Bismarck, ND vs. Elkhart, IN
Welcome to this first round match-up in the sixth annual Strongest Town Contest! In this round, 16 towns are facing off, and eight will advance to the next segment of the contest based on your votes. We invite you to read answers representatives from these two cities provided to our questions about economic resilience, citizen involvement, community response to the pandemic, and more. Then vote for the strongest at the bottom of this page.
Can’t decide? If you’re looking for inspiration, check out how we describe the Strong Towns approach, or take a look at our free ebook, The Local Leader’s Toolkit: A Strong Towns Response to the Pandemic.
You may vote once per match-up.
Round 1 voting closes at 12pm CDT on Thursday, March 18th.
For rules, and to follow along with the contest, visit the Strongest Town Contest page.
Note: All entries are lightly edited for clarity and readability.
Image credit: Angie Gray
BISMARCK, ND
Entry submitted by: Kate Herzog, Daniel Nairn, Dawn Kopp, Madison Cermak
What is your favorite thing about your town?
Bismarck and North Dakota in general used to suffer from what we called “brain-drain,” where our high school students would leave for other opportunities and not return. Concerted efforts have been made to create places that attract and retain North Dakotans and talented folks or get them to boomerang back. We’ve made great strides, we still have a lot of work to do, but many Bismarck leaders have acknowledged what good places should be and made efforts to turn the tide. That looks like infill development, walkable neighborhoods, great spaces, supporting innovation and staying hungry to get better. Bismarck boasts the first brewery to spring up when allowed again under state law (we have several now); a burgeoning entrepreneurial system with our 1 Million Cups chapter, one of the oldest and most well attended programs in the country; a cornhole league (Bis-Man Bean Bags) and indoor golf leagues; TedX Bismarck; artist cooperatives; a global neighbors immigrant support organization similar to Big Brothers Big Sisters; curbside recycling (took a while but we got there)! All of these things together are signals—getting us to a point of “brain-gain”. It’s been said if you can fog up a window you can get a job in North Dakota, but our leaders are starting to understand that jobs are just a small part of the equation for a prospective new community member.
How easy is it to live in your town without regular access to a car? What are some steps your town has taken—or is in the process of taking—to make it safer and easier to walk, bike, or use a wheelchair?
The ease of living without a car in Bismarck depends on where you live within the city. We have a walkable urban center and high walkscore in and near the old core of the city—and walkable neighborhoods in a few other areas where there may be a mix of uses close by. We still have that Midwest mindset of cars. However, we have made more inroads to change policy and development to accommodate all forms of mobility. Bismarck is considered a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. We are constantly evolving our public transit system to be more responsive on headway times, both eliminating and reducing parking minimums, allowing bicycle parking to count towards off-street parking, testing bulb-out pilot projects, a GIS bike parking map, sidewalk gaps project to address areas with missing sidewalks, road diets and returning two-way traffic flow, and our infill and redevelopment plan to name a few. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan was approved in 2017 with several recommendations to expand upon multimodal transportation options.
What are some steps your town has taken—or is in the process of taking—to increase housing options and affordability?
With our infill and redevelopment plan, Bismarck has implemented things like contextual zoning; allowed ADUs; eliminated all parking requirements in the Downtown Core, Downtown Fringe and Health Medical districts, as well as twice reduced off-street parking requirements; and allowed flexibility in off-street parking requirements along transit routes, bike lanes, high walk score areas and districts of high employment density. All of these changes can make new developments more affordable and increase density. We have just dipped our toes back into the water with “missing-middle” housing products like row-homes, and those sold fast under median price averages. We are also seeing a 40% increase in Downtown-area housing. Furthermore, the City awards Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds available through HUD for housing projects available for low- to moderate-income households. Minimal rental habitability standards were also recently adopted to ensure that renters have recourse in cases where property owners fail to maintain safe and livable accommodations.
At Strong Towns, we believe that financial solvency is a prerequisite for long-term prosperity. What steps has your community taken to ensure its financial security? How do local leaders adequately do the math on new investments proposed in your town to ensure that they’ll be able to afford them now and afford their maintenance in the future?
Bismarck has made certain investments in the Downtown area to ensure that the highest value-per-acre area in Bismarck continues to incrementally grow. Another fantastic tool that we soon will be able to use is our North Dakota New Development calculator. Local Bismarck public and private folks created a calculator to help all communities in ND “do the math,” after attending a Strong Towns summit and discussing this concept with other planners. Our local group turned that calculator over to the state commerce department to deploy statewide. Basic and advanced versions are available to allow decision-makers to estimate the ROI for specific development proposals. The calculator is just being rolled out. We have more work to do in Bismarck on doing the math outside of the Downtown.
At Strong Towns, we believe that local government is a platform for strong citizens to collaboratively build a prosperous place. How are residents in your town involved in shaping its future? How do residents’ experiences, struggles and concerns directly inform the projects undertaken by local government? Provide one or more examples.
