Local Conversations

Since California's new daylighting law was implemented, unsuspecting drivers have accumulated over $700,000 in fines. Local advocates are stepping up to change that.

Gioia Calabretta is a Local Conversation leader and Strong Towns staff member. She and Norm discuss a walk audit she recently participated in.

Will Gardner is the founder of South Coast Places For People, a new nonprofit in Massachusetts. He discusses the three working groups his nonprofit recently started, which focus on parking reform, backyard cottages, and street safety.

The city of Artesia, California, has been struggling with a speeding problem. Instead of just blaming drivers, city staff teamed up with local advocates to address the root problem: the street design.

A 66% decrease in crashes wasn’t enough to protect these traffic diverters, but the unified efforts of local advocacy groups and city officials might be.

Four days. Three crashes. Two lives lost. One life changed forever. For residents of Fairhaven and New Bedford, this wasn’t just a bad weekend; it was a turning point.

Advocates in Lynchburg, Virginia, are proving that you don't need an official task force to make your city stronger. You just need to care enough to show up.

Dr. Alicia Pederson is a writer and advocate who encourages cities to adopt courtyard urbanism. She explains the benefits of this development style and how to advocate for it. (Transcript included.)

The demolition of dangerously neglected buildings gives Bloomington, Illinois, an opportunity to revitalize long-vacant parts of its downtown. Strong Towns Blono is making sure the city doesn’t waste it.

Meet Army Master Sgt. Ben Hultquist of Fayetteville, North Carolina. After a string of preventable pedestrian deaths, Ben started advocating for safer streets. Here’s how his testimony is changing the conversation.

From New Mexico to Connecticut, Strong Towns advocates are turning hometown newspapers into platforms for change—using op-eds to push for housing reform that’s local, practical, and powerful.

Brandi Thompson is the co-founder and leader of Strong Towns ABQ, a Local Conversation in New Mexico. She discusses the strategies that have helped her group successfully advocate for zoning reform and against highway expansions.

Alyssa Lee and Kay Crumb are leaders of Strong SacTown, one of the largest and most successful groups in the Strong Towns Local Conversations program. Today, they share their advice for building and sustaining a successful group.

Instead of waiting for someone else to fix their community’s transit problems, this group of local advocates took initiative with something simple—and powerful.

Danny Wind is a Local Conversation leader and Regional Transportation Commission member from California. Danny discusses their Open Street Map Project, which gives people a space to share the everyday challenges they face. (Transcript included.)

By embracing the Crash Analysis Studio model, New Haven residents are shifting the conversation away from blame and towards preventing the next tragedy.

What happens when everyday people dig into a city’s balance sheet? In Columbus, it sparked a three-hour conversation—and maybe a shift in mindset.

Hazen Elwood is a student and Local Conversation member in Calgary, Alberta. Norm and Hazen discuss ways to build an advocacy network and the power of raising local awareness through storytelling. (Transcript included.)

Sacramento’s growth looks strong, but what do 21 years of financial data really show? Dive into the numbers with the Strong Towns Finance Decoder.

How do you create a walkability initiative that gets covered on the news, triggers a city-funded pilot program, and inspires people to stay in the city long-term? Andrew Neidhardt and Dustin Moore explain.

An advocate group in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, started with an email. Now, it’s expanded to cover the metro area and even beyond. Here’s how it happened.

Saeed Vahid, a Local Conversation leader from Richmond Hill, Ontario, joins Norm to talk about how his group collaborates with city officials and how the expansion of the Greater Toronto Area has affected Richmond Hill. (Transcript included.)

Even as cities edge towards bankruptcy, crossing the street remains risky, and property values climb far out of step with wages, Strong Towns has built a movement that’s ready for this moment.

Daniel Bloemker is a Strong Towns member and Local Conversation leader from Bellingham, Washington. He joins Norm to discuss his work advancing parking reform, housing, and community spaces. (Transcript included.)

Lorelei Bailey is a Strong Towns member and Local Conversation leader from Artesia, California. Her story proves that you don’t need to be an expert to lead change—you just have to care enough to act.

What if you could look at your city’s finances and understand what’s going on—not just this year, but over the long haul? Meet the Strong Towns Finance Decoder.

What if you could see where your city makes money—and where it quietly loses it? That’s what a group of residents in Langley, British Columbia set out to do.

A deadly hit-and-run in Fayetteville, North Carolina sparks urgent calls for safer streets and stronger action from city leaders.

Kip Santos is a trained civil engineer and construction manager who quit his job to build Local Conversations full-time. Now he splits his time between the U.S. and Canada, nurturing the groups he's founded and building missing middle housing. (Transcript included.)

Cities thrive when residents actively participate in conversations about their future. Whether through public comment or the written word, speaking up isn’t just an act of protest—it’s an act of stewardship. Here’s how one Albuquerque resident advocated for more housing in his city.