Podcasts about strong towns

Elon Musk's company xAI is building massive data centers in Memphis, promising economic transformation. But at what cost? Abby is joined by Strong Towns Blog Editor and podcast host Asia Mieleszko to dissect the billion-dollar AI infrastructure boom and explore why cities keep falling for "shiny object urbanism." ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Hear more from Asia on the brand-new podcast Stacked Against Us! "Elon Musk Gambles Billions in Memphis to Catch Up on AI" by Alexander Saeedy, The Wall Street Journal (October 2025) "Shiny Object Urbanism" by Billy Cooney "Where's the Wealth?" by Charles Marohn‍ Abby Newsham (X/Twitter) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom. Hey listener! You hear from us all the time, but today we want to hear from you. We want your feedback on this podcast and any other Strong Towns podcast you like to listen to. Please fill out this quick survey to share your thoughts: strongtowns.org/survey   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Dr. Shakeel Dalal builds spaceships for a living, and he never planned to run for mayor of Longmont, Colorado. He just kept doing the next small thing that made sense. That led him from writing about city council meetings to moderating congressional debates, founding housing organizations, and running for office. Today, Shakeel joins Norm to discuss his journey, the challenges facing his community, and his advice for advocates. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Shakeel Dalal (site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Hey listener! You hear from us all the time, but today we want to hear from you. We want your feedback on this podcast and any other Strong Towns podcast you like to listen to. Please fill out this quick survey to share your thoughts: strongtowns.org/survey   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

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)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

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 the Swarm" by Daniel Herriges (e-book) Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Two towns, two states, and two historic bridges that nobody wants to pay for. Brattleboro, Vermont, wants to reactivate two historic bridges with a pedestrian greenway. Hinsdale, New Hampshire, worries about increased crime and being saddled with the majority of maintenance costs while getting fewer returns. Abby and Norm discuss this dilemma, comparing it to similar bridge projects and identifying possible next steps for activating this underutilized infrastructure. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES "Can Two Towns Preserve the Bridges That Connected Them?" by Alan Wirzbicki, The Boston Globe (September 2025) Abby Newsham (X/Twitter) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

What if you could change a dangerous street today instead of waiting 10 years? Isaac Gonzalez founded the advocacy group Slow Down Sacramento to prove that you can. Two years later, the group has helped transform Sacramento from a city that resists innovation to one that's embracing tactical urbanism. Today, Isaac explains how he kickstarted this change and how you can do the same. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Stop waiting. Start acting. Learn how to analyze crashes and quickly transform streets today. Connect with Isaac: Slow Down Sacramento (site) Email: slowdownsacramento@gmail.com Strong SacTown (site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Right off the top, I must say I always enjoy talking with Seth Zeren. Seth fits the mold of most of my favorite people, in that he's a deep thinker AND a do-er. His ruminations are baked in the reality of trying to actually build things every day of the week, and he operates from a deep set of principles for placemaking. In other words, he really tries to get things done and done well - not just talk about them. Oh how I wish more people in the world of “advocacy” could be like Seth and also get their hands dirty building and developing. But that's a story for another day.Seth wrote a piece on his Substack, Build the Next Right Thing, not long ago called “Two Great Tastes that Taste Great Together.” In that piece, he outlines what he sees as the strengths and weaknesses of both Strong Towns and the emerging Abundance movement, and how they can learn from and accentuate each other. I found it fascinating enough to want to talk about it all with him.Find more content on The Messy City on Kevin's Substack page.Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you'd like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.Intro: “Why Be Friends”Outro: “Fairweather Friend” Get full access to The Messy City at kevinklinkenberg.substack.com/subscribe

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. Additional Show Notes "Overbuilt: The High Costs and Low Rewards of U.S. Highway Construction" by Erick Guerra Erick Guerra (UPenn site) Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Sullivan Israel, the leader of Strong Towns SB, joins Josh Molina for an extended conversation about cars, bikes, housing and the future of State Street. Israel is strong advocate of keeping downtown closed to vehicles, amid pressures to re-open the street to cars. Israel, a 25-year-old urban planner, also talks about Paseo Nuevo, downtown housing, gentrification and the upcoming City Council election. Josh Molina is an award-winning journalist who has covered Santa Barbara for 22 years. He is also a professor of journalism at Santa Barbara City College. He hosts the Santa Barbara Talks podcast to bring people together and create conversations about the most important topics of the day facing our community, including housing, transportation, education, culture and politics. Visit Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina on YouTube and subscribe. Also make a contribution to support these podcasts at santabarbaratalks.com

