Going for Daily Walks? Use Them as an Opportunity to Learn about Your Neighborhood.

Three things to notice on your daily walks that will help you build a stronger town.

Rachel QuednauApril 23, 2020walkability, covid, massachusetts

When Will Your City Feel the Fiscal Impact of COVID-19?

Every city will feel the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis. But which cities are likely to feel it worst and longest?

Top Story, Marohn, PodcastStrong TownsApril 22, 2020economic development, fragility, Brookings Institute, local government, covid, podcast

Your Money or Your Life?

We were vulnerable to a crash long before coronavirus appeared. We all made promises to ourselves and each other that we never meant to keep.

Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoApril 22, 2020economics, public health, covid

Everybody Loves Local Businesses Now. How Do We Make the Enthusiasm Last?

The coronavirus economy is revealing to us that countless people love and want to support small, local businesses—we just have an economy where we’ve stacked the deck in favor of large chains.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 22, 2020small business, local business, localism, covid

Is COVID-19 the End of Cities?

The New York Times (among others) is speculating that COVID-19 will spur a massive exodus from cities. These claims are based on two very dubious assumptions.

Top StoryJoe CortrightApril 21, 2020public health, suburbanization, covid

Call "Time Out" on Highway Boondoggles

The work of teeing up the next generation of boondoggle highway projects doesn’t stop—not even for a global pandemic.

Top StoryTony DutzikApril 21, 2020highways, highway spending, Smart Growth America, infrastructure bill, infrastructure

Not so Fast: Density Isn’t Plague-Inducing

Commentators have speculated that density has been toxic during the coronavirus crisis. But Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 did what he does best—he ran the numbers—and found a different story. This is why data should prevail during a pandemic.

Joe MinicozziApril 20, 2020density, urbanism, public health, urban3, covid

Yes, We Brought this on Ourselves

Do we open things up and get people back to work or do we continue to flatten the curve and live with the financial fallout? Economically, it’s a distinction without a difference.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnApril 20, 2020public health, empathy, Strong Towns Book, covid

We've Built Cities We Can't Afford

Kansas City, Missouri has a serious infrastructure problem. But an emerging conversation there is charting a path toward greater strength and financial resilience.

Top StoryStrong TownsApril 17, 2020urban3, missouri

A Framework for Thriving: Keep These Four Areas Front and Center as You Move Forward

The four “gears” that drive a strong community in normal times are the same ones that will move towns and cities forward after the COVID-19 crisis.

Top StoryQuint StuderApril 17, 2020downtown, education, public engagement, community engagement, small business, covid

When Apartment Dwellers Subsidize Suburban Homeowners

For most cities, the property taxes from single-family homes simply can’t pay the bills. One Minnesota mayor was remarkably blunt about that fact in a recent speech.

Co-Create Your Community with This New Mapping Tool

David Gorski—founder at Plan Together Community Map Platform—shares the inspiration behind Plan Together and how you can use it to make your community stronger.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsApril 16, 2020Strong Citizenship, community, how to, public investment, innovation

What Comes Next for Commercial Real Estate

Whether we go back to work in offices or not, the commercial real estate market can’t go back to the crazy levels it was. Not without huge damage to society.

Top StoryCharles MarohnApril 16, 2020real estate, development, growth ponzi scheme

What Happens When a Third of U.S. Tenants Don’t Pay Rent?

Some cities and states are allowing tenants to defer rent payments. What happens when those rents come due before the economy is back on its feet?

Top Story, Marohn, PodcastStrong TownsApril 15, 2020renters, housing market, housing affordability, covid, podcast

Buying Time (Now That It's Really Expensive)

The debate now is between saving jobs and saving lives. But there was a deeper question we should have been asking a long time ago.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnApril 15, 2020Great Depression, public health, fragility, Economy, covid

Conventional Thinking: Stop Pinning all Your City’s Hopes on Big Projects and Events

What can go wrong when you pin all your economic hopes on a big, shiny new project? Milwaukee, the planned site for this summer’s Democratic Convention, may soon find out.

Top StoryRachel QuednauApril 15, 2020incremental development, incrementalism, small bets, wisconsin