The Strong Towns Podcast

Advertise on podcast: The Strong Towns Podcast

Rating
4.7
from
369 reviews
Categories
This podcast has
597 episodes
Language
Publisher
Explicit
No
Date created
2010/04/21
Average duration
47 min.
Release period
14 days

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.

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from The Strong Towns Podcast podcast


Tony Jordan and Chris Meyer: Pushing for People Over Parking
2024/02/26
This week’s episode of the Strong Towns Podcast is all about parking reform, and here to talk with host Chuck Marohn on the matter are Tony Jordan and Chris Meyer. Jordan is the president of the Parking Reform Network, a bottom-up nonprofit that’s working to educate the public about the impact of parking policy on climate change, equity, housing, and traffic. Meyer is the legislative assistant to Senator Omar Fateh, who was crucial in introducing a bill—the first of its kind in the nation—to eliminate parking mandates statewide in Minnesota. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Parking Reform Network (website). Chris Meyer (Twitter/X). Tony Jordan (LinkedIn). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
more
Eric Goldwyn: Why U.S. Transit Is So Expensive (and How To Fix It)
2024/02/19
On this week’s episode, host Chuck Marohn talks with Eric Goldwyn, a leading urban scholar and program director at the Marron Institute of Urban Management, as well as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Transportation and Land-Use program at the NYU Marron Institute. He is known for his pioneering research on urban issues, fostering collaboration to improve city living, and he’s here to talk with us today about the importance of transit for the future of cities, as well as the importance of local government (and the fact that local government is more than just an appendage of state and federal government). ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Slow Boring x Transit Costs Project Event,” by Kate Crawford, Slow Boring (March 2023). Transit Costs (website). Eric Goldwyn (Twitter/X). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
more
Meet the Freeway Fighters Who Are Suing the Texas Department of Transportation
2024/02/12
One of the most egregious highway expansion projects we’ve encountered is the I-35 project in Austin, Texas. A lot of good people have been fighting it for a long time, and on this week’s episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, host Chuck Marohn will be talking with two of them: Adam Greenfield and Bobby Levinski. They’re both part of the grassroots movement Rethink35, which is working with other local organizations to file a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Transportation over their plans to expand I-35. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about Rethink35’s work on their website. Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
more
Shima Hamidi: Narrow Lanes Save Lives
2024/02/05
On this week’s episode, Chuck talks with Dr. Shima Hamidi of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who, in November 2023, published a study on how wide lanes on urban streets promote more crashes, whereas narrower lanes—as narrow as nine feet—are safer. The findings of this paper cut into the core assumptions of the civil engineering profession in regard to traffic design. Strong Towns wrote about the study when it first came out, and we’re excited to now have Dr. Hamidi on the podcast to tell us about her work, in her own words. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Read the study: “A National Investigation on the Impacts of Lane Width on Traffic Safety.” Check out the study’s homepage. Shima Hamidi (Twitter/X). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
more
Minnesota Introduces First-in-the-Nation Bill To Eliminate Minimum Parking Mandates Statewide
2024/01/29
On this week’s episode, Chuck Marohn talks about a trip he made to the Minnesota state capitol, where he was invited to take part in a press conference in which a bill was launched. Strong Towns is a bottom-up, member-based movement, and so getting involved in legislative action is not normally something that would be on Chuck’s docket. So, why make an exception this time? Simple: because this is a bill that states that no city in Minnesota shall mandate parking requirements. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Watch the full press conference here. Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X). Cover image source: Wikimedia Commons/SimonP.
more
Where Is Sprawl Good? (Featuring Joe Minicozzi)
2023/11/27
At Strong Towns, we try to avoid using the word “sprawl” as a shorthand term in our content—and we’d even go so far as to say that sprawl isn’t the problem we’re trying to solve in our communities. All that said, are there any instances where sprawl is actually good? Hear Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn discuss this with Joe Minicozzi, principal of Urban3. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Sprawl Is Not the Problem,” by Chuck Marohn, Strong Towns (April 2016). Urban3 (website). Joe Minicozzi (Twitter/X). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).
more
Reading Member Comments—Live From Buc-ee’s!
2023/11/17
Alright, it’s not exactly “live,” but while visiting Austin, Chuck Marohn couldn’t resist stopping by a Buc-ee’s to marvel at this Texas-sized gas station. It’s emblematic of the overbuilt, spread-out, auto-oriented infrastructure plaguing states like Texas and so many others—but even in Buc-ee’s massive parking lot, there is hope to be found, in the form of comments from Strong Towns members. These are the people who have taken the first step toward fighting a hundred years of bad city development. Will you join them by becoming a member today?
more
We’re Seeing a Groundswell of People Doing Amazing Things in Their Communities
2023/11/15
On this special Member Week episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck Marohn reflects how, despite being sick, his spirits were bolstered this week by the efforts of advocates he’s observed doing amazing work in their cities and towns. We get to support these local heroes through programs like Local Conversations and the Community Action Lab—and your donations are what support us so that we can continue making these programs happen. So, will you help us in making all of this possible by becoming a Strong Towns member today?
more
We Must Become More Sensitive to the Stress Our Cities Are Under
2023/11/13
Different people are sensitive to different things around them, and this Member Week, we’re asking you to challenge yourself to become a little more sensitive to the things that are happening in your community. What do you see when you look around you? Crumbling infrastructure? Poor urban design? Dangerously designed streets? Insurmountable municipal debt? You can see what’s happening. Now it’s time to do something about it. Start by joining this movement of bottom-up action to change the trajectory of our cities and towns: become a Strong Towns member today.
more
Seth Kaplan: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time
2023/10/23
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, host Chuck Marohn talks with friend, author, and expert on fragile states, Seth Kaplan. His new book, Fragile Neighborhoods, offers a bold new vision for addressing social decline in America, one zip code at a time. It discusses the importance of revitalizing our local institutions and introduces the reader to some of the people and organizations who are doing just that—along with practical lessons for those who want to do similar work. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Get your copy of Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time. Chuck Marohn (Twitter). Seth Kaplan (website). Learn more about the 2023 Local-Motive Tour.
more
Conor Semler: A New Decision-Making Framework for Street Design
2023/10/02
On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, host Chuck Marohn chats with Conor Semler, an associate planner with Kittelson and Associates. Semler was involved in the development of both the National Association of City Transportation Officials’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide and the Federal Highway Administration’s Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide. He's also played a role in putting together a decision-making framework that changes the way engineers, planners, and other transportation professionals approach street design. Tune in to hear him talk about this innovative approach to transportation planning, and more! ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Parking or Pedaling? New Tool Helps Communities Weigh Tradeoffs on Their Streets,” by Kittelson & Associates. Chuck Marohn (Twitter). Learn more about the 2023 Local-Motive Tour.
more
Strong Towns Is Jane Jacobs in Action
2023/09/25
Strong Towns founder and president, Charles Marohn, was invited to the Lit with Charles podcast to discuss Jane Jacobs’ seminal work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, and the impact it has had on urban planning and the building of cities. If you love Jane Jacobs or want to learn more about her views and how Strong Towns advocates are working to make them a reality, you will want to explore this conversation. We have provided a full transcript to go along with the audio version, which we share here with the permission of the Lit with Charles podcast.
more