I would say our local city leaders are responsive to the public—and our local city employees innovate in order to shape informed policy that makes our community stronger. However, it can be slower to turn around 60+ years of development mindset. As we see some of these guinea pig infill projects succeed, more city leaders see the benefit. We still have a lot of work to do educating our other government entities like the Park Board, School Board and County Commission, which make up 75% of the taxing revenue. For instance, since the majority of homes that Bismarck builds are suburban-style and continue to sell, it’s seen as what the public wants exclusively. However we have little data to offer on other housing types because there just isn’t as much variety being developed. For an example, we now have two infill projects that are almost finished. One is a small home on an empty lot, another having four row-homes on an empty lot. While the process was longer, the projects were approved and met with great success. Our planning department, building inspections, board of adjustment and city commission all had to work together. Now that these two successful projects are under our belt, the commission and decision makers seem more responsive and supportive of infill.
How is your town proactively making it possible for more people to get outdoors safely during the pandemic?
We have a fantastic parks and recreation district here, and are very outdoor-centric folks. In addition to all the great outdoor amenities and recreation in Bismarck—we worked with a private public partnership to also develop curbside pickup zones and sidewalk seating (in the warmer months). Bismarck and the adjoining community of Mandan have over 100 miles combined of multi-use trails. Anecdotally, this trail system was very popular during the most restrictive period of the pandemic, as a safe and outdoor option to allow physical activity while social distancing. The City of Bismarck has adopted a neighborhood parks and open space ordinance that requires parks dedicated within all new subdivisions. Within the last five years, this policy has created three neighborhood parks, with three more under development.
How is your town proactively helping local businesses and entrepreneurs during the pandemic? Describe how you are providing flexibility for small businesses and entrepreneurs to adapt and innovate.
There are a number of ways Bismarck has worked to assist local business owners. Including the above-mentioned curbside pickup zones and sidewalk seating, our city also reduced liquor license fees and allowed restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages off-sale for a few months during the spring and holiday seasons. Our state has also directed millions of dollars to the hospitality industry to keep them alive during the pandemic. Speaking on behalf of the Downtown business community, we’ve not seen many COVID-related business closures. But we will need to work to bring back office workers into the downtown when it is safe.
How are you measuring success and progress during this pandemic? What metrics tell you that your community is thriving and what metrics have helped you see where people are struggling?
We have a very vocal business community and their access to leadership is usually one phone call or email. Through that we know which sectors are struggling and our state has targeted those groups for aid. However we’ve had a number of businesses actually open during the pandemic, not many closures, and a lot of building permits issued in 2020. In fact, construction activity was only minimally affected by the pandemic, and the City transitioned quickly to maintaining standard services while adopting COVID protocols. The City also opened an emergency shelter for housing-insecure people with COVID to allow adequate protections and quarantine. I think that tells us that folks will be ready when things return to normal—and are optimistic about Bismarck’s future.
ELKHART, IN
Entry submitted by: Ashley Elsasser, Eric Trotter, Jon Hunsberger
What is your favorite thing about your town?
The big city feel with a small-town experience. We have a world-class aquatics center, a premier theater with live performances and events, great dining venues, a top art museum, local artist galleries and a wide variety of outdoor events. There is tremendous private investment in the development of our urban fabric. Also, I’ve enjoyed watching our community transform over the last several years with a new sense of community hope and vibrancy. I love being a part of a community that is hopeful for its future and plan for its success.
How easy is it to live in your town without regular access to a car? What are some steps your town has taken—or is in the process of taking—to make it safer and easier to walk, bike, or use a wheelchair?
Public transportation and walkability is at the top of our town's new economic development plan, and has been of primary concern for years. Over the past several years the City has made efforts to improve the curb ramps and replace sidewalks to ensure people can use them safely meeting current AFA compliance. Several recent road projects have reduced traffic lanes and added wider sidewalks. Our River District added bike lanes along Jackson. In fact, our town has a very active biking community that utilizes our pathways/bike lanes. Finally, in addition to being a city surrounding by rivers, making transportation by water via boat/kayak a fun way to get to and from, there is a concerted effort to connect our urban trails to the broader network of county-wide trails. Our city has not only embraced green transportation via trails and waterways, but our city offers a plethora of ride-share options and an active and efficient busing system, rail services, and airport.
What are some steps your town has taken—or is in the process of taking—to increase housing options and affordability?
Our city has strategically partnered with La Casa, Habitat for Humanity, and local developers to redevelop neighborhoods suffering from blight, to create new housing divisions, to restore historic homes, and to build new apartments for all income levels. Our River District is a testament to the latest development. It encompasses over 400 new apartments, four luxury townhomes, and, coming soon, 40 more townhomes for sale. Furthermore, as part of our housing strategy, our city is filling empty lots with housing.
At Strong Towns, we believe that financial solvency is a prerequisite for long-term prosperity. What steps has your community taken to ensure its financial security? How do local leaders adequately do the math on new investments proposed in your town to ensure that they’ll be able to afford them now and afford their maintenance in the future?
