Not a Professional Engineer? You Can Still Help End Highway Expansions

The battle against highway expansions can be one of the toughest fights an advocate will ever come up against. But as this Florida-based Local Conversations group has shown, persistence will eventually pay off.

Community Stories, Top StorySeairra JonesDecember 13, 2023success stories, end highway expansion, local conversations, highways, florida

Starting a Local Business Can Be As Easy as Setting Up a Chair

Residents of Chisholm, MN, have shown that you don’t need to invest a lot of time and money to bring value to your community, and to provide a space for entrepreneurship.

Community Stories, Top StorySeairra JonesDecember 6, 2023entrepreneurs, local business, localism, minnesota, Community Action Lab

It’s in the BAG: Bringing Fresh Fruits & Veggies Into the Heart of a Neighborhood

Here’s a local program that began with seeing a struggle in the community—and made a humble, but impactful, attempt to respond to it.

Emma Durand-Wood, Community Stories, Top StoryEmma Durand-WoodNovember 9, 2023food deserts, local food, canada, public investment

One Meeting and $3,000 Created More Value for This City Than a $300,000 Project

After one meeting and a little over $3,000, Medicine Hat, AB, decided to take a bottom-up approach to invest in a community-led program that has made better use of their public parks and children’s playgrounds.

Community Stories, Top StorySeairra JonesNovember 8, 2023Community Action Lab, canada, play, parks, small bets

Texan Local Advocates Put Couches and Potted Plants in Parking Spots

Each year on Parking Day, coveted curbside parking spaces in Denton, TX, are claimed by couches, games, potted plants, information tables, and conversations about the city’s future.

This City Is Not Waiting for a Crash To Happen Before Creating a Safer Street

When residents of Medicine Hat, AB, flagged a school crosswalk as dangerous, the city responded quickly with bollards and paint—showing that cities can (and should) implement street design changes before tragedy occurs.

California City Caters to Culinary Startups

Starting a business can be daunting, but this California city has made one relatively small bet that’s helping scores of local entrepreneurs get their small businesses off the ground.

Community Stories, Top StoryBen AbramsonOctober 23, 2023small business, local business, entrepreneurs, success stories, small bets

From Yoga Instructor to Citizen Developer

A yoga studio owner turned into a developer and transformed a former mill into a mixed-use building, offering housing and economic opportunities in Rhode Island's fourth largest city.

The Power of the Bike Bus

Strong Towns member Will Gardner shares how the 60-person bike bus he helps lead in his hometown is helping kids get to school, and reducing the number of cars in the drop-off lane.

A Safer Intersection in 80 Minutes

Armed with paint and traffic cones, this Local Conversation group in Portland, OR, made a dangerous intersection safer to cross…in only 80 minutes!

Indianapolis: Give Us Safe Streets TODAY

This neighborhood organization creates safe street design and stops speeding, but they might have to wait five years for a permanent fix.

Want To Build a Stronger Community? Start by Supporting Local Farmers.

Not only does supporting local farms help with your place’s local economy, but it also has the potential to create a flourishing and connected culture of people—as seen in these stories from Brattleboro, VT.

Community Stories, Top StorySeairra JonesOctober 6, 2023rural, Farming, resilience, local food, strongest town contest

There’s Often Parking for Cars, Not for Bikes. That’s Where Bike Valets Come In.

These Strong Towns advocates identified a lack of bike parking at recurring local events and did something about it…by creating bike valets!

From Non-Place to Beloved Space in Just Three and a Half Days

This block in Tulsa, AZ, got a makeover in this community-led placemaking event, showing that you don’t need a lot of money to transform an empty space into a community asset.

Community Stories, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoSeptember 29, 2023Arizona, public space, Third Places, success stories, tactical urbanism

To Address Public Washroom Shortage, This City Took an Incremental Approach

It can be difficult to find a free public restroom. Here’s how one city in Alberta is tackling the problem, through small, immediately effective solutions.

Community Stories, Top StorySeairra JonesSeptember 27, 2023public space, canada, small bets, homeless, Community Action Lab

Kingston Welcomes New Zoning Code. It Has Advocates To Thank For That.

When the city of Kingston, NY, lagged on promises to rework its zoning code, this group of advocates stepped in to make it happen.

Community Stories, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoSeptember 26, 2023zoning, Incremental Housing, Form-Based Code, new york, success stories

Local Conversations Across North America Are Looking at Their Towns on Two Wheels

Portland’s “bike bus” swept headlines last year, showcasing how biking can be a safe, viable, and fun way to commute to class. Here are similar efforts being spearheaded by Local Conversation groups.

Community Stories, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoSeptember 19, 2023bikeability, local conversations, bikes, children, safe and productive streets

West Virginia City Offers Doctor’s Notes So Commuters Can Avoid Road Closure

When a vital commuter route was scheduled for a 90-day closure, this city made the most of the situation by encouraging would-be commuters to spend time in downtown, instead.

Community Stories, Top StorySeairra JonesAugust 30, 2023commuting, Third Places, west virginia, downtown

Shipping Container Village: Canadian Port City Gets Creative With Revitalization

This creative use of shipping containers has brought new life—and new opportunities for the local economy—to a dreary, vacant parking lot in downtown Saint John, NB.