Is your city leaping before it hops?

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedOctober 17, 2023incrementalism, incremental, small bets, local government

The Earliest Roots of the Suburban Experiment

This series of studies of 19th-century development in St. Paul, MN, can help us understand some of the earliest traces of what would later become the suburban development pattern.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 7, 2023traditional development pattern, Incremental Housing, incremental growth, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, history, suburbs, minnesota

The Incredible Expanding and Shrinking House (a Prototype)

What if, rather than having to move because of life changes, your house itself could change? We present to you THE architectural solution to this common problem: The Incredible Expanding and Shrinking House.

Top Story, TrendingMarlene DrukerJune 1, 2023housing, housing crisis, Incremental Housing, incremental, incrementalism, homeowners, home, home buyer

Gateway to Hell

A troubled project in Mission, KS, speaks to the problems with large, single-developer projects—but also why fixating on the "bad developer" narrative isn't necessarily helpful.

Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergFebruary 7, 2023small scale developers, small scale development, development, developers, incremental, Incremental Housing, incrementalism, incremental development

Who Does it Take to (Physically) Build a Neighborhood?

If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes a whole community to build a building. The small-scale developers of South Bend, IN, are showing how to do just that—and do it successfully in the long term.

Herriges, Top Story, Community StoriesDaniel HerrigesFebruary 1, 2023Incremental Housing, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, developers, development, small scale developers, small scale development, indiana

Maximum Impact and a Low Price Tag: Putting Paint and Planters to Work in Edmond, OK

Over the course of a Sunday afternoon, this Strong Towns member created a simple and achievable plan to transform a local street—all on a small budget!

Norm Van Eeden PetersmanNorman Van Eeden PetersmanNovember 3, 2022tactical urbanism, urban design, design, member story, oklahoma, success stories, incremental, incrementalism, local business, safe and productive streets

The Suburbs Are a “One-Life-Cycle” Product

A recent CNBC documentary features Strong Towns insights from Charles Marohn about why suburban development is so risky.

Top StoryRachel QuednauSeptember 20, 2022suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, suburbs, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, Incremental Housing, housing cost, housing, housing affordability, housing crisis

New Tools To Visualize How Your City Could Benefit From Incremental Development

The American Enterprise Institute has released some impressive—and free—data tools for understanding housing markets and development potential. And as a bonus, attend their upcoming talks if you’re in California!

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesSeptember 16, 2022housing, housing crisis, incrementalism, incremental development, incremental, Incremental Housing, walkability, events, event, maps, california

Letting Ugly Things Grow

If you value the end state of a walkable, diverse, dynamic place with a lot of local character, then you must also value the process that gets you there.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesSeptember 7, 2022urban design, urbanism, aesthetics, ecology, incremental growth, incrementalism, incremental

We Often Don’t Think About Design—But It Tells Us How To Think

Design affects us in a multitude of ways, and when we look to nature as inspiration for designing the built environment, the core takeaways are: adaptation and incrementalism.

Top StorySeairra JonesAugust 9, 2022design, urban design, Neighborhood Design, aesthetics, incrementalism, incremental, incremental development, incremental growth, zoning, traditional development pattern

Spokane Opens the Door for Middle Housing Expansion

Last week, the city council of Spokane, WA, voted on a truly “bold, transformational package” that will allow for more forms of missing-middle housing and infill development in the city.

Top StoryJay StangeJuly 27, 2022housing, zoning, missing middle, city council, local government, infill, Infill Development, Incremental Housing, incrementalism, incremental, success stories, washington

Incremental Development and Mass Construction

Strong Towns founding member Seth Zeren stopped by the Mass Construction podcast recently for a conversation on incremental development, New Urbanism, and the Strong Towns movement.

Podcast, Top StoryJay StangeJuly 25, 2022construction, podcast, guest podcast, incrementalism, incremental, Incremental Development Alliance, Congress for the New Urbanism

Oak Tree Road and the Second Life Cycle Blues

Small-scale, incremental development works in the suburbs too, if we let it.

Top StoryAddison Del MastroJuly 21, 2022immigrants, immigration, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, strip malls, suburbs, suburban development pattern, second life cycle, suburban experiment, new jersey

Local Control or Centralized Planning? There’s a Third Answer.

The problems with "community input" are many and obvious. One misguided response is to favor more top-down policy making, simply overriding the objections of local "NIMBYs." But there is a third way.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 29, 2022localism, local government, local regulation, bottom-up, top-down, strong towns approach, incremental, incrementalism, Small Change, small bets, urban planning

This “Homegrown Project” Offers a Place To Thrive for Small Business Owners

These pop-up shops in Berwyn, IL, are a great example of how communities can provide low-cost, low-risk spaces for local business owners to get their foot in the door.

Top StorySeairra JonesJune 14, 2022pop-up, small business, local business, incremental, incrementalism, business, localism, small bets, success stories, illinois

Legalizing Incremental Change—Everywhere—To Meet America’s Housing Needs

For too long, our housing policy has put investor returns and macroeconomic goals over the universal human need for shelter. The Strong Towns approach to incremental housing is a badly needed corrective.

Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 9, 2022housing, housing affordability, housing crisis, housing cost, housing activism, housing policy, housing market, incrementalism, incremental, incremental development, Incremental Housing, member week

Herriges Rezoned: A City Shaped by Many Hands

Incrementalism is not an end in itself. Nor is it about a “small-is-beautiful” aesthetic for its own sake. Instead, it’s a practical pathway toward resilient, financially sound places.