The Strong Towns Podcast

On this podcast episode, Chuck Marohn shares an update on the Strong Towns movement and invites listeners and readers to join us as members during this important week. Help us spread the Strong Towns message across the globe. Become a member today. Help us become #2000Strong.

In this podcast, Rachel Quednau interviews long-time Strong Towns member Matthias Leyrer about how he has built a financially resilient household. They discuss topics ranging from a major home rehab project to how the birth of a child changes your perspective on what's important (with a few tangents in between). This article is part of an ongoing series about building personal and household resilience. Read more from the series here.

Chuck and Rachel recap recent events in Ashland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Northampton, Massachusetts. They also discuss upcoming events in Dallas, Texas and Monterey, California, plus a Strong Towns staff and board retreat. Finally, they check in about their holiday baking plans. Mentioned in this Podcast: Event and member meet-up in Dallas Event in Monterey And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy: Stories From the Byways of American Women and Religion by Adrian Shirk

In this episode, Chuck Marohn interviews Keita Demming, host of the Disruptive Conversations podcast. Keita works in the space of applied innovation, helping companies become beautiful organizations, and holds a PhD from the University of Toronto. In this conversation, Chuck and Keita discuss the concept of disruption and why disruptive conversations are so valuable. They also talk about the difference between simple problems, complicated problems and complex problems — and which we must focus our efforts on in order to build a better world. You can also catch Chuck on Keita's podcast in an episode from earlier this year.

Chuck and Rachel discuss upcoming events in Virginia, Washington, DC, and Massachusetts. They also discuss Chuck's newest article on the pitfalls of school drop-off zones and chat about the special content they're preparing for next week.

The Strong Towns message has a big impact wherever it is heard, but how do we turn that into action? In this episode, Founder and President of Strong Towns, Chuck Marohn, talks about some of the next steps for the movement.

Chuck and Rachel recap recent events in New Haven, CT and New York, NY. They also discuss some recent success stories of Strong Towns members in action. Mentioned in this podcast: "An Open Letter to the City of Springfield" by Chuck Marohn "One Million Strong" by Chuck Marohn Join us for this week's slackchat at 12pm CT on Wednesday "Putting Portland's Urban Highway in its Place" by Rachel Quednau "Placemaking Projects Create a Stronger Iron Range" by Rachel Quednau Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber Who Gets What ? and Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design by Alvin Roth

In this podcast episode, Rachel Quednau interviews her colleague Kea Wilson about her journey to financial freedom and personal resilience. Kea talks about how she paid off $25,000 in college debt in less than a year and how a mindset of financial frugality and saving over spending has stayed with her since. By finding joy in low-cost, productive, simple activities and adopting a lifestyle aimed at happiness, not consumption, Kea is charting a path of personal and community resilience. We can all learn something from it. This episode is part of an ongoing series about personal resilience. Find more articles in the series here.

Chuck and Rachel begin with some exciting news, then discuss upcoming East Coast events and debt in Puerto Rico (and what it means for all of us). Apologies; we had some issues with Chuck's audio on this one. Mentioned in this podcast: Planetizen's List of Top 100 Most Influential Urbanists New Haven, CT presentation and meet-up New York City presentation and meet-up "The Spooky Nature of Debt" by Chuck Marohn Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graebe Cognitive Architecture: Designing for How We Respond to the Built Environment by Ann Sussman Send Rachel your ideas and comments: [email protected]

Chuck Marohn interviews Catherine Fitts, Strong Towns member and founder of the Solari Report. Catherine served as managing director and member of the board of directors of the Wall Street investment bank Dillon, Read & Co. Inc., as Assistant Secretary of Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in the first Bush Administration, and was the president of Hamilton Securities Group, Inc. In this conversation, Catherine discusses her past leadership roles and how that has influenced her outlook on building investment and wealth—not just for individuals—but for communities as a whole. Chuck Marohn was also featured on the Solari Report earlier this year, which you can check out here.

