Charles Marohn, Strong Towns president, will be participating in a workshop in Edmonton, Alberta, on December 14, 2023.

LOCATION: Room 3-57, Henry Marshall Tory Building, University of Alberta

DATE: December 14, 2023 | TIME: 8:30 a.m. MT

As a follow-up to a Wednesday evening public talk, this Thursday morning workshop is a second, separate event and lecture from Charles Marohn followed by workshopping and small group conversation about taking these ideas and turning them into action in Edmonton and the region. Charles' lecture content will differ from that of his Wednesday evening talk. Separate tickets are required for catering purposes.

Strong Towns operates with the mission of replacing America’s post-war pattern of development, the Suburban Experiment, with a pattern of development that is financially strong and resilient. We advocate for cities of all sizes to be safe, livable, and inviting. We work to elevate local government to be the highest level of collaboration for people seeking to work together in a place, not merely the lowest level in a hierarchy of governments.

With a media presence reaching millions of people every year and a membership of nearly 3,000 people from all 50 states and several countries, the Strong Towns movement is reshaping the North American development pattern with a return to bottom-up, incremental growth. Strong Towns accomplishes this work by producing articles, podcasts, online and in- person events, training and more.

In order to rationally respond to the challenges created by the North American development pattern, the Strong Towns approach:

• Relies on small, incremental investments (“little bets”) instead of large, transformative projects.

• Emphasizes resiliency of result over efficiency of execution.

• Is designed to adapt to feedback.

• Is inspired by bottom-up action (“chaotic but smart”) and not top- down systems (“orderly but dumb”).

• Seeks to conduct as much of life as possible at a personal scale.

Charles Marohn, known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues, is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He is a civil engineer and a land use planner with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota.