Friday News Digest

While Chuck is wrapping up his summer with a family vacation at a top secret location (see last week’s FND), he has again given me the opportunity to write the Friday News Digest.  Next week we’ll be back to regular programming, so stay tuned.  Enjoy this week’s news.

• This could be a Friday News Digest first, but I’d like to give our friend and frequent Strong Towns contributor Nate Hood a shout-out for his “The Next Big Idea is Small” blog entry this past Monday.  It was an excellent post and it generated an insightful conversation in the “comments” section.  Nice job Nate. 

• While Chuck and I were in California this April, our personal San Diego chauffeur/part-time stunt driver, Howard Blackson, gave me some grief for being the “quiet guy.”  I’m not sure he realized how difficult it was to get a word in while in the presence of two brilliant Strong Towns thinkers with minimal conversation time. We’ll plan for a longer stay next time and I’ll give him my two cents then. This week Howard wrote an excellent piece on the confusion that arises when trying to urbanize developments that were created using the post-WWII development pattern.

• Now that we’re finally starting to “get it,” we’re learning the importance of mixed income housing. Here is a good article explaining how some cities around the country are implementing it.  If only we could get it to work organically. 

• Every city listed in this article makes my personal “Feeble Towns” list.  Arrested for sidewalk chalk, are you kidding me? 

• A Strong Town is one that finds new and creative uses for existing underutilized buildings.  Of all the interesting buildings I’ve seen, this one takes the cake. 

• I just had to throw this in because I can honestly say that I haven’t laughed out loud while reading a news article until I came across this. Welcome to the north woods of Minnesota, readers.  Thankfully the gentleman didn’t suffer any major injuries- can't say the same for the deer.

• And finally, to my fellow Millennials out there (you're probably the only ones that will appreciate this) and everyone else, enjoy the rest of your summer and have a fantastic weekend!