The Strong Towns Podcast

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 suburbs.

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."

This week we're hosting a series of on the ground events in the Iron Range region of Minnesota. We're also sharing stories from the region and offering examples of how Strong Towns ideas can apply there.  Aaron J. Brown is a writer, radio producer and college instructor living and working on the Iron Range. He writes a blog, Minnesota Brown and is a lifelong resident of the Range. He's also a good friend of Chuck Marohn's. In this interview (where Minnesota accents abound), Aaron discusses changes on the Iron Range over the last few decades, the current mining situation, and the role of education in the community.

This week we're hosting a series of on the ground events in the Iron Range region of Minnesota. We're also sharing stories from the region and offering examples of how Strong Towns ideas can apply there.  Andrew Hanegmon is the founder of Iron Range Makerspace, a new venture that will connect residents with space, tools and community to build new businesses and create a better economic future for the region. In this in-person interview, Chuck Marohn talks with Andrew about how the organization got started and where it's headed now.

This week we're hosting a series of on the ground events in the Iron Range region of Minnesota. We're also sharing stories from the region and offering examples of how Strong Towns ideas can apply there.  Scott Hall is a long-time resident of the Iron Range and the Community Asset Coordinator for KAXE Northern Community Radio. In this podcast, he talks about the history of the region and the changes in the Iron Range over the last several decades, through the lens of his own life there. Chuck Marohn also jumps in with some of his own musings on life in northern Minnesota.

In a solo podcast, Chuck talks about the articles he wrote on Smart Growth and sprawl (first and second) and why he doesn't use either term in describing himself or the Strong Towns movement.

Chuck and Rachel discuss the absurd over-extension of the Brainerd city budget (Chuck's hometown) all for the sake of imaginary growth, plus recent Strong Towns events in St. Paul, MN and Lake Ozark, MO. They also make a special announcement at the end that you won't want to miss.

It's Jane Jacobs Week at Strong Towns. Nolan Gray is a writer for Market Urbanism. He analyzes Jane Jacobs' work in light of Hayekian philosophy and discusses the need to move away from central planning. Read his piece, Who Plans? Jane Jacobs' Hayekian Critique of Urban Planning.

It's Jane Jacobs Week at Strong Towns. Today's podcast features Denise Pinto, Global Director of Jane’s Walk. Jane's Walk is a movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs. The walks get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their cities, and connect with neighbors. Denise discusses how the organization got started and its impact on communities around the world.

Chuck and Rachel discuss the problem with the American highway system, plus a recent trip to the New Urbanist development of Carlton Landing, OK. Also included in this podcast: An announcement about the new Strong Towns book club, a welcome for new members and a small request.

In this weekly update podcast, Chuck and Rachel discuss the success of Strong Citizens Week, a recent controversial essay on sprawl, and Chuck's trip to the Strongest Town in America.

Chris Martenson is an economic researcher and futurist who specializes in energy and resource depletion. He is co-founder of PeakProsperity.com and the author of The Crash Course. We're pleased to feature him as part of Strong Citizens Week.

Ethan Kent is the Senior Vice President at Project for Public Spaces. Today he talks about his life with a family of four in a 900 sq ft apartment, as well as his work to make public spaces across the world better. We're happy to feature him as part of Strong Citizens Week.

Marian Liou is a long-time resident of Atlanta, a mother of two, and a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia Law School. She is also the founder of the social enterprise organization, We Love BuHi. We Love BuHi envisions a safe, attractive, fun and livable Buford Highway corridor that celebrates and is inclusive of its diverse communities. The organization helps to showcase local ethnic restaurants and works with restaurant owners to build a better neighborhood.

In the summer of 2010, Chris and Melissa Bruntlett, along with their two young children made the conscious deciison to sell the family car, embarking on a new and enlightening adventure. As they began to share their story of biking, walking and using transit for their daily lives with others, they gained considerable media attention and have been featured in several films, articles and more. They also started Modacity, a multi-service communications firm focused on inspiring healthier, happier, simpler forms of urban mobility through words, photography and film. We're happy to feature Chris and Melissa as part of Strong Citizens week.

We kick off Strong Citizens Week here at Strong Towns with a conversation with Mr. Money Mustache. MMM is -- by far -- the guest our listeners have most requested, and for good reason. He is the individual digital to our community analog. His insights will help you live a better life and, should you choose to be a true Mustachian, put you in position to help your community become a Strong Town. If you're not already, you should be reading everything you can at mrmoneymustache.com. You can also follow MMM on Facebook andTwitter.

Chuck and Rachel discuss the smart growth movement, neighborhood corner stores, and the winner of the Strongest Town contest. Plus, they offer a sneak preview of next week's "Strong Citizens" podcasts and articles.