Chuck and Rachel recap a bunch of recent Strong Towns events in Spearfish, SD, Akron, OH, Santa Ana, CA, Pensacola, FL, and Holland, MI. They also discuss Chuck's Monday article, "Rules for the Uncomfortable."

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of hosting a webcast for Strong Towns members with Ferguson, MO-based farmer, Molly Rockamann of EarthDance Organic Farm School. This was part of a series we've been doing throughout the last few months about local food. You can find the whole series here. Kea Wilson interviewed Molly about how the farm got started, the challenges and advantages of having a farm in this location, where local food intersects with building Strong Towns and much more. We're now releasing the audio of the webcast as today's podcast. If you'd like to watch the whole video, just visit our website. Even if you're not looking to become a farmer in the near future, there's still a lot to learn from this discussion. The conversation considers how farmers and non-farmers can be good neighbors to one another, how local food can support a strong local economy, and how regular people can take small steps to participate in local food systems, whether or not you're ready to get down in the dirt and grow something.

With Chuck on the road, Rachel brings in her colleague Kea Wilson for a special edition of the Week Ahead podcast. Rachel and Kea discuss articles they've recently written and some upcoming projects. They also announce a slackchat they're hosting on Friday and discuss some favorite books. Mentioned in this podcast: "Is your state transportation system broke? Then hit up the Prius drivers!" "False Choices in American Transportation" Event in Pensacola, FL Event in Holland, MI "Four Tips for Better Community Engagement" This Week's Slackchat: Open Resource Sharing with Kea and Rachel Sign up for Slack The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael Twitty We Eat Our Young by Kea Wilson Becoming Jane Jacobs by Peter Laurence

Chris Brown is the city engineer for Fayetteville, AR and has been involved in spearheading a tactical urbanism program for the city. In this podcast interview, he talks about the life of a city engineer, his community's desire for safer streets, and how that led the city to start this new program. He also talks about the challenges of such an initiative and how to overcome them. Read more about tactical urbanism in Fayetteville and download a free guide to implementing a tactical urbanism project here.

Houston has taken center stage as a city deeply impacted by Hurricane Harvey, but small towns in Texas were also devastated by this hurricane and resultant flooding. It's often the smaller towns that struggle the most to properly plan and fund their rebuilding efforts because they lack the amount of staff and varied expertise to handle challenges of this magnitude. At Strong Towns, we care about the fate of these communities and we want to help them rebuild in a way that doesn't just repair damage from wind and flood but also makes them stronger towns over the long haul. That's why, together with the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), Local Government Commission, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, we are supporting Collaborative Communities' efforts to deploy Free Assistance Support Teams (FAST) to small communities affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Through the FAST program, municipal governments will receive free assistance to ensure they have the necessary tools and information to adequately prepare for the FEMA Project Worksheet process. The goal is for this model to become a national program that can be applied in future disasters to help towns grow strong for years to come. Want to learn more about this effort and how you can get involved? In this short podcast conversation with Laura Clemons, who is leading the program, you'll hear about her organization, what they're doing in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and how you can help. Visit this page to sign up to volunteer for or donate to this effort.

Chuck Marohn interviews Chris Arnade, who writes for the Guardian, has a PhD in particle physics from Johns Hopkins and previously worked as a bond trader in New York City. Arnade has spent the last several years documenting addiction and poverty in towns across America. In this interview, he discusses why walking in neighborhoods that he was told not to visit in New York led him away from trading and toward his current role as a writer. He talks about a life getting to know people on the margins of society—people living in poverty and dealing with addiction—and the struggles of small towns in America. You can find Chris Arnade writing and sharing photos often on Medium.

In this short bonus podcast, Chuck interviews Kevin Shepherd, a Strong Towns sponsor and principal at VERDUNITY about the new group he has formed with others in the planning and development sphere called Cultivate Collaborative which will help to apply Strong Towns concepts on a practical level. Kevin also discusses the group's first event in Frisco, TX on November 4 featuring Chuck Marohn and Monte Anderson. Learn more about the event and sign up.

