Claim OwnershipThe Strong Towns Podcast
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Description
The Strong Towns Podcast is a weekly conversation on the Strong Towns movement, hosted by Strong Towns Founder and President Charles Marohn and frequently featuring special guests. The podcast explores how we can financially strengthen our cities, towns, and neighborhoods and, in the process, make them better places to live. Join Chuck in examining how everything from urban design to economics to systems theory to psychology helps inform this core question.
676 Episodes
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Chuck records from the road after speaking at a housing summit in Pennsylvania. He reflects on why the Strong Towns message resonates with local officials struggling to address the housing crisis, as well as the challenges facing the movement and plans for the future.
Additional Show Notes
Member Week is almost over! Join the movement today.
Strong Towns members are making their places stronger everywhere from the Bahamas to Mongolia. Chuck and Member Advocate Norm Van Eeden Petersman discuss how people in Colombia and Uganda can speak the same language about streets, and what that means for building better places everywhere.
Additional Show Notes
It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement today!
Can New Urbanists learn from suburbia's success? In this special episode, Chuck sits down with CNU founder Andres Duany, who shares big ideas he says the movement isn't ready to hear. They discuss how New Urbanism captured territory in the battle for cities, why its failing to hold that territory, and where Strong Towns fits into the fight.
Additional Show Notes
It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement today!
Chuck sits down with Carlee Alm-LaBar, Strong Towns' chief of staff, to talk about what it's like managing a growing movement that's focused on action. Learn how the organization is evolving to help thousands of members make real change in their communities.
Additional Show Notes
It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement by making a donation of any amount.
In this special Member Week episode, Chuck explores Strong Towns’ strategy, from its origin as a blog to its future in 2026 and beyond. He then answers audience questions about Strong Towns’ funding, his advice for elected officials, and more.
Additional Show Notes
It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement by making a donation of any amount.
You can also check out the video version of this podcast here: https://youtu.be/QG9mE3BtFac
Today, Chuck sits down with Laura Foote, executive director of YIMBY Action. They dive into America’s housing crisis, debate the future of zoning, and explore what it will take to fix broken incentives and build more homes.
Additional Show Notes
YIMBY Action's new implementation guide
Strong Towns' new housing toolkit
YIMBY Action (site)
Laura's email: laura@yimbyaction.org
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
Hey listener, you hear from us all the time, but today we want to hear from you. We want your feedback on this podcast and any other Strong Towns podcast you like to listen to. Please fill out this quick survey to share your thoughts: strongtowns.org/survey
This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.
Chuck Marohn tackles 16 real questions from city officials wrestling with the messy reality of housing reform. From a lack of transit to competition from big developers, he explores the challenges of getting more housing on the ground.
Additional Show Notes
Want to fix your city's housing market? Download our new housing toolkit, "Who Will Build the Housing-Ready City?" to get started.
"Unleash the Swarm" by Daniel Herriges (e-book)
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.
Since finishing the Interstate Highway System in the 1990s, the U.S. has added 75% more urban highway lanes — and we're on track to double it again. Erick Guerra, author of "Overbuilt" and professor of regional planning, joins Chuck to discuss why we can't stop building highways we don't need and how our transportation funding system creates cities that are more dangerous and less prosperous.
Additional Show Notes
"Overbuilt: The High Costs and Low Rewards of U.S. Highway Construction" by Erick Guerra
Erick Guerra (UPenn site)
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.
Chuck is joined by Sam Quinones, author of “Dreamland” and “The Least of Us,” to talk about his newest book “The Perfect Tuba.” They discuss how a curiosity about tuba players turned into a deep exploration of hard work, community, and finding joy and purpose in difficult circumstances.
Additional Show Notes
"The Perfect Tuba: Forging Fulfillment from the Bass Horn, Band, and Hard Work" by Sam Quinones
Connect with Sam Quinones:
Website
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 talk about the impact of AirBNBs and other short-term rentals on housing affordability, how our tax systems benefit rentals while hurting families, and how our cities can get the system back on track.
Additional Show Notes
Want to fix your city's housing market? Download our new housing toolkit, "Who Will Build the Housing-Ready City?" to get started.
Joe Minicozzi
Urban3 (site)
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.
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.
1Why 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.
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