The Strong Towns Podcast

Chuck Marohn interviews Kate Herzog, one of the first members of Strong Towns and Marketing & Assistant Director of Downtown Bismarck in Bismarck, ND. Chuck and Kate discuss the economic and political challenges in the Bismarck area and what Downtown Bismarck is doing about it. They also discuss a "renaissance zone" in Bismarck and the benefits and drawbacks of that program, as well as comparisons with tax increment financing (TIF) programs.

Chuck and Rachel discuss the fate of America, in light of Chuck's article from today, "Where is our republic headed?" and whether all of our work is in vain or whether there's reason for hope. They also chat about a recent episode of Strong Talk. Mentioned in this episode: "Where is our republic headed?" Strong Talk: Planning for Tourists vs. Residents Animal Farm by George Orwell The Revolutions podcast

Rachel and Chuck offer an update on their summer adventures, especially their Fourth of July experiences in their respective cities. They also talk about a recent controversial discussion on the Strong Towns Facebook page about suburban retrofit, plus some favorite new podcasts they've been listening to. MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST: This week's Slackchat on incremental development Strong Towns Facebook discussion about suburban retrofit Strong Towns' writing and podcasting on Suburban Poverty Strong Towns' writing and podcasting on Big Box Stores Strong Towns' work on the topic of suburban retrofit Hardcore History podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast

Chuck and Rachel check in after a couple weeks away (Rachel was traveling for her wedding and honeymoon). Chuck offers an update on recent events in Atlanta, GA, Calgary, AB and Utica, NY, including one at which he was made an honorary citizen and given a cowboy hat. Chuck and Rachel also talk about the best books they've recently read. Mentioned in this podcast: The Happiness Hypothesis: Minding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt Animal Farm by George Orwell Give a Girl a Knife by Amy Thielen

This is the last day of our member drive and we're taking a look at what comes next for Strong Towns. Sign up to be a member at http://www.strongtowns.org/membership

Strong Towns member Paul Fritz of Sebastabol, CA, talks about the ways Strong Towns thinking has influenced him and his community. Sign up to be a member during our member drive. Go to http://www.strongtowns.org/membership

When you become a member of Strong Towns, you are supporting a change in the conversation. You are giving us the resources that we need to get this powerful message in front of more and more people. It’s working. All we need today is your support.

In this podcast, Chuck Marohn interviews Tony Dutzik, Senior Policy Analyst for Frontier Group and Strong Towns member about his recent article, "What Comes After the Auto Bubble?" Chuck and Tony discuss the relationship between easy access to lending and car ownership increases, and its overlaps with the housing bubble and crash. They also discuss the impact of car-reliance on poor families and our economy as a whole.

Chuck and Rachel discuss several recent events in Traverse City and Chicago, as well as upcoming events in Brainerd, MN, Atlanta, GA and Calgary, AB. They also discuss Chuck's new series on incremental growth, which kicked off today on our website. Mentioned in this podcast: 2017 Strongest Town Contest Strong Towns Strength Test #1: How's your main street doing? Info about upcoming Q&A webcasts Brainerd History Week event FEEcon in Atlanta, plus info about an Atlanta member meetup Conference in Calgary, AB "The power of growing incrementally" by Chuck Marohn Spiders on Drugs video Portland Housing series

Chuck Marohn interviews Grace Potts of Ypsilanti, MI and Elias Crim of Valparaiso, IN, writers and editors for Solidarity Hall, a group blog, "a hospitable old hostelry, a mental oasis in the deserted landscapes that surround us." Solidarity Hall reflects on great thinkers like Jane Jacobs, Wendell Berry, and Dorothy Day to discuss issues of community, religion and social progress. In this interview, Grace and Elias discuss the concept of communitarianism and cooperatives, as well as the problem with centralized systems and our partisan political structure. In this wide-reaching dialogue, Grace, Elias and Chuck contemplate how to build truly resilient communities where power rests in the hands of neighbors, and where economic prosperity is not the realm of the few, but shared by all.

Rachel and Chuck discuss a recent webcast, upcoming events in Michigan and Illinois (including a member meetup with Strong Towns staff), and why our approaches to health care and infrastructure spending are remarkably similar and similarly messed up. Mentioned in this Podcast: Strong Talk: A Dangerous Street That Can't be Ignored (Video) An Open Letter to the City of Springfield by Chuck Marohn Curbside Chat in Traverse City, MI (June 7) Keynote presentation in Chicago, IL (June 9) and you're also invited to a Strong Towns member meetup on June 8 (more info here) "This is why infrastructure is so expensive" by Chuck Marohn More on Infrastructure from Strong Towns Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

