Your City Said It Wants Public Input, Now What?

Your City Said It Wants Public Input, Now What?

Author: Strong Towns July 14, 2026 Duration: 19:01
Cities regularly ask residents for feedback, especially when budgets tighten or difficult tradeoffs approach. Norm and Mary Kate Norton look at what changes when people respond as an organized group instead of a collection of individual voices. They trace how Local Conversations grow from first meetings and small projects into groups that can communicate clearly, build relationships with public officials and take part in larger policy fights. A good idea may open the door, but organized local support gives it a better chance of surviving the meeting, carrying into the next discussion and becoming something the city can’t easily set aside. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Mary Kate Norton (LinkedIn) Strong Towns Local Conversations (Map) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) 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: 50

The Bottom-Up Revolution
Podcast Episodes
The Missing Ingredient in Great Placemaking [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:42
A developer can check every box for parks and shared spaces and still create a place nobody wants to spend time in. Colby Cox has seen stormwater ponds, tiny playgrounds, and generic amenity packages counted as community…
The Goldilocks Problem Behind City Taxes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:39
When Calgary’s main water feeder line broke for the second time in two years, Nathan Hawryluk decided he needed to get more involved. He already had an unusual view of the city’s finances as a planning commissioner, wher…
The Co-Living Exchange Pairing Students and Seniors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:25
What if an extra bedroom could make housing more affordable for a student while helping an older adult stay in their home? Alison Donnally founded Joey Co. to pair students looking for housing with older adults who have…
They Want to Pave Old San Juan for Parking [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:47
Near El Morro, one of Puerto Rico’s most recognizable historic sites, a government road project called for cutting down 26 mature trees, widening a road, adding a roundabout, and turning part of a grassy area into parkin…
This Artist Is Secretly Fixing Potholes With Mosaics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:42
After moving to Chattanooga, Lisa hit three potholes in three years and ended up buying five new tires. She knew people elsewhere had taken pothole repairs into their own hands, and as a mosaic artist, she already had th…
The Website Mapping America’s Third Places [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:27
When Arec Ligon moved to Brownsburg, Indiana, he was frustrated by how few places nearby seemed worth lingering in. That frustration became Linger, a growing map of user-submitted third places across the country. Instead…
Local Change Doesn’t Require a Big Crowd [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:21
Anne Keehnen has spent years building relationships in Nacogdoches, Texas, one conversation and one local effort at a time. She’s run for city council, worked with younger residents on walkability, stayed involved in cit…
The Sidewalk Joy Changing Portland’s Sidewalks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:22
Most neighborhoods have an invisible boundary where public space ends and private property begins. Rachael Harms Mahlandt started questioning that boundary after discovering tiny installations scattered around Portland:…
The Unexpected Value of a Walking Tour [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:57
Somerset, Kentucky, had historical markers scattered around downtown, but Jody McRoberts suspected many people barely noticed them. Through Strong Towns Pulaski, she turned those overlooked signs into a reason for people…
These Backyards Don’t Need Suburbia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:56
Density is often pictured as a huge apartment building surrounded by pavement, while a yard is treated as something only suburbia can provide. Dr. Alicia Pederson, founder of Courtyard Urbanist, wants cities to look at t…