American Suburbs Are a Horror Movie and We’re the Protagonists

Walking alone to the grocery store is, for me, like walking through a creepy hallway at night. Why? Because America is filled with liminal spaces.

Top StoryShina ShayestehJanuary 13, 2022walkability, pedestrians, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, psychology, texas, safety 19 Comments

The Urban Experiment

We all know about the Suburban Experiment here at Strong Towns—but are we now also starting to see the rise of a new paradigm?

Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergNovember 22, 2021suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, development pattern, urban design, fragility, design, urban planning 9 Comments

A Stroad Called "Wonderland"

This new Not Just Bikes video features an Ontario stroad that’s anything but wonderful.

Top StoryJohn PattisonOctober 28, 2021Not Just Bikes, canada, suburban development pattern, roads, stroad, end highway expansion 2 Comments

Everyone Shops at Walmart. But What If We Didn’t Have To?

What are some of the hidden things we can’t see because we’re blinded by three generations of the Suburban Experiment?

Top StoryPatrick QuigleySeptember 30, 2021big box stores, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, business, small business, local business, entrepreneurs 5 Comments

About that Spirit Halloween Store You Always See Around This Time of Year...

It’s back. But why?

Top StoryRachel QuednauSeptember 29, 2021commercial real estate, suburban development pattern, blight, pop-up, big box stores 7 Comments

The Hidden Inequity of Car-Based Design

For significant populations of people in the U.S., the requirement to drive is a major barrier to participating in city life.

Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedSeptember 27, 2021car culture, car dependency, seniors, children, cars, suburban development pattern, pedestrians, stroad 8 Comments

The School Bus Driver Shortage is a Problem We Didn't Have to Have

Schools across the U.S. are experiencing a bus driver shortage, but the root cause of this issue has less to do with the COVID pandemic than one might think.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesSeptember 23, 2021buses, schools, children, transportation, suburban transit, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, covid 8 Comments

We Cannot Rely on Large-Scale Development

Let’s talk about master developers and how all-at-once, large-scale development doesn’t offer the environment in which resilient economic ecosystems emerge.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 25, 2021development pattern, traditional development pattern, suburban development pattern, Infill Development, infill, master planned, upzoned, development, podcast Be the First to Comment

Grandpa’s Basement House

Somehow, as a society, we’ve drifted from ordinary people being able to build their own homes on a cash basis in an interactive, iterative way, to immense, hyper-elaborate habitats.

Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoAugust 13, 2021traditional development pattern, history, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, Nebraska, incremental development, incrementalism, california 4 Comments

The Question Every City Should Be Asking

Let’s #DoTheMath in Ramsey County, Minnesota.

Top StorySarah DavisAugust 4, 2021suburban development pattern, traditional development pattern, urban3, value per acre, minnesota, transparent local accounting 5 Comments

We'd Rather Have the Iceberg than the Ship

Exploring the property market in Appleton, WI, reveals the ephemeral nature of the North American development pattern.

Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoJuly 19, 2021development pattern, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, blight, wisconsin, small scale developers 3 Comments

Does Subsidizing Electric Vehicles Promote Car Dependency?

Advocates say promoting EVs is a key step toward addressing climate change. But what if it’s actually a distraction from an underlying issue: the suburban development pattern?

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 31, 2021cars, car culture, suburban development pattern, upzoned 5 Comments

What the House-Hunting Process Taught Me about the Suburban Experiment

House hunting—even online—puts the effects of the suburban development pattern on full display.

Top StoryRachel QuednauFebruary 11, 2021real estate, suburban development pattern, traditional development pattern, development pattern, wisconsin 28 Comments

Land Use and "The Cobra Effect"

When an attempt to solve a problem ends up making the problem worse, that’s The Cobra Effect. It’s also a pretty good description of the decisions that are slowly bankrupting many of our towns and cities.