Chuck Marohn interviews Emily Hamilton about a recent article she published at the Foundation for Economic Education website entitled, "The Hidden War on Affordable Housing." Emily is a Research Associate at George Mason University's Mercatus Center and she holds a Masters in economics from GMU as well. In this conversation, Chuck and Emily discuss the present lack of single-room occupancy and small-scale housing that used to be so prevalent in the United States and how we might resurrect these forms of affordable housing. They also discuss broader issues of housing affordability across the US and how to adjust government policies to allow for the creation of more affordable housing options. Emily and Chuck are both speaking at the upcoming FEEcon, "2017's premier gathering of freedom lovers from all walks of life" hosted by the Foundation for Economic Education in Atlanta, GA, June 15-17. Get more information here. Right now, FEEcon is offering a special discount to Strong Towns members, readers and listen

In this weekly podcast with Chuck Marohn and Rachel Quednau, Chuck relates his misadventures in Oklahoma, and how some Strong Towns members and event hosts stepped up to help remedy the situation. Chuck also discusses his "Open Letter to the City of Springfield" about a dangerous street that the city recognizes but refuses to redesign for safer crossings. Mentioned in this Podcast: "An Open Letter to the City of Springfield" Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

Chuck Marohn interviews Vince Graham, the former chair of the South Carolina Infrastructure Bank and current president of I'On Group. In this conversation, they discuss Graham's real estate development work and the uphill battle his company has faced in trying to do new urbanist development in a place where suburban-style development is the norm. Graham also talks about his time at the South Carolina Infrastructure Bank—a funding unique model for infrastructure investments—and offers a critical assessment of the organization.

Chuck and Rachel debrief on a recent trip to Asheville, NC with the team at Urban3, as well as an event in Ottawa County, MI. They also discuss an upcoming trip to McAlester, OK and recent content on the Strong Towns website.  Mentioned in this podcast: Upcoming event in McAlester, OK "Plan Everything but how to Pay for it all" by Chuck Marohn Catastrophic Care: How American Health Care Killed My Father--and How We Can Fix It by David Goldhill Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes Public Art Week "When the Need to Develop Trumps Public Art" by Jason Schaefer

Northern Spark is a free all-night art festival that has taken place in Minneapolis and St. Paul for the past several years. It's a one-night event but since 2011, it has more than included 535 artist projects in 120 venues, and attracted 222,000 attendees.  In this interview, Rachel Quednau chats with Sarah Peters, the Associate Director of the Northern Spark Festival, to find out how the event got started, how it has engaged the Twin Cities community, and how other cities can replicate this amazing program. The 2017 Northern Spark takes place 8:59pm, June 10 until 5:26am on June 11 along the Green Line light rail route in the Twin Cities. Find more info here. See photos of the event on Flickr.

Pasqualina Azzarello is a painter, public muralist, educator, and community advocate. She currently serves as City Arts Coordinator at Easthampton City Arts+ in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and she is also part-time faculty at Parsons The New School in New York City. (Plus, she's the sister of Strong Towns' Growth Manager, Max Azzarello.) In this interview with Rachel Quednau, Pasqualina discusses the experience of creating murals at New York City construction sites, on sound barrier walls in Tucson, AZ and every where in between, as well as the importance of involving the community in public art decisionmaking. She also talks about her new position as City Arts Coordinator in Easthampton, MA and what it's like to lead her town's public art initiatives as a government employee. You can read more about Pasqualina's initial New York City construction murals in the New York Times and read more about New York construction murals over the last decade in the New Yorker. Visit Pasqualina Azzarello's website to see

Richard Florida is a University Professor and Director of Cities at the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto, he's a writer and journalist, and he serves as senior editor for The Atlantic, where he co-founded and serves as Editor-at-Large for CityLab. He's also the author of a new book, The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class-and What We Can Do About It. In this interview with Chuck Marohn, Florida discusses the backlash to one of his most famous books, The Rise of the Creative Class, and the growth in inequality and economic segregation in American cities, which he cites as a much bigger problem than gentrification. Florida also shares his reaction to the presidential election and his thoughts about the future of the suburbs.

Chuck and Rachel discuss upcoming events in Brainerd, MN and Asheville, NC, and recap the recent CNU25 in Seattle. Mentioned in this podcast: Event in Brainerd, MN Event in Asheville, NC The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire by Stephen Kinzer "Poverty, Partisanship and the Land Tax" (3 videos) This week's open slackchat with Chuck will be at 1pm CT on Wednesday (May 10). More info here.

Jarrett Walker is a transit planning consultant and the author of a book, Human Transit: How clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and our lives. He also writes a blog called Human Transit. In this conversation with Chuck Marohn, Walker considers, "What is the problem for which transit is the solution?" and "What does it mean for transit to work well?" Mentioned in this podcast: Human Transit: How clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and our lives by Jarrett Walker The Human Transit Blog "The Transit Ridership Recipe" by Jarrett Walker