The Strong Towns Podcast

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)

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses how the design of an environment affects people psychologically. He explores how cities can use that knowledge to make streets safer, using a crash in Hyattsville, Maryland, as an example. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Get the full crash report from Hyattsville, Maryland. Learn more about the Crash Analysis model. Chuck Marohn (Substack)

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Mark Moses, author of “The Municipal Financial Crisis: A Framework for Understanding and Fixing Government Budgeting.” Up for discussion today: The dangers of relying on “balanced budgets." The difference between city and business finances. The issues with privatization and regionalization. And more! ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Download the Strong Towns Finance Decoder to uncover the truth about your city’s finances. Connect with Mark Moses: X/Twitter Website Chuck Marohn (Substack)

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck shares a keynote speech he gave at a statewide transportation conference in Kansas. He discusses the limitations of traditional traffic safety techniques and the consequences of designing high-speed roads through cities and towns, both in terms of safety and finance. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Chuck Marohn (Substack)

Rick Cole is the chief deputy controller of Los Angeles and a councilmember in Pasadena, California. He’s known for tackling challenging city budgets and has been honored for his work as a public official several times, including with a Excellence in Management Award. Cole joins Chuck Marohn on this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast to discuss city finances and how they can be improved. Their conversation includes the following topics: What does it mean for budgets to be value statements? How do you direct city finances in a truly effective way? What role should the public play in a city’s financial decisions, and how can city staff and officials enable their productive participation? And more! ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about the Strong Towns approach to finance. Rick Cole (LinkedIn) Chuck Marohn (Substack)

This week, Chuck is joined by Shayne Kavanagh, senior manager of research for the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The GFOA provides training and resources to city finance officers. In his role, Kavanagh develops new approaches to budgeting, financial reporting and revenue that can better address the problems local governments are trying to solve. Chuck and Kavanagh discuss the role of finance officers as “decision architects.” Kavanagh gives a closer look at the world of local government finance and shares some tactics that finance officers can use to improve their processes. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Connect with Shayne Kavanagh: GFOA site LinkedIn Chuck Marohn (Substack)

What cities have successfully financed housing at the local level? How does tax increment financing work? When should cities stop subsidizing large-scale housing projects? Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn answers all these questions and more in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES There are six code reforms your city officials can implement today to welcome more housing to your community. Learn more here. Do you want 1-on-1 coaching with Chuck on how to bring more housing to your community? Sign up for the Accelerator coaching program before spots run out! Chuck Marohn (Substack)

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck addresses the craziness of the current political climate. Using recent policy changes and public responses as examples, he explores how we’ve created a political climate of either-or: Either you decide to take a chainsaw to bankrupt and failing systems or you refuse to acknowledge that they’re bankrupt and failing. Chuck shows how the Strong Towns approach provides a third path, where problems are recognized and addressed in a healthy way. He also gives a sneak peek at how Strong Towns is planning to help advocates and cities embrace this path. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “It Was Never Going To Be Me” by Ben Hunt (Epsilon Theory article) “Ben Hunt: Surviving the Widening Gyre Through Hope and Community” (Strong Towns Podcast) Chuck Marohn (Substack)

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck talks about housing development and zoning code reform with Seth Zeren, a neighborhood real estate developer in Providence, Rhode Island. They dive into the six code reforms recommended in “The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform,” covering why they’re important and how they help developers, residents and cities. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Get your National Gathering ticket before they sell out! “The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform.” Want to go deeper? The spring session of the Accelerator starts April 7. Reserve your spot today! Chuck Marohn (Substack).

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck explores the flawed nature of North America’s current “housing bargain,” where most neighborhoods are allowed to stay exactly the same as long as some neighborhoods — usually those that are poorer and have less political clout — are forced to radically change. He proposes a new way forward that respects cities as living and evolving systems. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES This Thursday, February 27, Strong Towns will release a toolkit to help city officials welcome incremental housing development. Learn more here. Become a member to join the toolkit launch livestream with experts Alli Thurmond Quinlan (Incremental Development Alliance) and Eric Kronberg (Kronberg Urbanists + Architects). Chuck Marohn (Substack).

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Victor Dover, a planner and urban designer. They discuss the work and legacy of Dr. Donald Shoup, an engineer and professor of urban planning who revolutionized the fields of urban planning and parking reform with his book “The High Cost of Free Parking.” They also talk about their own relationships with Dr. Shoup and how he impacted their work as an engineer and planner. Then, keep listening for a rerun of an interview with Dr. Shoup that Chuck had in 2015. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “The High Cost of Free Parking” (Amazon). Victor Dover (LinkedIn). Chuck Marohn (Substack).

This special episode of the Strong Towns Podcast explores the Strongest Town Contest, including what cities can learn from previous winners, what it means for cities to participate, and a preview of this year's Contest. Joining the discussion are Strong Towns staffers Lauren Ronnander and John Pattison, as well as Stephen Gawron, the former mayor of the 2018 Strongest Town, Muskegon, Michigan. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about the Strongest Town Contest. Nominate your place (anyone can do this for free, even if you’re not a local official or city staff!) Chuck Marohn (Substack).