On the Conservative Reaction to 15-Minute Cities

On today’s episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck Marohn dives into controversies surrounding the concept of the 15-minute city.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 13, 2023podcast, walkability, 15-Minute Cities, politics, mixed use, neighborhoods 12 Comments

A Century-Old Neighborhood Provides a Model for the Present Day

Good urbanism doesn’t have to mean large apartment buildings or an immaculate row of brownstones; the ad-hoc version on display in this Florida neighborhood is more relevant as a model of adaptation for the rest of us.

Herriges, Top Story, Community StoriesDaniel HerrigesFebruary 22, 2023history, traditional development pattern, Incremental Housing, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, housing, housing crisis, infill, aesthetics, accessory dwelling unit, florida, neighborhoods 6 Comments

Portland’s Cully Neighborhood To Use “The One Ring” for Good

In the past, urban renewal projects have displaced people and destroyed neighborhoods, yet Portland’s Cully neighborhood aims to launch an urban renewal plan…but this time, in a good way?

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 1, 2023podcast, neighborhood revitalization, upzoned, urban renewal, oregon, neighborhoods 3 Comments

Parking, Pizza, and Apartments at the Mall

The way we build our neighborhoods in North America is nothing like making a pizza. But maybe it should be.

Michel Durand-WoodJanuary 31, 2023canada, development pattern, development, traditional development pattern, mixed use, incrementalism, resilience, Incremental Housing, neighborhoods 24 Comments

Top of the Bottom-Up: Creating a Coffee Shop for the Whole Neighborhood

Coté Soeren’s “Resistencia” coffee shop in Seattle is a space for community connection and support, not gentrification.

Podcast, Top Story, Community StoriesStrong TownsJanuary 26, 2023The Bottom-Up Revolution, neighborhood revitalization, coffee shops, gentrification, taking action, neighborhoods, washington Be the First to Comment

Will There Still Be Chinatowns in Utopia?

“Community character" is often invoked to support exclusion and discrimination, but there are also communities whose unique "character" matters—a lot. How (if at all) should local government support such places?

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 18, 2023local government, local regulation, race, housing policy, neighborhoods 5 Comments

What Customer Service Should Mean for a City

Many local governments have taken on a “the customer is always right” mindset, but that’s simply not the best approach, especially for decisions that should be made at the block level.

Podcast, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 10, 2022podcast, local government, city government, localism, neighborliness, neighborhoods 2 Comments

This Ice Machine Is a Case Study in Neighborhood Decline

When you prioritize fast car movement on a street that should be for building community wealth, don’t be surprised when you end up getting neither.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnSeptember 19, 2022streets, capitalism, decline, small towns, suburban development pattern, minnesota, stroad, safe and productive streets, neighborhoods 11 Comments

The Block Party

This Sunday, a Strong Towns member invites our Neighborhood Storyteller to see how his neighborhood alliance is building community…with a block party!

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenSeptember 11, 2022neighborhood storyteller, montana, neighborhood association, community, community development, community engagement, neighborhoods Be the First to Comment

Want to Build Community on Your Street? Just Hit "Print"!

Sometimes, building connections with your neighbors is as simple as hosting a block party.

Top StoryNorman Van Eeden PetersmanAugust 22, 2022neighborliness, community, community building, neighborhoods 1 Comment

Where Are All Our Front Yard Businesses?

Front yard businesses were once a natural stage in the evolution of a community. So where have they all gone, and how do we bring them back?

Top StoryJohn PattisonAugust 16, 2022business, small business, local business, zoning, entrepreneurs, neighborhoods 2 Comments

City Pattern, Life Pattern

Question: “Why don’t people dance in the street today?” Answer: Because the design of our cities shapes the design of our lives.

Top Story, OwensTiffany Owens ReedJuly 28, 2022Street Design, design, urban design, development pattern, public space, community, car culture, neighborhoods 1 Comment

Keeping Tabs on the Community Bulletin Board

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller reflects on ways she stays connected—at least in spirit—with her community, even when she’s physically far away.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenJuly 19, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, children, pets, radio, neighborhoods Be the First to Comment

A Different Kind of Neighborhood

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller has set out to rejoin an old community of hers—one suspended in towers 8,000 feet above sea level.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenJuly 5, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, montana, wildfire, neighborhoods Be the First to Comment

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

Neighborhoods Were Never Meant to Be Unchanging

The idea of a permanent community “character” was an invention of the suburban era, and it's showing its cracks now—because it was never an attainable or desirable goal.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 23, 2022neighborhood change, zoning, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, history, Neighborhood Design, new york, neighborhoods 3 Comments

A Flooded River Versus a Flood of Volunteers

This week, our Neighborhood Storyteller reminisces about how her community came together during a time of impending disaster.

Neighborhood Storyteller, Top StoryKarla TheilenJune 21, 2022neighborhood storyteller, community, neighborliness, flooding, disasters, natural disasters, iowa, neighborhoods Be the First to Comment

Majora Carter: Reclaiming Your Community

In this interview with author Majora Carter, she explains an empowering truth: that you don’t have to move out of your neighborhood to live in a better one.