The Strong Towns Podcast

This week, Rachel's guest is Connor Nielsen, our summer intern who is working with both Strong Towns and our friends at the geoanalytics firm, Urban3, to share data-related stories throughout the next few months. Connor talks about what led him to this internship and what he hopes to work on this summer. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Urban3 Connor's writing on Strong Towns Ask Strong Towns webcast, Thursday at 12pm CT Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond The Liturgists (podcast) The Good Place (TV show)

This is our third dispatch from the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), which took place in Savannah, Georgia in May. Chuck Marohn attended CNU and hosted a series of in-depth podcast conversations about some of the most pressing topics for cities today, with leaders, thinkers, and activists in a whole range of fields. Now we're bringing those podcasts to your ears throughout the summer. In this episode, David Rau, a New York-city based architect and Steve Mouzon, an architect and author of The Original Green, discuss the past, present and future of American architecture. They contemplate what it means for a new generation to reject or forgive the design choices of previous generations, particularly in light of recent conversations about the removal of Confederate monuments in American cities. Questions discussed in this podcast include: What are the key differences between traditional architecture and modern architecture? Is a willingness to accept or reject changes as humans wired into our DNA? Are lib

Rachel's guest this week is Michelle Erfurt, Strong Towns' Pathfinder. She shares an update on Strong Towns' events for the year and the amazing reach that the Strong Towns message has been having. Michelle and Rachel also dish about their latest favorite books and tv shows. If you want to book a Strong Towns event, head to this page to get in touch with Michelle. Mentioned in this podcast Chuck speaks at the International City/County Management Association's Annual Conference in Baltimore Strong Towns events in: Erie, PA Fort Worth, TX Cedar Creek, TX 8 Lessons Learned from Starting my First Garden by Michelle Erfurt Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

This is our second dispatch from the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), which took place in Savannah, Georgia in May. Chuck Marohn attended CNU and hosted a series of in-depth podcast conversations about some of the most pressing topics for cities today, with leaders, thinkers, and activists in a whole range of fields. Now we're bringing those podcasts to your ears throughout the summer.   One month after the Congress, today's podcast guests are Andres Duany and Kevin Klinkenberg, who discuss the host city of Savannah. Andres is one of the founders of CNU and Kevin is a long-time Savannah resident. Both are architects and planners, and both were deeply involved with producing the Congress this year. Questions discussed in this podcast include: What makes Savannah such a unique place? Why didn't the rest of Savannah develop in the same traditional, walkable manner as the city center? How has auto-oriented design impacted the historic core of the city? How do you balance historic preservation concer

This is our first dispatch from the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), which took place in Savannah, Georgia in May. Chuck Marohn attended CNU and hosted a series of in-depth podcast conversations about some of the most pressing topics for cities today, with leaders, thinkers, and activists in a whole range of fields. Now we're bringing those podcasts to your ears throughout the summer. Today's podcast guest is Monte Anderson, a developer based in Texas and a leader of the Incremental Development Alliance.  Monte encourages people to pick a place they love and stay there. That's how you really learn what communities need and how to make them better. And that's what he did by choosing to incrementally improve his hometown. Questions discussed in this podcast include: What if your town seems past the point of getting better? Should you stay anyway? What needs to happen in order to encourage development in our towns?  How do you respond to people who worry that the removal of parking minimums will be har

A few decades ago, Beth Berry lived in Austin, Texas with her four children. The pace of life in that big city eventually caught up with them and they decided to move south to Mexico to find something different. Beth started writing, cooking, walking and observing the family-centric life around her. "I was learning to not have an agenda and let curiosity lead me," she says. "The culture shifted my perspective on what I needed to do to be okay, to be worthy, to be successful by some measure." Since then, she has moved back to the United States and begun working as a life coach with mothers who share similar concerns about the unceasing pace of American life, and the burdens and impossible ideals it lays on women. In this engaging conversation with Chuck Marohn, Beth discusses the pressures of modern parenthood, the loss of "the village" when it comes to raising children, and the way the design of our communities furthers disconnection and isolation. Mentioned in this podcast: In the absence of ‘the village