McKenzie Ortiz is the founder of Pedestrian Pride, a digital storytelling project that uplifts the realities of life for working-class people who can't drive. She also serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission in Columbia, Missouri. Today, McKenzie joins Tiffany to discuss what it's really like to be a nondriver in America and how storytelling can transform advocacy. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: ‍Uprise Bakery‍ Hitt Records‍ Ragtag Cinema Learn more about Pedestrian Pride Website‍ Instagram McKenzie Ortiz (site) Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

What do you do with 720,000 square feet of dead mall? Towns across America are struggling to find the answer as their malls shut down, leaving budget craters and infrastructure nightmares in their wake. Abby is joined by Carlee Alm-LaBar, Strong Towns' chief of staff and a former city staffer, to explore whether the answer is a grand redevelopment plan — or thinking radically smaller. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “A Town's Single Largest Taxpayer Is Also Its Biggest Headache” by Jim Zarroli, The New York Times (June 2025). Click here to listen to The Bottom-Up Revolution episode about the 24 Hour Citizen Project. ‍Abby Newsham (X/Twitter)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Sam Foster is an engineer, Local Conversation leader, and mayoral candidate in Marietta, Georgia. He joins Norm to talk about why he's running for office at 24 years old, how he uses social media to educate the public, and what he has planned for a more prosperous Marietta. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Connect with Sam: Website Instagram TikTok A Better Cobb (site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

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 Quinones Connect with Sam Quinones: Website Twitter/X Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Zoe Tishaev and Dylan DelliSanti work for the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit, public interest law firm. As part of the Cities Work program, they partner with cities to make it cheaper, faster and simpler to start small businesses. Today, they join Tiffany to talk about the importance of small businesses and to explain how cities can revitalize their local economies. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: The Pug Copy Cat Cities Work Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Littleton, Colorado, wants to ban everything other than single-family homes. The neighboring town of Lakewood wants to allow more housing variety. Norm and Abby dive into what's driving these radically different responses to the housing crisis and what happens when cities try to exempt themselves from change. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Two Denver Suburbs Take Different Paths as Residents Face Housing Crunch: We Can Manage It, but Just Barely.” by John Aguilar, The Denver Post (October 2025). Abby Newsham Painting Instagram X/Twitter Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Tyler Moldovan is a bus driver, urban advocate, and community organizer in Port Huron, Michigan. Today, he joins Norm to share how his work in transit, street safety, and local arts is helping to build a safer and more connected city. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn how your city can make its streets safer today with the Crash Analysis Studio model. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns joins me in the studio to dive deeply into the world of housing finance and housing policy, fresh on the heels of his book, Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis. For an architect and engineer to dive into this world might seem anathema to economists, but we go there anyway. The topics range from the thirty year mortgage and its distortions on the housing market to yield curve control to how social trust impacts the whole conversation. And we ask “do we actually have enough housing?” Coming soon I'll have an episode about Leon Krier and his impact on so many discussions for architecture, planning and design today, but for now Chuck and I talk about one aspect of his ideas: height limits. Naturally, we focus on how that plays out in Washington, D.C.Find more content on The Messy City on Kevin's Substack page.Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you'd like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.Intro: “Why Be Friends”Outro: “Fairweather Friend” Get full access to The Messy City at kevinklinkenberg.substack.com/subscribe

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 Build the Housing-Ready City?" to get started. Joe Minicozzi Urban3 (site) Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Kyle and Beverly Greenwood brought together nearly 2,000 residents to stop a proposed highway in Brazos County, Texas. What began with a single flyer turned into a community victory that protected historic ranches and homes. Today, they join Tiffany to explain how they took on a highway expansion and won. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations:‍ Messina Hof Winery‍ C&J BBQ‍ Joe's Place‍ ‍Bush Library‍ Aggie Land Safari ‍No East Loop (site)‍ Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

North American buildings are built different — literally. Councilmember Jesse Zwick explains how the organization behind our unusual standards is built to fail, and he makes the case for a new approach. This is part 3 of our series on misaligned incentives in housing policy. Show notes:Zwick, J. (2025). Out of Code: The Hidden Costs of US Building Standards.Episode 78 of UCLA Housing Voice, on the relationship between building height and construction costs (in the US).Wikipedia article on the Grenfell Tower fire in London.Stephen Smith's Slate article about elevator building codes.Episode 98 of UCLA Housing Voice, on elevator building code in the US and Canada.Strong Towns article featuring the quote by Lawrence Veiller.