Our city, in conjunction with local leaders, is working hard to diversify our rich economy. We have constructed a tech hub, maker's district, art hub, various health campuses, and are working tirelessly to improve our education from Kindergarten to the University level so that research and innovation can flourish in our city. We offer competitive incentives for businesses looking to expand and build. We support our small businesses through various grants (Small Business Innovation and Adaptation Grant Program), transparency, micro-loans (Gateway Mile Loan and Aurora Capital Loan), and ease of access to resources (City of Elkhart Business and Economic Development Social Media sites and Weekly Bulletin). We believe that the success of our city is based on our local government's ability to provide a solid infrastructure for all business to thrive. We have engaged in an inter-local agreement with our region to bring in CDFI-investors, and offer career pathways for citizens looking to transition. We have a very strong collaborative relationship with all entities in our city that are instrumental in shaping the financial success of our city: The Community Foundation, The Economic Development Corporation, The Greater Elkhart Chamber, We Impact, and more.
At Strong Towns, we believe that local government is a platform for strong citizens to collaboratively build a prosperous place. How are residents in your town involved in shaping its future? How do residents’ experiences, struggles and concerns directly inform the projects undertaken by local government? Provide one or more examples.
Our local government does not move forward with any plan without first consulting our community. We are active in holding public hearings/meetings/town halls (check out our live Facebook Feed), call-to-action and public input meetings, surveys, and more. Our citizens are also very philanthropically active. We have a rich volunteer base, donation community, and our city has a robust relationship with our schools for initiatives such as Paint the Parks, and Paint the City. Local residents have partnered with the city to host entire volunteer projects to beautify our city such as the Birthday Give Back Bash (you can find it on Instagram). Recently, our Parks Department has been proactively developing a strategy for planned improvements with resident input through community listening sessions—first with Central Park, and now with prioritized neighborhood parks. More broadly, our residents have participated in the Vibrant Communities of Elkhart County initiative which identified priority projects and events in each of their communities. This has resulted in a renewed sense of love and commitment by Elkhart residents to the City of Elkhart and their respective neighborhoods. Our motto is “The City with a Heart.” And heart is what we have, each and every one of us.
How is your town proactively making it possible for more people to get outdoors safely during the pandemic?
We have an incredibly extensive park system. Waterways for kayaking through and beyond our city. With several lakes our city not only owns and maintains a water park called Ideal Beach, but our citizens are extremely active in the summertime with water sports, fishing, and boating. We host over ten festivals a year—this year we will be hosting our first-ever food truck festival. Our community members regularly hold "bike nights" for both cyclists and motorcycles. Wellfield Gardens is a botanical garden open year round in the heart of our city. Our city has an ice park open during the winter, and regular running events in the spring, summer, fall, and even winter. Just in the past couple of years our city has partnered with private developers to install several pocket parks in various neighborhoods. Every park is equipped with electrical hookups for live music and vendors. Our River District is designed in such a way that encourages residents to walk to and from the grocery and work. Our city is actively embracing its resources to cultivate and grow a community rich in outdoor activities.
How is your town proactively helping local businesses and entrepreneurs during the pandemic? Describe how you are providing flexibility for small businesses and entrepreneurs to adapt and innovate.
Our city has created a Small Business grant program called the Small Business Innovation and Adaptation Grant Program. It is designed to assist businesses in adjusting to the changes brought on by COVID. You can learn more here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfzOOqiRPEaYzhKw2gPP1YivPvldJTl4qQYzM5IZgYIIEuIlA/viewform?usp=sf_link Furthermore, our city sponsored the creation of over 25,000 masks to give to everyone in our city in partnership with our local leaders and entities.
How are you measuring success and progress during this pandemic? What metrics tell you that your community is thriving and what metrics have helped you see where people are struggling?
Elkhart is unique in that we have a strong manufacturing sector that saw a modest bump due to the pandemic, while our hospitality and restaurants suffered the greatest with very strict health guidelines to protect the public. One of the ways we measure success is by the number of stores/businesses that have remained open, and are reopening with the decreasing positivity rate and easing of restrictions. We released a survey to our small business owners and received an overwhelming positive response. Over 80% of our small businesses have reported that they will not shut down if they do not receive aid. However, they do need support, like that which our grant program offers. Finally, we also measure success by our unemployment rate, employers looking for workers, GDP, PPP rate, and migration rates. Our city has seen a steady increase at 3.2% in population over the past three years and our unemployment rate is below the national level, less than 4%. Furthermore, we measure success and progress by our citizens' average salaries, hourly wages, and cost of living. Fortunately, the cost of living in Elkhart is low. In fact, it is one of the things many people feel is their favorite part of living here. One of our major corporations, Alliance RV, is starting production workers off at $67,700. That is above the national average salary for manufacturing workers. Lastly, we are measuring success and progress via the rate at which our city experiences new development. Our River District began major redevelopment a few years ago and is now home to a world-class aquatics center, luxury apartments, brand-new grocery store, new kayak launch, dogs parks, pocket parks, and businesses! Now, our city is moving into our South Central area with the new development of the Tolson Center.