Can Safer Streets Start With a Video Game?

Can Safer Streets Start With a Video Game?

Author: Strong Towns April 30, 2026 Duration: 37:57
A traffic jam in a video game changed how Bryan Kelly saw his city. He traces the path from playing City Skylines and watching Not Just Bikes to noticing stroads, long waits at traffic lights, and people biking on sidewalks along Sheboygan’s Eighth Street. That shift pulled him into a Strong Towns book club in a local coffee shop, Critical Mass rides with neighbors, and quiet committee rooms where he was sometimes the only person at the microphone. When a council seat opened, he carried those lived observations into a campaign centered on safer streets and fiscally careful projects. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Bryan Kelly (LinkedIn) Sheboygan Active Transportation (Site) Local Recommendations:‍ Paradigm Coffee & Music Three Sheeps Brewing Evergreen Park Harry’s Diner 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! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.

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.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Bottom-Up Revolution
Podcast Episodes
Small‑Town Housing, Big Feelings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:31
In Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, housing debates are tied to favorite trees, familiar views, flood scars, and whether younger residents can afford to stay. Planning commissioner and neighborhood organizer Taylor Lightman talk…
Students Who Got a Sidewalk Built in 14 Days [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:09
Evan Clark and Natalie Eger are college students studying sociology in Lexington, Virginia, and they came back from the 2025 National Gathering in Providence, RI fired up to do something. In the past year they've built a…
Listening Your Way Into Local Change [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:54
Mary Kate Norton, Strong Towns’ Mobilization Coordinator and Trainer, came to advocacy through other people’s stories: campus workers juggling multiple jobs, family members stuck without safe transportation options, and…
Spokane, Washington Is Betting on Buses, Benches, and Fourplexes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:10
Before the car took over, Spokane, Washington ran an extensive streetcar network that shaped its neighborhoods. Sarah Rose and Erik Lowe of Spokane Reimagined are working to recover that spirit through a bus system that…
When a Tornado Hit Main Street [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:29
On March 14, 2025, an EF3 tornado hit Cave City, Arkansas, directly, something the town of about 2,000 people had never experienced in more than a century. Mayor Jonas Anderson describes the shock of that night and the n…
The Missing Middle Has a Missing Industry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:35
Alkarim Devani has built over 1,000 homes in Calgary — fourplexes, row houses, a 212-unit heritage restoration — and noticed something strange: people kept asking about the small projects. That observation turned into a…
Rerun: Breaking Down Barriers to Local Food [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:58
It’s farmers market season, so we’re revisiting this conversation with Shelby Wild, whose work in Lompoc shows how a weekly neighborhood market can reshape a community’s food system. This rerun highlights the deep local…
Walk Your Neighborhood Like Jane Jacobs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:15
In Portland’s Hollywood district, a neighbor-led walk inspired by Jane Jacobs helps people see a familiar street in a new way. Strong Towns PDX organizer Natalie Legras shares how she pulled together a low-key neighborho…
Lancaster’s Locals, Newcomers, and Streets Working Together [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:09
Strong Towns organizer Nick Dennis shares how, once he hosted a simple meetup, he discovered a whole network of already active people in Lancaster, Pennsylvania who just needed a way to connect their efforts. He and Norm…
Why Public Spaces Fail After the Ribbon Cutting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:33
Well-designed public spaces often look promising at opening, then slowly lose energy and use. Max Musicant explains how that decline comes down to what happens after construction—who maintains the space, how it’s program…