In this episode, Chuck dives into the root causes of the housing crisis. Using clips from interviews with housing experts and reporters, he explores the popular theory that the housing crisis is caused by a lack of supply. He shows how this belief relates to the Strong Towns approach. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn how to unlock housing in your city: The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform Hear more from… Cullum Clark Conor Dougherty Steve Nygren Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast...
Jul 14, 2025•55 min•Ep. 663
Chuck sits down with Ryan Johnson, the founder and visionary behind Culdesac Tempe, the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S. They discuss the realities of living in and developing a community like Culdesac, from transportation costs to working with local government. Ryan explains how they maintain walkability in an Arizona desert, how they successfully nurture small businesses, and how they encourage people to embrace co-ownership of the community. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Lea...
Jun 30, 2025•42 min•Ep. 662
Serenbe is a unique community just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. It’s based on the development pattern of traditional English villages, with walkable, mixed-use “hamlets” surrounded by nature. In today’s episode, Chuck sits down with Serenbe founder Steve Nygren to discuss the process of developing this kind of community, as well as Steve’s development philosophy of “radical common sense.” ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “ Start in Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where We Live With Radical Common Sense ” b...
Jun 23, 2025•52 min•Ep. 661
A few weeks ago, the New York Times article "Why America Should Sprawl" went viral, sparking a national discussion about housing and development patterns. In today’s episode, Chuck sits down with Conor Dougherty, the reporter behind the article, to discuss his perspective on housing in more depth. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Prefer to read or watch? We've got you covered. Click here for the transcript or here for the YouTube video . Learn how to beat the housing crisis the right way. Download The Hous...
Jun 09, 2025•59 min•Ep. 660
Cullum Clark, director of the Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, returns to the Strong Towns Podcast to discuss his recently published report on housing reform. Cullum highlights several reforms that have proven to be economically feasible, politically realistic, and impactful on a large scale. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES More from Cullum: Read the report: Build Homes, Expand Opportunity: Lessons from America’s Fastest Growing Cities George W. Bush Presidential Center (site) “...
Jun 02, 2025•56 min•Ep. 659
Today, Chuck is joined by Jeff Speck, a city planner, author, and principal of an urban design and consultancy firm. They discuss the ideas shared in Chuck’s book “Escaping the Housing Trap” and how those concepts play out in the real world, including examples from Jeff’s own work. Their discussion covers a wide range of topics, including incremental zoning reform, the benefits and pitfalls of inclusive zoning, and how to finance small-scale housing. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Join Jeff and Chuck in ...
May 26, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 658
On the surface, sprawl seems like an easy answer to the housing crisis. It fits with the mechanisms we have in place today, and it aligns with the lived experiences and political will of most Americans. But the reality of our housing crisis is more nuanced, and it's bigger than sprawl: The problem is the current way we develop, whether that's inside cities or on the fringes. Chuck explains why in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast . ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn how to beat the housing crisi...
May 19, 2025•56 min•Ep. 657
ZacTax is a financial analysis firm that helps city officials understand their revenue streams and make smarter financial choices. Today, Chuck is joined by its founders, Chad Janicek and Patrick Lawler. They explain how they work effectively with local governments and how their work is helping drive a cultural shift toward stronger and more productive cities. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about ZacTax: Website LinkedIn Connect with Chad and Patrick: Email: chad@zactax.com || patrick@zactax.c...
May 12, 2025•54 min•Ep. 656
Chuck reflects on the current state of the world. He explains that, when you recognize things are broken, you have two options. You can wait helplessly for someone else to fix them, or you can start rebuilding the systems closest to you. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES It's Member Week! Join the movement that's building stronger towns across North America. Join us for a four-hour livestream tour of North America on Wednesday, April 30, from 1-5 p.m. CDT. Chat with Chuck and meet some of the Strong Towns m...
