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The Bottom-Up Revolution

The Bottom-Up Revolution features the stories of the Strong Towns movement in action. Hosted by Tiffany Owens Reed and Norm Van Eeden Petersman, it’s all about how regular people have stepped up to make their communities more economically resilient, and how others can implement these ideas in their own places. We’ll talk about taking concrete action steps, connecting with fellow advocates to build power, and surviving the bumps along the way—all in the pursuit of creating stronger towns. Each episode features a Strong Towns advocate who is making positive change in their community.

Latest Episodes:

Inside West Allis's Playbook for Stronger Local Economies Mar 23, 2026

Show notes

Steve Schaer and Patrick Schloss share how landlocked, eleven‑square‑mile West Allis, Wisconsin has become one of metro Milwaukee’s most business‑friendly cities by growing from within after major factory closures. They trace the community’s path from brownfields and aging corridors to adaptive reuse, new housing, and lively main streets filled with independent shops, coffee houses, and breweries. Along the way, they highlight zoning shifts, creative financing tools, arts events, transportation academies, and on‑the‑ground outreach that together have changed the city’s trajectory.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

Vote for West Allis in the Strongest Town Contest!
Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)
Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here.

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

From Parklets To Pilots, Sheboygan Reclaims Its Streets Mar 23, 2026

Show notes

Brian Kelly and Braden Schmidt went from curious residents to leaders helping redesign streets, modernize zoning, and unlock safer, more affordable neighborhoods in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In this conversation, they share how modest first steps—showing up to meetings, testing a parklet, repurposing old materials—grow into city‑wide change. Their story traces the path from tentative beginnings to a community that’s learning, iterating, and steadily becoming stronger.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

Vote for Sheboygan in the Strongest Town Contest!
Sheboygan Active Transportation (Instagram)
Sheboygan Active Transportation (Facebook)
Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)
Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here.

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

From ADUs To Improv Chicago Builds Stronger Streets Mar 23, 2026

Show notes

Chicago organizers Ellen Steinke and Dr. Chloe Groome walk through the fight to re-legalize ADUs, fix single-family zoning, and head off a looming transit fiscal cliff. They recount the campaign to save transit funding, including a sketch-driven show that turned insider debates about the Road Fund into something regular Chicagoans could act on. The episode follows their blend of detailed policy work, neighborhood organizing, and improv-rooted comedy.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

Vote for Chicago in the Strongest Town Contest!
Strong Towns Chicago (Site)
Strong Towns Chicago (Instagram)
Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)
Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here.

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

How Madison Turned Small Experiments Into Safer Streets Mar 23, 2026

Show notes

After repeated crashes into a beloved coffee shop, residents in Madison, Wisconsin pushed for a fast, inexpensive lane change instead of another long, consultant‑driven process. Josh Olson explains how neighbors gathered speed data, won a two‑month trial, and helped make the change permanent. Along the way, he shares how that work fed into broader safety goals, housing reforms, and a shift from “why don’t we” to “how can we.”

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

Vote for Madison in the Strongest Town Contest!
Strong Towns Madison (Site)
Strong Towns Madison(Instagram)
Madison Property Tax Value Per Acre (Site)
Counting Cranes (Substack)
Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)
Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here.

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Building Community With The Neighbors You Already Have Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

When Graham McBain moved to Sacramento, he realized he had no local friends—just nearby houses. In this episode, he shares the simple, sometimes scary steps that turned that street into block parties, front-yard hangouts, and kids biking freely between homes. The conversation traces that change on his block and highlights practical ways to start building community where you live, with the people already around you.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

Local Recommendations:‍
- Mesa Mercado
- Shangri-La
Hey Neighbor Hub (site)
Hey Neighbor Hub (Instagram)
Hey Neighbor Hub (YouTube)
Hey Neighbor Hub (TikTok)
Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram)
Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

How Vibrant Lafayette Organizes Parents for Safer Streets Mar 17, 2026

Show notes

Most parents worry about safer routes to school but can’t track every plan or attend every meeting. In Lafayette, Kirk Wandy and Brian Parsons help lead Vibrant Lafayette in doing the legwork—digging into projects like the School Street path, meeting with staff, and then giving busy families clear, targeted ways to show up when it matters most.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

Vibrant Lafayette (Site)
Vibrant Lafayette (Instagram)
Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)
Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here.

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Starting Where You Stand: The Great Raleigh Cleanup Story Mar 12, 2026

Show notes

Instead of waiting for permission or a grand plan, Preston Ross III started picking up trash on his own block—and kept going. Learn how that simple habit evolved into a nonprofit, a workforce program for unhoused neighbors, and a practical playbook for taking action in your town.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

Local Recommendations:‍
The Great Raleigh Cleanup (site)
The Great Raleigh Cleanup (Instagram)
Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram)
Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

What Jasper Teaches Us About Beating Mega Projects Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

A small Indiana city took on a 54‑mile, $3.4 billion highway with yard signs, town halls, and hard numbers. Mark Nowotarski traces six years of grassroots organizing against the MidStates Corridor, from local resistance in Dubois County to growing pressure at the State House. Along the way, Jasper’s story shows how a community can push back when a mega‑project threatens its future and quality of life.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

Don't make Southern Indiana's 'sacrifice zone' worse with Mid-State Corridor (Article)
Jasper, Indiana winner of the Strongest Town Contest in 2022 (Site)
Mark Nowotarski (LinkedIn)
Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)
Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here.

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Building Culture Around Beauty, Craft, And Daily Life Mar 05, 2026

Show notes

In an era of quick, generic construction, Austin Tunnell makes the case for caring about beauty and craft. He shares lessons from masonry, small‑scale development, and his own projects on creating places people actually enjoy using every day.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

Local Recommendations:‍
The Building Culture Podcast (site)
Building Culture (site)
Townsend Project (site)
Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram)
Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

How One Front Yard Became a Neighborhood Pop Up Mar 03, 2026

Show notes

Discover how Denton mom and civic advocate Lauren Penn turned her front yard into a thriving micro market for local makers and families, all without a big budget. She shares what it took, from permits and vendors to a rainy launch day, and how a small, homegrown experiment can help knit a neighborhood together.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

P‍op-Up Market Makers (Instagram)
Pop-Up Market Makers (Site)
Stronger Denton
Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)
Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here.

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

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