The Bottom-Up Revolution

The Bottom-Up Revolution

Author: Strong Towns Language: English Episodes: 100
There’s a quiet shift happening in neighborhoods and city halls across the continent, a push to rethink what makes a place thrive. The Bottom-Up Revolution, from the team at Strong Towns and hosted by Tiffany Owens Reed, dives into that shift by sharing real stories from within the movement. Instead of grand top-down plans, this podcast focuses on the tangible, often overlooked work of everyday people who are rolling up their sleeves to foster economic resilience right where they live. Each conversation explores the practicalities-how someone identified a small, solvable problem in their community, the steps they took to rally their neighbors, and the challenges they faced turning an idea into reality. You’ll hear about the messiness of local advocacy, the importance of building connections to create lasting influence, and the personal lessons learned along the path to a stronger town. It’s a resource for anyone who believes change starts on their own street, offering not just inspiration but a sense of shared struggle and possibility. Tune in for a candid look at the grassroots work that’s quietly reshaping our cities and towns, one concrete action at a time.
Episodes
How To Bring More Affordable Housing Options to Colorado [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:04
Mary Coddington is the founder of Twelve Inc., an affordable housing consulting firm based in Colorado. She also serves on the Denver Planning Board and works with the Colorado State Housing and Finance Authority. Today,…
How Permaculture Design Principles Can Make Cities More Resilient [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:26
Linda Appel Lipsius is the executive director of Denver Urban Gardens, where she supports a network of over 200 gardens and food forests that produce 650,000 pounds of food annually. She also helps launch initiatives to…
How Strategic Boldness Transformed Santa Fe’s Transportation Plan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:39
Erick Aune is the director of the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization, as well as a member of Strong Towns Santa Fe. He’s spearheading a major shift in his region’s approach to street safety and design, replacing…
How To Run for City Council as a Self-Taught Advocate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:23
Norm steps in for Tiffany on this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution. He's joined by Donna Boelen, who served on the city council of Bloomington, Illinois, from 2019 to 2024. Donna shares how she went from speaking at p…
How To Live & Grow Wisely in the Utah Desert [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:07
What does it mean to live wisely and grow well in the desert? Judith Rognli of Strong Towns WashCo shares how St. George residents are facing water scarcity, rapid growth, and livability challenges as a community. ADDITI…
How To Bring Community Projects to Life Quickly and Effectively [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:05
Butch Roussel is the founder of the 24 Hour Citizen Project, an annual event that connects everyday citizens with the expertise and resources they need to solve challenges in their town. Over the last decade, the 24 Hour…
How 296 Strong Towns Advocacy Groups Are Changing the World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:11
In this special episode of Bottom-Up Shorts, Norm is joined by John Pattison, Strong Towns' community builder and head of the Local Conversations program. They discuss what drives people to start one of these local advoc…
How To Build Community Wealth From the Bottom Up [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:28
Jessica David and Josh Daley are co-founders of Local Return, a nonprofit in Rhode Island dedicated to building community wealth through ownership and investment. They empower residents through education and financing, w…
Building Safe Streets for All in Brighton, New York [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:18
Christine Corrado is a city councilmember in Brighton, New York. She’s also the founder of Brighton Safe Streets for All and has served on a variety of city committees, from the Zoning Board of Appeals to the Public Work…
The Lost Art of Crafting Great Urban Places [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:18
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 that make places bea…