Apr 28, 2025•18 min•Ep. 655
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast , Chuck is joined by Carlee Alm-LaBar and Kevin Blanchard, former city staff members in Lafayette, Louisiana. Carlee is now Strong Towns’ chief of staff, while Kevin is CEO of the nonprofit Downtown Lafayette, which promotes infrastructure development and business revitalization. Carlee and Kevin discuss the challenges of balancing competing demands and priorities when working in local government, particularly when trying to make smarter financial deci...
Apr 23, 2025•53 min•Ep. 654
In this episode, Chuck explains why our current situation, though tense, actually presents a great opportunity for advocates of street safety, walkability, and bikeability. He then lays out a number of common misconceptions and errors that advocates will have to avoid if they want to take advantage of this opportunity. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Chuck Marohn (Substack)
Apr 17, 2025•49 min•Ep. 653
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast , Chuck discusses how the design of an environment affects people psychologically. He explores how cities can use that knowledge to make streets safer, using a crash in Hyattsville, Maryland, as an example. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Get the full crash report from Hyattsville, Maryland. Learn more about the Crash Analysis model . Chuck Marohn (Substack)...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 652
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Mark Moses, author of “The Municipal Financial Crisis: A Framework for Understanding and Fixing Government Budgeting.” Up for discussion today: The dangers of relying on “balanced budgets." The difference between city and business finances. The issues with privatization and regionalization. And more! ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Download the Strong Towns Finance Decoder to uncover the truth about your city’s finances. Connect with Mark Mos...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 651
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast , Chuck shares a keynote speech he gave at a statewide transportation conference in Kansas. He discusses the limitations of traditional traffic safety techniques and the consequences of designing high-speed roads through cities and towns, both in terms of safety and finance. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Chuck Marohn (Substack)
Apr 03, 2025•46 min•Ep. 650
Rick Cole is the chief deputy controller of Los Angeles and a councilmember in Pasadena, California. He’s known for tackling challenging city budgets and has been honored for his work as a public official several times, including with a Excellence in Management Award. Cole joins Chuck Marohn on this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast to discuss city finances and how they can be improved. Their conversation includes the following topics: What does it mean for budgets to be value statements? How ...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 649
This week, Chuck is joined by Shayne Kavanagh, senior manager of research for the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The GFOA provides training and resources to city finance officers. In his role, Kavanagh develops new approaches to budgeting, financial reporting and revenue that can better address the problems local governments are trying to solve. Chuck and Kavanagh discuss the role of finance officers as “decision architects.” Kavanagh gives a closer look at the world of local go...
Mar 24, 2025•59 min•Ep. 648
What cities have successfully financed housing at the local level? How does tax increment financing work? When should cities stop subsidizing large-scale housing projects? Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn answers all these questions and more in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast . ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES There are six code reforms your city officials can implement today to welcome more housing to your community. Learn more here . Do you want 1-on-1 coaching with Chuck on how to bring more...
Mar 17, 2025•55 min•Ep. 647
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck addresses the craziness of the current political climate. Using recent policy changes and public responses as examples, he explores how we’ve created a political climate of either-or: Either you decide to take a chainsaw to bankrupt and failing systems or you refuse to acknowledge that they’re bankrupt and failing. Chuck shows how the Strong Towns approach provides a third path, where problems are recognized and addressed in a healthy way. He al...
Mar 11, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 646
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck talks about housing development and zoning code reform with Seth Zeren, a neighborhood real estate developer in Providence, Rhode Island. They dive into the six code reforms recommended in “ The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform ,” covering why they’re important and how they help developers, residents and cities. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Get your National Gathering ticket before they sell out! “ The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit f...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 645
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast , Chuck explores the flawed nature of North America’s current “housing bargain,” where most neighborhoods are allowed to stay exactly the same as long as some neighborhoods — usually those that are poorer and have less political clout — are forced to radically change. He proposes a new way forward that respects cities as living and evolving systems. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES This Thursday, February 27, Strong Towns will release a toolkit to help city offic...