Caress Givens is the Community Engagement Coordinator for Milwaukee, Wisconsin's bike share program, Bublr. In this interview hosted by Rachel Quednau, Givens discusses equity issues related to bike share: How can bike share programs best meet the needs of low-income people and reach low-income neighborhoods? Is bike share an indicator of gentrification? Givens also talks about how to fund bike share programs, as well as how to get kids involved with bike share. Plus, Givens shares her list of favorite bike share programs across the nation.

Chuck and Rachel discuss recent perspectives about Hurricane Harvey and the aftermath in Houston. They also chat about recent favorite books and films. (We apologize that there were some issues with Rachel's audio in this episode.) Mentioned in this podcast: "The Real Lesson of Hurricane Harvey" by Chuck Marohn "Piling on Houston" by Chuck Marohn "Houston isn't flooded because of its land use planning." by Daniel Herriges Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman 13th (Documentary) The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein

Chuck Marohn interviews Scott Beyer, urban affairs journalist and owner of Market Urbanism Report, who is currently traveling the country on a three-year trip visiting 30 different American cities. Chuck and Scott discuss their overlapping and diverging viewpoints on government regulations, zoning and housing affordability issues. They also compare issues in large cities with smaller towns and consider whether the same policies can apply in both sorts of places.

Chuck Marohn shares the highlights from his recent family vacation to Washington DC including visits to the Library of Congress, the US Capitol, and several national monuments. He also discusses an upcoming Strong Towns event in Tulsa, OK and his recent article, "A Spirit of Generosity." Rachel talks about a new favorite podcast, Left, Right & Center. Mentioned in this podcast: Event in Tulsa, OK "A Spirit of Generosity" by Charles Marohn Left, Right & Center

In this podcast, Rachel Quednau interviews Alfonso Morales, a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about public markets as part of Strong Towns' ongoing focus on local food. They compare markets in the United States with markets around the world, discuss current factors impacting the growth of markets and talk about ways to use data to analyze the success of farmers markets, including a new tool Morales helped to create. Mentioned in this podcast: MIFI Markets Dane County Farmers Market Milwaukee Public Market Cities of Farmers by Alfonso Morales and Julie C. Dawson

Chuck Marohn is on vacation this week, but before he left, he sat down to record a solo podcast about his new life in downtown Brainerd in response to the frequent question he gets, "How's the new neighborhood?" We'll be back with our usual Week Ahead podcast next Monday.

This week, Chuck and Rachel apologize for their recent absence on the podcast and discuss a recent article about the California Housing Crisis. They also discuss an ongoing Local Food campaign and recent favorite books. Mentioned in this podcast: "California Housing Crisis" by Charles Marohn Local Food campaign Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Hochschild White Trash by Nancy Isenberg

Chuck Marohn interviews Pete Saunders, a planner and journalist who writes for Forbes, Business Insider and other publications, as well as his blog, The Corner Side Yard. Pete grew up in Detroit and now lives in Chicago so this discussion kicks off with a conversation about baseball (especially the Cubs and White Sox) and the relationship of stadiums and teams to their surrounding neighborhoods. Chuck and Pete also discuss two fascinating American cities where Pete has spent time: Detroit and Las Vegas. Finally, they contemplate the shift of African American populations toward the suburbs and out of the cities, and what that could mean for this demographic. Mentioned in this podcast: Can the Chicago White Sox Help Turn Around the South Side? Las Vegas Lessons Part I and Part II On the Outside, Looking In You can read more from Pete on his blog or connect with him on Twitter.

Chuck Marohn interviews Don Kostelec, a Strong Towns member and Senior Planning Associate at Alta Planning + Design based in Boise, ID. He's also the creator of this awesome video series. Chuck and Don discuss a deadly street in Springfield, MA. (Read Chuck's open letter to the city of Springfield and the follow-up article for more back story.) They also chat about the challenges of the engineering and planning professions in general, and the nuance necessary in examining car crash data.

