Building a Stronger Harrisonburg, One Small Step at a Time
“I had every intention of nominating Harrisonburg for the Strongest Town Contest this past weekend,” Brent Finnegan wrote on his blog, The Friendly City Urbanist, on February 17.
A lifelong advocate, former Harrisonburg Planning Commissioner, and a member of the city’s Ordinance Advisory Committee since 2020, Finnegan clearly loves his Virginia city of 51,000. But as he worked through the nomination form, he couldn’t help but dwell on where Harrisonburg fell short.
On the issue of mandatory parking minimums, for example, he saw a major flaw: The city requires developers to include a minimum number of parking spaces for almost every type of new development or redevelopment. When it came to incremental development, he conceded that the city scored a zero in HousingForward Virginia’s ADU playbook. “Unless or until we change our zoning and subdivision ordinances to prioritize housing for people over temporary car storage, we are not what I would consider a strong town,” Finnegan wrote.
Each question in the nomination form reinforced the same conclusion—Harrisonburg wasn’t quite ready to compete. However, there was always hope for the future: “If we can address parking mandates, mixed-use development, and by-right incremental housing … Harrisonburg could be a good candidate for America’s Strongest Town next year.”
But the Strongest Town Contest isn’t a pageant for towns that have “figured it out.” No place is perfect, and no city has “arrived.” The towns that rise in this contest are the ones willing to examine their weaknesses, engage their communities, and commit to doing better. They recognize that strength isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about asking the right questions and taking small, meaningful steps toward a more prosperous future.
The contest is for towns like Harrisonburg, where people like Finnegan are interrogating the norms that have trapped Harrisonburg in a pattern of growth that is no longer serving the town. On February 18, barely 24 hours after his original post, Finnegan reversed his stance. “Harrisonburg is becoming a strong town,” he declared.
He submitted his nomination. A month later, Harrisonburg advanced to the Final Four of the Strongest Town Contest.
Harrisonburg Is Becoming a Strong Town
Finnegan’s change of heart came after a reader reminded him of just how much progress Harrisonburg has made. Yes, parking mandates still exist—but the city lifted off-street parking requirements in its downtown central business district, a step many cities have yet to take. Its 2040 comprehensive plan isn’t perfect, but neighboring towns could learn a lot from Harrisonburg’s ambitions.
Beyond policy, there’s an undeniable sense of local pride and momentum. “For example, 13 years ago, I was one of 150 local residents that packed the council chambers in support of building the city’s first shared-use path, the Northend Greenway,” Finnegan wrote in his follow-up post. “Now the city has three paved trails.”
The pace of change may not be as fast as some would like, but there’s no denying that Harrisonburg is putting its principles into action:
A newly installed crosswalk and stop lines are improving safety in a neighborhood where residents have long raised concerns about speeding.
The redevelopment of the “Bird District” is a strong example of adaptive reuse and mixed-use development in a place with no off-street parking minimums.
The city recently launched a new process to sell surplus city-owned land to spur residential development.
And every summer, the Best.Weekend.Ever festival temporarily closes downtown streets to car traffic, replacing them with families, artists and vendors. “Traffic-restricted festivals like this can help us re-imagine what and who our streets are for,” Finnegan underscored.
Harrisonburg’s story is exactly why the Strongest Town Contest exists—not to crown a winner among perfect cities, but to highlight places that are learning, adapting, and taking steps toward a stronger future.
Feeling Inspired? Vote for Harrisonburg in the Strongest Town Contest!
Harrisonburg is competing for the title of Strongest Town 2025. They’re only one round away from the championship match, up against three other cities:
Asia (pronounced “ah-sha”) Mieleszko serves as a Staff Writer for Strong Towns. A dilettante urbanist since adolescence, she's excited to convert a lifetime of ad-hoc volunteerism into a career. Her unconventional background includes directing a Ukrainian folk choir, pioneering synaesthetic performances, photographing festivals, designing websites, teaching, and ghostwriting. She can be found wherever Wi-Fi is reliable, typically along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.