4 Hopeful Takeaways From Hosting The Bottom-Up Revolution Podcast

Growing up, I never got into celebrities. As a homeschooled teenager, I read more historical fiction than People magazine and spent my free time writing my own stories, translating texts out of Latin, and running my own business with my siblings. 

But I have still had my freak-out-fan-girl moments. The first was probably when I served Leonardo di Caprio at a French café where I worked in Manhattan. The second, when I spied Greta Gerwig sharing a table with me at Stumptown coffee by Washington Square Park. And the third was when my phone rang and it was Charles Marohn on the other end.

Like I said, I don’t really have celebrities. I don’t follow trends or get into “in-groups” around TV shows or pop stars. But when I found Strong Towns several years ago, I had the feeling I imagine some people have when they find such in-groups. I had been roaming the internet wilderness for several years looking for an ideological home where I could settle and plant some perspectival roots. 

I was happy to quietly browse the site, read articles, quote the plethora of insights you can find here and direct other people to the Strong Towns way, but I never imagined more than that. Does a Swiftie ever imagine being invited up on stage, let alone becoming a back-up singer? Well, that’s what it felt like as I talked to Chuck and that’s what it’s felt like these past few years as I’ve written articles, produced columns and then, beginning this past summer, started hosting The Bottom-Up Revolution. 

This was another “whoa” moment… I had to read the email four or five times to make sure I was reading it correctly. And honestly, every episode since then has felt similar: how lucky am I that I get to learn from people who are out there in their communities working to make them better? Making the jump from knowing to acting isn’t easy and these individuals are showing how it’s done. As I wrapped up my writing for 2023, I thought it would be fun to share some insights I’ve learned from the past few months of podcast hosting. I couldn’t include every guest, so this is just a sample. To get the real scoop, you’ll just have to go back and listen!

Lesson #1: The tactical approach can be good, but collaborating with city staff and officials is possible.

Sometimes it can be discouraging to advocate for change in our communities out of fear of pushback that we might receive from city staff and elected officials. But talking to Gary Oddi, Noah Tang, and Alisha Loch convinced me that while it might be necessary in many cases to roll up your sleeves and “Do It Your Damn Self,” it’s also possible to collaborate. 

In Temecula, California, Gary Oddi has been able to infiltrate official conversations about transit and bring greater awareness to the needs of bikers and pedestrians by building a vocal coalition of bike-loving voters whom elected leaders realized they should take seriously. “The way I see it is you have to have a coalition of people who can show they are powerful to those who are in power.” Alish Loch and the neighbors involved with Norwood Together have established community events that help local officials and residents communicate more effectively in Norwood, Ohio. And through his Local Conversation group in Bloomington, Illinois, Noah Tang is reorienting how city staffers think about the value of incremental housing. 

For someone who is attracted more to the tactical urbanism method, it was good to be reminded of the value of collaborating with the more “official” way of doing things and to hear stories of how city leaders are embracing new ideas. 

Lesson #2: Teens and children have something to offer and are worth our investment.

One of my earliest conversations was with Barry Greene, Jr. from Charlotte, North Carolina, who runs Density Dads, a Substack dedicated to exploring urban issues from the perspective of parents and children. “A safer environment for our children is a safer environment for everyone,” he says. Children are the most vulnerable residents in our cities, yet the ones whose perspective is often considered least—if at all. They are also the ones least able to make their perspectives known. “They're not able to tell this is an uncomfortable stroller or a nice ride in the backseat,” Greene pointed out. 

Thinking about how city design affects kids is not just an investment in them or ourselves, but also in our future. Dustin LaFont from Front Yard Bikes in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tries to push back against the idea that teens will only be able to give back one day when they’re older. “I kick against that… They have a great value right now to be contributors to make our community better today.” LaFont and Front Yard Bikes has worked with more than 3,000 youth now and seen along the way how learning to fix and ride bikes at his shop has influenced how they engage with the world, with their peers and their friends. “They’re worthwhile to be engaged, poured into, invested in, because the return will be immediate.” 

Lesson #3: Sometimes, all you need are pancakes.

One of the most dynamic conversations I had this year was with Scott Jones from We Love Long Beach, during which we discussed my favorite topic of all time: social capital and its importance to building thriving cities. We Love Long Beach was born when Jones and his sister realized they didn’t know any of their neighbors. They pushed against their fear of strangers, printed flyers and invited neighbors to pancake breakfasts. 

Fifty people showed up to the first one. “A neighbor gave me a hug…I think it was the first time I had hugged a neighbor,” Jones recalled. One hundred people showed up to the second and a few months later, 500 people came to the neighborhood barbecue they hosted. “At that moment we were like, this is incredible, this is powerful. There was no police or government behind it. It was just a neighbor-to-neighbor invitation that you could tell people were longing for…this sense of belonging and relationship.” 

Recognizing they had tapped into a real need, Jones and his sister used a $10,000 grant they won to host neighborhood breakfasts in neighborhoods all around the city. After a few years of trial, error, and fatigue, they eventually configured it into a nonprofit that helps neighbors host their own events to connect with each other, rather than relying on Jones to do it for them. Today, We Love Long Beach is making a huge impact in terms of helping neighbors connect with each other through clubs and year-round events, but it required taking steps against resistance and fear and being willing to start with something small. 

Lesson #4: You don’t have to be in the spotlight to contribute to the mission.

At first glance, you might not think that hosting a public speaking club is doing much to improve one’s city, but for Jennifer Gaughran, it’s a way of contributing to the Strong Towns mission that aligns with her more introverted temperament, her strengths and interests. After going through the Toastmasters group to improve her own public speaking, Gaughran launched a virtual club for folks wanting to do the same, but with a Strong Towns twist. The group is pretty new but already seeing success—members are having a hard time making it to meetings because they’re now so involved in their cities. 

So often, people think of meaningful city engagement as energetic, front-lines advocacy, but for some of us, it can also unfold in a more behind-the-scenes fashion, whether that’s supporting more frontline local heroes, attending to neighbors who may be lonely, or helping design and print flyers for a meeting. The key is to identify your strengths and weaknesses and take on opportunities that align with them. 

It can be hard to feel optimistic as I shuttle across town back and forth in a car, reluctantly participating in the rational monopoly that I despise so much. But these stories remind me that there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful for our towns and cities. It might be small, but the revolution is happening.

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