Here’s how advocates in Omaha, Nebraska, got their Department of Public Works to complete a quick-build street safety project so fast that “it felt like waving a magic wand.” (Hint: Find out if your community has a business improvement district, stat.)
Read MoreBuild a bipartisan coalition. Launch a pilot project. Speak to the core issues facing your community. That’s how Spokane, Washington, was able to eliminate costly parking mandates. Here's the full story.
Read MoreWe’ve assembled a guide to three towns and cities of varying sizes that have recently revised their parking regulations. That way, when you decide to pursue parking reform in your own community, you can use them as examples of how parking reform strengthens cities.
Read MoreSince enacting broad housing reforms in 2019, Durham, North Carolina, has been experiencing an explosion of missing-middle housing and housing affordability. Here are the main reforms the city enacted and how they're helping it fight the housing crisis.
Read MoreAn artist is on a mission to paint 50 murals in 50 small towns, and it’s changing way more than just blank walls. Cheyenne Renee's project is sparking conversations, connecting communities and helping revitalize struggling downtowns.
Read MoreBiking infrastructure is important to building a thriving biking culture, but it isn’t everything. Community members can make cycling more accessible and appealing in other ways, too. Here are some of the ways Winnipeg, Manitoba, is doing it.
Read MoreParking reform isn't just about eliminating spaces; it's about unlocking a city's potential. From spurring development to enabling affordable housing, parking reform can benefit many people in diverse ways. Anchorage, Alaska, is experiencing this firsthand.
Read MoreWorking with your local engineers and transportation officials can be challenging. How do you collaborate with people who are often responsible for the bad infrastructure in your place? One successful group focuses on bringing positivity and concrete suggestions to the conversation.
Read MoreFrom a dangerous transportation system to a development pattern that siphons wealth instead of building it, people who are trying to build stronger towns face many daunting challenges. The good news is that they’re rising to the occasion. Here are a few examples of how people really can change the world one block, neighborhood or city at a time.
Read MoreBeing an advocate for safer, more resilient cities means going up against big obstacles and decades of momentum. It can seem overwhelming, but change is already happening across North America. Here’s how local heroes are making their cities stronger.
Read MoreNorth America is facing two widespread crises at the same time: housing and loneliness. This group is proving that cohousing might be the solution to both.
Read MoreHow do you get more people to ride bicycles? This is a question that plagues every cycling enthusiast, advocate and industry member. Bob Giordano of Missoula, Montana, has a simple answer: Give them a bike.
Read MoreHabitat for Humanity offers a wide range of programs to help people become homeowners, giving the organization a unique perspective on the housing crisis. Strong Towns sat down with two representatives to learn about this perspective, including how Habitat is handling high building costs and why Habitat owners participate in the construction of their homes.
Read MoreWhen COVID-19 put her career on pause, opera singer Ally Smither found a new passion: fighting highway expansion.
Read MoreTrying to decide on your next smallest step? Chances are, your city already has systems in place to address infrastructure concerns. Strong Towns member Danny Williams demonstrates how you can use those systems to produce positive change.
Read MoreEconomic productivity, cost-effectiveness and safety: stroads fail at all three. Advocates in Port Huron, Michigan, are working to make their city recognize that, so they can turn the dangerous Huron Avenue into a thriving community center.
Read MoreAt 75, she didn’t think she’d spend her time fighting freeways, but that’s exactly where Susan Graham finds herself. Founder of Stop TxDOT I-45, Graham has been fighting highway expansion in Houston for almost five years — and she’s nowhere near done. (Get to know Graham before she brings her knowledge to the national stage at the Strong Towns National Gathering, May 14-15!)
Read MoreLike many U.S. towns, Maumee, OH, has a state highway that cuts through their Uptown. For decades, it’s been known as a dangerous road…but no longer: the city is taking back its streets and making them places for people, not cars.
Read MoreIn 2015, Edmonton, a city of 1 million situated in the Canadian Prairies of Alberta, was the first city in the country to adopt Vision Zero—and they’ve taken that adoption seriously.
Read MoreLocal activists in Selma, NC, started small, but they’ve grown into a coalition of citizens, civic groups, and city leaders striving to improve housing, transportation, and the local economy.
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