By the end of 2026, many U.S. cities could see large parts of their public transit systems crumble under a lack of federal funding and a development pattern that was never designed to support it. In this episode, Chuck Marohn and Abby Newsham explore why transit can't survive as a charity and how localized funding and smarter land use could create systems that actually work. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES On October 24, Chuck will join the author of today's article, Jarrett Walker, for a member-exclusive deep dive into transit. Become a Strong Towns member to join in! “Should We Let Public Transit Die?” by Jarrett Walker, Bloomberg City Lab (September 2025) Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).‍‍ Chuck Marohn (Substack) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Mary Coddington is the founder of Twelve Inc., an affordable housing consulting firm based in Colorado. She also serves on the Denver Planning Board and works with the Colorado State Housing and Finance Authority. Today, she joins Norm to talk about her efforts to bring more housing affordability to her community on the neighborhood, city, and state levels. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Want to bring more housing to your community? Download our brand-new housing toolkit, "Who Will Build the Housing-Ready City?" for free! Mary Coddington (LinkedIn) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

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 toolkit, "Who Will Build the Housing-Ready City?" for free! Michigan Municipal League (site) Dan Gilmartin (Twitter/X) Chuck Marohn (Substack   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

America was a place of untold wealth in the post-war period. But today, many small towns are faltering and facing financial collapse. In this podcast, Strong Towns founder and president Chuck Marohn sits down with Marc Barnes and Jacob Hyman to discuss how this collapse came about, and how to rebuild the small town.

Linda Appel Lipsius is the executive director of Denver Urban Gardens, where she supports a network of over 200 gardens and food forests that produce 650,000 pounds of food annually. She also helps launch initiatives to help make Denver a greener, more food-resilient place. Linda came on this podcast in July to discuss how community gardens can strengthen cities. Today, she rejoins Tiffany for a deeper dive into how the principles of permaculture can shape how we think about cities. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Permaculture Design Principles Denver Urban Gardens (site) Local Recommendations:‍ Little Owl Coffee‍ The Kitchen‍ Museum of Contemporary Arts ‍Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! ‍ This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

The city of Los Angeles recently announced that it saved 1,600 jobs that were at risk of being cut to balance its $1 billion budget deficit. But did it actually fix anything, or is it just shuffling money around to hide the problem? What role do unions play? And what should cities actually do when facing a major budget deficit? Strong Towns Chief Technical Advisor Edward Erfurt dives into these questions with guest host Norm Van Eeden Petersman in this episode of Upzoned. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Mayor Bass says layoffs averted after labor negotiations, "creative solutions" for next year city budget” by Chelsea Hylton, CBS News (September 2025). Finance Decoder Become a Strong Towns member to access weekly Ask Strong Towns Anything sessions. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Erick Aune is the director of the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization, as well as a member of Strong Towns Santa Fe. He's spearheading a major shift in his region's approach to street safety and design, replacing outdated assumptions with policies that help people thrive. Today he shares his strategy for changing transportation policy. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Erick was a participant in the Strong Towns Accelerator, a personalized coaching program that dives deep into Strong Towns principles and how to apply them. The next session on street design and transportation policy starts January 12, 2026. Click here to claim your spot. Santa Fe Metropolitan Transportation Plan Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

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 is "Overbuilt: The High Costs and Low Rewards of U.S. Highway Construction" by Erick Guerra. Click here to watch the video version of this conversation on YouTube. Joe Minicozzi Urban3 (site) Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Norm steps in for Tiffany on this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution. He's joined by Donna Boelen, who served on the city council of Bloomington, Illinois, from 2019 to 2024. Donna shares how she went from speaking at public comment to winning office as a self-taught Strong Towns-style advocate — and offers tips for anyone considering a run for city council. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Want to learn more about implementing the Strong Towns approach as an elected official? Join Mayor Erin Joyce of Braintree, Massachusetts, for a live virtual workshop at noon on October 23. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

