The way our highways are built turn whole regions into featureless throughways. Slow down, though, and you’ll find value where you might never have noticed it before.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenFebruary 8, 2022neighborhood storyteller, travel, tourism, highways, rural, north dakota

Jeff Speck on Confessions of a Recovering Engineer

This week we’ve got a special treat: both the video and audio from a conversation between Chuck Marohn and renowned urban planner and walkability expert Jeff Speck.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 7, 2022transportation, interview, confessions of a recovering engineer, podcast

Say Hello to Our New Staff Writer and Multimedia Creator!

We’re proud to welcome the newest member of the Strong Towns team!

Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 7, 2022Strong Towns

Why Do We Have to Handle 30,000 Trips per Day?

When engineers say a street must accommodate a high volume of traffic, what they really mean is, "The design of this street must prioritize the convenience of commuters over all else."

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Glass bridges, looking up while locked down, and young authors. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 4, 2022friday faves

Housing Crash Laid Bare a Divided America: Strong Towns Featured in National PBS Film Release

Join Strong Towns staff on February 17 for a discussion and Q&A session about the movie Owned: A Tale of Two Americas.

Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 4, 2022announcement, housing

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

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Community Power Through Co-Ops

Strong Towns member De’Nita Wright is part of a cooperative organizing effort in Louisville, KY.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 3, 2022taking action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, cooperatives

Let Main Streets Be Main Streets

A community should determine what kind of community it wants to be, not unelected DOT engineers.

Top StoryRobert SteutevilleFebruary 3, 2022main street, DOT, walkability, pedestrians, Roundabouts, small towns, urban design, engineers, cnu, new york

Bake Sales for Crosswalks

Idahoan advocates had to get desperate to fund basic pedestrian safety features—all while the state DOT is budgeting $100 million to overhaul a single freeway interchange.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesFebruary 3, 2022pedestrians, safety, DOT, Idaho, taking action, advocacy, walkability, end highway expansion

Can Corporate Campuses Urbanize the Suburban Experience?

Some large companies are pivoting their real-estate models toward building more compact, mixed-use centers for their corporate campuses. Is this good or bad for America’s suburbs?

We Are Not Just Economic Creatures: Dave Kresta’s Vision of Economic Development

How do we build vibrant local economies that are good for the people who actually live in a neighborhood?

Top StoryJohn PattisonFebruary 2, 2022Faith Featured, faith communities, economic development, community

Forget What You Know About Public Engagement

It’s no secret that the conventional process for public engagement in urban planning is broken. So, what should we be doing, instead?

Top StoryJames Rojas and John KampFebruary 2, 2022public engagement, urban planning, books, urban design, california

Alaska and New Infrastructure Funds: We Promise Not to Waste It!

As of November 15, Alaska is flush with federal infrastructure money. How should it be spent?

Do Something Nice for Yourself

Exhausted from helping her father adjust to life in assisted living, our Neighborhood Storyteller Karla Theilen seeks comfort in a local record store.

Chuck Marohn Answers Your Questions

It’s time once again to sit down and answer some of the great questions we’ve gotten over at the Strong Towns Action Lab.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 31, 2022Strong Towns Community, Action Lab, strong towns approach, podcast

A Venture into the Urban Wilderness: CityNerd's Field Guide to Stroads

Nerd out on this YouTube channel as it shows us some of the intended (and unintended) consequences of car-oriented street design.

Top StoryJay StangeJanuary 31, 2022Nevada, stroad

There’s No Parking Like Snow Parking

This Rhode Island community came together to advocate for parking improvements in their neighborhood—and it worked.

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Narratives in physical form, Taylor Swift parodies, and Youth vs. ODOT. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 28, 2022friday faves