Chuck Marohn interviews Kate Herzog, one of the first members of Strong Towns and Marketing & Assistant Director of Downtown Bismarck in Bismarck, ND. Chuck and Kate discuss the economic and political challenges in the Bismarck area and what Downtown Bismarck is doing about it. They also discuss a "renaissance zone" in Bismarck and the benefits and drawbacks of that program, as well as comparisons with tax increment financing (TIF) programs.

Chuck and Rachel discuss the fate of America, in light of Chuck's article from today, "Where is our republic headed?" and whether all of our work is in vain or whether there's reason for hope. They also chat about a recent episode of Strong Talk. Mentioned in this episode: "Where is our republic headed?" Strong Talk: Planning for Tourists vs. Residents Animal Farm by George Orwell The Revolutions podcast

Rachel and Chuck offer an update on their summer adventures, especially their Fourth of July experiences in their respective cities. They also talk about a recent controversial discussion on the Strong Towns Facebook page about suburban retrofit, plus some favorite new podcasts they've been listening to. MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST: This week's Slackchat on incremental development Strong Towns Facebook discussion about suburban retrofit Strong Towns' writing and podcasting on Suburban Poverty Strong Towns' writing and podcasting on Big Box Stores Strong Towns' work on the topic of suburban retrofit Hardcore History podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast

Chuck and Rachel check in after a couple weeks away (Rachel was traveling for her wedding and honeymoon). Chuck offers an update on recent events in Atlanta, GA, Calgary, AB and Utica, NY, including one at which he was made an honorary citizen and given a cowboy hat. Chuck and Rachel also talk about the best books they've recently read. Mentioned in this podcast: The Happiness Hypothesis: Minding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt Animal Farm by George Orwell Give a Girl a Knife by Amy Thielen

This is the last day of our member drive and we're taking a look at what comes next for Strong Towns. Sign up to be a member at http://www.strongtowns.org/membership

Strong Towns member Paul Fritz of Sebastabol, CA, talks about the ways Strong Towns thinking has influenced him and his community. Sign up to be a member during our member drive. Go to http://www.strongtowns.org/membership

When you become a member of Strong Towns, you are supporting a change in the conversation. You are giving us the resources that we need to get this powerful message in front of more and more people. It’s working. All we need today is your support.

In this podcast, Chuck Marohn interviews Tony Dutzik, Senior Policy Analyst for Frontier Group and Strong Towns member about his recent article, "What Comes After the Auto Bubble?" Chuck and Tony discuss the relationship between easy access to lending and car ownership increases, and its overlaps with the housing bubble and crash. They also discuss the impact of car-reliance on poor families and our economy as a whole.

Chuck and Rachel discuss several recent events in Traverse City and Chicago, as well as upcoming events in Brainerd, MN, Atlanta, GA and Calgary, AB. They also discuss Chuck's new series on incremental growth, which kicked off today on our website. Mentioned in this podcast: 2017 Strongest Town Contest Strong Towns Strength Test #1: How's your main street doing? Info about upcoming Q&A webcasts Brainerd History Week event FEEcon in Atlanta, plus info about an Atlanta member meetup Conference in Calgary, AB "The power of growing incrementally" by Chuck Marohn Spiders on Drugs video Portland Housing series

Chuck Marohn interviews Grace Potts of Ypsilanti, MI and Elias Crim of Valparaiso, IN, writers and editors for Solidarity Hall, a group blog, "a hospitable old hostelry, a mental oasis in the deserted landscapes that surround us." Solidarity Hall reflects on great thinkers like Jane Jacobs, Wendell Berry, and Dorothy Day to discuss issues of community, religion and social progress. In this interview, Grace and Elias discuss the concept of communitarianism and cooperatives, as well as the problem with centralized systems and our partisan political structure. In this wide-reaching dialogue, Grace, Elias and Chuck contemplate how to build truly resilient communities where power rests in the hands of neighbors, and where economic prosperity is not the realm of the few, but shared by all.

