Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe Lost Art of Crafting Great Urban Places
Episode 186
Professor Jack Duncan is a professor of architecture and preservation at the College of Charleston. His mission is to help students and communities understand and rediscover the human-scaled patterns…
Published on 2 days, 16 hours ago
How a Walk Audit Can Build Community and Momentum
Episode 185
Gioia Calabretta is one of the leaders of Livable Lynchburg, a Local Conversation in Virginia. She is also Strong Towns’ graphic design intern. She and Norm discuss a walk audit she recently particip…
Published on 4 days, 16 hours ago
How Will Gardner Is Helping Build a Stronger South Coast
Episode 184
Will Gardner is the founder of South Coast Places For People, a new nonprofit — and Strong Towns Local Conversation — in Massachusetts. He previously founded Alma del Mar Charter Schools and now spen…
Published on 1 week, 2 days ago
Adding Third Places To Unlock a Small Town’s Potential
Episode 183
Today, Norm is joined by Jess and Dan Sollaccio from Warrenton, Oregon. Jess is a city commissioner and a small-scale housing developer. Dan is a commissioner for the Warrenton Budget Committee and w…
Published on 1 week, 4 days ago
Fighting for Safe Streets in America’s Most Dangerous City
Episode 182
Memphis, Tennessee, was ranked the #1 most dangerous metro area by Smart Growth America in 2024. That’s not stopping Kelsey Huse, a safe streets advocate and grad student studying city and regional p…
Published on 2 weeks, 2 days ago
The Young Voice Shaping Salt Lake City's Future
Episode 181
Eva López Chávez is a city council member in Salt Lake City, Utah. Eva has been involved in many layers of local government, including working as a city staffer and construction project manager. Toda…
Published on 2 weeks, 4 days ago
How Taking a Walk Can Make Your City Stronger
Episode 180
Ashley Thornton is the founder of Waco Walks, an organization devoted to promoting walkability in Waco, Texas. She was inspired to start the organization after spending a year with walking as her pri…
Published on 3 weeks, 2 days ago
This Is Local Leadership Without the Ego
Episode 179
Mark Hoppen is a former city manager and Strong Towns member who’s been quietly strengthening communities in Washington state for decades. In this Bottom Up Short, Norm and Mark talk about why someon…
Published on 3 weeks, 4 days ago
Beating the Loneliness Epidemic, One Step at a Time
Episode 178
Adult friendships are difficult. A big part of that is our built environment, which is often designed in a way that stifles social connection instead of supporting it. Kat Vellos is an author, facili…
Published on 4 weeks, 2 days ago
How To Use Property Taxes to Clean Up Your Community
Episode 177
Ashley Salvador is a city councilor in Edmonton, Alberta. She’s a national leader in housing reform, zoning modernization, and urban revitalization. Ashley joins Norm on this Bottom-Up Short to discu…
Published on 1 month ago