On this episode, Kea and Rachel recap the recent member drive and chat about some recent favorite books and shows. A huge thank you to the 150 new members who joined us last week. If you didn't get a chance to become a member yet, you can still do so right here, right now. Mentioned in this episode The Winners of our State vs. State New Member Contest In Defense of Housing by Peter Marcuse and David Madden Wild, Wild Country (Netflix show) Is it better to build a Strong Town from scratch? by Kea Wilson

Strong Towns needs your support! It's the final day of our member drive and can't accomplish our mission of changing the national conversation on growth and development without you. Become a member today: www.strongtowns.org/membership If you've been waiting — been putting this off all week — we're here to help you get past the finish line. Here's the number: 844-218-1681. Ask for Chuck. Ask for Kea. Ask for Rachel or Max or Bo or Michelle. We're all sitting here waiting for you to call. We'll chat a little and then get you signed up to be a member of Strong Towns. It's that easy. Or, just sign up on your own. That's easy too. Just click here to join a movement that is making important change happen. Today's the day. Before you head out for a long weekend, take a quick minute to make a huge difference.

Strong Towns needs your support! We can't accomplish our mission of changing the national conversation on growth and development without you. Become a member today: www.strongtowns.org/membership On Day 4 of the Spring member drive, Chuck recaps a typical day in the life as president of Strong Towns. Then he discusses a question he received on a recent Ask Strong Towns webcast about the negative nature of so much of what Strong Towns discusses, and whether there is any way to find hope.

Strong Towns needs your support! We can't accomplish our mission of changing the national conversation on growth and development without you. Become a member today: www.strongtowns.org/membership In this first episode of our Spring member drive, Chuck reflects on a promise he made to Strong Towns three years ago, and how that decision changed the trajectory of this movement forever.

Every month, we host Ask Strong Towns to give you a chance to ask your burning questions about our vision for change, and how the Strong Towns approach might apply in your unique place. The live Ask Strong Towns webcast is open to all Strong Towns members, but afterward, we share the audio on our podcast. In today’s episode, Chuck and Kea discuss several audience-submitted questions on topics ranging from TIF and bonds to historic preservation to how to campaign on a Strong Towns platform.  Here are the questions discussed in this episode:  Down-zonings are a common tool around here for the local aldermen to get what they want. I’m a believer that they make the development process longer, more expensive and, subsequently, lead to gentrification. What’s the Strong Towns take on down-zonings? What are appropriate things that a city should issue bonds for? What resources are available for a small town without a big planning department or budget to review their zoning code and best practices? Many are exci

Chuck and Rachel discuss Strong Towns' role in CNU26 in Savannah, GA, including live podcast recordings, an interactive debate, a Strong Towns 101 presentation and a meet-up. Get all the details here. MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST Overview of Strong Towns activities at CNU How to Join in on Strong Towns Events at CNU (whether you're attending or not) "The Little Law Office That Could" by Rachel Quednau Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History by Brian Kilmeade The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic by Benjamin Carter Hett Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition by Marc Reisner Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb Flint Town (Netflix series)

Kea Wilson is Strong Towns' Director of Community Engagement and, as of a couple days ago, the proud owner of a new four-family building in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. This is the second property that she and her partner have purchased and managed as landlord and developers and today we brought her on the Strong Towns podcast to talk all about that experience. (She's also been detailing her journey toward purchasing this property in a series of articles on the website this week.) In this in-depth and honest podcast conversation, Kea and Rachel discuss: What does being a developer look like and why do it in the first place? How do you weight the costs and benefits of a given property (both monetary and non-monetary), and make the choice to pull the trigger on a purchase? Is it possible to provide quality affordable housing and still break even or make a profit as a small scale developer without deep pockets? What are the challenges and benefits of being a landlord? How can we incentivize more la

Rachel's guest this week is Strong Towns member and occasional writer, Alex Baca. Alex just published an article on Strong Towns called "Homeownership for whom?" about the flawed model of homeownership as a platform for building household wealth — and who is excluded by that model. Alex and Rachel discuss the position of homeownership in American culture and the economy. They also chat about Alex's thoughts on bikeshare and recent updates in the bikeshare world like dockless bikes and scooters. Mentioned in this podcast: Homeownership for whom? by Alex Baca Gerontopoly: Homeownership, Wealth and Age by Joe Cortright Strong Towns events in Peoria, IL What Cities Need to Understand About Bikeshare Now by Alex Baca (on CityLab) Here’s What You Can Read If You’d Like to Think About Cities In Exactly The Way That I Do — an extended book list by Alex Baca Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation Follow Alex on Twitter @alexbaca.  

