Top of the Bottom-Up: Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands to #SlowTheCars

After the local government did nothing, this Strong Towns advocate bought a dangerous road in her community and made it safer.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 5, 2023The Bottom-Up Revolution, Hawaii, children, walkability, taking action, safe and productive streets Be the First to Comment

Main Streets Designed Like State Highways: How They Work and How To Change Them

Two prominent communities in Berkshire County, MA, are in the midst of deciding what to prioritize on their main streets: cars or people?

Top Story, Community StoriesNicholas RussoNovember 29, 2022Street Design, streets, main street, design, walkability, safety, member story, pedestrians, safe and productive streets, massachusetts 5 Comments

Not Just Bikes: Crossing the Street Shouldn't Be Deadly (But It Is)

This latest Not Just Bikes video demystifies deadly street design by contrasting what it’s like to navigate streets on foot in the U.S. and Canada with what it’s like in the Netherlands.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesSeptember 22, 2022pedestrians, Not Just Bikes, design, Street Design, walkability, stroad, safe and productive streets, safety, europe 2 Comments

New Tools To Visualize How Your City Could Benefit From Incremental Development

The American Enterprise Institute has released some impressive—and free—data tools for understanding housing markets and development potential. And as a bonus, attend their upcoming talks if you’re in California!

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesSeptember 16, 2022housing, housing crisis, incrementalism, incremental development, incremental, Incremental Housing, walkability, events, event, maps, california Be the First to Comment

When It Comes to Child Safety, We Deserve Better Than Car Seats

With a baby on the way, I’ve been lectured multiple times about safe car seats, and heard nothing about how to minimize the most dangerous activity people do with their children: drive.

Top StoryRachel QuednauAugust 8, 2022children, car culture, car dependency, cars, auto-oriented, car crash, walkability, transportation, safety 13 Comments

Henderson Highway Blues

A mother reflects on the fears she faces while navigating a dangerous highway with her children, as pedestrians.

Top Story, Emma Durand-WoodEmma Durand-WoodAugust 5, 2022highways, canada, pedestrians, walkability, children, safe and productive streets, safety 1 Comment

If We Build Cities for Kids, We Build Cities for Everyone

Can you walk down your local streets with your kids—without gripping their hands and anxiously eying traffic—and feel comfortable and relaxed? If not, something’s wrong with the design of those streets.

Top StoryJay StangeAugust 3, 2022safety, children, streets, Street Design, design, walkability, pedestrians, safe and productive streets 2 Comments

Don’t Pause the Gas Tax, Redirect It

Congressman Jake Auchincloss: "We don't need a gas tax holiday. We need a gas tax reset: an overhaul of how we approach transportation funding.”

Top StoryCongressman Jake AuchinclossJuly 25, 2022Congress, walkability, federal government, federal transportation bill, transportation, transportation spending, gas tax, development, development pattern, suburban experiment, transit, infrastructure 7 Comments

"Streets Closed to Vehicular Traffic"

Downtown Leesburg, Virginia, goes car free for one weekend.

Top StoryAddison Del MastroJuly 19, 2022walkability, small towns, car-lite, public space, virginia 1 Comment

Our Year Without a Car (With Kids)

It’s not easy to live without a car when you have young children, but it’s certainly possible. Plus, having to walk can help you build unexpected connections with your community.

Top StoryGrace OlmsteadJuly 19, 2022walkability, children, bus, buses, community, public transportation, europe 9 Comments

McMain Streets, Gentrification, and the Futility of Authenticity as Urbanism Becomes Mainstream

As people interested in undoing damage caused by the rise of the suburban development pattern, how should we feel about so-called “McMain Streets”?

Top StoryAlex MusicJuly 15, 2022suburbs, suburbanization, suburban experiment, walkability, gentrification, urban planning, urban design, urban renewal 6 Comments

Walking America: Bridgeport to New Haven

From Housatonic Community College to Yale: The story of a 20-mile walk along I-95.

Top StoryChris ArnadeJune 24, 2022walkability, Connecticut, community, poor neighborhoods, poverty, suburban poverty, schools, neighborhoods 3 Comments

Stanwood Mulls Strong Towns-Style Main Street Makeover

This small town is considering overhauling its main street to embrace walkability and good old-fashioned main street urbanism.

Top StoryDoug TrummJune 13, 2022downtown, main street, revitalization, walkability, urbanism, success stories, rural, washington, small towns Be the First to Comment

We Need More Charming, People-Centered Places

Residents of small towns shouldn’t have to travel to a large urban downtown to get a taste of a walkable, people-centered environment.

Top StorySeairra JonesMay 31, 2022walkability, people centered places, Third Places, pop-up, local business, markets, midwest, small towns, asia 4 Comments

Same Story, Different Eyes to See It

Of course, history has a way of repeating itself, but what’s always changing are the eyes we look through and the way our neighbors see us.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenMay 31, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, walkability, neighborliness, retail 1 Comment

Membership Dues Are Free in the Gym of Life

This latest video from Not Just Bikes explores the link between the walkability of a place and how much daily exercise people get.

Top StoryJay StangeMay 27, 2022walkability, Not Just Bikes 6 Comments

Mike McGinn: Making America More Walkable

This week on the Strong Towns Podcast, host Chuck Marohn gets to talk with Mike McGinn, executive director of America Walks.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 23, 2022walkability, podcast 1 Comment

Remembering All the Things I’m Supposed to Worry About

Our Neighborhood Storyteller recently received a call about her aging father, who, with his driving privileges revoked, has had to resort to walking on unsafe roads…