The Strong Towns Podcast

Chuck and Rachel discuss Chuck's recent vacation, favorite summer movies,  Suburban Poverty week  and  Chuck's recent essay about the future of the US economy . They also touch on upcoming events in  Rockford,  I L and  Minneapolis, MN . Mentioned in this podcast: " Pain or Death? The View from the Balloon " by Chuck Marohn Movies:  Jason Bourne ,  Hell or Highwater ,  Ben-Hur , and  Ghostbusters...

Rachel and special guest, Michelle Erfurt (Strong Towns' Pathfinder) discuss  Suburban Poverty Week  and dive into the  event calendar  for the rest of 2016. Mentioned in this episode: 1Q84  by Haruki Murakami Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City  by Matthew Desmond

This week Chuck answers questions left over from an Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals web broadcast he participated in earlier this year. You will discover, if you didn't already know, that Chuck is not a fan of studies and technical reports (or the mindset that demands them).

Things have gone awry as Rachel takes a Monday off leaving Chuck and Strong Towns' Community Builder, Yuri Artibise, to talk about Iowa, the barbell strategy, the Canadian-based  CitiesAlive podcast  and the differing histories of the War of the Conquest (the French and Indian War). 

Chuck and Rachel discuss  an upcoming event in Iowa , plus Chuck's  recent article on semi trucks  and why we don't actually need to build our cities around them. They also touch on some other recent Strong Towns stories and two excellent podcasts Chuck just listened to. Mentioned in this episode: " Richard Duncan: Creditism has Replaced Capitalism ," from the McAlvany Weekly Commentary " Yanis Va...

It's time to end the routine traffic stop. They are dangerous for public safety officials, create resentment in targeted neighborhoods and -- worst of all -- do not address the underlying safety problem inherent in speeding and other traffic violations.

The Week Ahead podcast is back after a few week's hiatus. Chuck and Rachel discuss the recent  Big Box Stores campaign , Chuck's new house and recent events in Oswego, NY and Ontario. Also mentioned in this podcast: The Almost Nearly Perfect People: The Truth about the Nordic Myth  by Michael Booth The Harrows by Spring  by James Howard Kunstler

Stacy Mitchell is the author of  Big Box Swindle  and a senior researcher with the  Institute for Local Self-Reliance , directing its initiatives on banking and independent business. In this interview, she discusses the origins of the big box store, the way they're subsidized by communities and how they are undercutting the American middle class.

At the  Congress for the New Urbanism  (CNU) in Detroit this year, we interviewed several intelligent and inspiring guests for the Strong Towns podcast. But we also invited CNU attendees to interview us! That's right, we opened the floor for any and every question that our members and readers wanted to discuss. They asked us about the beginning of Strong Towns, gentrification, historic preservatio...

Chuck interviews President and CEO of CNU Lynn Richards. They discuss the strategy behind this creative, Detroit-based Congress, as well as what's currently going on in the City of Detroit. Lynn Richards also dives into the history and growth of CNU.

Chuck and Strong Towns member and contributor, Johnny Sanphillippo discuss their recent dueling essays about Detroit. Read Chuck's initial essay: " A Promise Impossible to Keep ." Read Johnny's response: " The  Doughtnut  of Despair? Not Quite " 

Chuck and Rachel recap the membership drive, discuss an upcoming event in Texas and dive into Chuck's Monday article:  The Ignorant and the Elites , which covers the value of listening to people who think differently from you, especially in the context of the Brexit vote and the American presidential race. Chuck also confesses to reading some trashy fiction.

The last day of our member drive and we spend it chatting with Strong Towns contributor Matthias Leyrer about his town's obsession with building sporting facilties. Time well spent. Become a member of Strong Towns at http://www.strongtowns.org/membership

Chuck shares what it's like to drive four hours to a Curbside Chat and find out that others traveled nearly that far just to be there. 

In a recording from the 24th Congress for the New Urbanism, Chuck Marohn interviews Seth Zeren ( a founding member of Strong Towns ) on the challenges of modern urban planning, development and placemaking. Plus, they reflect on CNU in comparison to other professional conferences like APA. Thanks to Seth and other members like him for supporting the work of Strong Towns. If you value this podcast,...

Without the support of members and generous donors, there is no Strong Towns. We kick off our summer member drive with a State of Strong Towns podcast. You can support Strong Towns by going to http://www.strongtowns.org/membership.

Chuck Marohn had the chance to interview several Strong Towns members together at CNU24 in Detroit. They share their backgrounds and how they came to be members of Strong Towns: Mayor Jill Dabbs from Bryant, AR, Kevin Barton from San Antonio, TX, Marielle Brown from St. Louis, MO, Ian Bost, from Ann Arbor, MI (originally from Detroit), and Andy Walker, from Detroit, MI. 

R. John Anderson talks about the growth of the small-scale developer movement, recent bootcamps hosted by his organization, the  Incremental Development Alliance , and the value of small-scale projects. Plus a cameo from  Kevin Klinkenberg  to talk about baseball. You can catch more John Anderson  on our site , as well as  his blog .

Janette Sadik-Khan  discusses her experience as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, focusing on smaller projects like plazas and bike access, instead of megaprojects that cost millions. She also discusses how you actually get things done in a city full of 8.5 million people, and the importance of data in persuading people to support new initiatives. Ms. Sadik-Khan's new...

Recording live at CNU24 in Detroit Chuck Marohn interviews Hazel Borys, Principal at  Placemakers , along with some Placemakers clients: Joe Cosentini, Town Administrator of  Thompson's Station, TN , and Andrew Blake, City Manager of  Ranson, WV . Hazel, Joe and Andrew discuss the work Placemakers did in these small towns, developing form-based codes, improving walkability and building better plac...

Reporting live from CNU24 in Detroit, Chuck Marohn interviews  Michelle Erfurt , the Strong Towns Pathfinder, who coordinates Strong Towns  events . She talks about what it's like to communicate with people all over the country interested in Strong Towns, as well as the process for putting together an event. Chuck also reflects on the highs and lows of past events.

Chuck and Rachel offer a preview of events and upcoming podcast recordings at  CNU .  Mentioned in this podcast:  The Making of the Atomic Bomb  by Richard Rhodes, and  Embedded  podcast from NPR.

Andres Duany is an American architect and urban planner working at the firm DPZ, a co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), and the author of several books including Suburban Nation. He's also an inspiration for Strong Towns thinking. In this interview, Chuck Marohn and Andres Duany discuss the founding and growth of the new urbanist movement, gentrification, and the future of the su...

Toby is a Strong Towns pioneer, making the city of Hays, KS better through his role as City Manager. He's been  on the podcast before  and we invited him back for an update on the progress of Strong Towns ideas in his community.

Rachel and Chuck recap a week on the  Iron Range  and discuss other Minnesota towns including Duluth and Grand Marais. Chuck also offers an update on the  Antifragile book club  and some commentary on his recent article, " Engineers Should not Design Streets ."