Week in Review
In case you missed it....
Featured
North Carolina lawmakers have joined forces across party lines to make housing easier to build—here’s what they’re proposing.
Sarah Rose is an artist and advocate from Washington. She joins Tiffany on this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution to talk about how the intersection of advocacy and art is driving change in her city. (Transcript included.)
Soaring home prices and tight housing supply are pushing local leaders to find creative solutions. Seattle’s embrace of backyard cottages has quietly delivered thousands of new homes right where they’re needed most.
Outdated zoning laws are holding cities back, restricting housing options and stalling economic growth. That’s why Cincinnati is trying something different.
Houston’s new Popular Annual Financial Report tells a reassuring story of short-term growth and recovery, but it ignores the city's long-term financial trends. If things are going to improve, public officials need to confront reality.
During a recent Planning Commission meeting in Windsor, California, Vice Chair Tim Zahner advocated for using the Strong Towns approach to make the city's streets safer.
NYC loved outdoor dining until it didn't. When 13,000 restaurants were forced to dismantle their sheds, one Brooklyn pizzeria found a workaround.
Hannah Rechtschaffen is the director of the Greenfield Business Association in Greenfield, Massachusetts. She joins Norm today to talk about how Greenfield is becoming a stronger town. (Transcript included.)
Local officials often feel trapped, having to juggle large financial obligations with residents that resist tax increases. But delaying these tough decisions only makes them more painful and politically difficult. Bentonville, Arkansas, is experiencing that firsthand.
Drawn-out approval processes attract resistance, allowing opponents to derail individual projects. Cities need a proactive approach that streamlines housing production while maintaining high standards. Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee, is showing how to do that.
How do you direct city finances in a truly effective way? What role should the public play in a city’s financial decisions? Chuck and city finance expert Rick Cole cover these questions and more in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast. (Transcript included.)
Cities need more entry-level homes, but efforts to increase supply are often met with resistance. Iowa is considering a way around that issue: legalizing backyard cottages to increase housing supply without radically changing neighborhoods.