MoreRoundabouts are great, but completely replacing an intersection with a roundabout is an enormous project—and not the first one cities should jump to when taking the next smallest step to address traffic safety concerns.
Read MoreThe notion that there is strength in smallness can be found everywhere in the Strong Towns approach—but what’s so special about small?
Read MoreWhen this Texan city’s bus system fell into decline, local advocates took the next smallest (but highly effective) step toward making their public transit more hospitable: by installing homemade bus benches.
Read MoreWe asked, and you answered!
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreThis public toilet in Winnipeg, MB, is a case study in why city governments need to pay attention to the power of small bets.
Read MoreYour city’s long-term resilience requires paying attention to the little things.
Read MoreThis nonprofit is transforming pockets of St. Louis, MO, into delightful and welcoming parks—and at a low cost!
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