Collaboration (or community input) is discussed at great length within the urban planning profession, but it’s often lost in actual practice.
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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.
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In honor of the season, here’s a short adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” which illustrates the damage that zombie projects — large, ambitious projects that drag out for years or never get off the ground — can do to a place.
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In this episode of Upzoned, host Abby Newsham is joined by Edward Erfurt, Strong Towns' director of community action, to discuss the U.S. DOT's plan to implement vehicle-to-everything technology in 75% of the nation's intersections.
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In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck explains why big, risky gambles often fail when applied to complex problems. He uses V2X (vehicle-to-everything) technology as a recent example of this kind of gamble.
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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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When discussing redevelopment, street design isn’t what most people think of. Since North American streets are often built to completion, this kind of incremental approach seems alien. But it’s exactly what cities need to improve their economic, social and environmental conditions.
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When people first started building malls, they had no way of knowing that dramatic shifts in technology and consumer patterns would destroy their business models. What they should've known, though, was that betting all their funding and economic stability on a single project was a bad idea. Let’s not repeat their mistakes.
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Hitsville U.S.A. is known for producing artists, recordings and a distinctive Detroit sound, but it also represents an important element of a strong city: mixed-use development. If Detroit hadn’t let Berry Gordy turn the first floor of his home into a recording studio, Motown Records might not exist today.
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Incremental development is a low-risk, high-reward method of building a strong town. Here’s some do’s and don’ts to get you started.
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Do you have a favorite food truck? These micro businesses are often features of their communities, and they represent an important stage of incremental development. But strict zoning laws can put these businesses at risk. Hot Dog House FL learned this the hard way when parking mandates evicted them from their main operating location.
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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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Would you wait a month to fix a leaking pipe that was damaging your kitchen cabinets? No? Then why do we wait so long to fix streets where people continuously die in car crashes?
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Dreaming of big goals for the year can be fun, but it’s also necessary to think of the small steps needed to reach those goals. Similarly, cities need to consider the small things they need to do to achieve long-term prosperity.
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The next smallest step for your community doesn’t always involve changing a street’s design or making housing policy reforms. Sometimes, it’s as simple as asking questions and probing the thoughts of local leaders.
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For successful placemaking, small, consistent investments over time matter more than grand gestures.
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After one meeting and a little over $3,000, Medicine Hat, AB, decided to take a bottom-up approach to invest in a community-led program that has made better use of their public parks and children’s playgrounds.
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Starting a business can be daunting, but this California city has made one relatively small bet that’s helping scores of local entrepreneurs get their small businesses off the ground.
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Is your city leaping before it hops?
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It can be difficult to find a free public restroom. Here’s how one city in Alberta is tackling the problem, through small, immediately effective solutions.
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