These campaigns are the kind of thing that large, out-of-touch bureaucracies do when they want to appear like they are doing something without actually changing anything about what they are doing.
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You can’t build stroads, subsidize big box stores and accept endless edge development, and have that work out for you just because you threw a block party, painted a mural and put in a temporary bike lane.
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We’re honored to celebrate Muskegon’s selection as the 2018 Strongest Town.
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If we want to fix crony capitalism, what we really need is to localize capital.
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Local governments can’t take on more and more promises without generating enough wealth to meet those obligations—not without a reckoning. We need a radical revolution in how we plan, manage, and inhabit our cities, counties, and neighborhoods. We need a Strong Towns approach.
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The most important thing for a local government is to avoid ruin.
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Akron, Ohio’s subsidies for redevelopment of the failed Rolling Acres mall are a textbook case of the sunk cost fallacy: the tendency to examine new opportunities not on their own merit, but in the context of past investments.
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County leadership continually brags about its low tax rate and high amount of services. But if you doubt the fundamental math behind that equation, there’s no need to look behind the curtain because the ratings agencies have given Cobb top marks.
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In 2012, we added our first strategic partners and Strong Towns transitioned from side project to a legitimate organization.
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It is the experiences of real people that should guide our planning efforts. Their actions are the data we should be collecting, not their stated preferences.
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When your community is financially fragile, you lose options. In the case of Brainerd, Minnesota, that may mean letting go of a landmark.
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Let’s stop assuming the motives of individuals, especially when there are other, perfectly rational, universal explanations for why someone would do something we don’t agree with.
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Do what you can to make yours a strong town, but it’s alright if that means finding a place that is a better fit for you.
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We earn the right to do big things by doing the little things well.
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If public officials are going to use debt to pay for things, they must be vigilant about their lack of real skin the game.
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2010 was a pivotal year for Strong Towns. It’s when we connected with many of the leaders who would inspire this movement deeply.
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Run your city with business principles, just don’t run it with business values.
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It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Shreveport could do an annexation that benefits the city, its residents and its businesses over the long term.
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Strong, resilient cities have survived economic crises in the past and will continue to do so in the future. But what about the fragile cities?
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If America is going to be a strong country, it must first have strong cities, towns and neighborhoods.
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