The Strong Towns Podcast
A weekly podcast from the Strong Towns movement, hosted by Charles Marohn, that explores how American cities, towns, and neighborhoods can become financially resilient through better urban design and fiscal responsibility. Each episode blends practical financial insights with urban planning topics, aiming to make communities more livable and sustainable. The show encourages listeners to engage in local efforts and supports the Strong Towns organization's mission.
Episodes
Massachusetts Is Putting Starter Homes on the Ballot
Massachusetts voters are being asked a surprisingly simple housing question: Should a single-family home be legal on a 5,000-square-foot lot with public sewer and water? Chuck talks with Andrew Mikula, a Boston policy researcher who spearheaded the volunteer effort behind Question 7, the ballot measure that would make that standard legal statewide. Andrew explains why the coalition chose such a mo
What Comes After Cities Kill Parking Mandates?
Parking reform used to feel like a niche fight. Now North Carolina has eliminated most parking mandates statewide, cities are following one another’s lead, and Tony Jordan says he sometimes finds out about reforms only after they happen. The Parking Reform Network co-founder explains what comes next once cities stop requiring businesses and homes to build parking by formula. That means dealing wi
Is Homeownership Still Part of the American Dream?
If housing feels impossibly expensive, one answer is that a smaller home, a less in-demand place, or a slower climb may simply be part of starting out and working your way up. But what if getting the house that has long stood at the center of the American Dream also pulls you farther from the jobs, family, community, or daily life you actually value? Continuing the conversation from Kevin Klinkenb
Chuck’s Engineering Lawsuit Finally Has a Ruling
After six years of legal fights, we finally have a federal court ruling in Chuck’s dispute with Minnesota’s engineering licensing board. Chuck and Strong Towns executive director John Reuter go back to the complaint that started the case, why Chuck’s temporarily lapsed license became the opening for the board’s action, and how a dispute over his public advocacy turned into years of hearings and li
Chuck on Data Centers, YIMBYs and E-Bikes
Strong Towns members filled the Commons with questions, and Chuck sat down to answer as many as he could. Should cities require data centers to pay for their own eventual cleanup? Has Strong Towns been too wary of the YIMBY movement? Are e-bikes headed toward a backlash before cities have figured out what they’re good for? He also gets into tiny homes, land value taxes, coworking spaces, dream pod
The $1 Trillion Infrastructure Backlog Cities Aren’t Counting
A strong bond rating can tell investors that a city is likely to repay its debt. It says much less about whether that city can afford to replace the roads, pipes, and other infrastructure its residents depend on. Richard Ciccarone, president emeritus of Merit Research Services, developed a new metric using financial statements from nearly 2,000 cities to estimate that burden. When he compared the
This Atlanta Corridor Makes Walking Normal and Deadly
Atlanta’s Buford Highway supports apartment communities, small businesses, and an international food scene that draws people from across the region. It also carries six to eight lanes of fast traffic, and drivers use it as an alternate route when nearby interstates clog. More than 20% of trips happen outside a car, yet roughly 90% of the corridor’s space is reserved for vehicles. Rebecca Serna, ex
America’s Half-Funded Highway System
The Highway Trust Fund brings in roughly $45 billion a year and spends closer to $80 billion. Congress keeps the system running by borrowing the difference and moving that money into a program still treated as if road users fully fund it. Rebecca Higgins, vice president of policy at the Eno Center for Transportation, explains how the fund reached this point and why the gap keeps growing. She and C
A Better Block Versus Years of Planning
Cities often spend years studying a street before making a change, only to discover that the public is reacting to plans no one has actually experienced. Krista Nightengale, executive director of Better Block, explains another approach: build a temporary version, invite people into it, gather data, and adjust what does not work. She and Chuck talk about winning over skeptical engineers, learning f
The Transit Tradeoff No City Can Escape
Putting a route near every community sounds fair until the buses only arrive once an hour. Jarrett Walker, author of Human Transit and principal of the firm helping Des Moines rethink its bus network, explains why cities cannot maximize frequency, coverage, and affordability at the same time. In Des Moines, the tradeoff comes with a 10% service cut, long waits, indirect routes, and streets that ma
