Claim OwnershipThe Strong Towns Podcast
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Description
A weekly conversation on the Strong Towns movement hosted by Charles Marohn. The podcast blends fiscal prudence with good urban design to highlight how America can financially strengthen its cities, towns and neighborhoods and, in the process, make them better places to live.
You can support the podcast and become a member of Strong Towns at www.StrongTowns.org.
You can support the podcast and become a member of Strong Towns at www.StrongTowns.org.
636 Episodes
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1This 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).
Today, Chuck is joined by Ben Hunt, the creator of Epsilon Theory. Their conversation revolves around the concept of the Widening Gyre, a “profound social equilibrium where bad people and bad ideas drive out good people and good ideas.” They discuss this concept from a few different angles:
How it relates to top-down systems like America’s political systems and corporations.
How it has led to the loss of a national narrative and increased division and conflict.
How a community-based approach that focuses on doing the right thing today is the best way out.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Hear more from Ben Hunt:
“Ben Hunt: We're Not Going to Fix This from the Top Down” (podcast).
“Ben Hunt: In Praise of Bitcoin” (podcast).
Ben Hunt (Twitter/X).
Epsilon Theory (site).
Chuck Marohn (Substack).
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses housing with Cullum Clark, director of the Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. They talk about why there is so much resistance to new development, ways that officials and advocates could engage with the public to reduce that resistance, and what the incoming Trump administration could mean for housing.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
George W. Bush Presidential Center (site).
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
Learn what comes next for incremental housing in 2025 by tuning into the State of Strong Towns address on January 30 at 4 p.m. EST.
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses the common misbelief that an incremental approach to housing development is inherently slow. He explains how an incremental approach can actually be much faster than focusing on large housing projects, what that means for major cities, and how to make incremental housing more appealing to people who don’t want their neighborhoods to change.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Transcript available on our site.
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
Learn what comes next for incremental housing in 2025 by tuning into the State of Strong Towns address on January 30 at 4 p.m.
The Building Culture Podcast explores holistic solutions to crafting a more beautiful, resilient and thriving world through the built environment. Its host, Austin Tunnell, recently invited Strong Towns President Charles Marohn and California YIMBY’s Nolan Gray onto the show to debate the housing crisis. It was a great conversation that explores how these movements align and differ in their approaches to housing.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Transcript available on our site.
The Building Culture Podcast.
Nolan Gray (Twitter/X).
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
Over the years, Chuck has added audio clips to the Strong Towns Podcast outro music to memorialize influential moments and experiences he’s had since founding Strong Towns. Today, in honor of that outro music being retired, he breaks down each of these clips, explaining why they’re significant and how these experiences influenced him and the Strong Towns movement as a whole.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck continues answering housing questions submitted by Ohio State University students. The questions cover state and federal housing policy, local government’s role in financing and regulation, local action, the division between urban and rural environments, and temporary housing.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
Part 1: "From Building Backyard Cottages to Banning Airbnbs: A Housing Q&A."
"Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis" by Chuck Marohn and Daniel Herriges.
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck answers housing questions submitted by Ohio State University students. The questions cover the history of the housing market, as well as backyard cottages, alternative housing arrangements, and housing finance.
Tune in on Monday for Part 2, where Chuck will answer questions related to other topics, including state and federal housing policy.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
"Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis" by Chuck Marohn and Daniel Herriges.
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses safe streets advocacy with Amy Cohen, the co-founder and president of Families for Safe Streets. They cover the importance of using both data and personal stories to drive change, some of Families for Safe Streets’ recent initiatives, and advice for local advocates on how to support people who have lost loved ones to traffic violence.
See the additional notes for resources and support from Families for Safe Streets.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Personal stories can be a powerful driver of change. Families for Safe Streets’ Community Story Map collects these stories. They also offer a toolkit for using the map to bring awareness to traffic violence.
Families for Safe Streets offers support services for those affected by traffic violence. Click here to learn more.
Learn about the Strong Towns model for creating safer streets.
Amy Cohen (Families for Safe Streets site).
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
It’s Member Week here at Strong Towns. As a special treat, we’re publishing three new episodes of the Strong Towns Podcast. In this episode, Chuck explains how election years affect a nonpartisan nonprofit like Strong Towns. It’s kind of ugly, but it doesn't change our mission.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Become a member today!
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
It’s Member Week here at Strong Towns. As a special treat, we’re publishing three new episodes of the Strong Towns Podcast this week. In this episode, Chuck is joined by Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Strong Towns’ director of membership and development. They discuss the history of the Strong Towns movement and how members have brought it to heights Chuck never could’ve imagined — including spreading Strong Towns ideas not only across North America but across the world.
The movement’s grown so much, but we’re not done yet. We need your help to spread the Strong Towns approach even further, until every town is a strong one. Join us by becoming a member today.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
Today, we’re kicking off Member Week at Strong Towns. As a special treat, we’ll be publishing three new episodes of the Strong Towns Podcast this week. In this first episode, Chuck discusses the cultural shift that the Strong Towns movement is striving to create and why that shift is so essential to building more prosperous and resilient communities.
