Show overview
The Strong Towns Podcast has been publishing since 2015, and across the 11 years since has built a catalogue of 612 episodes. That works out to roughly 440 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 28 min and 58 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Government show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 1 weeks ago, with 19 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2016, with 105 episodes published. Published by Strong Towns.
From the publisher
The Strong Towns Podcast is a weekly conversation on the Strong Towns movement, hosted by Strong Towns Founder and President Charles Marohn and frequently featuring special guests. The podcast explores how we can financially strengthen our cities, towns, and neighborhoods and, in the process, make them better places to live. Join Chuck in examining how everything from urban design to economics to systems theory to psychology helps inform this core question.
Latest Episodes
View all 612 episodesInside the Strong Towns Leadership Transition
What's the Housing Crisis Beneath the Housing Crisis?
Rethinking the Federal Role in Transportation
Illinois Housing Reform Gets Practical
The Neighborhood Outside the Church Doors
A Congressman Makes the Case for Local Power
Why Manchester’s Boom Isn’t the Whole Story
How Inner City Highways Bankrupt Downtowns And How We Rebuild
New Zealand Keynote Planning In A World Of Limits
Why Persuasion Fails When You Lead With Data
Why Messy Cities Depend On People Who Take Action
Gas Taxes, Freeways, And What Washington Should Fund Now
Ep 696Balancing Big Experiments And Neighborhood Fixes In California Housing
In this moderated panel at the REACH Ideas + Action Summit, Chuck Marohn and California Forever’s Jim Wunderman tackle California’s housing crisis from two very different angles: maturing existing neighborhoods and building a brand‑new city. Together they wrestle with whether local reforms, new towns, or both can deliver real affordability in places like Santa Barbara and beyond. Additional Show Notes California Forever (Site) REACH (LinkedIn) Jim Wunderman (LinkedIn) Jocelyn Brennan (LinkedIn) Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!
Ep 695Why Infrastructure Maintenance Might Be The Real Megaproject
New Zealand’s infrastructure commission added up every sector’s project wish‑list—and found a bill voters could never realistically pay. In this conversation, Geoff Cooper and Chuck Marohn unpack the national plan that starts by centering maintenance and renewals, then shows how that shifts the debate over big new projects, growth on the fringe, and the pressure on public budgets. Additional Show Notes Geoff Cooper (LinkedIn) Te Waihanga (Site) Te Waihanga National Infrastructure Plan (Site) Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!
Ep 694From Service Cuts To Understanding City Insolvency
The conversation follows Michel Durand-Wood's path from noticing small local cuts—closed pools, rising taxes—to understanding his city as structurally insolvent. Along the way, he and Chuck talk about grants, debt, Canadian and U.S. examples, and why efficiency alone hasn’t fixed anything. Additional Show Notes Dear Winnipeg (Site) You'll Pay For This! (Book) Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!
Ep 693Beyond Supply and Demand to Housing’s Unseen Financial Forces
Chuck walks through three ways of seeing the housing crisis: supply, demand, and the Strong Towns view that grapples with “dark finance” and capital flows. He explains why campaign-style wins and single-variable fixes rarely deliver real affordability. The episode closes with a candid update on recent leadership changes and how Strong Towns has restructured its media work over the past year. Additional Show Notes Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!
Ep 692What Comes After the Interstate Era? | New Report
For years, the dominant explanation for America’s infrastructure problems has been that we haven’t invested enough. Yet federal spending on transportation is at historic highs, and frustration with the results continues to grow. This report offers a different interpretation. The Interstate Highway System achieved its original goal. The challenges we face today are not the result of failure, but of a system that continued long after its purpose was fulfilled. Understanding what comes after it is the work in front of us. Additional Show Notes Watch on YouTube. Read the Mission Accomplished White Paper. Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!
Ep 691Humility Versus Hubris in American Urbanism
Why 95% of planners get it wrong, how monetary policy killed Main Street, and why Chuck Marohn is optimistic about Gen Z. This wide-ranging conversation, first featured on the Yeoman podcast with Geoff Graham, explores the difference between Jane Jacobs's humble incrementalism and Robert Moses's technocratic master plans—and which approach is winning in 300+ communities. Additional Show Notes Chuck Marohn (Substack) Geoff's Podcast https://yeomanpodcast.com/
Ep 690Where the Strong Towns Movement Is Headed in 2026
In this year’s State of Strong Towns address, Chuck Marohn reflects on where the movement stands at the start of 2026 — what’s changed, what’s growing, and how the work ahead remains grounded in humility, restraint, and bottom-up action. Additional Show Notes Watch on YouTube. Read the 2025 Annual Report. Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!
Ep 689The Hidden Costs of "Improving" This Minnesota Highway
A major highway project is pitched as a safety upgrade — but at what cost to the community? Today, Chuck is joined by Matt Steele, a fellow Brainerd-area resident and longtime Strong Towns member. They unpack a highway interchange that's been proposed in nearby Baxter and the long-term trade-offs that shape strong (or fragile) places. Additional Show Notes Read more about this project: "Six Roundabouts to Nowhere" by Charles Marohn Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.