In this episode, host Norm Van Eeden Petersman is joined by Ken Kunka, a consultant and coach for small-scale developers, to talk about the ways he helps people build stronger communities.
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Local governments often use terms that downplay, minimize or obscure the severity of a situation. While this isn’t a malicious or even conscious decision, using language that is inaccurate or that the general population doesn’t understand makes it very difficult to build a strong town.
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You can’t call something an accident if you’re not doing anything to prevent it. You definitely can’t call it an accident if you intentionally put people in harm’s way through the design of your streets and the positioning of your infrastructure.
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I’d rather smother a boot in gravy and eat it than deal with a labyrinth of city regulations, procedures and fees. Loopholes are a great way to avoid that. Here are three loopholes to help you move forward when your project is running up against a bureaucratic nightmare
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For a city, being in good financial condition isn't just about having good reporting practices and not defaulting on debt payments. It's about fulfilling responsibilities and providing a good quality of life to residents.
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In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck takes a look at a recent fatal car crash that took place in Ontario, and the response from local law enforcement on Twitter/X.
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Winnipeg, Manitoba’s new transportation plan uses all the right words to seem like it’s prioritizing maintenance and multimodal transit, but its funding allocation tells a very different story.
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Detached cottages and additional residential units are becoming legal in many places, but zoning laws and design decisions can stop people from building. Resimate seeks to solve that, performing instant analyses of lots and helping customers purchase a variety of eligible designs from small-scale developers.
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Biking 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.
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Highway expansion projects have a devastating impact of city finances while only providing minor benefits. This case study explores the financial details of a highway expansion project in Winnipeg, Canada, and discusses how people can take action to stop this kind of project.
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Once a city acknowledges that it can’t afford maintain its infrastructure, it’ll change its investment pattern to be more resilient….right? Actually, many cities try to make more money magically appear so they can continue that pattern. Here’s why “How do we get more money?” is the wrong question and what cities should be asking, instead.
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Car-sharing gives people the perks of a private vehicle without the hassles of owning one, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Here's how urbanists can use this car-rental model to strengthen their communities.
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When fighting the housing crisis, you need to get creative. Toronto is doing just that. Not only have they created a partnership between public officials and private developers, but they’ve also identified a valuable urban resource that often flies under the development radar: transit property.
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As prices rise, housing affordability has become an increasingly popular topic of discussion across North America. However, in our current system, affordable housing is an oxymoron: Housing is treated as an investment, and good investments constantly increase in price. To escape this paradox, we must change the way we think about housing.
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In 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.
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Who would go cycling in snowy conditions, in a city with a 764-foot-high hill right in the middle of it? Montrealers, and the city’s bikeshare program has the stats to prove it.
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And whatever you do, don’t repeat Canada’s mistake.
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Downtowns are the symbolic heart and soul of a city, and the economic center, writes Emma Durand-Wood. To build a resilient one, you need diversity in housing, jobs, shops, services, and more.
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When trees get cut down to make way for new development, it can raise people’s hackles. But here’s why we can embrace both infill development and still care about our urban trees.
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A collection of historic photos helped this advocate show how urban renewal marred his hometown, and left an inhospitable mess in its wake.
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