This is a bottom-up movement, and it needs your help to succeed. Join the ranks of people building a stronger tomorrow by becoming a member today.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Become a member today!
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
Strong Towns is a nonpartisan organization that’s focused on starting change from the local level, not the federal one. However, Chuck was recently challenged to come up with five things that the next president, whoever they end up being, should do once they’re in office. In today’s episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, he shares that list and explains why each item is important to building a stronger America.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
“5 Things For The Next President To Do” (article).
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses street safety with Melany Alliston, a project manager and civil engineer with Toole Design. They cover the role of engineers in creating safe streets, Alliston’s work with Toole Design and her experience participating in a number of Crash Analysis Studio sessions.
To hear more about street safety, join us on Tuesday, October 15 for a virtual press conference where we will release the report “Beyond Blame: How Cities Can Learn From Crashes To Create Safer Streets Today.” Representatives from Toole Design will also be speaking at the press conference.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Melany Alliston (Toole Design site).
Register for the virtual press conference.
Learn more about the Crash Analysis Studio method and the “Beyond Blame” report.
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck talks about V2X (vehicle-to-everything) technology and how it’s an example of a moonshot — a big, risky gamble that promises an equally big reward. He explains why these big gambles often fail when applied to complex problems like street safety and how the Strong Towns approach differs.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Register for the virtual press conference where we will release the report “Beyond Blame: How Cities Can Learn From Crashes To Create Safer Streets Today.”
Sign up for email updates.
Learn more about the Crash Analysis Studio method.
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
On this week’s episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Beth Osborne, the director of Transportation for America, to discuss the Highway Trust Fund. They cover its history, how it affects federal and state transportation policies, and its potential future.
Before joining Transportation for America, Osborne served as a deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Transportation. She also worked in multiple congressional offices, served as the policy director for Smart Growth America, and served as the legislative director for environmental policy at the Southern Governors’ Association.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Beth Osborne (Twitter/X).
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck addresses a question he frequently gets from young people: "What educational or career path should I take if I want to build strong towns?"
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
At the Table is a podcast that discusses how community-based ministries can contribute to the common good via mutual relationships, spiritual practice, simplicity and an awareness of God’s activity in communities. They recently invited Strong Towns President Charles Marohn to appear on an episode. It was a great conversation, so we’re sharing that audio with you here on the Strong Towns Podcast, too. Up for discussion today, the Suburban Experiment, the role of religious institutions in community development and what it means for those institutions to be good neighbors.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
To hear more about the role faith communities play in a strong town, check out this Local-Motive session on October 17: “How Faith Communities Can Use Their Location and Space to Transform Neighborhoods.”
At the Table.
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
In this special episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck talks about fraud in the housing market. He discusses how it manifests, how it gradually saturates the market and how it’s connected to housing bubbles. He then explores how fraud plays a role in the current housing crisis and how federal and private organizations are trying to combat it.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
"The Housing Market Is a Bubble Full of Fraud, and It’s Going To Pop.”
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses municipal finance with Michel Durand-Wood, a longtime Strong Towns contributor and local budget aficionado. They talk about the importance of the average person understanding municipal finance, the obstacles that can make such understanding difficult and how their approaches to discussing finance have changed over the years.
If you want to hear more from Durand-Wood, he’ll be co-hosting a Local-Motive session with Chuck on September 19, titled “Parsing Through Your Local Budget to Find Some Real Answers.”
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Michel Durand-Wood (blog).
Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
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Just one more lane bro. Just one more lane i swear im gonna fix traffic forever. I just need one more lane bro.
Imagine being put on a design team by Chuck and wondering if it's because it's a crappy project and he thinks you're unskilled to handle something more intricate.
This episode feels like "Big-city Regional Rail for Dummies." How does anybody outside of the Midwest take Chuck seriously?!
55 minutes into the video and, as usual, you attempt to play the "both sides" game and magically miss the mark understanding either. On the NIMBY side, you, as usual, gloss over any racial and socioeconomic components, including redlining and sundown town policies. On the YIMBY side, so-called "backyard cottages" are ABSOLUTELY a tenet of YIMBYism! I don't know where you get off thinking YIMBYism is soley couched in building 5-over-1s anywhere as opposed to a VARIED tool bag of densification.
Just happy to see Conservative Chuck FINALLY acknowledge the MASSIVE Racism and Classism components to suburban sprawl and urban freeway expansions.
The Big Dig was a "success" if you count running 4x over budget; adding 60k more vehicles through the CBD each day; and worsening air and noise pollution in the Boston neighborhoods where I-93 WASN'T buried, including Charlestown, Chinatown, the West End, South Boston and Dorchester.
No shocker at Medford. At the end of the day, engineers and planners in the US will kiss Boomer NIMBY a$$ because that's what pays the bills.
