This special episode explores the Strongest Town Contest, including what cities can learn from previous winners and a preview of this year's Contest. Joining the discussion are Strong Towns staffers Lauren Ronnander and John Pattison, as well as Stephen Gawron, the former mayor of the 2018 Strongest Town, Muskegon, Michigan. (Transcript included.)
Read MoreOne of the most powerful things you can do as a strong citizen is to participate in public comment and share appreciation for the things you love about your city. Here’s why.
Read MoreTo create change, you need community engagement. Unfortunately, many cities have complicated systems for engagement that take a lot of time and effort to work with. Here's how one community in West Virginia is cutting through that red tape.
Read MoreAdvocacy work means a lot of waiting and hoping for a better future. That makes it a lot like Advent (the weeks before Christmas on the Christian calendar). But waiting during Advent isn’t discouraging or boring: It’s hopeful, active and joyful. Here are a few ways to bring that approach to your community, whether you celebrate Christmas or not.
Read MoreSometimes, small advocacy efforts seem like they’re not worth the time or effort. But every small action plants seeds for future change, both in your city and in yourself.
Read MoreLocal governments often use terms that downplay, minimize or obscure the severity of a situation. While this isn’t a malicious or even conscious decision, using language that is inaccurate or that the general population doesn’t understand makes it very difficult to build a strong town.
Read MoreOn this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses safe streets advocacy with Amy Cohen, the co-founder and president of Families for Safe Streets.
Read MoreYou’ve just completed a Crash Analysis Studio and you have a report in hand. Or you found the "Beyond Blame" report compelling and you want to share it with your community. Now what?
Read MoreI’ve mostly left Twitter/X over the past few months. Strong Towns, the organization, has pulled back substantially, as well. I want to explain why because it’s for different reasons than the increasing partisan divide (although that doesn’t help).
Read MoreLike many Strong Towns advocates, you may struggle with imposter syndrome, feeling like you’re not qualified enough to talk to city officials and staff about changing the way cities are designed or operated. But it’s essential that you keep speaking up. Here’s why.
Read MoreThousands of elected officials and people who work in local government want to make their streets safer. Here’s how you can help them do that.
Read MoreChuck is joined by Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Strong Towns’ director of membership and development, in this special Member Week episode to discuss the history of the Strong Towns movement and how members have brought it to heights Chuck never could’ve imagined.
Read MoreAt Strong Towns, we're very conscious of the words we use and the way we tell stories, especially those involving car crashes. It's not because we're trying to be dramatic; it's because we're trying to change the conversation entirely. And you play an important part.
Read MoreAll Strong Towns members have a hero origin story — an experience that compelled them to get off the sidelines and into the game, to start making things better in their communities. Here are some of those stories. What was yours?
Read MoreIn this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses the cultural shift that the Strong Towns movement is striving to create and why that shift is so essential to building more prosperous and resilient communities.
Read MoreThe Suburban Experiment has an 80-year head start on us, but there’s an increasing number of people who recognize the many things they can do to correct it. Join this growing cohort of change-makers by becoming a member today.
Read MoreI’d rather smother a boot in gravy and eat it than deal with a labyrinth of city regulations, procedures and fees. Loopholes are a great way to avoid that. Here are three loopholes to help you move forward when your project is running up against a bureaucratic nightmare
Read MoreHowever you feel about the results of the election, remember the power and agency you hold at the local level. Let’s keep our ideals and our vision for a better America while we simultaneously continue to do what we can to make our communities stronger.
Read MoreWhat we pay attention to shapes what we love. So, as national problems and politics take center stage, let’s remember to pay attention locally, too. It’s where we can make the biggest impact and build the most endurance for the work ahead.
Read MoreAmerican bus stops often leave people exposed to the elements without even a place to sit as they wait for their buses to arrive. Here’s how advocates around the country are tackling this problem — and how their cities are responding.
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