Why Great Streets Are Not Enhancements
Street trees, benches, slower speeds, and beautiful proportions are often treated as extras, added only after the “real” engineering work is done. Victor Dover argues that this gets the whole assignment wrong. In this episode, he talks about the second edition of Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns and why great streets have to be designed as places, not just routes. Dover makes th
The Deadly Road Design We Keep Defending
Pedestrian deaths have climbed sharply since 2009, yet transportation agencies often point to small, recent dips as proof that things are getting better. Beth Osborne, president and CEO of Smart Growth America, returns to the Strong Towns Podcast to talk about the latest Dangerous by Design report and the choices that keep making American roads so deadly. She and Chuck dig into why state-owned roa
Inside the Strong Towns Leadership Transition
Strong Towns has always warned cities about the danger of fragile growth. Now, Chuck is applying that same lesson to the movement he helped build. In this episode, Chuck explains why Strong Towns can no longer depend on everything landing on his desk, and introduces the organization’s new Executive Director. His guest shares how he found Strong Towns as a Sandpoint city council member, his organiz
What's the Housing Crisis Beneath the Housing Crisis?
Lars Doucet digs into a problem that shows up in expensive cities, sprawling suburbs, and even countries Americans often point to as models: land. Monopoly, he argues, became frustrating by design because it captured something real about how land markets work. The episode connects that lesson to housing costs, land value tax, Henry George, Norway, Texas, sprawl, and the uncomfortable question ever
Rethinking the Federal Role in Transportation
Beth Osborne has watched the same story play out five times: a new federal transportation bill arrives with big language about goals and accountability, states adopt the right words, and nothing changes. Osborne, who led Transportation for America and worked inside USDOT, has been through five federal transportation reauthorizations, watched reform language get adopted and neutralized every single
Illinois Housing Reform Gets Practical
Illinois is short roughly 130,000 homes today and needs about 240,000 more by 2030. The state can’t change mortgage rates or material costs, so Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois is targeting something else: the rules that make homes hard to build. He walks through the Build Initiative, a set of bills to legalize more ADUs and small multifamily buildings, relax some parking and stairway requirements
The Neighborhood Outside the Church Doors
A trip to Italy left Chuck surprised by how ordinary Catholic life felt in a country filled with churches. A later visit to Hasidic Brooklyn stayed with him for a different reason: families living under intense physical constraints, yet ordering their lives around faith and community. Those memories frame this talk at a Catholic church in Minnesota, where Chuck turns from faraway examples to a mor
A Congressman Makes the Case for Local Power
Congressman Jake Auchincloss joins the the Strong Towns podcast with a case for localism that takes it seriously without treating it as a cure-all. He explains why localism deserves a bigger role in national politics, not as a slogan, but as a way to rebuild trust and solve problems closer to the ground. That idea gets tested against some of the hardest problems facing cities today: transportation
Why Manchester’s Boom Isn’t the Whole Story
Is a city “dynamic” just because its charts point up and to the right? Chuck uses a week in the UK to question that assumption. In Manchester, a swelling population of 20‑somethings looks like success, until you notice how many smaller places have been drained to supply that energy. In one of those towns, residents speak of decline, crime, and the loss of their pub, even as few can name a moment t
How Inner City Highways Bankrupt Downtowns And How We Rebuild
When planner Patrick Kennedy started asking why prime land near downtown Dallas was filled with parking lots and boarded‑up buildings, the trail led straight to an elevated freeway: I‑345. He explains how making a hard economic case for removal—showing that taking the highway out could deliver the highest return on investment with minimal traffic impacts—grew into the Atlas of Inner City Highway I
New Zealand Keynote Planning In A World Of Limits
Speaking to planners in New Zealand, Chuck Marohn connects the country’s adopted infrastructure plan with a global pattern of cities that have grown themselves into insolvency. He traces the shift from incremental, pre‑Depression neighborhoods to postwar sprawl and explores what it looks like for planners to stop chasing the next expansion and start making better use of what’s already built.