Today we've got the audio from a recent Ask Strong Towns webcast conversation featuring friend of Strong Towns and Principal at Urban3, Joe Minicozzi, and hosted by Chuck Marohn.  You can watch the video from this webcast as well as see a list of questions covered here: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/4/30/ask-strong-towns-2-with-joe-minicozzi Visit the Ask Strong Towns page to learn more about this webcast, submit a question and get info about the next episode: https://www.strongtowns.org/ask-strong-towns

Rachel's guest this week is Strong Towns Growth Manager, Max Azzarello. He discusses his nomadic lifestyle and the reason he might be settling down somewhere permanently soon. He also talks about why he drives a scooter and a recent book he's been digging. Mentioned in this Podcast Public Murals for Positive Change - An Interview with Pasqualina Azzarello Ask Strong Towns Celebrity Edition feat. Joe Minicozzi (today at 10:30 am CT) May 1 event in Wichita, KS May 3 event in Chattanooga, TN May 9-10 events in Peoria, IL A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster by Rebecca Solnit How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Wild, Wild Country (TV series)

Chuck has been meeting with local leaders across the country for the last several months in closed door conversations. One question he often asks these elected officials and city staff is "What do you wish people understood better about your job?" He consistently receives a very similar set of answers: "We wish the public understood how difficult this job is." "We wish people grasped how limited our resources are." "We wish people appreciated how much we do and had a little more patience." ...and on and on. The truth is that wishing these things will never make them happen, he argues. City leaders have to do their jobs despite the lack of resources and appreciation. If you want to work for a city government and make decisions on behalf of your town, you will receive critiques and high expectations, says Chuck. Here's the real question: How do you do the job despite these things? Hear Chuck's answers on this latest episode of our podcast.

Rachel's guest this week is Chuck Marohn, and he recaps a recent series of events in Akron, Ohio as well as his article for today, The Real Reason Your Local Mall is Failing. Mentioned in this podcast: The Real Reason Your Local Mall is Failing Join us for upcoming public events in West Grove, PA, Wichita, KS, and Chattanooga, TN. Strong Towns members are invited to attend our April 30 Q&A Webcast with special guest Joe Minicozzi of Urban3. Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande

This week's guest is Strong Towns Development Director, Bo Wright, who discusses the organization's new partnership in Akron, Ohio, which will spur a yearlong conversation on how to make the city a strong town, supported by the Knight Foundation. Bo talks about what we hope to accomplish this year in Akron and why it matters to everyone — not just Akron residents. Contact quednau@strongtowns.org if you have a request for a future guest on this podcast. MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST: Learn more about our work in Akron here: www.strongtowns.org/akron Join us for a Curbside Chat and meet-up in Akron on Tuesday, April 17 If you're in the Akron area, please join our Strong Akron Facebook group to follow this conversation. The Long Game podcast by Jon Ward The Achievement of Wendell Berry by Fritz Oehlschlaeger The Party Faithful: How and Why Democrats Are Closing the God Gap by Amy Sullivan Depolarize! Podcast Visit www.StrongTowns.org/Podcast for the show notes.

Who is against you? That's a question Chuck Marohn is often asked when he presents Strong Towns ideas at events and in conversations. One group in particular is a growing voice in opposition to Strong Towns. These are the folks who say: "We really like Strong Towns. We like your ideas... But don't you see that the problems you're discussing are so big and intertwined with so many other challenges that we can't afford to act incrementally? We have to take major steps to solve major problems. Small-scale actions are not going to cut it here." Today on the podcast, Chuck responds.