The Tulsa Remote program pays remote workers $10,000 to relocate to Tulsa for a year. A study found that, for every dollar spent, Tulsa sees $4.31 in economic benefits, including increased local spending, tax revenue, and job creation. Abby is joined by John Pattinson, Strong Towns' community builder, discuss whether this kind of program is a smart way to boost the local economy. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “The Economic Benefits of Paying Workers to Move” by Rthvika Suvarna and Fola Akinnibi, Bloomberg CityLab (May 2025).‍ Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).‍‍ Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

What does it mean to live wisely and grow well in the desert? Judith Rognli of Strong Towns WashCo shares how St. George residents are facing water scarcity, rapid growth, and livability challenges as a community. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Strong Towns WashCo Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

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 fun. As Chuck says in the episode, “This is not your grandpa's engineer.” Additional Show Notes Connect with Mr. Barricade: TikTok Instagram Email: vignesh.swaminathan@kimley-horn.com Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Listener emails in response to last episode's bike lane hater from Eric Brightwell, host of the Nobody Drives in LA podcast https://ericbrightwell.com/nobody-drives-in-la/ and Ross, a West Hollywood vehicular cyclist who uses the street on which Bike Lane Hater does not want a lane (0:21). What are the legal implications for organizing a community bike ride, bike bus, or other non-sponsored event? asks listener Dr. Rick Bosacker. Our lawyer/sponsor Jim Pocrass lays down the law on liability for taco ride organizers (4:43). Strong Towns founder and Confessions of a Recovering Engineer author Chuck Marohn and the author of A Love Letter to Suburbia Diane Alisa on why we don't have better bike infrastructure, the right/left divide, and how we'll get things done (9:40). Boston's Bikeway Block Party is an inclusive, community-focused festival designed to showcase arts, activities, and culture and celebrate shared space. Jim Cadenhead, original Bike Talk host and BBP organizer, recaps the Party (34:06). Bay Area Transit's Biking, Birding, and BART ride: Stacey Randecker with BART Bike Access Program Manager Heath Maddox and BART Bicycle Task Force member Moe Gevirtz (41:05).

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 references. Get the Finance Decoder. Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Butch Roussel is the founder of the 24 Hour Citizen Project, an annual event that connects everyday citizens with the expertise and resources they need to solve challenges in their town. Over the last decade, the 24 Hour Citizen Project has funded dozens of incredible projects to the tune of $170,000 and counting. Butch joins Tiffany to discuss the big impact that small, locally funded projects can have on a community and how to bring those projects to life. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Blue Moon Saloon Reve Coffee Central Pizza Festival Acadiens The 24 Hour Citizen Project (site) Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

As baby boomers downsize, relocate, or pass away, millions of homes are projected to rejoin the housing market by 2030, potentially exceeding housing demand by 1 million homes. In today's episode, Chuck and Abby discuss how generational shifts affect the housing market, what an excess of supply could mean for cities' financial stability, and how a simple "build, build, build" mindset could cause serious problems down the line. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Forget YIMBY. The housing shortage could disappear on its own.” by Robert Showah, The Washington Post (September 2025).‍ Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).‍‍ Chuck Marohn (Substack) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

In this special episode of Bottom-Up Shorts, Norm is joined by John Pattison, Strong Towns' community builder and head of the Local Conversations program. They discuss what drives people to start one of these local advocacy groups, as well as the real costs and rewards of stepping into leadership. They also explore how mentorship, shared tools, and bottom-up collaboration knit single-issue advocates into a culture of lasting community change. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about Local Conversations. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! Subscribe to The Bottom-Up Revolution on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Podbean or via RSS. ‍ This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

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 protect everyone. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Look Both Ways with David & Wes (Podbean) Wes Marshall (site) Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Jessica David and Josh Daley are co-founders of Local Return, a nonprofit in Rhode Island dedicated to building community wealth through ownership and investment. They empower residents through education and financing, with a particular focus on small-scale developers and small business owners. Today, Jessica and Josh explain how Local Return works, how it benefits communities, and the legal and technical challenges of starting this kind of program. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Apsara Thai White Electric Coffee Figidini's Pizza Local Return (site) Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