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Why Persuasion Fails When You Lead With Data
Good arguments fail when they ignore how people feel. Chuck Marohn and Joshua Bandoch talk through using empathy, ethical persuasion, and values-based stories with everyone from public works directors to concerned residents. Their examples reveal why understanding fears and incentives often matters more than another chart or study.
Additional Show Notes
Joshua Bandoch (LinkedIn)
How to Get What Y
Why Messy Cities Depend On People Who Take Action
Chuck and Kevin Klinkenberg explore why progress comes from people who stop waiting for permission and start doing things locally. They look at incremental developers, neighborhood groups, and the limits of top-down systems in cities like Kansas City. Along the way, they wrestle with incentives, housing, and how much order a city actually needs.
Additional Show Notes
Kevin Klinkenberg (LinkedIn)
Gas Taxes, Freeways, And What Washington Should Fund Now
Chuck Marohn and Tony Dutzik unpack the messy history of the gas tax, cross‑subsidies between states, and the moral story drivers were told about “user fees.” They revisit highway revolts, the rise of federal transit funding, and the long slide into Highway Trust Fund bailouts. Their conversation lays out stark choices for the next chapter of national transportation policy.
Additional Show Notes
Balancing Big Experiments And Neighborhood Fixes In California Housing
In this moderated panel at the REACH Ideas + Action Summit, Chuck Marohn and California Forever’s Jim Wunderman tackle California’s housing crisis from two very different angles: maturing existing neighborhoods and building a brand‑new city. Together they wrestle with whether local reforms, new towns, or both can deliver real affordability in places like Santa Barbara and beyond.
Additional Show N
Why Infrastructure Maintenance Might Be The Real Megaproject
New Zealand’s infrastructure commission added up every sector’s project wish‑list—and found a bill voters could never realistically pay. In this conversation, Geoff Cooper and Chuck Marohn unpack the national plan that starts by centering maintenance and renewals, then shows how that shifts the debate over big new projects, growth on the fringe, and the pressure on public budgets.
Additional Show
From Service Cuts To Understanding City Insolvency
The conversation follows Michel Durand-Wood's path from noticing small local cuts—closed pools, rising taxes—to understanding his city as structurally insolvent. Along the way, he and Chuck talk about grants, debt, Canadian and U.S. examples, and why efficiency alone hasn’t fixed anything.
Additional Show Notes
Dear Winnipeg (Site)
You'll Pay For This! (Book)
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
This p
Beyond Supply and Demand to Housing’s Unseen Financial Forces
Chuck walks through three ways of seeing the housing crisis: supply, demand, and the Strong Towns view that grapples with “dark finance” and capital flows. He explains why campaign-style wins and single-variable fixes rarely deliver real affordability. The episode closes with a candid update on recent leadership changes and how Strong Towns has restructured its media work over the past year.
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What Comes After the Interstate Era? | New Report
For years, the dominant explanation for America’s infrastructure problems has been that we haven’t invested enough. Yet federal spending on transportation is at historic highs, and frustration with the results continues to grow.
This report offers a different interpretation.
The Interstate Highway System achieved its original goal. The challenges we face today are not the result of failure, but
Humility Versus Hubris in American Urbanism
Why 95% of planners get it wrong, how monetary policy killed Main Street, and why Chuck Marohn is optimistic about Gen Z. This wide-ranging conversation, first featured on the Yeoman podcast with Geoff Graham, explores the difference between Jane Jacobs's humble incrementalism and Robert Moses's technocratic master plans—and which approach is winning in 300+ communities.
