Pre-Approved House Designs Jump-Start Infill Development in South Bend

While other places keep finding ways to say “no” to new housing, this Indiana city is offering pre-approved development templates to small-scale developers at no cost.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesOctober 6, 2022housing, housing crisis, Incremental Housing, incremental development, Infill Development, infill, missing middle, success stories, development, indiana, small scale developers 14 Comments

The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Building an Accessory Dwelling Unit and Helping Others Do the Same

Sarah Cipkar created a tool to help people navigate the ADU process in Canada.

Podcast, Top Story, Community StoriesStrong TownsSeptember 29, 2022canada, incremental development, accessory dwelling unit, podcast Be the First to Comment

The Suburbs Are a “One-Life-Cycle” Product

A recent CNBC documentary features Strong Towns insights from Charles Marohn about why suburban development is so risky.

Top StoryRachel QuednauSeptember 20, 2022suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, suburbs, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, Incremental Housing, housing cost, housing, housing affordability, housing crisis 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

We Often Don’t Think About Design—But It Tells Us How To Think

Design affects us in a multitude of ways, and when we look to nature as inspiration for designing the built environment, the core takeaways are: adaptation and incrementalism.

Top StorySeairra JonesAugust 9, 2022design, urban design, Neighborhood Design, aesthetics, incrementalism, incremental, incremental development, incremental growth, zoning, traditional development pattern Be the First to Comment

Oak Tree Road and the Second Life Cycle Blues

Small-scale, incremental development works in the suburbs too, if we let it.

Top StoryAddison Del MastroJuly 21, 2022immigrants, immigration, incremental development, incrementalism, incremental, strip malls, suburbs, suburban development pattern, second life cycle, suburban experiment, new jersey 3 Comments

A Recent Lawsuit Uses “Environmentalism” To Argue Against Walkable, Compact Development in Minneapolis. What the Heck Is Going On?

The environmental groups suing Minneapolis to block implementation of its groundbreaking 2040 Plan have a limited understanding of environmentalism, but a keen grasp of how to slow down policy reform.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 22, 2022Climate Change, climate, environment, zoning, NIMBY, incremental growth, incremental development, incrementalism, infill, minnesota 21 Comments

Legalizing Incremental Change—Everywhere—To Meet America’s Housing Needs

For too long, our housing policy has put investor returns and macroeconomic goals over the universal human need for shelter. The Strong Towns approach to incremental housing is a badly needed corrective.

Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 9, 2022housing, housing affordability, housing crisis, housing cost, housing activism, housing policy, housing market, incrementalism, incremental, incremental development, Incremental Housing, member week 6 Comments

Herriges Rezoned: A City Shaped by Many Hands

Incrementalism is not an end in itself. Nor is it about a “small-is-beautiful” aesthetic for its own sake. Instead, it’s a practical pathway toward resilient, financially sound places.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMay 11, 2022Chaotic but Smart, traditional development pattern, incremental development, incremental, incrementalism, North Carolina, urban design, housing, south carolina, small scale developers 4 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

House Hacking: Urbanism at Its Smallest and Most Personal

This catalog is a primer on house hacking, with plenty of real-life examples of how it is done.

Top StoryRobert SteutevilleApril 7, 2022housing, housing affordability, housing cost, housing activism, small scale developers, small scale development, incremental development, incremental, incrementalism Be the First to Comment

“How Can My Town *Not* Be Wealthy When There’s Been So Much Growth?”

Let's talk about some core Strong Towns concepts: complexity, incrementalism, fragility, and more!

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 7, 2022strong towns approach, incrementalism, fragility, complex systems, incremental growth, incremental, incremental development, podcast 2 Comments

Bringing Gentle Density to Memphis

These brothers are pushing for incremental infill development in Memphis, Tennessee, with a community they’re building just north of downtown.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesFebruary 16, 2022incremental development, incrementalism, Incremental Development Alliance, incremental, small scale developers, developers, development, housing, infill, Infill Development, success stories, tennessee 1 Comment

How Big Is an Incremental Step? Let's #DoTheMath

For our real-estate markets to allow incremental development to be economically viable, there are some challenges we need to confront.

Top StorySeth ZerenJanuary 20, 2022incremental development, incrementalism, incremental growth, incremental, next increment, real estate, housing, housing cost, developers, transparent local accounting 10 Comments

What Would Mass Upzoning *Actually* Do to Property Values?

A common objection to broad upzonings is, “Won't allowing more development everywhere set off speculative feeding frenzies?” The answer? No. Here’s why.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 19, 2022upzoning, zoning, development, incremental development, incrementalism, next increment 15 Comments

To Airbnb or Not to Airbnb

You might love them or you might hate them, but as small-scale developer Bernice Radle reveals, short-term rentals can be a very nuanced discussion.

Top StoryBernice RadleJanuary 14, 2022airbnb, small scale developers, small scale development, incremental development, Incremental Development Alliance 4 Comments

Hartford Land Bank Invests in Human Infrastructure

Connecticut’s Hartford Land Bank isn’t just stewarding the rehabilitation of its community—it’s also bringing up the next generation of local small-scale developers.

Top StoryJay StangeJanuary 6, 2022housing, incremental development, incrementalism, housing cost, housing crisis, taking action, success stories 1 Comment

Unleash the Swarm: A New E-book on Reviving Small-Scale Development

This new Strong Towns e-book explores what it would take to revive small-scale development as a force significant enough to shape and grow our cities.