The Strong Towns Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 to actually make housing affordable with the Housing-Ready Toolkit. Chuck Marohn (Substack) Want to bring the conversation to your city? Book Chuck Marohn as a speaker.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

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 Marohn as a speaker.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

In this episode, Chuck dives into the root causes of the housing crisis. Using clips from interviews with housing experts and reporters, he explores the popular theory that the housing crisis is caused by a lack of supply. He shows how this belief relates to the Strong Towns approach. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn how to unlock housing in your city: The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform Hear more from… Cullum Clark Conor Dougherty Steve Nygren Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Chuck sits down with Ryan Johnson, the founder and visionary behind Culdesac Tempe, the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S. They discuss the realities of living in and developing a community like Culdesac, from transportation costs to working with local government. Ryan explains how they maintain walkability in an Arizona desert, how they successfully nurture small businesses, and how they encourage people to embrace co-ownership of the community. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about Culdesac. Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Serenbe is a unique community just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. It’s based on the development pattern of traditional English villages, with walkable, mixed-use “hamlets” surrounded by nature. In today’s episode, Chuck sits down with Serenbe founder Steve Nygren to discuss the process of developing this kind of community, as well as Steve’s development philosophy of “radical common sense.” ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Start in Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where We Live With Radical Common Sense” by Steve Nygren Learn more about Serenbe. Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

A few weeks ago, the New York Times article "Why America Should Sprawl" went viral, sparking a national discussion about housing and development patterns. In today’s episode, Chuck sits down with Conor Dougherty, the reporter behind the article, to discuss his perspective on housing in more depth. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Prefer to read or watch? We've got you covered. Click here for the transcript or here for the YouTube video. Learn how to beat the housing crisis the right way. Download The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform today! Read more: “America Should Sprawl” by Conor Dougherty “Golden Gates” by Conor Dougherty “America Should Sprawl? Not If We Want Strong Towns” by Charles Marohn “Escaping the Housing Trap” by Charles Marohn and Daniel Herriges Chuck Marohn (Substack)

Cullum Clark, director of the Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, returns to the Strong Towns Podcast to discuss his recently published report on housing reform. Cullum highlights several reforms that have proven to be economically feasible, politically realistic, and impactful on a large scale. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES More from Cullum: Read the report: Build Homes, Expand Opportunity: Lessons from America’s Fastest Growing Cities George W. Bush Presidential Center (site) “How Do You Build More Housing When No One Wants Neighborhood Change?” (Strong Towns Podcast) Learn how to unlock housing in your city: The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform Chuck Marohn (Substack)

Today, Chuck is joined by Jeff Speck, a city planner, author, and principal of an urban design and consultancy firm. They discuss the ideas shared in Chuck’s book “Escaping the Housing Trap” and how those concepts play out in the real world, including examples from Jeff’s own work. Their discussion covers a wide range of topics, including incremental zoning reform, the benefits and pitfalls of inclusive zoning, and how to finance small-scale housing. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Join Jeff and Chuck in Providence next month. Get your National Gathering tickets now! See more from Jeff: The Planner’s Pledge (site) “Walkable City” by Jeff Speck, updated edition “Walkable City Rules” by Jeff Speck See more from Strong Towns: “Escaping the Housing Trap” by Chuck Marohn and Daniel Herriges The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform Chuck Marohn (Substack)

On the surface, sprawl seems like an easy answer to the housing crisis. It fits with the mechanisms we have in place today, and it aligns with the lived experiences and political will of most Americans. But the reality of our housing crisis is more nuanced, and it's bigger than sprawl: The problem is the current way we develop, whether that's inside cities or on the fringes. Chuck explains why in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn how to beat the housing crisis the right way. Download The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform today! Read more: “Escaping the Housing Trap” by Charles Marohn and Daniel Herriges “America Should Sprawl? Not If We Want Strong Towns” by Charles Marohn Chuck Marohn (Substack)

ZacTax is a financial analysis firm that helps city officials understand their revenue streams and make smarter financial choices. Today, Chuck is joined by its founders, Chad Janicek and Patrick Lawler. They explain how they work effectively with local governments and how their work is helping drive a cultural shift toward stronger and more productive cities. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about ZacTax: Website LinkedIn Connect with Chad and Patrick: Email: chad@zactax.com || patrick@zactax.com LinkedIn: Patrick Lawler Learn more about the Strong Towns approach to finance. Chuck Marohn (Substack)

Chuck reflects on the current state of the world. He explains that, when you recognize things are broken, you have two options. You can wait helplessly for someone else to fix them, or you can start rebuilding the systems closest to you. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES It's Member Week! Join the movement that's building stronger towns across North America. Join us for a four-hour livestream tour of North America on Wednesday, April 30, from 1-5 p.m. CDT. Chat with Chuck and meet some of the Strong Towns members actively making their communities stronger.

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Carlee Alm-LaBar and Kevin Blanchard, former city staff members in Lafayette, Louisiana. Carlee is now Strong Towns’ chief of staff, while Kevin is CEO of the nonprofit Downtown Lafayette, which promotes infrastructure development and business revitalization. Carlee and Kevin discuss the challenges of balancing competing demands and priorities when working in local government, particularly when trying to make smarter financial decisions. They also share recommendations for how local governments and residents can work together constructively. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Download the Strong Towns Finance Decoder to get to the bottom of your city’s finances. Kevin Blanchard (LinkedIn) Chuck Marohn (Substack)

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)