You’ve heard of YIMBYs and NIMBYs, but have you heard of YIGBYs? The “Yes In God’s Backyard” movement focuses on leveraging land owned by religious institutions to alleviate the housing crisis.
Read MoreChurches 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.
Read MoreSara Joy Proppe is the founder and director of Proximity Project, a consultancy that helps churches discover how they can use placemaking to connect with the local community.
Read MoreParishioners of a historic church in Detroit want to develop eight vacant blocks with missing-middle housing to build a church-centered community.
Read MoreUp to one-third of all houses of worship in the United States will have closed over the next few years. What will we do with the spaces they leave behind?
Read MoreThis bicycling pastor’s new book offers valuable advice for any Strong Towns advocate—religious or otherwise.
Read MoreWhat are some of the practical ways that faith communities can contribute to healthy economic ecosystems?
Read MoreHow do we build vibrant local economies that are good for the people who actually live in a neighborhood?
Read MoreBoth urban and suburban places of worship have opportunities to stir the recovery of social gathering places in our communities. Here’s how.
Read MoreStrong Towns advocates and faith communities both want to create neighborhoods with vibrant economies that benefit everyone. A good place to begin working together is around walkability.
Read MoreThis congregation launched a non-profit organization to help its neighbors—not as an act of benevolence for them, but in solidarity with them.
Read MoreIn 2022’s inaugural Strong Towns Podcast episode, Chuck interviews Tim Soerens, author and co-founder of the Parish Collective.
Read MoreIt’s hard to meaningfully engage with the poor when everything about our cities is designed to steer us away from them.
Read MoreIn some places, houses of worship have formed interfaith coalitions, and do valuable work on social justice issues—but what if they also addressed issues of economics and place?
Read MoreWhat if religious congregations are the “sleeping giant” of the Strong Towns movement?
Read MoreTiffany Owens is helping people open their eyes, put down their phones, and truly see their cities.
Read MoreHow churches are pushing back against the “cult of speed” and working with neighbors to weave a fabric of care in their communities.
Read MoreFaith communities have a unique and indispensable role in building stronger, more prosperous, and more resilient places. It’s easy to get started.
Read MoreThere are many entry points to the Strong Towns conversation. For our content manager, it was asking big questions about how our cities’ development patterns can either bring people together or keep them apart.
Read MoreChris Arnade’s Dignity is a striking look into the faces of “back row” America—the poor, the homeless, the addicted, the forgotten. And it’s a challenge to us as a society to design policies that respond to their needs and values.
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