We’re going global 🌏🌍🌎 On November 14, connect with Strong Towns members from around the world for a special Member Week gathering celebrating the global reach of this movement for financially resilient places.

Western Strong Towns Members: this one’s for you! On November 13, join fellow Strong Towns members from across the Western U.S. for a lively Member Week gathering focused on connection, conversation, and community.

Calling all Midwest Strong Towns Members! On November 12, join fellow Strong Towns members from across the Midwest for a lively Member Week gathering focused on connection, conversation, and community.

Two cities are now closer to being Housing-Ready! Denver is cleaning up the process for the next smallest increment of development. Accessory Dwelling Units — like mother-in-law suites, casitas, and more — are now permitted in all zoning districts that allow residential use.

Our Executive Director, Laura Foote, recently appeared on The @strongtowns.org podcast to discuss the U.S. housing crisis and what it will take to fix broken incentives to build more homes. Listen to the episode here: open.spotify.com/episode/5L7f...

Hello, Southern Strong Towns members! On November 12, join fellow Strong Towns members from across the Southern U.S. for a lively Member Week gathering focused on connection, conversation, and community.

On November 10, join fellow Strong Towns members from across the Eastern U.S. for a lively Member Week gathering focused on connection, conversation, and community.

Prosperity depends on the small things. The way a building meets the street. The way light falls on a bench. The way a park feels after dark. Those details shape whether people feel safe, whether they linger, whether they come back.

Strong Towns San Diego has been generating some buzz lately! On January 1, 2025, California’s daylighting law (AB 413) went into effect, making it illegal to park within 20 feet of crosswalks.

Looks like the previous #Calgary #CityCouncil took many if not most of the right steps towards more #housing for Calgarians. Given that many newly elected councilors used big words around housing in their campaigns, may we trust them to continue the good work? Image from @strongtowns.org toolkit

Marion, Ohio, didn’t land a massive new employer or pour millions into a downtown megaproject. Instead, it found strength in something much more powerful: people choosing to make their place better in whatever way they can.

Forcing developers to include a minimum amount of parking can add tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of a project. This is one of the reasons why repealing parking mandates is part of the 6 strategies for becoming a Housing-Ready City.

Marion (one of our great Reinvention Cities) has picked itself up by the bootstraps and is working to revitalize one step at a time. That work earned it the recognition as the @strongtowns.org Strong Town of the Year. Now everyone can learn about the work 💪👇 academy.strongtowns.org/p/strongestt...

"Paint, cones, and bollards may not be permanent, but they save lives. Low-cost, rapid interventions let staff test improvements and build momentum for longer-term fixes without depleting their budget." Thanks @strongtowns.org for the Rochester shout out! www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...

Take a close look at the assessed value per acre for this area of South Charleston, West Virginia. With the interstate running through the city, there’s a chance to compare two different patterns of development.

We passed a major milestone recently: 1,000,000 downloads of Upzoned! Thank you to our listeners for joining in the conversation on hot news stories that must be upzoned—discussed in depth. We have a feeling that you might like our other podcasts, too.

If you’ve ever struggled to get a group together — and grow — to make change happen in your community, this Local-Motive session is for you. Alyssa Lee shares practical tools for turning one-time advocacy participants into committed collaborators.

Oak Forest City Council just voted 3-1 to create an ADU pilot program. We're optimistic this will turn into another big win for the @strongtowns.org movement! This is a great first step, but we need to prove viability for this to become housing policy. #missingmiddle #adu #housing #strongtowns

After the 2008 crash, federal policies fueled the financialization of housing, transforming it from shelter into an investment vehicle. The result: a new breed of landlords and investors moving into markets once dominated by local ownership.

The city that once defined postwar prosperity — where wide streets, endless subdivisions, and freeways to the horizon promised a future of limitless growth — has been dealing with a $1 billion budget shortfall. But the story here isn’t about a bad year. It’s about a bad model.

Next time your town is considering a demolition of a building for a parking lot,, come prepared with possible designs from a community-led charrette.

How much do you bench? 💪 So many groups have been taking the initiative and building benches so that folks waiting for transit have places to wait. These photos came to us from Strong Towns Baton Rouge!

Strong SacTown — a Local Conversation in Sacramento, California — was a small, struggling group when it began in February 2023. Leadership responsibilities fell on just a few shoulders. Attendance at meetings was inconsistent. People would show up once and never return.

