And the winner is...
A month ago, we launched the 2021 Strongest Town contest with arguably the strongest field of contestants we’ve had in the six years we’ve been running this competition. The 16 finalists—chosen by Strong Towns staff from among a host of applicants—featured communities of many shapes and sizes, from 15 different states and provinces, and with approaches to building strength and financial resilience as unique as the places themselves.
Through successive rounds we learned more about these cities, even as the number of remaining contestants was halved again and again. In Round 1, all 16 teams answered a series of questions on topics ranging from transportation and housing, to civic engagement and how their cities are addressing the challenges of the pandemic. In Round 2, our “elite eight” gave us a photo tour of some of the things that make their places great. And in Round 3, representatives from the final four cities sat down for short podcast interviews with our program director Rachel Quednau.
Which brings us to this week’s championship round. On Monday, the mayors of our two finalist towns—Lockport, Illinois and Oxford, Mississippi—participated in a webcast with Strong Towns president Chuck Marohn. The votes rolled in until polls closed yesterday at 12 p.m. CDT.
And so, after four rounds and more 33,000 unique votes cast, we are now ready to announce the winner. The 2021 Strongest Town is…
Lockport, Illinois
Congratulations to the Lockport team—Ben Benson, Bren Cann, Brittni Calderon, Lisa Heglund, Mayor Steve Streit, and Lance Thies—and to the whole city of Lockport!
Perhaps less well-known at the start compared to some of our other contestants, Lockport made a deep impression round after round. In their Round 1 questionnaire, we loved reading about the tangible steps the town was taking to improve walkability and bikeability, create diverse housing options, provide businesses maximum flexibility to weather the pandemic, and become more economically resilient. In Round 2, we were given a glimpse of Lockport through the eyes, not just of the official Lockport team, but of its educators, entrepreneurs, and residents. This citizen involvement was a theme which ran through all of Lockport’s submissions, and it led Strong Towns member Mitch Foster to write of Lockport, “Whether it is in the small, incremental investments in their commercial areas, or the success of their local arts community, they have co-created this amazing sense of community that engages all citizens.”
In the semifinal round,Mayor Steve Streit talked with Rachel Quednau about how the town has rallied to support businesses and residents throughout the pandemic—and not only at the city-level (a grant program, giving businesses the flexibility to adapt, etc.), but at the citizen-level too, as with the volunteer-driven Lockport Shield program. And in Monday’s webcast, we learned more about how Lockport has made courageous choices around annexation, how the City takes its lead from residents, the creative ways it is addressing parking, and how the City is focused on making its downtown a vibrant and dynamic place.
Lockport, a canal town, is justifiably proud of its history. Yet following along with the city throughout this contest, it’s become clear to Strong Towns staffers and readers: Lockport is building a future it can be proud of too.
We’d like to thank all 16 contestants, with a special thank you to this year’s runner-up, Oxford, Mississippi. The final round was close, with Lockport winning 54% of the votes to Oxford’s 46%. Oxford dazzled throughout the competition, and towns and cities can look to Oxford as an exemplar of what it means to build lasting strength and resilience.
And thank you to everyone who followed along with the contest and voted. We’re also grateful to our members, not only for voting but providing insight commentary.
To learn more about the contest, visit the Strongest Town page. To follow Lockport’s winning journey, check out these links:
Cover image via Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash.