Rachel's guest this week is Strong Towns member and occasional writer, Alex Baca. Alex just published an article on Strong Towns called "Homeownership for whom?" about the flawed model of homeownership as a platform for building household wealth — and who is excluded by that model. Alex and Rachel discuss the position of homeownership in American culture and the economy. They also chat about Alex's thoughts on bikeshare and recent updates in the bikeshare world like dockless bikes and scooters. ...
May 07, 2018•28 min•Ep. 37
Today we've got the audio from a recent Ask Strong Towns webcast conversation featuring friend of Strong Towns and Principal at Urban3, Joe Minicozzi, and hosted by Chuck Marohn. You can watch the video from this webcast as well as see a list of questions covered here: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/4/30/ask-strong-towns-2-with-joe-minicozzi Visit the Ask Strong Towns page to learn more about this webcast, submit a question and get info about the next episode: https://www.strongtowns.o...
May 03, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 36
Rachel's guest this week is Strong Towns Growth Manager, Max Azzarello. He discusses his nomadic lifestyle and the reason he might be settling down somewhere permanently soon. He also talks about why he drives a scooter and a recent book he's been digging. Mentioned in this Podcast Public Murals for Positive Change - An Interview with Pasqualina Azzarello Ask Strong Towns Celebrity Edition feat. Joe Minicozzi (today at 10:30 am CT) May 1 event in Wichita, KS May 3 event in Chattanooga, TN May 9-...
Apr 30, 2018•16 min•Ep. 35
Chuck has been meeting with local leaders across the country for the last several months in closed door conversations. One question he often asks these elected officials and city staff is "What do you wish people understood better about your job?" He consistently receives a very similar set of answers: "We wish the public understood how difficult this job is." "We wish people grasped how limited our resources are." "We wish people appreciated how much we do and had a little more patience." ...an...
Apr 26, 2018•40 min•Ep. 34
Rachel's guest this week is Chuck Marohn, and he recaps a recent series of events in Akron, Ohio as well as his article for today, The Real Reason Your Local Mall is Failing . Mentioned in this podcast: The Real Reason Your Local Mall is Failing Join us for upcoming public events in West Grove, PA , Wichita, KS , and Chattanooga, TN . Strong Towns members are invited to attend our April 30 Q&A Webcast with special guest Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 . Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine and What Matte...
Apr 23, 2018•24 min•Ep. 33
This week's guest is Strong Towns Development Director, Bo Wright, who discusses the organization's new partnership in Akron, Ohio, which will spur a yearlong conversation on how to make the city a strong town, supported by the Knight Foundation. Bo talks about what we hope to accomplish this year in Akron and why it matters to everyone — not just Akron residents. Contact quednau@strongtowns.org if you have a request for a future guest on this podcast. MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST: Learn more about...
Apr 16, 2018•14 min•Ep. 32
Who is against you? That's a question Chuck Marohn is often asked when he presents Strong Towns ideas at events and in conversations. One group in particular is a growing voice in opposition to Strong Towns. These are the folks who say: " We really like Strong Towns. We like your ideas... But don't you see that the problems you're discussing are so big and intertwined with so many other challenges that we can't afford to act incrementally? We have to take major steps to solve major problems. Sma...
Apr 13, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 31
Rachel's guest this week is Strong Towns member and contributor, Arian Horbovetz, who blogs at The Urban Phoenix and lives in Rochester, New York. He discusses the universal challenges that Rust Belt towns deal with, his optimistic yet pragmatic view on urban revitalization, and his sociologist's perspective on these trends. Mentioned in this podcast: TheUrbanPhoenix.com The Big Urban Mistake: Building for Tourism vs. Livability by Arian Horbovetz Join us tomorrow for a Strong Towns presentation...
Apr 09, 2018•27 min•Ep. 30
Every month, we host Ask Strong Towns to give you a chance to ask your burning questions about our vision for change, and how the Strong Towns approach might apply in your unique place — and give us a chance to share our answers with the world, so it might help other Strong Citizens . The live Ask Strong Towns webcast is open to all Strong Towns members , but afterward, we share the audio on our podcast. Here are the questions Chuck and Kea discussed today: What makes for a good urban road? What...
Apr 05, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 29
Rachel's guest this week is Chuck Marohn who recaps a recent trip to Massachusetts and discusses his article today on autonomous vehicles . MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST: April 3 event in Colorado Springs, CO Automated vehicles will makes our streets worse by Chuck Marohn The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South by Radley Balko & Tucker Carrington If you have a recommendation for a podcast guest, hit up Rachel at quednau@strongtowns.org...
Apr 02, 2018•39 min•Ep. 28
A couple weeks ago, Chuck Marohn shared an image on Facebook that sparked a contentious conversation. It was an illustration of a potential retrofit project, turning a suburban big box site into a slightly denser — but still quite auto-oriented — development. Comments rained in from other Strong Towns advocates, many in agreement, others pushing back. Then the developer who originally posted the image called us and asked to talk. So we invited him onto our podcast. Bob Barber is a founder partne...
Mar 29, 2018•39 min•Ep. 27
Today we're sharing the audio from the Championship Webcast in our Strongest Town Contest , hosted by Rachel Quednau and Kea Wilson. We're down to the final two communities: Muskegon, MI and Kent, OH. Visit this page to vote for whichever you think is the strongest after listening to the podcast: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/3/21/watch-and-vote-in-the-strongest-town-contest-championship-here
Mar 26, 2018•41 min•Ep. 26
Welcome to the third round of our annual Strongest Town Competition ! 4 towns are facing off right now and 2 will advance to the championship based on your votes. We invite you to listen to the podcast interviews that representatives from each conducted with Strong Towns staff to discuss their economic strength and resilience. Visit this page to vote: http://strongtowns.org/journal/2018/3/20/round-3-annapolis-md-vs-muskegon-mi Rachel Quednau, Communications Director for Strong Towns, hosts this ...
Mar 20, 2018•16 min•Ep. 24
Welcome to the third round of our annual Strongest Town Competition ! 4 towns are facing off right now and 2 will advance to the championship based on your votes. We invite you to listen to the podcast interviews that representatives from each conducted with Strong Towns staff to discuss their economic strength and resilience. Visit this page to vote: http://strongtowns.org/journal/2018/3/20/round-3-pensacola-fl-vs-kent-oh In this conversation, president of Strong Towns, Chuck Marohn, chats with...
Mar 20, 2018•32 min•Ep. 23
Welcome to the third round of our annual Strongest Town Competition ! 4 towns are facing off right now and 2 will advance to the championship based on your votes. We invite you to listen to the podcast interviews that representatives from each conducted with Strong Towns staff to discuss their economic strength and resilience. Visit this page to vote: http://strongtowns.org/journal/2018/3/20/round-3-annapolis-md-vs-muskegon-mi In this conversation, president of Strong Towns, Chuck Marohn, discus...
Mar 20, 2018•25 min•Ep. 22
Welcome to the third round of our annual Strongest Town Competition ! 4 towns are facing off right now and 2 will advance to the championship based on your votes. We invite you to listen to the podcast interviews that representatives from each conducted with Strong Towns staff to discuss their economic strength and resilience. Visit this page to vote: http://strongtowns.org/journal/2018/3/20/round-3-pensacola-fl-vs-kent-oh In this episode, Rachel Quednau, Communications Director of Strong Towns,...
Mar 20, 2018•20 min•Ep. 25
In this episode, Chuck Marohn discusses the dynamics of school funding and facilities in his community. While some schools are well cared for and receive regular improvements, a historic neighborhood school has been slated for demolition. One of the reasons? Because the school next door wants an additional parking lot. Why do our communities make these decisions? How do we fight back while balancing the financial needs of so many other services (and other schools) that our cities have to provide...
Mar 15, 2018•39 min•Ep. 21
Rachel's guest on this week's episode is Strong Towns Director of Community Engagement, Kea Wilson. She talks about some recent articles she's written on safe streets issues in her city of St. Louis, MO. Kea and Rachel also discuss the current standings in the Strongest Town Contest. Round 2 kicks off tomorrow so don't forget to tune in and vote . Mentioned in this Episode When your city hates your traffic calming measures by Kea Wilson What if you and your neighbors redesigned your town's worst...
Mar 12, 2018•23 min•Ep. 20
Chuck Marohn returns to the Week Ahead podcast to report on recent events in Bismarck, North Dakota; West Palm Beach, Florida; and Thomasville, Georgia. Then he and Rachel dish about the 16 towns selected for the 2018 Strongest Town Contest . See the final bracket, read each town's submission and cast your votes here . MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST: Sioux Falls, SD presentation on March 5 Fishers, IN presentation on March 8 Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb ...
Mar 05, 2018•29 min•Ep. 19
This week's guest is Sarah Kobos, a Strong Towns member and contributor who lives in Tulsa, OK. She talks about how she became an "accidental urbanist" and started getting involved with city planning in her community. She also discusses the slow but rewarding process of rehabbing a rental property. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: "Is zoning overlay the magic wand you've been looking for?" by Sarah Kobos "You care about the subdivision regulations. You just don't know it (yet)." by Sarah Kobos "Find a...
Feb 26, 2018•20 min•Ep. 18
Jeff Speck is a nationally-recognized expert on building walk-friendly, people-oriented places. His book, Walkable City: How Downtown can Save America, One Step at a Time , is beloved by planners, leaders and residents of cities big and small; and his planning firm, Speck & Associates , works in communities across the country. We recently invited Jeff onto our webcast to chat with Chuck Marohn about how to build slower, safer streets and why this goal is so important if we want to live in pr...
Feb 22, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 17
Rachel invites Strong Towns member and contributor Daniel Herriges onto the podcast to discuss his ongoing series about gentrification and why this issue has so firmly divided two groups of people who could actually gain a lot from working together. Rachel also shares an important reminder: Nominations for the Strongest Town Contest are due February 25. Apply today! Mentioned in this podcast: By Any Other Name: Gentrification or Economic Exclusion by Daniel Herriges (Part 1) Who benefits from ne...
Feb 19, 2018•12 min•Ep. 16
One year ago, a woman in suburban Oregon crossed the street while under the influence of alcohol and was struck by a driver and killed. Her husband's lawyer couldn't find an engineer in his state who was willing to stand up to the Department of Transportation (DOT) and speak out about the dangerously designed street that played a part in this woman's death. So the lawyer called Chuck Marohn, President of Strong Towns, and he recently traveled to Oregon to testify as part of the case again the DO...
Feb 15, 2018•55 min•Ep. 15
Richard Florida , author, editor and Professor at the University of Toronto, is part of a growing chorus of prominent thinkers across the country who are speaking out against the race to the bottom that Amazon's search for a second headquarters has induced. Strong Towns is fully in agreement that cities should compete on their merits and strengths, not on the amount of local tax dollars they're willing to pony up. So Florida wrote a letter and invited urban leaders, developers and economists to ...
Feb 08, 2018•14 min•Ep. 14
In this episode with featured guest, Chuck Marohn, Chuck discusses his complicated relationship with Kansas City, MO culminating in a recent successful event there. Chuck also introduces the newest member of his family, Gryffindor the puppy! And Rachel introduces the 3rd annual Strongest Town Contest — with some new twists. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE STROADing in Kansas City by Chuck Marohn Nominate your city for the Strongest Town contest! Applications due February 25. Triumph of the City: How O...
Feb 05, 2018•21 min•Ep. 13
Chuck Marohn reviews the recently leaked White House infrastructure plan and discusses the ways in which it aligns with Strong Towns principles, as well as the places where it falls short. Read more about it here and follow our ongoing infrastructure conversation here .
Feb 01, 2018•58 min•Ep. 12
Rachel's guest this week is Strong Towns member and contributor Alexander Dukes , who just concluded an ongoing series on our site called A Town Well Planned. He talks about the inspiration for and response to his series, plus what it's like to be a community planner in the US Air Force. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE A Town Well Planned series Curbside Chat in Kansas City, MO (January 30) Presentation in St. Cloud, MN (February 2) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond...
Jan 29, 2018•14 min•Ep. 11
In this short, bonus episode, Chuck reads one of his recent articles about the chasm between the values of the average person and the values of the engineer. See the text of the article here.
Jan 26, 2018•8 min•Ep. 10
Across the country, a movement of local doers is taking hold — one where problem solving happens from the bottom up instead of the top down. We're seeing this in everything from the way we educate ourselves to the tools we use to get places. The energy is coming not just from governments but also business leaders, teachers and scientists, and the solutions are interdisciplinary, too. This is what Bruce Katz, Centennial Scholar at the Brookings Institution , argues in new book, co-authored with J...
Jan 25, 2018•29 min•Ep. 9
In this episode, Rachel has Chuck Marohn on as her guest to discuss a special Strong Towns focus on the need to build safer, slower streets. They also talk about some upcoming webcasts, with a side of football. MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST Slow the Cars by Chuck Marohn Design Speed is a Value Statement by Chuck Marohn Gross Negligence Webcast - February 1 at 12pm CT Curbside Chat in Indianapolis - January 25 A Webcast Conversation with Jeff Speck - February 15 at 12pm CT Abraham: A Journey to the H...
Jan 22, 2018•21 min•Ep. 8