Get ready, Grand Rapids: Norm Van Eeden Petersman is coming to town. Send this to a friend in the area, and let's talk bike infrastructure. 🚲

Looking for a podcast recommendation? Check out this episode from @strongtowns.org featuring our Executive Director and CEO Dan Gilmartin 🎧 You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or PodBean here: podcast.strongtowns.org/e/want-to-in...

We’re changing everything about the North American pattern of development. Strong Towns advocates are working locally to shift the city-building approach. Instead of an approach that relies on big bets, we’re working for an approach that enables “little bets."

In many cities, the most financially productive land is centered in the downtown. So how did Indianapolis end up with highly productive land stretching from one side of the city to the other? It’s because of transit!

Muskegon, Michigan won the 2018 Strongest Town contest after impressing voters with its story of committed leaders placing small bets. And the city is still going strong.

Are you thinking of running for local office? And are you thinking about doing so with Strong Towns in mind? Then you'll want to join tomorrow's Local-Motive session with Mayor Erin Joyce of Braintree, Massachusetts!

Hey, Overland Park, KS: Chris Allen, Strong Towns’ director of Events and Partnerships, will present at the 2025 Kansas Housing Conference in Overland Park, Kansas, on October 28, 2025! Get event info here: buff.ly/3t3NUbY

Two positions open!

📣 We’re hiring! We’re looking for folks who are passionate about the Strong Towns mission and are ready to keep up the movement’s momentum.

PNW Board Member @mrtuckerbaum.bsky.social kicking off our event with @strongtowns.org to kickoff the single stair housing design contest!

If you want more affordable, resilient, and context-sensitive housing, you need to equip your residents to build it. Sacramento is doing this through its Small Developer Incubator Program.

Lately we’ve been asking, “Who will build the Housing-Ready City?” On October 20, get this—and other questions—answered in a special event for city leaders. Get more information here: buff.ly/rMyEps9

When it comes to housing, legal reform is only the beginning. Even when the rules are fixed, most of the people who might act on the changes still don’t. So who will build the Housing-Ready City? Enter: Incremental developers, like the Creative Entrepreneur.

And Canada’s. Lots of great Strong Towns people north of the border too 🇨🇦

If you’ve ever worried about what it’s like governing from a top-down leadership position while fostering a bottom-up, community-driven movement, this next Local-Motive session is for you.

Allow us to reintroduce ourselves: We’re Strong Towns, and we seek to replace America’s postwar pattern of development, the Suburban Experiment, with a pattern of development that is financially strong and resilient. See if we’re coming to your area soon: buff.ly/Zh0Z6J6

Thank you for the shout out, @strongtowns.org! www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...

So many problems…and no solutions. The speed and efficiency promised by turning housing into a tech product never materialized. Instead, it delivered broken homes, frustrated tenants, and a widening gap between the people who own property and the people who live in it.

Speaking of stroads, had no clue that @clmarohn.bsky.social, founder of @strongtowns.org , coined the term "stroad" in 2011!! archive.strongtowns.org/journal/2017...

This block along Sherman Avenue in South Bend, Indiana, sat mostly empty for over 15 years. Now, it boasts four new duplexes. (Three of them are visible in this image.) Each of the eight units has an individual living space, as well as two bedrooms and two full bathrooms.

For housing, legal reform is only the beginning. Even when the rules are fixed, most of the people who might act on the changes still don’t. So who will build the Housing-Ready City? Enter: Incremental developers, like the Industry Professional.

The first episode of Stacked Against Us is OUT NOW! Turning housing into a tech product promised speed and scale. What it delivered instead were broken homes, frustrated tenants, and a widening gap between the people who own property and the people who live in it.

Empty lots plagued this block along Blaine Avenue in South Bend, IN for over a decade. According to resident & small-scale developer Jordan Richardson, these empty lots increased crime in the area. The loss in property tax also meant the city had less funding to provide services.

The challenge, when it comes to incremental development projects, isn’t vision or willpower. It’s isolation. Unless local builders find a way into the network, their projects stay stuck on paper.

Cities across North America are working hard to reform their zoning codes, streamline permitting, and remove the barriers that make small-scale housing development difficult. But legal reform is only the beginning.

hugely important. looking forward to it!

How do you raise children — or support future generations — in an environment where they can thrive, connect, and safely explore the world beyond the screen? Join us October 9 at 12pm CT for a Local-Motive session with Vanessa Elias!