Bring the Strong Towns Community Action Lab to Your Area in 2024
Will the next two years be a big turning point in your community?
The Strong Towns Community Action Lab team is ready to work with your local leaders, municipal staff, and area residents to spark the bottom-up, incremental change that will have a lasting impact on your community.
Bring your town together for 24 months of coaching, training, and impactful public events.
If your community is selected to host a Community Action Lab, you’ll see local advocates, elected officials, and municipal staff team up with Strong Towns to dig deep and address the thorny issues your city faces. The two-year agenda includes professional training, public engagement processes, communications support, and custom-designed educational materials.
“This program is what so many communities have asked Strong Towns to do to help them set a course for revitalization and prosperity, and we're honored to answer the request for the second year,” says Director of Community Action Edward Erfurt.
Applications Are Now Open
Applications are now open for five cities and towns to host the 2024–2025 Community Action Lab!
Applicants will be selected based on the strength of the community’s commitment to the Community Action Lab process and capacity to bring local resources together to take meaningful action together.
Applications will close on August 1, 2023.
Webinar: Your Chance To Learn More
UPDATED: A Community Action Lab introductory webinar took place on Thursday, June 15, at 3 p.m. CT to provide a briefing about the program and the many benefits of signing on.
The Zoom webinar is intended for local residents, municipal staff, community leaders, and anyone who is interested in exploring this great opportunity to work closely with Strong Towns team members to make a difference where you live.
The recording is now available and consists of an initial presentation followed by an extended Q&A session.
What Do I Need To Apply?
To apply, community leaders and municipal staff must work together to submit an application that will require you to explain:
The top three challenges your community is facing.
An overview of the projects your community has undertaken to address some of its key struggles.
A description of the extent to which you feel your community shares a vision for its future.
The community partners you will work with for this project.
The preliminary plan for structuring the management of this project (e.g., Will the project be spearheaded by a mayor, city council, city administrator, etc.?).
Applications submitted with municipal government involvement will be scored higher.
An overview of your relationship with local leadership. Applications submitted with support from numerous stakeholders will be scored higher.
A general estimate of your local staff’s data-analysis tools and capacity to retrieve information and documentation about your community's finances, budget, and infrastructure.
A preliminary description of how the program fee (ranging between $175,000 and $200,000, depending on the community) will be funded. Applications submitted with a clear funding plan (e.g., special projects fund, community foundation sponsorship, etc.) will be scored higher.
Who Can Apply?
Completed applications will require the input of a considerable number of local partners, including your municipality, community organizations, and local residents. This is a team effort, but we encourage you to have your municipal staff submit the application. In communities where a Strong Towns Local Conversation group exists (check here), we encourage you to showcase that partnership in your application, as this is a great indicator of your community’s readiness to be an Action Lab host community.
What Happens Next?
Applications will be reviewed as they are being submitted. Our selection team will contact you to arrange a zoom call to discuss your community’s readiness for the program and to answer any questions you may still have. At the selection team’s discretion, a second call may be scheduled that will include Strong Towns leadership as well as leaders from your community who will be involved in the project.
You will hear from us with a final decision on your application by September 1. Successful applicants will work with Action Team Coordinator Tony Harris to lay the groundwork for a January 2024 launch!
Are You Ready?
Are you ready to change the conversation from the typical disputes about parking, pay raises, and potholes? Do you see great potential for bottom-up change that will unleash the countless gifts of residents to fuel lasting prosperity and resilience?
Take action today to bring a team together to prepare an application. We can’t wait to kick off your city or town’s Community Action Lab in January!
In Their Words
Community members are saying:
“We knew their message would stimulate several important discussions in our community about our future and we saw that happen throughout our event. In a moment in time where most communities face increasing liabilities and diminishing resources, the ability to take a fresh look at our approaches to growth and infrastructure is critical.”
“Chuck Marohn changes the way you see your city. For weeks after hearing his talk, I couldn’t look at a city block without thinking about his ideas.”
“I live in a community that stands to benefit from a lot of these ideas and I can’t thank you enough for putting vocabulary to the solutions, and working to make better public spaces the norm, rather than the exception.”