Katy Clagett is a commercial real estate appraiser and activist. She joins the podcast today to talk about the ways that bottom-up projects can build community, as well as her experiences with spearheading this kind of project.
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Norm Van Eeden Petersman is the director of membership and development at Strong Towns. He joins today’s episode to discuss his work and share an exciting update about the future of The Bottom-Up Revolution.
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When trying to make a space more active and vibrant, many people focus on its individual design elements. The Musicant Group takes a slightly different approach, focusing on building strong relationships between the design elements. Here are six design relationships they recommend fostering.
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At the Table is a podcast that discusses how community-based ministries can contribute to the common good, and they recently invited Strong Towns President Charles Marohn to appear on an episode. Up for discussion: the Suburban Experiment and the role of religious institutions in community development.
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When buildings burn down or fall into disrepair, they can leave gaps in a city, especially if no one wants or is able to rebuild. But that space doesn't need to go to waste. Here's 19 ways you can turn a roofless building or empty lot into a productive community hub.
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Jane Jacobs identified four key ingredients for good urban settings: compact development, varied buildings, mixed uses and short blocks. Here's why these ingredients are important and how certain regions in the U.S. might face more difficulty in implementing them than others.
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Block parties are more than just fun gatherings — they can be powerful tools for building stronger communities. Here’s why a block party could be just what your neighborhood needs.
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An 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.
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Philadelphia's Porchfest festival showcases the vibrant community spirit of West Philly, and residents proved the endurance of that spirit last month. After the city refused to close streets to car traffic, residents did so themselves to keep festival attendees safe. Admirable, but it should never have been necessary.
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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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Churches occupy an awkward spot in the parking debate. Their parking lots are necessary, but only a couple of times a week. Otherwise, the lots sit empty, wasting valuable land. How can churches and cities handle this problem? Here are three possibilities.
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The lament, “There’s nothing to do here,” might sound like teenage grumbling, but there may be more wisdom to it than meets the ear. Maybe we should look at our cities through the lens of organic social activities, both because they're enjoyable and because it gives us a chance to reconsider our values and the relationship between our design choices and our community’s social life.
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Public art can do more than add personality and beauty to a space — it can change the way people behave, bring the community together and avoid the resistance other changes to city policy face. It’s time to stop overlooking this powerful and accessible tool and start making our towns stronger, one bucket of paint at a time.
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The era of corner stores and mom-and-pop shops has mostly come to an end, with modern zoning codes strictly segregating commercial and residential areas. But a return to the mixed-use model might be just what we need to empower entrepreneurs and strengthen people's sense of community.
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And it begins with just showing up!
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In 2018, a group of concerned citizens met in a South Dakota coffee shop to talk about their city’s problems. Now, they’re working with a $100k budget for small-scale—but big-impact—projects in their community.
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Sometimes, building connections with your neighbors is as simple as hosting a block party.
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Being a Strong Towns advocate is less intimidating, more effective, and, frankly, more fun when you’re not doing the work alone. Find a Local Conversation near you!
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Five local Strong Towns groups launched last week. Is one of them near you?
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Many people have a love-hate relationship with Facebook, but we can’t deny that it’s an effective place to connect with fellow advocates.
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