For years, investors and speculators shaped Canada's housing market. But now, people who actually live in those homes are beginning to have more influence. Today, Abby is joined by Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Strong Towns' director of membership and a Canadian, to discuss how this shift happened, how it'll affect Canada's housing market, and the implications for the rest of North America. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “End-users, rather than investors, expected to drive Vancouver housing market higher” by Kerry Gold, The Globe and Mail (September 2025).‍ Abby Newsham (X/Twitter).‍ Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)‍ Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Christine Corrado is a city councilmember in Brighton, New York. She's also the founder of Brighton Safe Streets for All and has served on a variety of city committees, from the Zoning Board of Appeals to the Public Works Committee. She and Norm discuss how she's making her community safer and more prosperous. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Brighton Safe Streets for All (Facebook) Christine Corrado LinkedIn Town of Brighton (site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Professor Jack Duncan is a professor of architecture and preservation at the College of Charleston. His mission is to help students and communities understand and rediscover the human-scaled patterns that make places beautiful, legible, and lasting. Today, Jack joins Tiffany to discuss how this mission relates to architecture, urbanism, and craftsmanship. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Nathaniel Russell House Magnolia Plantation Gardens Angel Oak on Johns Island Duncan & Co. Studio (site) Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Hosts Susanne McNinch and Chez Filippini talk with Jacob Hyman about his inspiring journey from being raised Jewish to becoming a Catholic convert while studying engineering at Florida State University. He also talks about becoming involved with New Polity and the Strong Towns movement, viewing his work through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching, and his inspiration from Blessed Alberto Marvelli, a civil engineer who believed in creating environments that remind people they have souls.Learn more about the Civic Leader Summit in Pensacola:https://bit.ly/47RYlGg

Several high-profile members of the government have been accused of committing mortgage fraud recently, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Today, Chuck and Abby explore how mortgage fraud distorts the housing market, why it happens so frequently — and why no one in the financial system is interested in stopping it. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Ken Paxton Claimed Three Houses as His Primary Residence, Records Show” by Pooja Salhotra, The New York Times (July 2025). “Mortgage-Fraud Accusations Are Trump's New Political Weapon” by Gina Heeb and Brian Schwartz, The Wall Street Journal (August 2025). Chuck Marohn (Substack) Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Gioia Calabretta is one of the leaders of Livable Lynchburg, a Local Conversation in Virginia. She is also Strong Towns' graphic design intern. She and Norm discuss a walk audit she recently participated in, as well as her unique viewpoint as both a Local Conversation leader and Strong Towns staff member. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Livable Lynchburg (Instagram) See more from Gioia: LinkedIn “I Refuse To Accept That My Best Days of Walkability Were in College” by Gioia Calabretta Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

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 encourage city leaders to embrace innovation. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Bloomberg Philanthropies (site) Bloomberg Cities Network (site) Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Will Gardner is the founder of South Coast Places For People, a new nonprofit — and Strong Towns Local Conversation — in Massachusetts. He previously founded Alma del Mar Charter Schools and now spends much of his time plotting street redesigns, housing reforms, and community events. In this episode, Will discusses the three working groups his Local Conversation recently started, which focus on parking reform, backyard cottages, and street safety. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Millicent Library in Fair Haven New Bedford Whaling Museum Ice Cream Cottage South Coast Places For People StrongHaven (Substack) Learn more about Strong Towns Local Conversations. Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Join Abby and guest John Pattison as they dive into the benefits and drawbacks of "sponge cities," cities that incorporate natural features like wetlands into their stormwater management infrastructure. Is this method more resilient in the long term? Do the benefits outweigh the massive cost? How does this relate to the incremental, bottom-up approach? They'll cover all this and more in today's episode of Upzoned. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “‘Sponge City': Copenhagen Adapts to a Wetter Future” by Paul Hockenos, Yale Environment 360 (July 2025). Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Today, Norm is joined by Jess and Dan Sollaccio from Warrenton, Oregon. Jess is a city commissioner and a small-scale housing developer. Dan is a commissioner for the Warrenton Budget Committee and works remotely for a financial institution. They explain their asset-based mindset for strengthening their community, as well as their efforts to redevelop a vacant building into a community hub. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Jessica Sollaccio (site) The Outpost (site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Data centers power everything from cloud computing to artificial intelligence, and they use a massive amount of electricity, sometimes even rivaling major cities. Watchdogs claim that tech companies aren't absorbing the costs of this electricity use, causing rate payers' electricity bills to spike as they're forced to subsidize these data centers. Today, Edward and Abby discuss the far-reaching implications of this kind of land use. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “As electric bills rise, evidence mounts that data centers share blame. States feel pressure to act.” by Marc Levy, AP News (August 2025). Want to bring the conversation to your community? Book Edward as a speaker. Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.