Street Vendors Are Vital Local Businesses. Cities Need to Do More to Support Them.

Extend the "open streets" and sidewalk dining revolution to include a fair shake for the smallest of small entrepreneurs.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesAugust 12, 2020Food Week, local food, california, new york, illinois 2 Comments

"Not for Camera View"

An urban photographer reflects on the reactions he got when he started capturing what the American urban landscape is really like—parking lots, declining neighborhoods, tract homes, and all.

Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoJuly 28, 2020photos, montana, georgia, illinois, michigan, california 7 Comments

Is This Development "Out of Scale"?

It’s an article of faith among many that big and tall buildings don’t belong around small and short buildings. But does this idea actually stand up to scrutiny?

HerrigesDaniel HerrigesJuly 22, 2020urban design, human scale, granularity, incrementalism, california 27 Comments

The Mall vs. Main Street: Where Are They Now?

The trajectories of two local shopping districts—a mall built in the mid-80s, and a historic downtown—provide an object lesson on the power of the “chaotic but smart” approach to growing a city.

Top StoryJake BermanJuly 21, 2020shopping malls, main street, california 1 Comment

Will San Francisco's Caltrain Be the Pandemic's Next Casualty?

In some ways, Caltrain was in a better financial position than other public transit agencies. But the pandemic—and a political turf war—have thrown its future into jeopardy.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 20, 2020transit, california, local economy, public transportation 4 Comments

California’s New Law Is a Game-Changer for Home Chefs… and for Cities That Want to Get Stronger

Home chefs in California can now prepare, sell, and serve food prepared in home kitchens—as long as the county gets on board. Here’s why this is a potential game-changer.

Top StoryRachel QuednauJuly 15, 2020local food, covid, california 2 Comments

A City Budget Is Too Important to Be Left to the Professionals

Two residents of Santa Monica have ideas on how their city can adjust to new budget realities with focus and creativity. We think it’s an example for Strong Citizens everywhere.

Top StoryStrong TownsJune 12, 2020municipal finance, covid, california Be the First to Comment

A Step in a Stronger Direction for California Housing Policy?

New legislation to address California’s statewide housing crisis looks a lot more like successful efforts in Oregon and the city of Minneapolis. It also looks a lot more like a Strong Towns approach.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMarch 16, 2020california 6 Comments

Skinning Your Knee vs. Breaking Your Leg

A cautionary tale from the superheated housing market of San Francisco.

Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoMarch 3, 2020housing crisis, california 3 Comments

Why Housing Is “The Wickedest of Wicked Problems”

A wealthy Bay Area suburb is resisting new development. This is raising questions not just about California’s housing crisis, but about who gets to decide a city’s housing future.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 26, 2020housing, BART, development, upzoned, california Be the First to Comment

California's Bad Party: SB50 Fails Again

California has the nation’s worst housing crisis. It’s also the place mired in the worst gridlock when it comes to how to respond to it.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 31, 2020housing, housing crisis, california 4 Comments

L.A.'s Lost Transit

For many, Los Angeles embodies car-culture—and the suburban-style development, freeways, traffic jams, and pollution that go with it. But it didn’t have to be that way. Turns out, LA was never designed to be a car city.

Top StoryJake BermanJanuary 17, 2020california, public transportation 19 Comments

One Important Question About California's Housing Future

Are we treating the symptoms of the housing crisis, or the underlying disease?

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 14, 2020housing, housing policy, upzoning, california, housing crisis 4 Comments

Should California Bring Back Redevelopment Agencies?

Eight years ago redevelopment agencies were abolished in California. Are they making a comeback...and, if so, is that a good thing? In the final podcast of 2019, Chuck Marohn is joined by Steven Greenhut and Mike Madrid for a roundtable discussion on the resurgence of these controversial agencies.

Best of 2019: California's Housing Crisis

Affordable housing shortages in California (and other states) are worsened by a go-big-or-go-home model of development: we throw up so many barriers in the face of incremental change that the only building projects that remain viable are huge, complicated ones with many possible points of failure.

What single conversation does SoCal need to have most? We want to hear from you.

We’re just days away from our special episode of Upzoned Live: SoCal edition. Help us pick our topic.

Top StoryStrong TownsDecember 3, 2019regional gathering, upzoned, podcast, california 30 Comments

SoCal is So Addicted to Cars. Should They Get Rid of Parking Minimums Anyway?

Sure, it’s all well and good to talk about ending parking minimums. But what about doing it in ultra-car-dependent Los Angeles?

Can we make California wildfires less destructive by changing the way we build?

California’s recent wildfires have ignited a conversation about whether the suburban experiment has put too many Golden State residents at risk. But this expert says it may not be so simple.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 22, 2019podcast, natural disasters, gathering, regional, upzoned, wildfire, california 11 Comments

A Real-World Look at How Rent Control Hurts Tenants

California recently passed a bill that is supposed to help tenants facing soaring rents. Here’s how it could have the opposite effect—not only hurting renters but making the state’s housing crisis even worse.