A Delicate Balance

Yes, many thriving places have attractive lawn furniture, tasteful signage, and abundant flowers. But adding those items to a place with fundamental flaws is just lipstick on a pig.

Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoAugust 4, 2016productive place, community engagement, stroad, risk 1 Comment

Small-Scale Change, Neighborhood by Neighborhood

Austin's Neighborhood Partnering Program gives neighborhoods the tools and financial support they need to implement small-scale improvements in their community.

Top StoryRachel QuednauJuly 8, 2016placemaking, community engagement, gardening, neighborhoods 1 Comment

Strong Towns Successes: Our Members are Making a Difference in their Communities

Across the country, Strong Towns members are turning their towns into more financially resilient places. Here are a few of their stories.

There's an empty seat at your community meeting. Whose is it?

New residents are arriving in our city every month. Who is speaking up for their housing needs?

Top StoryDavid WhiteheadJune 16, 2016community engagement, washington dc 4 Comments

8 Steps to a More Resilient Life

How exactly do you live a normal mainstream life in a way that also happens to allow you to ride out an unexpected storm – be it natural, economic, medical, or political?

Living On Purpose

Our featured member post this week is a deeply personal piece from Jenn Smith, of Citysmiths. She reflects upon her community work in Rockville and desire to give something back to the place she calls home.

What Flint Tells Us about Government and Citizens

The worst part of all of this is that it happened to a poor and largely Black community. But they set an example for what citizen activism should be.

Top StoryRachel QuednauFebruary 12, 2016community engagement, race, water, pipes, HUD, antifragility, michigan Be the First to Comment

Grand Parks vs. Neighborhood Parks

When we talk about parks in cities, it helps if we can classify them into two types. Grand Parks are destinations. Neighborhood Parks are the living room of the community.

Top StoryAndrew PriceSeptember 16, 2015community building, Neighborhood Design, parks, neighborhoods, community engagement 11 Comments

Why aren't parks open at night?

There are a multitude of reasons why someone might want to be in a park after dark, and most of them are completely safe and reasonable. So why do most parks close after dark?

Rachel QuednauAugust 6, 2015community building, public space, jane jacobs, parks, community engagement 24 Comments

Burnout and the Mythical Tinkerbell Placemaker

Walking the tightrope of Strong Citizenship came to the fore this week after I re-read a short research article from grad school. At the time, I had highlighted the key points in a very theoretical way, ready to work them into an exam paper on the challenges of community involvement. Reviewing the paper again, I realized this is my life now. This is my life.

Make no mistake, we are not Tinkerbells. Hard work, not pixie dust makes a place feel magical. And while at times we enjoy this work immensely and it can even define us, the challenge remains, how to get paid?

Gracen JohnsonFebruary 4, 2015community engagement 10 Comments

The Country's Best DOT

Meet Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer whose goal is to have the country's best DOT. He's certainly a breath of fresh air.

Charles MarohnJanuary 27, 2015community engagement, transportation 10 Comments