Rachel and Chuck discuss a recent webcast, upcoming events in Michigan and Illinois (including a member meetup with Strong Towns staff), and why our approaches to health care and infrastructure spending are remarkably similar and similarly messed up. Mentioned in this Podcast: Strong Talk: A Dangerous Street That Can't be Ignored (Video) An Open Letter to the City of Springfield by Chuck Marohn Curbside Chat in Traverse City, MI (June 7) Keynote presentation in Chicago, IL (June 9) and you're also invited to a Strong Towns member meetup on June 8 (more info here) "This is why infrastructure is so expensive" by Chuck Marohn More on Infrastructure from Strong Towns Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

Chuck Marohn interviews Emily Hamilton about a recent article she published at the Foundation for Economic Education website entitled, "The Hidden War on Affordable Housing." Emily is a Research Associate at George Mason University's Mercatus Center and she holds a Masters in economics from GMU as well. In this conversation, Chuck and Emily discuss the present lack of single-room occupancy and small-scale housing that used to be so prevalent in the United States and how we might resurrect these forms of affordable housing. They also discuss broader issues of housing affordability across the US and how to adjust government policies to allow for the creation of more affordable housing options. Emily and Chuck are both speaking at the upcoming FEEcon, "2017's premier gathering of freedom lovers from all walks of life" hosted by the Foundation for Economic Education in Atlanta, GA, June 15-17. Get more information here. Right now, FEEcon is offering a special discount to Strong Towns members, readers and listeners. Use the code "MU40off" to get 40% off the ticket price.

In this weekly podcast with Chuck Marohn and Rachel Quednau, Chuck relates his misadventures in Oklahoma, and how some Strong Towns members and event hosts stepped up to help remedy the situation. Chuck also discusses his "Open Letter to the City of Springfield" about a dangerous street that the city recognizes but refuses to redesign for safer crossings. Mentioned in this Podcast: "An Open Letter to the City of Springfield" Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

Chuck Marohn interviews Vince Graham, the former chair of the South Carolina Infrastructure Bank and current president of I'On Group. In this conversation, they discuss Graham's real estate development work and the uphill battle his company has faced in trying to do new urbanist development in a place where suburban-style development is the norm. Graham also talks about his time at the South Carolina Infrastructure Bank—a funding unique model for infrastructure investments—and offers a critical assessment of the organization.

Chuck and Rachel debrief on a recent trip to Asheville, NC with the team at Urban3, as well as an event in Ottawa County, MI. They also discuss an upcoming trip to McAlester, OK and recent content on the Strong Towns website. Mentioned in this podcast: Upcoming event in McAlester, OK "Plan Everything but how to Pay for it all" by Chuck Marohn Catastrophic Care: How American Health Care Killed My Father--and How We Can Fix It by David Goldhill Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes Public Art Week "When the Need to Develop Trumps Public Art" by Jason Schaefer

Northern Spark is a free all-night art festival that has taken place in Minneapolis and St. Paul for the past several years. It's a one-night event but since 2011, it has more than included 535 artist projects in 120 venues, and attracted 222,000 attendees. In this interview, Rachel Quednau chats with Sarah Peters, the Associate Director of the Northern Spark Festival, to find out how the event got started, how it has engaged the Twin Cities community, and how other cities can replicate this amazing program. The 2017 Northern Spark takes place 8:59pm, June 10 until 5:26am on June 11 along the Green Line light rail route in the Twin Cities. Find more info here. See photos of the event on Flickr.

