Cheese Nation!

Chuck is heading to Wisconsin for a Curbside Chat tonight and then to give Transportation in the Next American City tomorrow. Exciting opportunity to share our message. Here's the most current schedule of upcoming events, including Alabama next week.

April 9-10 - La Crosse, WI
April 14-15 - Birmingham, AL
April 24-25 - Stevens Point, WI  - Half day training session, AICP Credits will be offered - Register Here
April 28 - Dallas, TX - Curbside Chat
April 30 - Dallas, TX - Member Appreciation Event - More details to come to Strong Towns Members by email
May 13 - Fargo, ND - Curbside Chat
May 14 - Grand Forks, ND - Curbside Chat
May 19 - Hays, KS - Curbside Chat
May 21 - Lewiston, ME - Conference Keynote
June 17 - Boston, MA - Conference Keynote
June 18 - Denver, CO - Strong Towns on Tap
June 23 - Detroit, MI - Conference Panel
June 30 - Des Moines, IA - Conference Keynote

In case you missed it this week...

Featured
How $180, Local Talent and Bottom-Up Action Can Strengthen a Community
Strong Towns
How $180, Local Talent and Bottom-Up Action Can Strengthen a Community
Strong Towns

Here’s how Strong Towns Chicago is making its neighborhoods safer, more pedestrian-friendly and more inviting.

Strong Towns
How Homeowner’s Insurance May Change in the Wake of California Wildfires
Strong Towns
How Homeowner’s Insurance May Change in the Wake of California Wildfires
Strong Towns

In this episode, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn discuss the impact of natural disasters on the insurance industry, the feasibility of government-run insurance programs, and what this might mean for California in the long term.

Strong Towns
Yards Are Not Enough: The Importance of the Public Realm
Tiffany Owens Reed
Yards Are Not Enough: The Importance of the Public Realm
Tiffany Owens Reed

The way we design our places forms a lesson in being in that space. Children learn important lessons from third places that bring us together — lessons they can’t learn in private spaces like yards that isolate us in the name of privacy.

Tiffany Owens Reed
Bottom-Up Shorts: How To Remove Parking Mandates in Your Downtown
Strong Towns
Bottom-Up Shorts: How To Remove Parking Mandates in Your Downtown
Strong Towns

In this episode, Local Conversation leader Michael Bassili explains how his group created a parking campaign that convinced their city council to eliminate parking mandates in their downtown.

Strong Towns
The Hidden Cost of America’s Infrastructure Spending Habits
Charles Marohn
The Hidden Cost of America’s Infrastructure Spending Habits
Charles Marohn

Today, I want to look at a utility investment near my hometown of Brainerd, Minnesota. At first glance, it seems like an extreme case, but looking at it with a touch of scrutiny reveals a lot of insight into why America’s basic infrastructure systems are failing and will not be maintained.

Charles Marohn
Debunking the "Slow and Incremental" Myth: The Key to Rapid Housing Growth
Strong Towns
Debunking the "Slow and Incremental" Myth: The Key to Rapid Housing Growth
Strong Towns

In this episode, Chuck discusses the common misbelief that an incremental approach to housing development is inherently slow, what that means for major cities, and how to make incremental housing more appealing to people who don’t want their neighborhoods to change.

Strong Towns
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Making City Budgeting More Participatory
Strong Towns
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Making City Budgeting More Participatory
Strong Towns

In this episode, host Tiffany Owens Reed is joined by Matt Harder, the founder of a participatory budgeting company, to discuss the importance of resident input on city budgets and the process of implementing a participatory method.

Strong Towns
Second Crash at Rochester Intersection Shows Need for Interim Safety Measures
Strong Towns
Second Crash at Rochester Intersection Shows Need for Interim Safety Measures
Strong Towns

While long-term safety initiatives like updating street design standards or starting a crash response team are important, they must be paired with immediate action. A recent crash in Rochester, New York, shows why.

Strong Towns
What Does It Mean When a Prank 60 Mph Sign Goes Unnoticed?
Strong Towns
What Does It Mean When a Prank 60 Mph Sign Goes Unnoticed?
Strong Towns

A mysterious plastic sign appeared on a Houston street, raising the speed limit to 60 mph — double the actual limit. Drivers didn’t seem to notice the difference.

Strong Towns
Bottom-Up Shorts: How This 4-Step Approach Can Transform Your Community
Strong Towns
Bottom-Up Shorts: How This 4-Step Approach Can Transform Your Community
Strong Towns

In this special episode of Bottom-Up Shorts, host Norm Van Eeden Petersman is joined by Edward Erfurt, chief technical advisor for Strong Towns, to discuss real-world examples of a transformative 4-step approach to public investment.

Strong Towns
Why Rochester, New York, Is a Leading Example in Crash Response
Ben Abramson
Why Rochester, New York, Is a Leading Example in Crash Response
Ben Abramson

After a fatal crash, Rochester citizens and officials got to work, identifying factors that contributed to the crash, updating street design policies to make streets safer, and establishing a Community Traffic Safety Team to address other dangerous factors before crashes occur.

Ben Abramson
Charles Marohn