Chuck Marohn interviews Paul Stewart, the Executive Director of the Oswego Renaissance Association in Oswego, NY. It's a small town like so many others, that has lost population and jobs in the last several decades and is struggling to create lasting solutions to its economic challenges. Stewart talks about his transition from being a citizen rehabbing his historic home—to an activist who started an organization to help revitalize Oswego neighborhoods and preserve homes all across the city. He d...
Sep 08, 2016•1 hr•Ep. 271
In this belated interview from Suburban Poverty week , we had the chance to speak with Elizabeth Kneebone, a fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings and co-author of the book, Confronting Suburban Poverty in America . Her work primarily focuses on urban and suburban poverty, metropolitan demographics, and tax policies that support low-income workers and communities. This conversation focuses on the causes of, impacts on and responses to suburban poverty in America. We dive into tr...
Sep 01, 2016•45 min•Ep. 270
Rachel Quednau and Andrew Price debate the merits of one-way vs. two-way streets in this podcast. MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST: 3 Reasons to Turn These One-Way Streets into Two-Ways by Rachel Quednau The Case for One-Way Streets by Andrew Price Small Bets by Andrew Price...
Aug 25, 2016•26 min•Ep. 269
Chuck and Rachel discuss Chuck's recent vacation, favorite summer movies, Suburban Poverty week and Chuck's recent essay about the future of the US economy . They also touch on upcoming events in Rockford, I L and Minneapolis, MN . Mentioned in this podcast: " Pain or Death? The View from the Balloon " by Chuck Marohn Movies: Jason Bourne , Hell or Highwater , Ben-Hur , and Ghostbusters Books: Jack Reacher novels , Between the World and Me , The New Jim Crow and Seeing Like a State Tomas Sedlace...
Aug 22, 2016•35 min•Ep. 268
Rachel and special guest, Michelle Erfurt (Strong Towns' Pathfinder) discuss Suburban Poverty Week and dive into the event calendar for the rest of 2016. Mentioned in this episode: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond...
Aug 15, 2016•22 min•Ep. 267
This week Chuck answers questions left over from an Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals web broadcast he participated in earlier this year. You will discover, if you didn't already know, that Chuck is not a fan of studies and technical reports (or the mindset that demands them).
Aug 11, 2016•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 266
Things have gone awry as Rachel takes a Monday off leaving Chuck and Strong Towns' Community Builder, Yuri Artibise, to talk about Iowa, the barbell strategy, the Canadian-based CitiesAlive podcast and the differing histories of the War of the Conquest (the French and Indian War).
Aug 08, 2016•33 min•Ep. 265
Chuck and Rachel discuss an upcoming event in Iowa , plus Chuck's recent article on semi trucks and why we don't actually need to build our cities around them. They also touch on some other recent Strong Towns stories and two excellent podcasts Chuck just listened to. Mentioned in this episode: " Richard Duncan: Creditism has Replaced Capitalism ," from the McAlvany Weekly Commentary " Yanis Varoufakis’s Greek Tragedy ," from Radio Open Source with Christopher Lydon...
Aug 01, 2016•29 min•Ep. 264
It's time to end the routine traffic stop. They are dangerous for public safety officials, create resentment in targeted neighborhoods and -- worst of all -- do not address the underlying safety problem inherent in speeding and other traffic violations.
Jul 28, 2016•1 hr•Ep. 263
The Week Ahead podcast is back after a few week's hiatus. Chuck and Rachel discuss the recent Big Box Stores campaign , Chuck's new house and recent events in Oswego, NY and Ontario. Also mentioned in this podcast: The Almost Nearly Perfect People: The Truth about the Nordic Myth by Michael Booth The Harrows by Spring by James Howard Kunstler...
Jul 25, 2016•32 min•Ep. 262
Stacy Mitchell is the author of Big Box Swindle and a senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance , directing its initiatives on banking and independent business. In this interview, she discusses the origins of the big box store, the way they're subsidized by communities and how they are undercutting the American middle class.
Jul 19, 2016•48 min•Ep. 261
At the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) in Detroit this year, we interviewed several intelligent and inspiring guests for the Strong Towns podcast. But we also invited CNU attendees to interview us! That's right, we opened the floor for any and every question that our members and readers wanted to discuss. They asked us about the beginning of Strong Towns, gentrification, historic preservation, small town life and of course, Chuck's Mountain Dew obsession....
Jul 14, 2016•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 260
Chuck interviews President and CEO of CNU Lynn Richards. They discuss the strategy behind this creative, Detroit-based Congress, as well as what's currently going on in the City of Detroit. Lynn Richards also dives into the history and growth of CNU.
Jul 07, 2016•39 min•Ep. 259
Chuck and Strong Towns member and contributor, Johnny Sanphillippo discuss their recent dueling essays about Detroit. Read Chuck's initial essay: " A Promise Impossible to Keep ." Read Johnny's response: " The Doughtnut of Despair? Not Quite "...
Jun 30, 2016•45 min•Ep. 258
Chuck and Rachel recap the membership drive, discuss an upcoming event in Texas and dive into Chuck's Monday article: The Ignorant and the Elites , which covers the value of listening to people who think differently from you, especially in the context of the Brexit vote and the American presidential race. Chuck also confesses to reading some trashy fiction.
