This Atlanta Corridor Makes Walking Normal and Deadly

This Atlanta Corridor Makes Walking Normal and Deadly

Author: Strong Towns August 3, 2026 Duration: 49:48
Atlanta’s Buford Highway supports apartment communities, small businesses, and an international food scene that draws people from across the region. It also carries six to eight lanes of fast traffic, and drivers use it as an alternate route when nearby interstates clog. More than 20% of trips happen outside a car, yet roughly 90% of the corridor’s space is reserved for vehicles. Rebecca Serna, executive director of Propel ATL, and Sagirah Jones, the organization’s program director, hosted walk audits to put residents, planners, and elected officials on the same road and show how people navigate it every day. The audits exposed an unexpected barrier: many people supported bigger changes while remaining convinced that someone else would never allow them. Additional Show Notes Rebecca Serna (LinkedIn) Sagirah Jones (LinkedIn) Propel ATL (Site) Buford Highway Community Walk Audit Summary of Findings (PDF) AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit (Site) 'We Built the Best Interstate System. Now It’s Falling Apart.' (Video) Mission Accomplished Report (Site) Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.

Each week, Charles Marohn guides a discussion that feels less like a formal lecture and more like a thoughtful chat with a knowledgeable neighbor. The Strong Towns Podcast digs into the practical, often overlooked details that determine whether a community thrives or just struggles along. The conversations here consistently connect the dots between sensible budgeting and the physical shape of our streets, parks, and neighborhoods, arguing that true resilience comes from this intersection. You’ll hear specific examples of how towns and cities can make incremental, affordable investments that build long-term wealth and stability, moving beyond short-term fixes. Rather than offering abstract theory, this podcast focuses on actionable ideas for local leaders and engaged citizens alike, exploring how everyday decisions about infrastructure and land use directly impact a place's financial health. It’s a grounded perspective on creating communities that are not only more solvent but also more welcoming and livable. The ongoing dialogue reinforces the core idea that a strong town is built from the bottom up, one block at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The Strong Towns Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Gas Taxes, Freeways, And What Washington Should Fund Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:43
Chuck Marohn and Tony Dutzik unpack the messy history of the gas tax, cross‑subsidies between states, and the moral story drivers were told about “user fees.” They revisit highway revolts, the rise of federal transit fun…
Balancing Big Experiments And Neighborhood Fixes In California Housing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:24
In this moderated panel at the REACH Ideas + Action Summit, Chuck Marohn and California Forever’s Jim Wunderman tackle California’s housing crisis from two very different angles: maturing existing neighborhoods and build…
Why Infrastructure Maintenance Might Be The Real Megaproject [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:50
New Zealand’s infrastructure commission added up every sector’s project wish‑list—and found a bill voters could never realistically pay. In this conversation, Geoff Cooper and Chuck Marohn unpack the national plan that s…
From Service Cuts To Understanding City Insolvency [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:48
The conversation follows Michel Durand-Wood's path from noticing small local cuts—closed pools, rising taxes—to understanding his city as structurally insolvent. Along the way, he and Chuck talk about grants, debt, Canad…
Beyond Supply and Demand to Housing’s Unseen Financial Forces [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:17
Chuck walks through three ways of seeing the housing crisis: supply, demand, and the Strong Towns view that grapples with “dark finance” and capital flows. He explains why campaign-style wins and single-variable fixes ra…
What Comes After the Interstate Era? | New Report [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:47
For years, the dominant explanation for America’s infrastructure problems has been that we haven’t invested enough. Yet federal spending on transportation is at historic highs, and frustration with the results continues…
Humility Versus Hubris in American Urbanism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34:27
Why 95% of planners get it wrong, how monetary policy killed Main Street, and why Chuck Marohn is optimistic about Gen Z. This wide-ranging conversation, first featured on the Yeoman podcast with Geoff Graham, explores t…
Where the Strong Towns Movement Is Headed in 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:20
In this year’s State of Strong Towns address, Chuck Marohn reflects on where the movement stands at the start of 2026 — what’s changed, what’s growing, and how the work ahead remains grounded in humility, restraint, and…
The Hidden Costs of "Improving" This Minnesota Highway [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:35
‍A major highway project is pitched as a safety upgrade — but at what cost to the community? Today, Chuck is joined by Matt Steele, a fellow Brainerd-area resident and longtime Strong Towns member. They unpack a highway…
How Communities Are Breaking Out of the Housing Trap [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:28
Why is housing so expensive, and what can local communities actually do about it? In this live recording, Chuck unpacks the roots of America's housing trap and shares actionable reforms that any community can implement.…