A Troubling Sign

A destroyed roadside sign in Mattapoisett, MA, highlights the dangers of the street it formerly stood on.

Top StoryWill GardnerJuly 14, 2023Street Design, traffic engineering, stroad, safe and productive streets, speeding

Why Is This Freeway So Expensive? (Hint: Because It’s Too Damn Wide!)

The I-5 Rose Quarter project is proving to be extremely costly, and those costs are directly related to the excessive width of the project—something that ODOT has gone to great lengths to conceal.

Top StoryJoe CortrightJuly 13, 2023DOT, freeway widening, end highway expansion, oregon, infrastructure

Are Multi-Use Paths the “Stroads” of Active Transportation Infrastructure?

While multi-use paths are better than no infrastructure for people walking or biking, those that are useful for transportation tend to be busy, and often leave a lot to be desired.

Four Communities Are Becoming Examples of Change

This week on the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck talks about the Community Action Lab, and some of the experiences, conversations, and insights he’s gained while working with the four participating communities.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 12, 2023podcast, Community Action Lab

Designed for Community

Design doesn’t necessarily make a community, but, as this neighborhood in St. Paul, MN, shows, it does matter.

The “White House” on the National Mall Is Designed for Disasters—And the Housing Crisis

These cottages designed for disaster relief show that an immediate housing solution can also be a part of long-term recovery.

To Improve Public Engagement, Cities Need to Educate the Public

Cities should rethink how they do public engagement if it doesn’t come with a strong educational component.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedJuly 11, 2023public engagement, community, local government, elected officials

Small Is Beautiful: This Developer Targets a Neglected Housing Market

88% of all new U.S. homes have three bedrooms or more, even though 64% of buyers aren’t demanding the extra space. Flintlock LAB is working to address this mismatch and make homes more attainable for entry-level buyers.

Top Story, TrendingBen AbramsonJuly 10, 2023Incremental Housing, housing affordability, infill, single-family, zoning

Why Private Wealth Should Lead Public Investment

In today’s cities, governments sink millions of dollars into public investments before securing any taxable private wealth to fund said investments. This is a financial risk we can’t afford to continue taking on.

50 Years of Affordable Housing

Ray Gindroz, FAIA, led countless projects on transforming public housing into mixed-income neighborhoods. In this interview, he talks about his half-century-long career and insights into the future of housing.

Top StoryEric OsthJuly 7, 2023Incremental Housing, mixed use, Neighborhood Design, affordable housing, poverty

Envisioning a Rail Culture for the U.S.

Conventional wisdom holds that the U.S. doesn’t know how to do rail—but Union Station shows that we do, in fact, have a history and the knowledge to build grand public transportation systems.

Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtJuly 7, 2023rail, public transportation, transit

Stop Subsidizing Suburban Development, Charge It What It Costs

I was asked how much the typical suburban development is costing this Tennessee city. Here’s what I found.

The False Promise of Suburban Town Centers

Are they a fountain of mixed-use opportunity or a financial drain for cities?

Top StoryAdeleine GeitnerJuly 6, 2023suburbs, mixed use, development

Writing It Right: Reflections on Seven Years of Neighborhood Newsletters

A neighborhood newsletter can be a great way to build connections and create opportunities for people in your community to get together. Here’s how to craft your newsletter right.

Emma Durand-Wood, Top Story, Community StoriesEmma Durand-WoodJuly 6, 2023neighborhoods

The Invisible Reason for High Housing Prices: Restrictive Land-Use Regulations

It is extremely difficult to build housing in Rhode Island. It’s also expensive to buy homes, with prices having increased by 34% since the summer of 2020. Why?

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 5, 2023podcast, zoning, Incremental Housing, Rhode Island, upzoned

How Wooden Benches Breathed Life Back Into an Emaciated Transit System

When this Texan city’s bus system fell into decline, local advocates took the next smallest (but highly effective) step toward making their public transit more hospitable: by installing homemade bus benches.

The Intersection in Front of My Kids’ School Was a Tragedy Waiting To Happen. Then It Did.

A mother’s death near a Sacramento school spurs fellow parents to step up and push for safety improvements to the stroad she lost her life on.

Top Story, TrendingIsaac GonzalezJuly 5, 2023safety, schools, pedestrians, car crash, road diet, safe and productive streets

Why Cities are Flying Blind When It Comes to Their Own Debt

For local governments, it’s often easier to let the tangled web of debt at the heart of the budget go unexplored. In cities reliant on sales tax, these problems are only magnified.

Where Do I Park My Pew?

This story about a revitalized church’s parking requirements might sound absurd, but it’s reflective of the very real and very absurd regulations most communities face when it comes to parking.

In Conversation With an Expert: Tony Tramel on Traffic Engineering's Hopeful Shift

Safe streets advocate Tony Tramel will be lending over four decades of experience to analyzing a crash in Amarillo, TX. Here’s what he has to say about the current state (and future) of transportation engineering.

Top StorySeairra JonesJune 29, 2023Crash Analysis Studio, safe and productive streets

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