Jun 27, 2016•33 min•Ep. 257
The last day of our member drive and we spend it chatting with Strong Towns contributor Matthias Leyrer about his town's obsession with building sporting facilties. Time well spent. Become a member of Strong Towns at http://www.strongtowns.org/membership
Jun 24, 2016•50 min•Ep. 256
Chuck shares what it's like to drive four hours to a Curbside Chat and find out that others traveled nearly that far just to be there.
Jun 22, 2016•28 min•Ep. 255
In a recording from the 24th Congress for the New Urbanism, Chuck Marohn interviews Seth Zeren ( a founding member of Strong Towns ) on the challenges of modern urban planning, development and placemaking. Plus, they reflect on CNU in comparison to other professional conferences like APA. Thanks to Seth and other members like him for supporting the work of Strong Towns. If you value this podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a member today: http://www.strongtowns.org/membership?...
Jun 21, 2016•44 min•Ep. 254
Without the support of members and generous donors, there is no Strong Towns. We kick off our summer member drive with a State of Strong Towns podcast. You can support Strong Towns by going to http://www.strongtowns.org/membership.
Jun 20, 2016•35 min•Ep. 253
Chuck Marohn had the chance to interview several Strong Towns members together at CNU24 in Detroit. They share their backgrounds and how they came to be members of Strong Towns: Mayor Jill Dabbs from Bryant, AR, Kevin Barton from San Antonio, TX, Marielle Brown from St. Louis, MO, Ian Bost, from Ann Arbor, MI (originally from Detroit), and Andy Walker, from Detroit, MI.
Jun 16, 2016•54 min•Ep. 252
R. John Anderson talks about the growth of the small-scale developer movement, recent bootcamps hosted by his organization, the Incremental Development Alliance , and the value of small-scale projects. Plus a cameo from Kevin Klinkenberg to talk about baseball. You can catch more John Anderson on our site , as well as his blog ....
Jun 10, 2016•57 min•Ep. 251
Janette Sadik-Khan discusses her experience as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, focusing on smaller projects like plazas and bike access, instead of megaprojects that cost millions. She also discusses how you actually get things done in a city full of 8.5 million people, and the importance of data in persuading people to support new initiatives. Ms. Sadik-Khan's new book is Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution and it's well worth a read....
Jun 10, 2016•33 min•Ep. 250
Recording live at CNU24 in Detroit Chuck Marohn interviews Hazel Borys, Principal at Placemakers , along with some Placemakers clients: Joe Cosentini, Town Administrator of Thompson's Station, TN , and Andrew Blake, City Manager of Ranson, WV . Hazel, Joe and Andrew discuss the work Placemakers did in these small towns, developing form-based codes, improving walkability and building better places. They also talk about the challenges of making change in small towns....
Jun 09, 2016•41 min•Ep. 249
Reporting live from CNU24 in Detroit, Chuck Marohn interviews Michelle Erfurt , the Strong Towns Pathfinder, who coordinates Strong Towns events . She talks about what it's like to communicate with people all over the country interested in Strong Towns, as well as the process for putting together an event. Chuck also reflects on the highs and lows of past events.
Jun 09, 2016•40 min•Ep. 248
Chuck and Rachel offer a preview of events and upcoming podcast recordings at CNU . Mentioned in this podcast: The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, and Embedded podcast from NPR.
Jun 06, 2016•28 min•Ep. 247
Andres Duany is an American architect and urban planner working at the firm DPZ, a co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), and the author of several books including Suburban Nation. He's also an inspiration for Strong Towns thinking. In this interview, Chuck Marohn and Andres Duany discuss the founding and growth of the new urbanist movement, gentrification, and the future of the suburbs.
Jun 02, 2016•54 min•Ep. 246
Toby is a Strong Towns pioneer, making the city of Hays, KS better through his role as City Manager. He's been on the podcast before and we invited him back for an update on the progress of Strong Towns ideas in his community.
May 26, 2016•59 min•Ep. 245
Rachel and Chuck recap a week on the Iron Range and discuss other Minnesota towns including Duluth and Grand Marais. Chuck also offers an update on the Antifragile book club and some commentary on his recent article, " Engineers Should not Design Streets ."
May 23, 2016•31 min•Ep. 244
This week we're hosting a series of on the ground events in the Iron Range region of Minnesota. We're also sharing stories from the region and offering examples of how Strong Towns ideas can apply there. Aaron J. Brown is a writer, radio producer and college instructor living and working on the Iron Range. He writes a blog, Minnesota Brown and is a lifelong resident of the Range. He's also a good friend of Chuck Marohn's. In this interview (where Minnesota accents abound), Aaron discusses change...
May 18, 2016•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 243
This week we're hosting a series of on the ground events in the Iron Range region of Minnesota. We're also sharing stories from the region and offering examples of how Strong Towns ideas can apply there. Andrew Hanegmon is the founder of Iron Range Makerspace, a new venture that will connect residents with space, tools and community to build new businesses and create a better economic future for the region. In this in-person interview, Chuck Marohn talks with Andrew about how the organization go...
May 17, 2016•31 min•Ep. 242
