Building Strong Towns in Southern California
“Genuine, rich diversity of the built environment is always the product of many, many different minds…”
One of the most frequent requests we get here at Strong Towns is for us to go deep on issues being faced by particular areas of the United States and Canada. We’re sometimes able to do that on our site and in our podcasts. But what we’ve found is that there is nothing quite as powerful as convening in one location a group of people who share a common passion for their common place.
It is for this reason that we are excited to announce that early-bird registration is now open for both members and non-members for our Southern California Regional Gathering.
This regional gathering will bring the power of Strong Towns to bear on the issues facing Southern California communities. By “the power of Strong Towns” we don’t just mean our formal organization (staff, resources, etc.) but the growing movement of people in Southern California dedicated to making their communities stronger, more resilient, and better connected.
In other words, you.
This regional gathering in Santa Ana will convene local leaders at all levels of government, neighborhood activism and the built environment professions. It’s a rare opportunity to connect with a dynamic and diverse group of Strong Citizens, and to learn alongside neighbors from across your region and beyond professional silos.
There’s a lot of information about the regional gathering here, but here’s a brief summary of the schedule:
Wednesday, December 4th: Evening, pre-gathering kickoff Strong America presentation at the Frida Cinema in Santa Ana. Regional gathering attendees are guaranteed a spot.
Thursday, December 5th: Discussions with Chuck Marohn and the rest of the Strong Towns team on the basics of the Strong Towns approach and how it applies to issues facing Southern California, as well as a roundtable discussion on the pros and cons of redevelopment agencies. There is also the opportunity to join Chuck and director Giorgio Angelini for Q&A and a screening of the documentary film Owned: A Tale of Two Americas.
Friday, December 6th: A hands-on workshop that will help you create an action plan on a specific problem facing your community. (Space is limited, so apply here.)
For more information on how to secure your place for the gathering, check out our event page:
Something special is unfolding in Southern California. We’re so excited that we get to be a part of it.
We hope to see you in Santa Ana!