Feb 24, 2025•34 min•Ep. 644
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast , Chuck is joined by Victor Dover, a planner and urban designer. They discuss the work and legacy of Dr. Donald Shoup, an engineer and professor of urban planning who revolutionized the fields of urban planning and parking reform with his book “The High Cost of Free Parking.” They also talk about their own relationships with Dr. Shoup and how he impacted their work as an engineer and planner. Then, keep listening for a rerun of an interview with Dr. Sh...
Feb 17, 2025•52 min•Ep. 643
This special episode of the Strong Towns Podcast explores the Strongest Town Contest, including what cities can learn from previous winners, what it means for cities to participate, and a preview of this year's Contest. Joining the discussion are Strong Towns staffers Lauren Ronnander and John Pattison, as well as Stephen Gawron, the former mayor of the 2018 Strongest Town, Muskegon, Michigan. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about the Strongest Town Contest . Nominate your place (anyone can do ...
Feb 11, 2025•56 min•Ep. 642
Today, Chuck is joined by Ben Hunt, the creator of Epsilon Theory. Their conversation revolves around the concept of the Widening Gyre, a “profound social equilibrium where bad people and bad ideas drive out good people and good ideas.” They discuss this concept from a few different angles: How it relates to top-down systems like America’s political systems and corporations. How it has led to the loss of a national narrative and increased division and conflict. How a community-based approach tha...
Feb 10, 2025•56 min•Ep. 641
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast , Chuck discusses housing with Cullum Clark, director of the Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. They talk about why there is so much resistance to new development, ways that officials and advocates could engage with the public to reduce that resistance, and what the incoming Trump administration could mean for housing. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES George W. Bush Presidential Center (site). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X) . Learn what comes n...
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 640
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast , Chuck discusses the common misbelief that an incremental approach to housing development is inherently slow. He explains how an incremental approach can actually be much faster than focusing on large housing projects, what that means for major cities, and how to make incremental housing more appealing to people who don’t want their neighborhoods to change. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Transcript available on our site . Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X) . Learn what ...
Jan 20, 2025•58 min•Ep. 639
The Building Culture Podcast explores holistic solutions to crafting a more beautiful, resilient and thriving world through the built environment. Its host, Austin Tunnell, recently invited Strong Towns President Charles Marohn and California YIMBY’s Nolan Gray onto the show to debate the housing crisis. It was a great conversation that explores how these movements align and differ in their approaches to housing. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Transcript available on our site . The Building Culture Podca...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 638
Over the years, Chuck has added audio clips to the Strong Towns Podcast outro music to memorialize influential moments and experiences he’s had since founding Strong Towns. Today, in honor of that outro music being retired, he breaks down each of these clips, explaining why they’re significant and how these experiences influenced him and the Strong Towns movement as a whole. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X) ....
Dec 23, 2024•46 min•Ep. 637
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast , Chuck continues answering housing questions submitted by Ohio State University students. The questions cover state and federal housing policy, local government’s role in financing and regulation, local action, the division between urban and rural environments, and temporary housing. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X) . Part 1: " From Building Backyard Cottages to Banning Airbnbs: A Housing Q&A ." " Escaping the Housing Trap: The Stron...
Dec 16, 2024•58 min•Ep. 636
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast , Chuck answers housing questions submitted by Ohio State University students. The questions cover the history of the housing market, as well as backyard cottages, alternative housing arrangements, and housing finance. Tune in on Monday for Part 2, where Chuck will answer questions related to other topics, including state and federal housing policy. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X) . " Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response ...
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 635
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast , Chuck discusses safe streets advocacy with Amy Cohen, the co-founder and president of Families for Safe Streets. They cover the importance of using both data and personal stories to drive change, some of Families for Safe Streets’ recent initiatives, and advice for local advocates on how to support people who have lost loved ones to traffic violence. See the additional notes for resources and support from Families for Safe Streets. ADDITIONAL SHOW NO...
Nov 25, 2024•28 min•Ep. 634
