592 episodes
The Strong Towns Podcast Strong Towns
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4.6 • 360 Ratings
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A weekly conversation on the Strong Towns movement hosted by Charles Marohn. The podcast blends fiscal prudence with good urban design to highlight how America can financially strengthen its cities, towns and neighborhoods and, in the process, make them better places to live.
You can support the podcast and become a member of Strong Towns at www.StrongTowns.org.
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Where Is Sprawl Good? (Featuring Joe Minicozzi)
At Strong Towns, we try to avoid using the word “sprawl” as a shorthand term in our content—and we’d even go so far as to say that sprawl isn’t the problem we’re trying to solve in our communities. All that said, are there any instances where sprawl is actually good? Hear Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn discuss this with Joe Minicozzi, principal of Urban3.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
“Sprawl Is Not the Problem,” by Chuck Marohn, Strong Towns (April 2016).
Urban3 (website).
Joe Minicozzi (Twitter/X).
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X). -
Reading Member Comments—Live From Buc-ee’s!
Alright, it’s not exactly “live,” but while visiting Austin, Chuck Marohn couldn’t resist stopping by a Buc-ee’s to marvel at this Texas-sized gas station. It’s emblematic of the overbuilt, spread-out, auto-oriented infrastructure plaguing states like Texas and so many others—but even in Buc-ee’s massive parking lot, there is hope to be found, in the form of comments from Strong Towns members. These are the people who have taken the first step toward fighting a hundred years of bad city development. Will you join them by becoming a member today?
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We’re Seeing a Groundswell of People Doing Amazing Things in Their Communities
On this special Member Week episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck Marohn reflects how, despite being sick, his spirits were bolstered this week by the efforts of advocates he’s observed doing amazing work in their cities and towns. We get to support these local heroes through programs like Local Conversations and the Community Action Lab—and your donations are what support us so that we can continue making these programs happen. So, will you help us in making all of this possible by becoming a Strong Towns member today?
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We Must Become More Sensitive to the Stress Our Cities Are Under
Different people are sensitive to different things around them, and this Member Week, we’re asking you to challenge yourself to become a little more sensitive to the things that are happening in your community. What do you see when you look around you? Crumbling infrastructure? Poor urban design? Dangerously designed streets? Insurmountable municipal debt?
You can see what’s happening. Now it’s time to do something about it. Start by joining this movement of bottom-up action to change the trajectory of our cities and towns: become a Strong Towns member today. -
Seth Kaplan: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, host Chuck Marohn talks with friend, author, and expert on fragile states, Seth Kaplan. His new book, Fragile Neighborhoods, offers a bold new vision for addressing social decline in America, one zip code at a time. It discusses the importance of revitalizing our local institutions and introduces the reader to some of the people and organizations who are doing just that—along with practical lessons for those who want to do similar work.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Get your copy of Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time.
Chuck Marohn (Twitter).
Seth Kaplan (website).
Learn more about the 2023 Local-Motive Tour. -
Conor Semler: A New Decision-Making Framework for Street Design
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, host Chuck Marohn chats with Conor Semler, an associate planner with Kittelson and Associates.
Semler was involved in the development of both the National Association of City Transportation Officials’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide and the Federal Highway Administration’s Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide. He's also played a role in putting together a decision-making framework that changes the way engineers, planners, and other transportation professionals approach street design. Tune in to hear him talk about this innovative approach to transportation planning, and more!
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
“Parking or Pedaling? New Tool Helps Communities Weigh Tradeoffs on Their Streets,” by Kittelson & Associates.
Chuck Marohn (Twitter).
Learn more about the 2023 Local-Motive Tour.
Customer Reviews
Excellent information
Love the podcast, particularly the recent episode with not just bikes. All the talk of the floor/ceiling for transit got me (an American raised in a car dependent suburb) thinking about when I was an exchange student in high school. I lived in a german village with 700 people that had hourly bus service. I currently live in Denver (population of over 700k) and most busses that run through my neighborhood have hourly service.
Ex-professional engineer discusses a new way to build towns and cities
This is a pretty important podcast, from a professional engineer who discovered, based on his fiscally conservative upbringing, that the way we’ve been doing towns and cities in America is fundamentally unsustainable and must change.
Sadly, since he quit to do advocacy full-time, his views seem to be drifting into crank territory. Engineers are best when they are directly connected to their work. Now Chuck is going into social systems, where he does not have expertise, but he can be wrong a long time without being caught.
Great work but somewhat unwelcoming to some
I genuinely enjoy this organization and the work that they are doing.
I do have one sincere critic which I hope they genuinely take to heart. While the work of strong town tries to stay non-political in an effort to further their goals. When politics do come up Chuck can’t help malign either the intent or actions of those left of center. Any poor reaction from a conservative is caused by an obvious over zealous liberal or progressive who is narrow minded. Expecting empathy and kindness for the thoughts and concerns of those right of center while constantly insulting those left of center (while slipping in but we work with all ends of the political spectrum) Is not a welcoming at all.
I will continue to support of strong towns but I genuinely hope that they try to confront their own internal biases.