Keep It Simple, Cities!

So, you want to attend a city council meeting? Good luck getting past all the jargon! Check out these “translations” of a real-life council agenda, and why it’s important to be more transparent with citizens.

A New Guide Could Help Your Community Fix Its Parking Policies

From our friends at the Parking Reform Network: a new guide to aid local advocates and policy makers implement Parking Benefit Districts in their cities and towns.

NIMBY: Hero, Villain, or None of the Above?

This week’s Upzoned episode reflects on how the nuances of housing policy don’t lend themselves to broad stereotypes.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 15, 2022podcast, housing, housing market, NIMBY, neighborhood change, upzoned, yimby

How to Use Facebook to Connect with Strong Towns Allies Near You

Many people have a love-hate relationship with Facebook, but we can’t deny that it’s an effective place to connect with fellow advocates.

Top StoryJohn PattisonJune 15, 2022community, community building, advocacy, local conversations

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.

Home Business: In Rovinj, Croatia, a Peek at What's Possible

A visit to a home restaurant in Rovinj, Croatia, shows the kind of small businesses and good urbanism that we could have in the U.S. if we just relaxed our zoning codes.

A Return to the Old Country

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller turns to friends for support during a canine emergency.

Nolan Gray: Exposing the Arbitrariness of Zoning Codes

This week on the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck Marohn talks with Nolan Gray about his new book, in which he shows why zoning reform is necessary for building stronger towns and cities.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 13, 2022zoning, podcast, books

Laundromat Urbanism

A simple laundromat offers an unexpected reminder of the role urban design has to play in making us feel more connected with the people around us.

Stanwood Mulls Strong Towns-Style Main Street Makeover

This small town is considering overhauling its main street to embrace walkability and good old-fashioned main street urbanism.

Top StoryDoug TrummJune 13, 2022downtown, main street, revitalization, walkability, urbanism, success stories, rural, washington, small towns

Strong Towns on TikTok? You Betcha!

Strong Towns staff are sharing design flaws in their communities—and we want to add your voice to the mix!

Top StoryStrong TownsJune 10, 2022TikTok

Friday Faves - Member Week Edition!

This Friday Faves is a little bit different: Instead of featuring favorite stories from around the web, we’re sharing favorite comments from our members!

Top StoryStrong TownsJune 10, 2022friday faves, member week

End the Parking Mandates and Subsidies That Are Hurting Our Cities

Valuable land is being wasted everywhere in the U.S. on motor vehicle storage. Let’s free up that space so it can be used more productively for our communities.

Top StoryJohn PattisonJune 10, 2022parking minimums, end parking mandates and subsidies, member week

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Two Amazing Strong Towns Members

Nick and Amanda Lanata are putting the Strong Towns approach into action in Zachary, Louisiana.

Pedal Power Needs People Power

Here’s two stories about powerful local action that Strong Towns members are taking to make their places more bike friendly.

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.

Inflation or Lower Housing Values: Pick Your Cleanest Dirty Shirt?

The Fed’s pandemic actions to loosen up capital unseized a market and fueled a housing boom—but now, a potential opposite reaction could lose U.S. taxpayers billions and be bad for housing.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 8, 2022podcast, Federal Reserve, housing, housing market, Inflation, upzoned

Local Conversations Are Putting Strong Towns Ideas into Action

There are over 100 Local Conversations (i.e., local Strong Towns advocates working together) around North America. And we want to grow that number tenfold.

Top StoryJohn PattisonJune 8, 2022local conversations, advocacy, community building, member week

Your City’s Accounting Is Unnecessarily Obscure. It’s Time To Pull Back the Veil.

We expect city budgets and financial reports to inform citizens and community leaders alike, but in reality, local government accounting is unnecessarily complicated, confusing, and illogical.