You See What's Happening
(Source: Flickr/Jeff E.)
You see what’s happening. Much like seasoned wildfire fighters who give a knowing look to their team members when a carelessly discarded cigarette or neglected campfire causes yet another blaze, you have been refining your ability to spot the predicament we’re in as our cities and towns dig themselves ever deeper into a hole of their own making. You know that a different way is needed—one that is time tested and carries in it the seeds of renewal that will be planted by thousands and thousands of participants across the continent.
You see the unsafe and inhumane conditions of the streets of your community—conditions that led Strong Towns members like Sharon Shaw, Danny Williams, Grant Hamilton, and seven other Crash Analysis Studio nominators to shine the spotlight on traumatic crashes that occurred on these dangerous streets. Yet, you also see that these Studios are getting covered by local and regional media organizations who are intrigued by the methods and findings of these Crash Analysis Studio sessions. University presidents, city councilors, and grieving friends are pressing for changes to happen not only at the scene of these crashes, but also across the street network of a growing number of communities. Few get to see the extensive preparations made by Tony Harris, our Action Team coordinator; Edward Erfurt, our director of community action; and the rest of our team for each Studio session, but you’re seeing the fruits of their labors in the local interventions and actions arising afterward.
You see that the partisan squabbling and scorched-earth tactics of federal and state actors are absent from the on-the-ground organizing of over 170 Local Conversation groups, because the Strong Towns approach to bottom-up action is bringing unlikely partners together. What might be less visible, but is even more exciting, is the fact that over 1,200 people have signed up to lead Local Conversation groups in over 860 communities. As these groups come together, the impacts will be felt even more widely. In just the last few weeks, over a dozen articles have been posted about the needle-moving achievements of these local group members and John Pattison, community builder for Strong Towns, has been helping to marshal resources and develop training materials to help all of these brave volunteers.
For those who have been avid readers of Strong Towns content, you’ll certainly find a lot to enjoy in the depth and breadth of coverage of developing news stories that touch on key aspects of the Strong Towns message. In addition to our articles, Mike Pasternock’s remarkably well-produced videos on YouTube have reached 1.7 million viewers to introduce a massive new audience to these core arguments. What you may not know is that it is the support of Strong Towns members that has made it possible to have Mike, staff writers Asia Mieleszko and Ben Abramson, curriculum writer Lindsey Beckworth, and two new columnists Tiffany Owens Reed and Emma Durand-Wood sharing stories and insights with an audience that is broadening every single day.
If you wait a little longer, you’ll see the release of a Local Leaders Toolkit to fight unnecessary highway expansion projects and a growing number of strategic projects that Strong Towns will carry out with our partners in the Parking Reform Network and the Incremental Development Alliance. Be sure to also look for Chuck Marohn and Daniel Herriges’ book on housing that’s going to come out in spring 2024. You’ll get discounts on courses and free resources to help you confront the predicament your community is facing, and you can trust that every day, more and more materials are being created to help you.
What I see—and I hope you are seeing this, too—is that the Strong Towns movement is being built and strengthened by the input and support of thousands of individuals. Meanwhile, the team of Strong Towns staff who have the privilege of working on this every day are pressing ahead with a deep sense of urgency to capitalize on the momentum that is building.
Here’s what is evident when you look closely: the dominant way of growing cities wastes money and doesn’t actually serve residents. Strong Towns helps you and other local leaders to see the problem and take action to build stronger, more financially resilient cities.
Throughout this week, you'll hear a simple request: become a member of Strong Towns. Join now and help convince thousands more that the time for a major paradigm shift has come. This is a critical time in the work of normalizing this revolution for bottom-up renewal, and your support makes all the difference. Sign up at www.strongtowns.org/membership to help fuel a movement and set a course for a stronger future.