Additional Show Notes
C
Where the Strong Towns Movement Is Headed in 2026
In this year’s State of Strong Towns address, Chuck Marohn reflects on where the movement stands at the start of 2026 — what’s changed, what’s growing, and how the work ahead remains grounded in humility, restraint, and bottom-up action.
Additional Show Notes
Watch on YouTube.
Read the 2025 Annual Report.
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Than
The Hidden Costs of "Improving" This Minnesota Highway
A major highway project is pitched as a safety upgrade — but at what cost to the community? Today, Chuck is joined by Matt Steele, a fellow Brainerd-area resident and longtime Strong Towns member. They unpack a highway interchange that's been proposed in nearby Baxter and the long-term trade-offs that shape strong (or fragile) places.
Additional Show Notes
Read more about this project: "Six R
How Communities Are Breaking Out of the Housing Trap
Why is housing so expensive, and what can local communities actually do about it? In this live recording, Chuck unpacks the roots of America's housing trap and shares actionable reforms that any community can implement.
Additional Show Notes
This presentation was recorded live from Wayne, Pennsylvania. Click here to bring Chuck to your own city!
Check out Strong Towns’ housing toolkits for mor
How To Build Resilience in Struggling Rural Communities
Family farms are struggling to survive across America, with whole communities hanging in the balance. In today's episode, Chuck sits down with Brian Reisinger, author of "Land Rich, Cash Poor." They unpack the structural issues leading to the decline of farms and rural communities, as well as opportunities to rebuild resilience.
Additional Show Notes
"Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and
How Cities Can Help Small Developers Build Housing
In this live Q&A, Chuck explains why small-scale housing is so hard to build. From codes to permitting to financing, he breaks down the friction points that stall projects everywhere and explains how cities can address them.
(Note: This episode was recorded live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Some questions may be difficult to hear.)
Additional Show Notes
Bring Chuck to your own city!
A Shared Identity Makes Cities Strong. Here's How To Find Yours.
Strong cities know who they are. In today's episode, Chuck is joined by Ryan Short, founder of Civic Brand. They discuss how uncovering a shared identity guides smarter decisions, strengthens civic pride, and helps communities thrive.
Additional Show Notes
"The Civic Brand: The Power & Responsibility of Place" by Ryan Short
Civic Brand (site)
Ryan Short (LinkedIn)
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
Why American Cities Are Going Broke (And How To Fix It)
Chuck breaks down the financial math behind urban decline in this live recording of a Wilmington event, with opening remarks from Delaware Governor Matt Meyer. Learn why growth is bankrupting your city — and how to reverse it.
(Note: Audio improves at 5:16 when Chuck takes over.)
Additional Show Notes
Check out some of the images Chuck references in the episode.
Bring Chuck to your own city!
Conn
Has the "American Dream" Made Us Miserable?
Author Diane Alisa just wanted her kids to have what she didn't: freedom to roam, community, and a childhood that doesn't require a minivan. Somewhere along the way, she realized the suburban dream itself might be the problem. Today, she and Chuck dig into what the Suburban Experiment cost us — and what comes next.
Additional Show Notes
Want to hear more from Diane? Check out her episode on The B
Momentum Is Building for Stronger Communities. What's Next?
Chuck records from the road after speaking at a housing summit in Pennsylvania. He reflects on why the Strong Towns message resonates with local officials struggling to address the housing crisis, as well as the challenges facing the movement and plans for the future.
Additional Show Notes
Member Week is almost over! Join the movement today.
How Bottom-Up Action Is Connecting People Across the World
Strong Towns members are making their places stronger everywhere from the Bahamas to Mongolia. Chuck and Member Advocate Norm Van Eeden Petersman discuss how people in Colombia and Uganda can speak the same language about streets, and what that means for building better places everywhere.
Additional Show Notes
It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement today!
Did New Urbanism Win the Debate But Lose the War?
Can New Urbanists learn from suburbia's success? In this special episode, Chuck sits down with CNU founder Andres Duany, who shares big ideas he says the movement isn't ready to hear. They discuss how New Urbanism captured territory in the battle for cities, why its failing to hold that territory, and where Strong Towns fits into the fight.
