Here's What *Not* to Do to Your Small-Town Main Street

How one small town in South Carolina destroyed everything that makes downtown downtown.

Top StoryDaniel HerrigesDecember 3, 2020small towns, rural, highways, downtown, main street, stroad, south carolina

Will Wyoming Have to Start "Abandoning" Its Small Towns?

The governor of Wyoming says the state may have to abandon some small towns because it doesn’t have the money to maintain their sewers and streets. How did it get to this point? And what should be done?

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsDecember 2, 2020rural, small towns, podcast

A Resilient, Long-Term Approach to Addressing Homelessness

What would an incremental, fiscally responsible and local approach to solving homelessness look like?

Top StoryRachel QuednauDecember 2, 2020poverty, homeless

We Can't Afford to Maintain Our Water and Sewer Infrastructure...Unless We Build More Productive Places

Over the last 40 years, the federal government’s share of spending on water infrastructure dropped from 63% to 9%. That means it’s up to local communities to figure out how to pay to repair or replace all that aging infrastructure.

Top StoryAndrew D. MorrisDecember 1, 2020water, stormwater, sewers, infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance

You Can't Understand the Rust Belt Without Understanding Its Suburbanization

The real story of the Rust Belt is not simply one of deindustrialization or decline. To miss that is to also to miss the way forward to greater strength and resilience.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesDecember 1, 2020rust belt, indiana

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John PattisonDecember 1, 2020

Just Print the Money

The changes that need to be made to fix our cities will never come about in a culture whose solution for everything is “Just print the money.”

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 30, 2020stock market, finance, podcast, new york, macroeconomics

A Plan for Building Strong Rural Communities

Local governments need to be repositioned to advocate up instead of merely administering down. As an alternative to populist fervor or broad disenfranchisement, this is the kind of authentic representation that Rural America needs.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnNovember 30, 2020rural, small towns

Highlights from #BlackFridayParking 2020

This was a Black Friday like no other—one that demanded a #BlackFridayParking event like no other. Here are a few highlights.

Detroiters Push for Parking Reform in the Heart of Motown

Downtown Detroit has more parking today than any time in the city’s history—despite the city’s population being less than half what it once was. Now, a group of Detroiters are pushing for commonsense parking reform that can help put the Motor City back on the road to recovery.

Top StoryFrancis GrunowNovember 27, 2020Parking Reform Network, taking action, end parking mandates and subsidies, michigan

Grab Your Camera. It’s #BlackFridayParking Time Again…but with a Quarantine Twist.

Here's how to participate in our annual #BlackFridayParking event today.

Parking Minimums: From 101 to Taking Action

A step-by-step path to get you — or your city officials — informed on the fragile-making effects of parking minimums…and on how to end them.

COVID-19 and the Boom in Multigenerational Housing

As senior care facilities are hit hard by the pandemic, homebuilders say interest in ADUs—and other multigenerational housing options—is exploding.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 25, 2020seniors, aging in place, upzoned, accessory dwelling unit, podcast

Ending Parking Minimums: How to Make the Case with Facts and Options

Removing parking minimums doesn’t mean getting rid of parking altogether. It means letting the market decide the right amount of parking.

Infrastructure That Does More: Investing in Public Spaces for a Resilient America

Parks, libraries, and public spaces aren’t just “nice amenities.” They are vital to our recovery, rebuilding, and longterm prosperity.

Top StoryBridget MarquisNovember 24, 2020public investment, parks, infrastructure

Press One Key to Fix Your City's Parking Policy

We humbly propose a better approach to parking policy than years of studies and focus groups.

Stacy Mitchell: Fighting for Small Businesses and Strong Local Economies

Why were small businesses on such weak footing even before the pandemic?

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 23, 2020ILSR, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, podcast, small business, monopolies, amazon

Show us what you wish your city would do with *all* that parking!

This year proves, more than ever, that we need to free our cities from the straitjacket of parking minimums. So we’re kicking off our annual #BlackFridayParking campaign…but with a 2020 twist.