This City Relied on an Unstable Development Pattern for Generations—But Now, There’s Hope

Local advocates in Langley, BC, are starting the conversations their city needs to hear if it wants to undo decades of investing in the Suburban Experiment.

Build the Urbs, but Don’t Forget the Polis

A community is more than just its built environment: it’s also the strong, intergenerational civic ties that connect its citizens to each other.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedJanuary 16, 2024cities

We Could Solve a Lot of Our Problems if We Just Built the Way We Used To

Many of the problems in our cities come down to a shortage in the budget—but the solution to this problem is staring us in the face.

Taking Action in Cincinnati

When a young child ended up in intensive care after being struck by a car, this Cincinnati Local Conversation group didn’t wait to take action to make the street safer.

Why "Local"? Why "Conversation"?

Every month, all across North America, hundreds of Strong Towns advocates are gathering in local Strong Towns groups. We call them Local Conversations—but why? (The answer reveals a lot about the power of this movement!)

Top StoryJohn PattisonJanuary 15, 2024local conversations

How Parking Ratios Kill Homes

A string of mistakes in one city shows how easily local rules can turn arbitrary and destructive.

So, You Want To Plant Some Trees

Street trees are the only municipal asset that increases in value and capacity over time. Here are some things you should keep in mind for when you’re ready to get out there and start planting!

Emma Durand-Wood, Top StoryEmma Durand-WoodJanuary 11, 2024street trees

How Many People Have To Die To Make a Street Safer?

This timeline of tragedy shows the many, many times city officials in Springfield, MA, should have addressed the unsafe conditions of State Street.

Top StoryAsia MieleszkoJanuary 11, 2024massachusetts, safe and productive streets, car crash, Street Design, stroad

You Don't Need a License to Walk

We need to rethink how we talk about car accidents involving pedestrians. Pedestrians are seen as obstacles for drivers who are often driving too fast and are too distracted along roads that are all too wide.

Okay, You Know How To Fix a Deadly Stroad. Now Do It 1,000 Times.

One reason communities hesitate to acknowledge their dangerous stroads is because the problem is so big, addressing it would paralyze our existing planning bureaucracies. But there is still a way forward.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 10, 2024safe and productive streets, Crash Analysis Studio, safety, stroad, car crash

There’s No Shortcut to Lasting Revitalization

Dreaming of big goals for the year can be fun, but it’s also necessary to think of the small steps needed to reach those goals. Similarly, cities need to consider the small things they need to do to achieve long-term prosperity.

Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedJanuary 9, 2024downtown, small bets

This Stroad’s Past Shouldn’t Seal Its Future

Why does a deadly stroad like this even exist in a city trying to achieve zero traffic deaths by 2030?

Top StoryAsia MieleszkoJanuary 9, 2024colorado, safe and productive streets, car crash, vision zero, stroad

Long-Awaited MUTCD Update Sets New Road Safety Standards

For the first time since 2009, the Federal Highway Administration has filed an updated version of its Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). But how effective will it actually be in making streets safer?

News, Top StoryBen AbramsonJanuary 8, 2024safe and productive streets, top-down, MUTCD, traffic engineering

Just Another, and Another, and Another Pedestrian Killed on State Street

How do we explain a situation where people are routinely killed—in the same location—and nothing is done?

This Transit Agency Almost Spent $50 Million on a Parking Garage. Now They’re Looking at Housing Instead.

Like countless transit agencies nationwide, SEPTA has been struggling to restore ridership in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. But this certainly isn’t the right way to do it.

News, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoJanuary 5, 2024end parking mandates and subsidies, transit

This City's Permanent Middle Housing Rules Should Set a Statewide Standard

Spokane, WA, has finalized its year-long effort to legalize more housing choices across the city—and their new code is something other cities should be paying attention to.

Top StoryAnthony GillJanuary 5, 2024Incremental Housing, success stories, washington, missing middle, affordable housing, zoning

A Home To Grow Old In, and No Way To Leave

Most people would like to age in place, staying in their own home as long as possible. But do you do if your home is in an auto-oriented community, and you can no longer drive?

What Happened When This Charming Town Found Out It’s Actually Illegal

Somerville, MA, is a thriving and vibrant city. So how is it that its own planners declared it an illegal place to build!?

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 4, 2024Incremental Housing, books, housing crisis, massachusetts, zoning

5 Shocking Statistics That Reveal the Depths of North America’s Housing Crisis

These statistics help tell the story of the past and present of North America’s housing crisis, why we’re facing these challenges, and how we can correct course to address them.