Podcast reviews

Read The Strong Towns Podcast podcast reviews


4.7 out of 5
369 reviews
kara_belle 2022/08/20
Excellent information
Love the podcast, particularly the recent episode with not just bikes. All the talk of the floor/ceiling for transit got me (an American raised in a c...
more
ΘΔΡ 2023/09/19
Ex-professional engineer discusses a new way to build towns and cities
This is a pretty important podcast, from a professional engineer who discovered, based on his fiscally conservative upbringing, that the way we’ve bee...
more
K Steiner 2023/05/08
Great work but somewhat unwelcoming to some
I genuinely enjoy this organization and the work that they are doing. I do have one sincere critic which I hope they genuinely take to heart. While t...
more
Nico Corbo 2022/07/18
Strong Towns Podcast
Really enjoyed today’s podcast. Thank you so much, Chuck. Thank you for raising awareness for issues that go beyond the simple problem and solution na...
more
Lololovesskiing 2022/04/19
Excellent and inspiring
I’ve been into city planning as a fun nerd out hobby and finding this podcast has made my month! Ive been on the website and got the books but now I g...
more
I_love_japan_and_india! 2022/02/10
Books
Best podcast ever!! Recommend buying their books!
Jsluss 2021/06/10
Awesome podcasts that are informative
Learned a ton
Little_Gin 2021/04/04
Fantastic Content
Important topics that shape the quality of our lives but don't get discussed enough in media or public poilcy.
Me95691566 2021/03/04
One of my favs
One of my favs
RedRaiderRyan 2021/03/03
Chuck for President
I wish my town and the cities and towns I frequent were run and developed by someone who subscribed to this podcast.
check all reviews on aple podcasts

Podcast sponsorship advertising

Start advertising on The Strong Towns Podcast & sponsor relevant audience podcasts


What do you want to advertise?

Ad Format

Campaign Budget

Business Details