Long commutes and those who must endure them are reliable stories for a transportation reporter. What’s not often talked about is what lies behind the “super-commuting” phenomenon—cheap gas, sparse housing and inadequate transit.
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Two diehard urbanists swore they would never open a neighborhood-killing Airbnb. They changed their minds. Here’s why.
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Our visions for community can, paradoxically, blind us to the reality of community. How one designer is learning to tell a better story by making an authentic place for herself and other “in-betweeners.”
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James Howard Kunstler discusses why people are afraid of change, why technology won’t save us, and how to live well (by living small) amidst “the Long Emergency.”
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Something special is emerging in Southern California: a growing movement of people dedicated to making their communities stronger and more resilient. We’re gathering a bunch of those folks in one place. Are you going to be there?
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The best financial investments our cities can make are those that humbly respond to how people struggle.
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The methods traffic engineers use to thwart the will of elected officials and the public those officials represent, is unbecoming of a profession that is supposed to be about public service.
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Think tanks and government agencies aren’t solving our housing crisis nearly as fast as our cities need. Should we let the public have a shot—and give the person with the winning idea a big prize if they can make a dent?
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California recently passed a statewide rent control bill. Will it protect tenants, alleviate the housing crisis, and strengthen communities? Or is it another massive #california intervention that will do little to clean up the mess made by the LAST massive intervention?
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It's easy to get into a rut and miss the beauty and promise of our places. Here's how beekeeping led one writer to discover that the neighborhood can hold the key to our sense of purpose, hope and joy.
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Fast-growing Austin is at a crossroads. Officials there are weighing the adoption of a new land development code. Will the city settle for the status quo—drive-by urbanism and a code that doesn’t adequately address the need for more housing? Or can something better emerge?
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We all know the pitfalls of master-planned communities, right? Sterile. Homogenous. Certainly not adaptable or resilient over time. Is there a way around it? Maybe, if this fascinating case study from Germany has anything to teach us. And it all starts with one word: Baugruppen.
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Salvador “Sal” Galdamez—founder and president of nonprofit York XL—shares how you can bring your neighbors together around bottom-up action to create more prosperous, healthy, and empowered neighborhoods.
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Dan Burden has been called the “Johnny Appleseed of pedestrian and bike design.” You asked one of the world’s foremost experts on planning for healthy, active communities your questions in our latest Ask Strong Towns—and now we’re sharing the video.
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A leading infill developer in Victoria, BC is building beautiful homes that address the housing crisis and make neighborhoods stronger. They’re also changing the conversation about what’s possible.
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Skeptics cite empty buses and trains as proof that public transit isn’t worth the investment. But what if they applied their same standard to our rural highways?
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Our economic system prizes growth above all. This has created a looming disaster, at both the local and national levels. How did we get here? And is there an alternative?
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Want to feel a deeper attachment to the neighborhood you call home? Here are six action items guaranteed to connect you with neighbors and inspire creative ways to leverage your resources for the common good.
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Public officials trying to make their city’s street more humane are often thwarted by the professional engineers giving them advice. If that’s your city, it’s time to make a change.
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The Strong America Tour kicks off this week in the Pacific Northwest. Everywhere we go — Spokane, Seattle, Kenmore, and Victoria — we see residents breathing new life into even the unlikeliest of neighborhoods.
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