The Strong Towns Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Solidarity Hall Jun 08, 2017

Show notes

Chuck Marohn interviews Grace Potts of Ypsilanti, MI and Elias Crim of Valparaiso, IN, writers and editors for Solidarity Hall, a group blog, "a hospitable old hostelry, a mental oasis in the deserted landscapes that surround us." Solidarity Hall reflects on great thinkers like Jane Jacobs, Wendell Berry, and Dorothy Day to discuss issues of community, religion and social progress.

In this interview, Grace and Elias discuss the concept of communitarianism and cooperatives, as well as the problem with centralized systems and our partisan political structure. In this wide-reaching dialogue, Grace, Elias and Chuck contemplate how to build truly resilient communities where power rests in the hands of neighbors, and where economic prosperity is not the realm of the few, but shared by all.

The Week Ahead: June 5, 2017 Jun 05, 2017

Show notes

Rachel and Chuck discuss a recent webcast, upcoming events in Michigan and Illinois (including a member meetup with Strong Towns staff), and why our approaches to health care and infrastructure spending are remarkably similar and similarly messed up.

Mentioned in this Podcast:

Strong Talk: A Dangerous Street That Can't be Ignored (Video)
An Open Letter to the City of Springfield by Chuck Marohn
Curbside Chat in Traverse City, MI (June 7)
Keynote presentation in Chicago, IL (June 9) and you're also invited to a Strong Towns member meetup on June 8 (more info here)
"This is why infrastructure is so expensive" by Chuck Marohn
More on Infrastructure from Strong Towns
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

Emily Hamilton Jun 01, 2017

Show notes

Chuck Marohn interviews Emily Hamilton about a recent article she published at the Foundation for Economic Education website entitled, "The Hidden War on Affordable Housing." Emily is a Research Associate at George Mason University's Mercatus Center and she holds a Masters in economics from GMU as well. In this conversation, Chuck and Emily discuss the present lack of single-room occupancy and small-scale housing that used to be so prevalent in the United States and how we might resurrect these forms of affordable housing. They also discuss broader issues of housing affordability across the US and how to adjust government policies to allow for the creation of more affordable housing options.

Emily and Chuck are both speaking at the upcoming FEEcon, "2017's premier gathering of freedom lovers from all walks of life" hosted by the Foundation for Economic Education in Atlanta, GA, June 15-17. Get more information here.

Right now, FEEcon is offering a special discount to Strong Towns members, readers and listeners. Use the code "MU40off" to get 40% off the ticket price.

The Week Ahead: May 30, 2017 May 30, 2017

Show notes

In this weekly podcast with Chuck Marohn and Rachel Quednau, Chuck relates his misadventures in Oklahoma, and how some Strong Towns members and event hosts stepped up to help remedy the situation. Chuck also discusses his "Open Letter to the City of Springfield" about a dangerous street that the city recognizes but refuses to redesign for safer crossings.

Mentioned in this Podcast:

"An Open Letter to the City of Springfield"
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

Vince Graham May 25, 2017

Show notes

Chuck Marohn interviews Vince Graham, the former chair of the South Carolina Infrastructure Bank and current president of I'On Group. In this conversation, they discuss Graham's real estate development work and the uphill battle his company has faced in trying to do new urbanist development in a place where suburban-style development is the norm. Graham also talks about his time at the South Carolina Infrastructure Bank—a funding unique model for infrastructure investments—and offers a critical assessment of the organization.

The Week Ahead, May 22, 2017 May 22, 2017

Show notes

Chuck and Rachel debrief on a recent trip to Asheville, NC with the team at Urban3, as well as an event in Ottawa County, MI. They also discuss an upcoming trip to McAlester, OK and recent content on the Strong Towns website.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Upcoming event in McAlester, OK
"Plan Everything but how to Pay for it all" by Chuck Marohn
Catastrophic Care: How American Health Care Killed My Father--and How We Can Fix It by David Goldhill
Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes
Public Art Week
"When the Need to Develop Trumps Public Art" by Jason Schaefer

An All-Night Citywide Art Festival May 18, 2017

Show notes

Northern Spark is a free all-night art festival that has taken place in Minneapolis and St. Paul for the past several years. It's a one-night event but since 2011, it has more than included 535 artist projects in 120 venues, and attracted 222,000 attendees.

In this interview, Rachel Quednau chats with Sarah Peters, the Associate Director of the Northern Spark Festival, to find out how the event got started, how it has engaged the Twin Cities community, and how other cities can replicate this amazing program.

The 2017 Northern Spark takes place 8:59pm, June 10 until 5:26am on June 11 along the Green Line light rail route in the Twin Cities. Find more info here.

See photos of the event on Flickr.

Pasqualina Azzarello May 16, 2017

Show notes

Pasqualina Azzarello is a painter, public muralist, educator, and community advocate. She currently serves as City Arts Coordinator at Easthampton City Arts+ in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and she is also part-time faculty at Parsons The New School in New York City.

In this interview with Rachel Quednau, Pasqualina discusses the experience of creating murals at New York City construction sites, on sound barrier walls in Tucson, AZ and every where in between, as well as the importance of involving the community in public art decisionmaking. She also talks about her new position as City Arts Coordinator in Easthampton, MA and what it's like to lead her town's public art initiatives as a government employee.

You can read more about Pasqualina's initial New York City construction murals in the New York Times and read more about New York construction murals over the last decade in the New Yorker.

Visit Pasqualina Azzarello's website to see more of her work.

Richard Florida and the New Urban Crisis May 11, 2017

Show notes

Richard Florida is a University Professor and Director of Cities at the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto, he's a writer and journalist, and he serves as senior editor for The Atlantic, where he co-founded and serves as Editor-at-Large for CityLab. He's also the author of a new book, The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class-and What We Can Do About It.

In this interview with Chuck Marohn, Florida discusses the backlash to one of his most famous books, The Rise of the Creative Class, and the growth in inequality and economic segregation in American cities, which he cites as a much bigger problem than gentrification. Florida also shares his reaction to the presidential election and his thoughts about the future of the suburbs.

The Week Ahead (May 8, 2017) May 08, 2017

Show notes

Chuck and Rachel discuss upcoming events in Brainerd, MN and Asheville, NC, and recap the recent CNU25 in Seattle.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Event in Brainerd, MN
Event in Asheville, NC
The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire by Stephen Kinzer
"Poverty, Partisanship and the Land Tax" (3 videos)
This week's open slackchat with Chuck will be at 1pm CT on Wednesday (May 10). More info here.

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