Find Your Connection in the Strong Towns Movement

Reading a Strong Towns article or listening to a podcast is a great start toward becoming an advocate for your city or town. It’s a spark that ignites exploration and yearning to make your community more economically resilient. But what’s next?

For many people, the next step has to be finding others who share their vision. The great news is that like-minded people are out there. You’re not alone in your desire for a safer neighborhood or a city where every family can prosper.

(Source: Strong Towns.)

My colleague John has spent the last several months talking with Strong Towns “Local Conversation” leaders—folks who have stepped up to form groups with their neighbors to discuss and act on Strong Towns issues. The stories John has heard in his chats with these leaders are truly inspiring. We’ve learned from you all that once you connect with people around you, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish together.

From California to Georgia, you guys are fighting wasteful highway projects with your neighbors, and winning that battle. You’re conducting value per acre analyses together to show what sort of development will truly make your town prosperous. You’re collaborating on campaigns to get Strong Towns members elected to city council—with dozens in office today. The list goes on.

Change doesn’t happen with one person. It takes a group working together.

That’s why we’ve created lots of ways for you to reach out and get connected to fellow Strong Towns advocates in your area. The biggest one in our Local Conversations map. Here you’ll find dozens of local groups across the country, getting together to learn about and take action with a Strong Towns approach. So many of you are on that map already, and have used it to find fellow Strong Towns advocates where you live.

If your city’s not on the map yet, we’ve got lots of resources so you can form a Local Conversation group of your own. We’re ready to help you get started.

We’ve also got a new initiative we’ve been rolling out over the last few months, based on feedback from you all, that I’m excited to share: Today, when you become a member, you’ll get invited to a special welcome conversation (via Zoom) with the opportunity to connect to fellow members who care about Strong Towns just like you—from all across the country. So even if you don’t have 10 advocates waiting to step up in your neighborhood, there’s a community of people standing with you virtually, to share ideas and provide support.

There are so many ways to plug into the Strong Towns movement and connection is a key part of that. We need your collaborative approach to bring people together and build strong towns. 

And we need your support to provide these resources and spur these connections forward. Join the movement today—or, if you had a membership that’s now expired, then we welcome you to reactivate it. Reach beyond yourself and find thousands of advocates who believe in strong towns and are working to build them right now. Become a member.

(Cover image source: Unsplash.)