This One's For the Doers
Local activist Marielle Brown (pictured at the right) leading a DIY traffic calming demo in Tulsa. (Source: Strong Towns.)
2021 is the Strong Towns Year of Action. We know that it takes all sorts of people to make action happen in our communities. It takes people willing to learn new (and old) ways of doing things. It takes people who will step up and partner with their neighbors to fix up a neglected storefront or figure out a housing solution. It takes people who aren’t shy about tackling the challenges in their places.
We encounter a lot of doers in this movement. When you see a problem in your town—whether it’s a dangerous street or an abandoned lot—you step up to fix it.
If you’re one of those local activists, you might find yourself working outside the status quo. City councilors don’t always listen, neighbors might be skeptical. But you know what’s right for your city and you don’t wait around for someone else to address it.
I’ve been the host of our Bottom-Up Revolution podcast for the last year now, and I’ve encountered so many of these action-takers throughout my conversations. They use public art to shine a spotlight on local businesses and drive economic activity during the challenges of the pandemic. They build houses and create pathways for people to experience home ownership and family prosperity. They start food markets so that residents without access to nearby grocery stores can purchase fresh produce and support nearby farms in the process.
A common thread in many of my podcast conversations is this drive to make change and make it now.
Strong Towns is here to support you in any action you want to take to make your city more financially resilient.
At the start of this year, we created an entire Action Lab just to house resources for the doers. Check it out, if you haven’t already. It’s full of downloadable how-to guides, trainings, and massive searchable database of all our most actionable content.
This year, we also hosted our first annual Local-Motive Tour—ten live courses for anyone interested in gaining the tools to take action in their place, whether that’s building a bike lane or helping local entrepreneurs get their start. Those courses are recorded and available to you any time you want, and we’ll be kicking off another tour in early 2022.
Maybe you’ve been piloting local projects for decades, or maybe you’re just starting to think about how to make a neighborhood intersection a little safer. Wherever you are in that journey, we need your go-getter approach in order to take the ideas behind Strong Towns and turn them into meaningful change.
You can take an important step toward action by becoming a Strong Towns member today. Join a movement that is supporting doers across the continent.
P.S. For those who do join this year, we’re giving out an exclusive, members-only sticker. Put it on a laptop, notebook, or water bottle and show the world that you're a part of the Strong Towns movement! Make sure to activate or renew your membership by December 1 to receive your sticker.