Additional Show Notes
It's Member Week at Strong Towns!
How Strong Towns Is Scaling From Content to Action
Chuck sits down with Carlee Alm-LaBar, Strong Towns' chief of staff, to talk about what it's like managing a growing movement that's focused on action. Learn how the organization is evolving to help thousands of members make real change in their communities.
Additional Show Notes
It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement by making a donation of any amount.
What is Happening With Strong Towns? Strategy Discussion and Q&A
In this special Member Week episode, Chuck explores Strong Towns’ strategy, from its origin as a blog to its future in 2026 and beyond. He then answers audience questions about Strong Towns’ funding, his advice for elected officials, and more.
Additional Show Notes
It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement by making a donation of any amount.
You can also check out the video version of
Broken Incentives Made the Housing Crisis. How Do We Fix Them?
Today, Chuck sits down with Laura Foote, executive director of YIMBY Action. They dive into America’s housing crisis, debate the future of zoning, and explore what it will take to fix broken incentives and build more homes.
Additional Show Notes
YIMBY Action's new implementation guide
Strong Towns' new housing toolkit
YIMBY Action (site)
Laura's email: laura@yimbyaction.org
Chuck Marohn (Substack
Housing Q&A: 16 Questions on Incremental Housing Development
Chuck Marohn tackles 16 real questions from city officials wrestling with the messy reality of housing reform. From a lack of transit to competition from big developers, he explores the challenges of getting more housing on the ground.
Additional Show Notes
Want to fix your city's housing market? Download our new housing toolkit, "Who Will Build the Housing-Ready City?" to get started.
"Unleash t
Why America Can't Stop Building Highways We Don't Need
Since finishing the Interstate Highway System in the 1990s, the U.S. has added 75% more urban highway lanes — and we're on track to double it again. Erick Guerra, author of "Overbuilt" and professor of regional planning, joins Chuck to discuss why we can't stop building highways we don't need and how our transportation funding system creates cities that are more dangerous and less prosperous.
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What a Perfect Tuba Can Teach Us About Community and Resilience
Chuck is joined by Sam Quinones, author of “Dreamland” and “The Least of Us,” to talk about his newest book “The Perfect Tuba.” They discuss how a curiosity about tuba players turned into a deep exploration of hard work, community, and finding joy and purpose in difficult circumstances.
Additional Show Notes
"The Perfect Tuba: Forging Fulfillment from the Bass Horn, Band, and Hard Work" by Sam Qu
Short-Term Rentals Broke the Housing Market. Now What?
Chuck is joined by Joe Minicozzi, founder of the geoaccounting organization Urban3. They talk about the impact of AirBNBs and other short-term rentals on housing affordability, how our tax systems benefit rentals while hurting families, and how our cities can get the system back on track.
Additional Show Notes
Want to fix your city's housing market? Download our new housing toolkit, "Who Will Bui
Want To Innovate Housing in Your State? Try Copying Michigan.
Michigan is on the forefront of housing innovation, with many cities throughout the state experiencing a resurgence in population and housing options. Today, Chuck talks with Dan Gilmartin, the executive director and CEO of the Michigan Municipal League, which was instrumental in this revival.
Additional Show Notes
Want to bring more housing to your community? Download our brand-new housing toolk
Do Highway Projects and Airbnb Rentals Help or Hurt Cities?
Chuck is joined by Joe Minicozzi, founder of the geoaccounting organization Urban3. They compare notes on the highway projects each of their cities is facing and discuss whether these projects bring value. They also talk about how Airbnbs affect the housing market and whether they should be taxed as houses or hotels.
Additional Show Notes
The book Joe and Chuck refer to at the end of the episode
How Mr. Barricade Is Shaping the Future of Street Safety
How do you make streets safer without gentrifying an area? Will self-driving cars change the way we build cities? Are engineers tracking congestion the right way?