Pasqualina Azzarello is a painter, public muralist, educator, and community advocate. She currently serves as City Arts Coordinator at Easthampton City Arts+ in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and she is also part-time faculty at Parsons The New School in New York City. In this interview with Rachel Quednau, Pasqualina discusses the experience of creating murals at New York City construction sites, on sound barrier walls in Tucson, AZ and every where in between, as well as the importance of involving the community in public art decisionmaking. She also talks about her new position as City Arts Coordinator in Easthampton, MA and what it's like to lead her town's public art initiatives as a government employee. You can read more about Pasqualina's initial New York City construction murals in the New York Times and read more about New York construction murals over the last decade in the New Yorker. Visit Pasqualina Azzarello's website to see more of her work.

Richard Florida is a University Professor and Director of Cities at the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto, he's a writer and journalist, and he serves as senior editor for The Atlantic, where he co-founded and serves as Editor-at-Large for CityLab. He's also the author of a new book, The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class-and What We Can Do About It. In this interview with Chuck Marohn, Florida discusses the backlash to one of his most famous books, The Rise of the Creative Class, and the growth in inequality and economic segregation in American cities, which he cites as a much bigger problem than gentrification. Florida also shares his reaction to the presidential election and his thoughts about the future of the suburbs.

Chuck and Rachel discuss upcoming events in Brainerd, MN and Asheville, NC, and recap the recent CNU25 in Seattle. Mentioned in this podcast: Event in Brainerd, MN Event in Asheville, NC The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire by Stephen Kinzer "Poverty, Partisanship and the Land Tax" (3 videos) This week's open slackchat with Chuck will be at 1pm CT on Wednesday (May 10). More info here.

Jarrett Walker is a transit planning consultant and the author of a book, Human Transit: How clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and our lives. He also writes a blog called Human Transit. In this conversation with Chuck Marohn, Walker considers, "What is the problem for which transit is the solution?" and "What does it mean for transit to work well?" Mentioned in this podcast: Human Transit: How clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and our lives by Jarrett Walker The Human Transit Blog "The Transit Ridership Recipe" by Jarrett Walker

Chuck and Rachel discuss upcoming Strong Towns events as part of the 25th Congress for the New Urbanism in Seattle this week. They also chat about historic preservation, red light cameras and Richard Florida. Mentioned in this podcast: "Is nothing sacred?" by Chuck Marohn CNU25 event info. RSVP for Beers with Engineers here. Apply to be a debater here. FEEcon event in Atlanta, GA. Use the code "MU40off" to get 40% off the ticket price. "An Embarrassing Mess" by Chuck Marohn Lucas Davenport series by John Sandford Jesus and the Gospels, from the Great Courses The Great British Baking Show The New Urban Crisis by Richard Florida

This week, Kea Wilson and Chuck Marohn began a conversation about the merits and pitfalls of Amazon with dueling articles (read Chuck's piece here and Kea's piece here). Today, we're sharing a podcast conversation in which these two Strong Towns staff members explain their differing perspectives on Amazon's place within a Strong Town. Is Amazon helpful or harmful to authors? Does Amazon support or discourage small businesses? Most importantly, does Amazon help towns become stronger or less strong?

Rachel Quednau interviews Matt Tyrnauer and Robert Hammond, directors of a new movie called Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, which is coming out this week (April 21) in select theaters and on demand. In this conversation, they discuss the power of Jacobs' message, her role as a non-professional female urban activist, and their goals for the film.

Chuck and Rachel discuss several recent and upcoming events, as well as Chuck's recent article, "Cargo Cult Planning." Mentioned in this podcast: Eau Claire, WI event, April 20 Omaha, NE event, April 21 "Cargo Cult Planning" by Chuck Marohn Shreveport campaign "Towards a Liberal Approach to Urban Form" by Nolan Gray FEEcon in Atlanta, GA "Is nothing sacred?" by Chuck Marohn Podcast: The Big Short (featuring Joe Minicozzi) ASCE Infrastructure Report Card Portland housing series, October 2016 Support the Strong Towns Podcast by becoming a member today.