The Suburban Experiment Has an 80-Year Head Start

The Suburban Experiment has an 80-year head start on us, but there’s an increasing number of people who recognize the many things they can do to correct it. Join this growing cohort of change-makers by becoming a member today.

Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Top StoryNorm Van Eeden PetersmanNovember 11, 2024advocacy, suburban experiment, development pattern, small bets, member week

“What Now?” How To Move From Awareness to Action as a Strong Towns Advocate

The Strong Towns movement is steadily progressing to the next phase of its mission. A substantial number of people are convinced of the principles behind the movement, and they want to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Here’s how to make the leap from building awareness to actually changing the default of North America’s built environment.

Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 12, 2024member week, advocacy, taking action, strong towns approach, development pattern

In the Name of Urbanism

A site in Asheville, NC, is subject to a new development proposal to build multi-family housing—and in today’s housing market, that should be a good thing. But is this development contributing to a larger problem?

Top StoryBilly CooneyAugust 14, 2023Incremental Housing, urbanism, auto-oriented, development pattern, density, urban3

Will America Ever Change Its Urban Patterns?

If there has ever been a good time to change our development pattern, the time is now.

Top StoryMarcelo RemondMay 30, 2023development pattern, suburban development pattern, traditional development pattern, urbanism, car culture, suburbs, suburban experiment

An Abandoned Downtown Equals a Pot of Gold?

Developers are starting to view downtown abandoned office buildings as easy cash—that is, if you can find the right sort of abandoned office.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 3, 2023podcast, developers, development pattern, downtown, redevelopment, upzoned

What a Real Estate Listing Can Tell You About a Strong Town

A real estate listing can be used as a roadmap to the attributes that Strong Towns advocates for: human-scale development, safe places to walk and bike, and responsive local government.

Top StoryBen AbramsonApril 4, 2023real estate, Incremental Housing, walkability, development pattern, safe and productive streets, home buyer, neighborhoods

Don’t Like Sprawl? Just Call It Something Else.

The state of Florida has a bold new strategy to eliminate the adverse effects of urban sprawl: Change the definition.

News, Top StoryBen AbramsonMarch 22, 2023sprawl, suburban development pattern, development pattern, urban planning, local government, florida

Making the Most of Your Transportation Options—And Getting Your Neighbors Onboard

White Flint, MD, presents a great case study for how a community can begin shifting the conversation on its transportation infrastructure and development pattern.

Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtMarch 17, 2023traditional development pattern, development pattern, suburban development pattern, traffic congestion, community engagement, maryland, safe and productive streets, development

A New Tool to Calculate the Lifecycle of Infrastructure

Calculating the 100-year lifecycle costs of new development shouldn’t be an obscure process, and the province of British Columbia, Canada, has created a tool to help its communities do exactly that.

Top StorySeairra JonesFebruary 23, 2023infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, maintenance, Incremental Housing, canada, development pattern, development

Revised Zoning Rules Make Minnesota City Legal Again

Zoning restrictions in this Minneapolis suburb have rendered much of its original development in violation of its current rules. The city’s leadership is looking to change that.

Top StoryBen AbramsonFebruary 9, 2023Incremental Housing, zoning, housing, development pattern, development, traditional development pattern, suburbs, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, minnesota

Parking, Pizza, and Apartments at the Mall

The way we build our neighborhoods in North America is nothing like making a pizza. But maybe it should be.

Michel Durand-WoodJanuary 31, 2023canada, development pattern, development, traditional development pattern, mixed use, incrementalism, resilience, Incremental Housing, neighborhoods

Recovering the Lost Art of Mixed-Use Development

Mixed-use development was once the norm in cities and towns, but most Americans no longer remember how it works. Here are 3 easy-to-understand forms that mixed use could (and should) take in your community.

Edward ErfurtEdward ErfurtDecember 2, 2022mixed use, development pattern, traditional development pattern, urban planning, development

Financial Fragility Is To Blame for Jackson’s Water Crisis

The Suburban Experiment is a bad business model, and nothing demonstrates that more clearly than Jackson, Mississippi’s, ongoing water crisis.

MarohnCharles MarohnSeptember 12, 2022infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, fragility, mississippi, development pattern, infrastructure cost, finance, suburban experiment, local economy, growth ponzi scheme

City Pattern, Life Pattern

Question: “Why don’t people dance in the street today?” Answer: Because the design of our cities shapes the design of our lives.

Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedJuly 28, 2022Street Design, design, urban design, development pattern, public space, community, car culture, neighborhoods

Don’t Pause the Gas Tax, Redirect It

Congressman Jake Auchincloss: "We don't need a gas tax holiday. We need a gas tax reset: an overhaul of how we approach transportation funding.”

Top StoryCongressman Jake AuchinclossJuly 25, 2022Congress, walkability, federal government, federal transportation bill, transportation, transportation spending, gas tax, development, development pattern, suburban experiment, transit, infrastructure

Water Wars in the Modern Wild West

Residents of Maricopa County in Arizona find themselves engaged in a war over water, as the county builds itself out beyond its means.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 13, 2022podcast, resource, water, Arizona, development pattern, suburban development pattern, environment, suburban experiment, upzoned, development

For Those Who Wish We’d Talk About Climate Change More

Progress on climate change can and will come if we use a bottom-up approach to changing our development pattern.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 13, 2022bottom-up, top-down, climate, Climate Change, environment, strong towns approach, development pattern

Suburban Design is a Tragedy of the Commons

We tend to choose larger homes than we want our neighbors to choose. The result: suburban-style development that doesn't match what people actually want from their communities.