This week on High Value, tensions come to a head as High Value representative Brad Riese make his case for bringing the big-box store to Chippewa Falls.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigMay 20, 2022High Value series, series

High Value, Chapter 11: First Public Hearing

This week on High Value, tensions rise as the Chippewa Lakes planning commission begin their first official round of battle over the proposal for a new High Value grocery store.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigMay 13, 2022High Value series, series

High Value, Chapter 10: Brendon Klein

This week in High Value, Brendon Klein gets the news that his family’s grocery store may be in peril.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigMay 6, 2022High Value series, series

High Value, Chapter 9: Nancy Hjerne

This week in High Value, Hjerne prepares to do battle at the upcoming planning commission meeting.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigApril 29, 2022High Value series, series

High Value, Chapter 8: The Official Notice

This week in High Value, the Chippewa Lakes Journal fails at being journalistic, and Keith Nair struggles at understanding his colleagues.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigFebruary 25, 2022High Value series, series

High Value, Chapter 7: Ashley Bare

This week in High Value, Ashley Bare seeks justice for her students…but encounters a familiar (and unwelcome) face at the principal’s office.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigFebruary 18, 2022High Value series, series

High Value, Chapter 6: Zoning Issues

This week in High Value, Stark unveils the roadblocks the commission will face if they move forward with building a High Value grocery store in the community.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigFebruary 11, 2022High Value series, series, big box stores, city council, local government

High Value, Chapter 5: Pre-Submission Meeting

This week in High Value, a new project is proposed for Chippewa Lakes that sounds like a dream come true to Nancy Hjerne.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigFebruary 4, 2022High Value series, series, big box stores, city council, local government

High Value, Chapter 4: Rob Freehet

This week in High Value, Rob Freehet runs into Chris Ekte while answering an unsettling summons from his boss.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigJanuary 28, 2022High Value series, series

High Value, Chapter 3: Chris Ekte

This week in High Value, we follow Chris Ekte as he deals with headaches at work—including an ominous note about a former employee.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigJanuary 21, 2022High Value series, series

High Value, Chapter 2: The Hallway

This week in High Value, Stark shares a secret with Hjerne and Nair that could spell ruin for one of the town’s residents.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigJanuary 14, 2022High Value series, series, local government, small towns, urban planning

High Value, Chapter 1: The Public Hearing

A small town’s planning commission clashes over a controversial zoning request. The first chapter of this fictional series reveals the drama that can result from local decision-making.

Unleash the Swarm: A New E-book on Reviving Small-Scale Development

This new Strong Towns e-book explores what it would take to revive small-scale development as a force significant enough to shape and grow our cities.

Love, Money, or Desperation

Who is actually going to do the work of incremental development, and what will their motivations be?

Fixing Finance for Small-Scale Development

For most small-scale developers, capital is a significant barrier to doing small infill projects. But that isn't because the money isn't there to be had.

A New Generation of Town Makers

A cohort of small developers representing over 100 properties in poor, disinvested neighborhoods are, together, the largest developer in South Bend, IN. Can their success be replicated?

Paths of Greater Resistance

Incremental development today is far from the path of least resistance. To do it, you'll need the ability to navigate dozens of regulatory barriers.

Where Did All the Small Developers Go?

We need people who will build in the places where big, corporate developers won’t. But how do we get enough small-scale developers back to make a difference?