Chuck discusses these questions and more with Vignesh Swaminathan, a civil engineer and project manager at Kimley-Horn. Also known as Mr. Barricade, Vignesh has built a massive online following by making street design understandable and
We Broke North American Cities. Here’s How To Fix Them.
How did we go from building strong, prosperous cities to weak, debt-ridden ones? In this episode, Chuck tracks the cultural and economic impacts of World War II on our development pattern. He explains what must change if we want to build strong cities again.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
This episode is a recording of a presentation Chuck gave in Denver. Click here to see some of the images Chuck referen
How Traffic Engineering Made America’s Streets Deadly
Why are America’s streets so dangerous — and what can we do about it? In this episode, Chuck talks with Wes Marshall, author of “Killed by a Traffic Engineer” and professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado Denver. From the history of traffic engineering to the failures of Vision Zero, they explore how design decisions shape safety — and what it will take to build streets that pro
James Anderson: How to Encourage Innovation in Local Government
Chuck is joined by James Anderson, head of the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. Under his leadership, the program has helped thousands of cities worldwide embrace an innovative, people-based approach to local governance.
Today, Chuck and James discuss why local governments matter now more than ever. Then they explore ways that residents, advocates, and organizations can e
Building Strength and Connections in Pensacola, With Quint Studer
Chuck is joined by Quint Studer, the founder of the Center for Civic Engagement in Pensacola, Florida. They discuss Strong Towns’ involvement in Pensacola’s renewal and the Civic Leader Summit that will be held there in September.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Civic Leader Summit
Quint Studer (site)
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
Want to bring the conversation to your city? Book Chuck Marohn as a speaker
The Housing Market Can’t Tolerate Lower Prices. Now What?
No matter how easy we make it to build, the existing housing system is based on a financial model that cannot tolerate lower prices. If falling prices is the goal, then we need to build a system that can deliver on it. In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck explains how our current system prevents prices from falling and how we can build a better one.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Learn how
Playing the Long Game With New Zealand Infrastructure
In this special episode, Chuck is joined by Graham Campbell, director of Economics & Research for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission. They discuss the true cost of infrastructure — and why both New Zealand and North America are facing the same financial and structural challenges.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
Want to bring the conversation to your city? Book Chuck Ma
The Housing Crisis Is More Than a Supply Problem
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
Ryan Johnson: How Culdesac Tempe Develops Freedom, Revenue, and Belonging
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 businesse
Using Radical Common Sense To Build Great Places, With Steve Nygren
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.”
ADDITION
NYT Journalist Shares Why America Should Sprawl
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
4 Ways To Build Homes and Expand Opportunity
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, Expan
Escaping the Housing Crisis With Jeff Speck
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 inc
Why Sprawl IS the Housing Crisis
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
ZacTax: How To Build Financially Healthy Cities
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 ab
The World Is on Fire. That’s Why We’re Here.
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
How To Handle the Bureaucracy of Local Government
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 p
3 Reasons This Is a Great Time for Walkable Streets
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)
Road Design Creates Aggressive Drivers. We Can Fix That.
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)
Mark Moses: How To Understand and Fix Government Budgeting
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
We Need a New Approach to Road Safety and Design
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)
How To Manage City Finance Effectively, With Rick Cole
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 co
The Keys to a Healthy City Finance Department With Shayne Kavanagh
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
How To Finance Housing in a Smart and Local Way: A Housing Q&A
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 hou
It Won’t Be Us: Thoughts on Our Current Craziness From a Strong Towns Perspective
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
These 6 Code Reforms Will Bring More Housing to Your City
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 NO
America Needs a New Housing Bargain. Here’s Why.
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.
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Remembering Donald Shoup: A Legacy of Curiosity, Credibility and Kindness
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
Bonus Episode: Lessons From 9 Strongest Town Contest Winners
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.
ADD
Ben Hunt: Surviving the Widening Gyre Through Hope and Community
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
