Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

Battleships, Caspian soup, and regrets. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Top StoryStrong TownsApril 22, 2022friday faves

Reflections on Seaside

What does and doesn’t work about the “great-granddaddy” of New Urbanism?

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Reaching Across Political Divides

Carlos Alfaro and Jacob Pritchett are bringing people of different political stripes together in Arizona.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsApril 21, 2022taking action, success stories, bottom, Arizona, podcast

5 Tips for Getting Things Done—Even in These Politically Divisive Times

How do you make progress on helpful changes in your community when it’s politically divided? This free action guide will show you.

Top StoryStrong TownsApril 21, 2022how to, taking action, Local-Motive Tour, politics, local government

Can We Build Strong Towns from Scratch in the 21st Century?

We love organically grown, incrementally developed cities…but could we replicate their success if we started a new city from scratch?

The NIMBYs Made $6.9 Trillion Last Year

We keep looking for villains to blame for the housing affordability crisis—but are we pointing fingers at the wrong culprits?

Herriges Rezoned: The Neighbor's Dilemma

NIMBYs are responding to a set of very rational incentives. That presents a challenge for those of us who hope to alter the course of the Suburban Experiment.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 20, 2022suburbs, community engagement, community, NIMBY, neighborhoods

Something Is Clearly Wrong With the Property Tax Appraisal System

Across the country, the property tax system is causing economic hardship for homeowners—and it’s because the system itself is flawed.

I'm Making Real Change in My City

If you ever wanted to REALLY make a change in your town, instead of just starting a fight, consider this your manifesto.

Pen People and Office Cities

Shopping locally means getting to be among your people—and in this case, it’s pen people!

The Brent Spence Boondoggle

Local leaders in Ohio and Kentucky are gearing up to make a multi-billion dollar mistake on this bridge equivalent of a highway-widening project.

High Water Victorians, Roosevelt Corner Shops, and Hipster Legos

This walking tour in Sacramento, CA, reveals much about its past and present challenges with housing.

The Way We Design Our Streets Invites Driver Aggression

This motorcyclist was acting aggressive…but what in his environment signaled to him that aggressive driving was acceptable?

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnApril 18, 2022transportation, car crash, cars, roads, design, minnesota, stroad, safe and productive streets, safety

Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup

A Strong Towns playlist, bioluminescence, and Kmart. These are just some of the stories from around the internet that Strong Towns staff were reading and talking about this week.

Top StoryStrong TownsApril 15, 2022friday faves

A Strong Town Designs Its Places for All, Not Just Cars

When we design our streets to make them safer for people with disabilities, it also makes them safer for people, as a whole.

Top StorySteve WrightApril 15, 2022disability, pedestrians, walkability, safety, safe and productive streets, florida

Urban3 Decoder: Let's Peek Under the Hood of A Shiny Oklahoma City

Join the Urban3 team as they wade past Oklahoma City’s glittering amenities to take an up-close view of the real economic engine under the shiny enamel hood.

Top StoryJay StangeApril 15, 2022oklahoma, resource, resource trap, Economy, economics, urban3, taxes, cnu

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Small-Scale Rural Farming

Christa Theilen and Seairra Shepherd both work at Strong Towns and also serve at local farms in the rural Midwest.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsApril 14, 2022taking action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, success stories, Farming, podcast

Accidentally On Purpose

Massive property damage and pedestrians being injured (or killed) is our transportation system functioning precisely as designed. This is how it was designed to work.

Top Story, Best of Strong TownsMichel Durand-WoodApril 14, 2022advocacy, canada, city council, community, neighborhoods

Reckless Road Design is Killing Us, Not Reckless Drivers

An epidemic of roadway deaths aren’t caused by random rule breakers. The cause is the rule followers. It’s time to change the rules mandating speed and volume over safety and cost.