Overall decent commentary. As I've said previously, episodes are better when Chuck is interviewing other people versus going on his diatribes about walking & cycling Progressives. But don't get it twisted, Chuck: when cycling advocates say "give us the bike lane" on a 40 mph section of stroad, they're not saying "and nothing else." They're saying "give us SOMETHING after decades of giving us NOTHING & let that be a STEPPING STONE towards grade-separated infrastructure, like cycle tracks."
"Robert Moses is somebody we can all relate to." No, Chuck, he's somebody YOU can relate to! Ramming highways through black, brown and poor neighborhoods that DIDN'T have a Jane Jacobs to stand up for them. Intentionally building parkways so as to EXCLUDE buses, which black, brown and poor people were more likely to use. Lobbying to de-fund public transit projects and shift, pun intended, funding to roadway projects. "But he also built nice parks and beaches." Yeah, but for WHO?!
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I'm literally cutting this garbage podcast episode at your rant about 85th Percentile principals. Your previous rant mentioned lowering city speed limits as one effective measure and then, with the 85th Percentile rant, you shift, pun intended, into worrying more about free-flowing freeway traffic! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REDUCING/ELIMINATING CITY TRAFFIC INJURIES & FATALITIES! The whole point of speed cameras is to be the invisible hand that REDUCES the 85th Percentile to safer speeds! Try again!
You're hurting my brain, Chuck! "People are slowing down for the camera(s)." -That's LITERALLY what the speed cameras are designed to do! "Advocates think that speed cameras are a good 'Band-Aid' until decades-long street redesigns can funded and implemented... advocates 'don't understand' that street redesign is more effective than more speed cameras." -People pay you for this "profound logic"??!!
"I don't have a counter-argument to that." Probably the truest thing you've said in your life! The idea is to slow city traffic EVEN MORE, not compare it to super-speeders going 100 vs 110 mph.
Chuck, with all due respect, NOBODY is being 400 sf SFHs in Boston or NYC or San Francisco! The "cities" you rattled off are TOWNS the size of a postage stamp! Your "method" works THERE--we need medium density, and we need it yesterday in the BIG cities and their satellite suburbs.
Haha, Conservative Chuck is butt hurt that some reporter mislabeled him as a "Progressive"! He's like, "No, no, really I fluff Moderate NIMBYs!!"
This 1000%! More guest engineers, planners and green infrastructure advocates--less Conservative Chuck rambling.
HUGE shocker! Chuck The Conservative whitewashing SVB's misdeeds! SVB wasn't some poor mom & pop local bank--they were a MAJOR player, largely in the tech sector, that LOBBIED to have mid-sized banks not have to have a X amount of cash-on-hand, proportional to the big dogs (Chase, BofA, WF, etc.). And, what do you know? They didn't have X amount of cash on hand; investors freaked a bit; depositors freaked more and created a run on the bank; and it's Good Night SVB! Karma's a Whaaaaaat?! Here's a thought: if you're going to change regulations to suit your risky habits... make sure you MINIMIZE that risk! There, just did your whole podcast segment! Though I will say, more interesting than "why I think '15-min cities' is a dumb concept but you should believe in it anyway."
Yes, Chuck, we get it: you hate Progressives, Liberals and POC, usually in that order. unfortunately as a Center-Right pundit that puts you in a bit of a conundrum as, much like the other commenter here, you find yourself left behind by a Party that has shifted further and further to the Right, eschewing once proud, but still half-baked, principles of "Fiscal Conservatism" for parading Confederate flags and chanting to hang the sitting Vice President because he won't do "their" bidding. Meanwhile, you are chagrined at the Liberals and Progressives who follow you, whose principles of reducing car dependency and increasing bike-ability and walkability you espouse.
Wow, wow, wow! I very much appreciated the balanced insights in this episode. I am a person who feels party-less these days, with some strongly held beliefs that lean liberal and others that are labeled conservative. 15 minute cities make a lot of sense to me for all sorts of reasons. But I want that as an option, not a requirement. And I want to still be free to visit my kids who live elsewhere if I wish. So much discussion these days lacks nuance, and is incredibly divisive. I so much appreciate the time you took to really investigate and explain the reasons that people believe what they do. I sincerely wish that we all as citizens of the world could manage this type of civil, logical discourse on more of the hotly debated topics in our world.
Okay, so second half-ish follow up: two themes running through the entire commentary: 1. No, Chuck, you weren't wrong in that it was ONLY a racial issue. Perhaps the bigger issue is how you ONLY paid attention to the loudest voices, er Tweets, in the room who were perpetuating that. That doesn't negate that-it's a combination of BOTH racial and class inequality AND suburban sprawl Ponzi schemes. 2. This pie-in-the-sky alternate universe where cities can just cut off their satellite suburbs when we all know, at least in North America, how much of an outsized influence suburban Moderates have over city planning, even in "Liberal" enclaves like Boston and New York City.