The Bottom-Up Revolution

Emma Durand-Wood never planned on public office. But what began as challenging a pawn shop, planting trees, and pushing for safer speeds in her Winnipeg neighborhood grew into coalitions and, eventually, a successful run for local office. She talks about stepping into the role, facing the information fire hose, and keeping family and community at the center. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations:‍ JC's Tacos Historic Elmwood Cemetery Emma Durand-Wood (Site) Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Most crash analysis studios didn’t start inside City Hall—they were sparked by local members, neighbors, and conversation leaders who refused to accept dangerous streets as normal. Instead of waiting on the next grant cycle, Strong Towns is helping cities take small, fast steps at their most dangerous intersections through community-led crash analysis studios. Norm and Edward share how this work tests changes on the ground, builds data, and supports local champions both inside and outside city government. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Edward Erfurt (LinkedIn) Crash Analysis Studio (Site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

In this episode, Josh Olson reflects on how he and others helped bring a Strong Towns local conversation group back to life in Madison, and kept it going with simple habits like reserving the same library room each month. It explores the projects that grew out of that effort, including safer street trials, Parking Day, and support for a major housing reform package. As the group took on these projects, members built relationships with city staff, showed up to public meetings, and pushed for small, low-cost changes—like turning a peak-hour traffic lane into parking—that the city implemented within months. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations:‍ Mother Fools Coffeehouse Ahan Restaurant Teasider Lake Loop Strong Towns Madison (Site) Strong Towns Madison(Instagram) Counting Cranes (Substack) Vote for Madison in the Strongest Town Contest! Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Steve Schaer and Patrick Schloss share how landlocked, eleven‑square‑mile West Allis, Wisconsin has become one of metro Milwaukee’s most business‑friendly cities by growing from within after major factory closures. They trace the community’s path from brownfields and aging corridors to adaptive reuse, new housing, and lively main streets filled with independent shops, coffee houses, and breweries. Along the way, they highlight zoning shifts, creative financing tools, arts events, transportation academies, and on‑the‑ground outreach that together have changed the city’s trajectory. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Vote for West Allis in the Strongest Town Contest! Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Brian Kelly and Braden Schmidt went from curious residents to leaders helping redesign streets, modernize zoning, and unlock safer, more affordable neighborhoods in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In this conversation, they share how modest first steps—showing up to meetings, testing a parklet, repurposing old materials—grow into city‑wide change. Their story traces the path from tentative beginnings to a community that’s learning, iterating, and steadily becoming stronger. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Vote for Sheboygan in the Strongest Town Contest! Sheboygan Active Transportation (Instagram) Sheboygan Active Transportation (Facebook) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Chicago organizers Ellen Steinke and Dr. Chloe Groome walk through the fight to re-legalize ADUs, fix single-family zoning, and head off a looming transit fiscal cliff. They recount the campaign to save transit funding, including a sketch-driven show that turned insider debates about the Road Fund into something regular Chicagoans could act on. The episode follows their blend of detailed policy work, neighborhood organizing, and improv-rooted comedy. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Vote for Chicago in the Strongest Town Contest! Strong Towns Chicago (Site) Strong Towns Chicago (Instagram) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

After repeated crashes into a beloved coffee shop, residents in Madison, Wisconsin pushed for a fast, inexpensive lane change instead of another long, consultant‑driven process. Josh Olson explains how neighbors gathered speed data, won a two‑month trial, and helped make the change permanent. Along the way, he shares how that work fed into broader safety goals, housing reforms, and a shift from “why don’t we” to “how can we.” ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Vote for Madison in the Strongest Town Contest! Strong Towns Madison (Site) Strong Towns Madison(Instagram) Madison Property Tax Value Per Acre (Site) Counting Cranes (Substack) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

When Graham McBain moved to Sacramento, he realized he had no local friends—just nearby houses. In this episode, he shares the simple, sometimes scary steps that turned that street into block parties, front-yard hangouts, and kids biking freely between homes. The conversation traces that change on his block and highlights practical ways to start building community where you live, with the people already around you. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations:‍ Mesa Mercado Shangri-La Hey Neighbor Hub (site) Hey Neighbor Hub (Instagram) Hey Neighbor Hub (YouTube) Hey Neighbor Hub (TikTok) Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Most parents worry about safer routes to school but can’t track every plan or attend every meeting. In Lafayette, Kirk Wandy and Brian Parsons help lead Vibrant Lafayette in doing the legwork—digging into projects like the School Street path, meeting with staff, and then giving busy families clear, targeted ways to show up when it matters most. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Vibrant Lafayette (Site) Vibrant Lafayette (Instagram) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Instead of waiting for permission or a grand plan, Preston Ross III started picking up trash on his own block—and kept going. Learn how that simple habit evolved into a nonprofit, a workforce program for unhoused neighbors, and a practical playbook for taking action in your town. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations:‍ A Place At The Table Tapyard Raleigh Lake Johson North Carolina Museum of Art The Great Raleigh Cleanup (site) The Great Raleigh Cleanup (Instagram) Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

A small Indiana city took on a 54‑mile, $3.4 billion highway with yard signs, town halls, and hard numbers. Mark Nowotarski traces six years of grassroots organizing against the MidStates Corridor, from local resistance in Dubois County to growing pressure at the State House. Along the way, Jasper’s story shows how a community can push back when a mega‑project threatens its future and quality of life. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Don't make Southern Indiana's 'sacrifice zone' worse with Mid-State Corridor (Article) Jasper, Indiana winner of the Strongest Town Contest in 2022 (Site) Mark Nowotarski (LinkedIn) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!