Top 5 Recent Stories (September 23-September 27)

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1. The Case that Short-Term Rentals Actually Make Our Neighborhoods Strong

by Kea Wilson | September 25, 2019

What if Airbnb—maligned by urbanists everywhere—didn’t have to be part of the problem, but could rather be part of the solution for making our neighborhoods stronger, more adaptable, and more resilient? Drawing both from personal experience and historical precedent, a Strong Towns staffer makes just that case. Note: This is Part Two of a two-part series. Part One, which also would have been in our Top 5, can be read here.

2. The Strong Towns Approach to Public Investment

by Charles Marohn | September 23, 2019

The best financial investments our cities can make are those that humbly respond to how people struggle.

3. James Howard Kunstler: It’s All Going to Have to Get Smaller

by Strong Towns | September 23, 2019

James Howard Kunstler discusses why people are afraid of change, why technology won’t save us, and how to live well (by living small) amidst “the Long Emergency.”

4. Statewide Rent Control: Solution or Distraction?

by Strong Towns | September 20, 2019

California recently passed a statewide rent control bill. Will it protect tenants, alleviate the housing crisis, and strengthen communities? Or is it another massive #california intervention that will do little to clean up the mess made by the LAST massive intervention?

5. The Problem with Drive-By Urbanism

by Ace Houston | September 19, 2019

Fast-growing Austin is at a crossroads. Officials there are weighing the adoption of a new land development code. Will the city settle for the status quo—drive-by urbanism and a code that doesn’t adequately address the need for more housing? Or can something better emerge?

Top photo via Alex Block.