High Value, Chapter 5: Pre-Submission Meeting

This week in High Value, a new project is proposed for Chippewa Lakes that sounds like a dream come true to Nancy Hjerne.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigFebruary 4, 2022High Value series, series, big box stores, city council, local government

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Community Power Through Co-Ops

Strong Towns member De’Nita Wright is part of a cooperative organizing effort in Louisville, KY.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 3, 2022taking action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, cooperatives

Let Main Streets Be Main Streets

A community should determine what kind of community it wants to be, not unelected DOT engineers.

Top StoryRobert SteutevilleFebruary 3, 2022main street, DOT, walkability, pedestrians, Roundabouts, small towns, urban design, engineers, cnu, new york

Bake Sales for Crosswalks

Idahoan advocates had to get desperate to fund basic pedestrian safety features—all while the state DOT is budgeting $100 million to overhaul a single freeway interchange.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesFebruary 3, 2022pedestrians, safety, DOT, Idaho, taking action, advocacy, walkability, end highway expansion

Can Corporate Campuses Urbanize the Suburban Experience?

Some large companies are pivoting their real-estate models toward building more compact, mixed-use centers for their corporate campuses. Is this good or bad for America’s suburbs?

We Are Not Just Economic Creatures: Dave Kresta’s Vision of Economic Development

How do we build vibrant local economies that are good for the people who actually live in a neighborhood?

Top StoryJohn PattisonFebruary 2, 2022Faith Featured, faith communities, economic development, community

Forget What You Know About Public Engagement

It’s no secret that the conventional process for public engagement in urban planning is broken. So, what should we be doing, instead?

Top StoryJames Rojas and John KampFebruary 2, 2022public engagement, urban planning, books, urban design, california

Alaska and New Infrastructure Funds: We Promise Not to Waste It!

As of November 15, Alaska is flush with federal infrastructure money. How should it be spent?

Do Something Nice for Yourself

Exhausted from helping her father adjust to life in assisted living, our Neighborhood Storyteller Karla Theilen seeks comfort in a local record store.

Chuck Marohn Answers Your Questions

It’s time once again to sit down and answer some of the great questions we’ve gotten over at the Strong Towns Action Lab.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 31, 2022Strong Towns Community, Action Lab, strong towns approach, podcast

A Venture into the Urban Wilderness: CityNerd's Field Guide to Stroads

Nerd out on this YouTube channel as it shows us some of the intended (and unintended) consequences of car-oriented street design.

Top StoryJay StangeJanuary 31, 2022Nevada, stroad

There’s No Parking Like Snow Parking

This Rhode Island community came together to advocate for parking improvements in their neighborhood—and it worked.

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Narratives in physical form, Taylor Swift parodies, and Youth vs. ODOT. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 28, 2022friday faves

High Value, Chapter 4: Rob Freehet

This week in High Value, Rob Freehet runs into Chris Ekte while answering an unsettling summons from his boss.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigJanuary 28, 2022High Value series, series

The Galesburg Papers, Part 2: The Cure

In this follow-up to last week’s piece about Galesburg, IL, we’ll look at what the town needs in order to recover and thrive.

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...a Neighborhood Person

Gracen Johnson is a dedicated Strong Towns member who’s connecting with her neighbors and working on housing issues in Canada.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 27, 2022taking action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, neighborhood revitalization, canada

What Does “Radical Neighborhood Change” Look Like?

“No neighborhood should be exempt from change. No neighborhood should be subjected to radical change.” Let’s examine what this core Strong Towns principle actually means.