Local Control or Centralized Planning? There’s a Third Answer.

The problems with "community input" are many and obvious. One misguided response is to favor more top-down policy making, simply overriding the objections of local "NIMBYs." But there is a third way.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 29, 2022localism, local government, local regulation, bottom-up, top-down, strong towns approach, incremental, incrementalism, Small Change, small bets, urban planning 40 Comments

What Thinking Like a Mountain Has To Teach Us About Thinking Like a City

Aldo Leopold was an ecologist, not an urban planner, but insights from his Sand County Almanac can resonate with anyone interested in urbanism.

Top StorySeth ZerenJune 24, 2022urbanism, books, ecology, environment, development, urban design, urban planning 1 Comment

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Community Design for Stronger Towns

Ann Zadeh is a Strong Towns member, former city councilwoman, and community design leader in Fort Worth, TX.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 16, 2022The Bottom-Up Revolution, success stories, leadership, community, member story, local government, urban planning, podcast Be the First to Comment

Wealth and Buildings

In the realm of urban planning, there’s plenty of discourse out there about housing affordability—but what about household wealth building?

Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergMay 23, 2022housing, housing affordability, finance, urban planning, urbanism, suburbs, suburban experiment, suburbanization, home buyer, housing cost 6 Comments

Reflections on Seaside

What does and doesn’t work about the “great-granddaddy” of New Urbanism?

Top StorySeth ZerenApril 22, 2022urbanism, New Urbanism, urban planning, urban design, placemaking, human scale, incrementalism, incremental development, incremental, traditional development pattern, walkability, florida 6 Comments

My County's Award-Winning Smart Growth Plan is a Disaster. Here's Why.

Sarasota County, FL, is viewed as a trailblazer in the prevention of unchecked suburbanization. So why has its growth management plan has not resulted in a better pattern of development?

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 6, 2022development pattern, growth, Smart Growth, suburbs, urban planning, development, florida, growth ponzi scheme 4 Comments

The Road That Killed a City

From its one-time status as one of America’s most prosperous cities, Hartford, CT, is now one of the poorest—no thanks to its mid-twentieth-century urban renewal projects.

Top StoryJay StangeMarch 16, 2022urban design, urban freeways, urban planning, Connecticut, highways, highway spending, suburban experiment, infrastructure, poverty, urban renewal, jane jacobs 8 Comments

Does a Thrift Store Really Need a 40-Page Zoning Decision?

This document shows just how much our arcane land-use regulations prohibit neighborhoods from developing organically and un-self-consciously.

Top StoryAddison Del MastroMarch 15, 2022NIMBY, zoning, big box stores, business, local business, urban planning, maryland 6 Comments

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...Using Communicative Planning

Shelley Denison is a city planner in Sandy, OR, who views planning as a relationship between residents and leaders.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 3, 2022taking action, The Bottom-Up Revolution, missing middle, urban planning Be the First to Comment

What Have Cities *Actually* Accomplished in the Past 100 Years?

The modern conceit is that we are far more advanced than the people of past generations—but how do our cities really stack up against those of the past?

Top StoryKevin KlinkenbergMarch 2, 2022history, urban planning, urban design, missouri, zoning 6 Comments

Two Highways and Two Eras in New Jersey

These two highways in New Jersey run parallel and very close to each other—and traveling along them allows a sustained view of two different development approaches.

Top StoryAddison Del MastroFebruary 17, 2022roads, development, development pattern, suburbanization, traditional development pattern, urban design, urban planning, new jersey 4 Comments

Forget What You Know About Public Engagement

It’s no secret that the conventional process for public engagement in urban planning is broken. So, what should we be doing, instead?

Top StoryJames Rojas and John KampFebruary 2, 2022public engagement, urban planning, books, urban design, california Be the First to Comment

Jarrett Walker: "Prediction and Freedom Are Opposites"

Special guest Jarrett Walker shares his thoughts on the limitations of prediction.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 24, 2022podcast, projections, traffic projections, transit, public transportation, urban planning Be the First to Comment

High Value, Chapter 2: The Hallway

This week in High Value, Stark shares a secret with Hjerne and Nair that could spell ruin for one of the town’s residents.

High Value Serial, Top StoryHamilton LudwigJanuary 14, 2022High Value series, series, local government, small towns, urban planning 1 Comment

High Value, Chapter 1: The Public Hearing

A small town’s planning commission clashes over a controversial zoning request. The first chapter of this fictional series reveals the drama that can result from local decision-making.