From Bike Lovers to Zoning Experts: The Voices of Strong Towns

From Bike Lovers to Zoning Experts: The Voices of Strong Towns

Author: Strong Towns May 22, 2024 Duration: 1:14:39
This special edition of Upzoned was recorded last week at the 2024 National Gathering. Join host Abby Newsham as she talks to attendees about their efforts to build stronger towns. Interviewees: (0:00) Lisa Hutson, a business owner who’s turning an abandoned factory into a mixed-use community hub. (8:52) Sean Suder, a zoning reform expert who helps cities make their zoning codes more people-friendly and defensible. (18:40) Chris Wyatt, a transit advocate who’s working to make public transit more pleasant and useful. (26:00) Hannah Stanton-Gockel, a bike commuter who uses her marketing experience to advocate for people-centric city design. (38:41) Isaac Gonzalez, one of the National Gathering presenters, who discusses how to be a good long-term advocate. (50:40) Jackson Lester, a public transit planner who intends to combat the housing crisis through infill development. (1:02:15) Jaclyn Cheves, director of policy and partnerships for Blue Zones, who discusses how cities can become healthier places. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

Each week, Upzoned takes a single, pressing story from the world of urban development, municipal policy, and community economics and holds it up to the light. Hosts Abby Kinney and Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns, sometimes joined by a guest, don't just skim the headlines. They dig into the nuances of a specific zoning decision, a new infrastructure project, or a shifting demographic trend, asking what it reveals about how we actually build our cities, towns, and neighborhoods. The conversation is grounded in the practical, bottom-up philosophy of the Strong Towns movement, making complex topics accessible and immediately relevant. This isn't a broad news recap; it's a focused, thoughtful dissection for anyone curious about why their community looks and functions the way it does. You'll hear informed debate, critical analysis, and a persistent questioning of conventional wisdom, all aimed at understanding how we can create places that are financially resilient and genuinely enriching for the people who live in them. Tune in for a deeper, more substantive take on the stories that shape our shared spaces.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Upzoned
Podcast Episodes
The Tuba and What It Actually Takes to Build Community [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:18
Sam Quinones keynoted the Strong Towns National Gathering last week and closed with a story about a tuba. If that left you wanting more, this conversation with Chuck Marohn is the place to start. This rerun from the Stro…
Are We Trying to Build No Houses? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:47
A viral town meeting clip from Marblehead, Massachusetts, raised a question that goes far beyond one zoning debate: What happens when a state says yes to more housing, but the local process still makes it hard to build?…
When The Ribbon Cutting Is the Cheapest Part [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:17
Des Moines just approved an $8.4 million first phase for a $54 million park overhaul. The bid came in over estimate, and there's no maintenance plan in sight — meanwhile the city was cutting services 9% across the board…
Inside the Politics of ‘Safer Streets’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:01
What if the street itself did most of the work of slowing cars, instead of another sign or speed trap? Drawing on a new Bloomberg CityLab piece, Carlee Alm‑LaBar is joined by Edward Erfurt and Ann Arbor’s transportation…
When Your City Feels Like Housing Musical Chairs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:55
What happens when the American Dream stops meaning “doing better than your parents” and starts meaning “just not falling behind”? Norm Van Eeden Petersman sits down with Andrew Burleson and Ryan Puzycki to untangle why s…
New York’s Bracket And The Politics Of Maintenance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:54
In New York City, a playful bracket about broken hoops and dumping sites turns routine maintenance into a citywide tournament. Carlee Alm-LaBar, Edward Erfurt, and Alexander Lazard explore what that reveals about complai…
Unpacking The Myth That Growth Pays For Growth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:38
Development cost charges are supposed to make growth pay for itself, but this conversation shows just how far that promise falls short. Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Michel Durand-Wood, and Dan Winer unpack Ontario’s deal to…
The $600K Snow Budget That Became a $6 Million Problem [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:17
A Massachusetts town budgeted $600,000 for snow and ended up spending $6 million clearing its streets. Norm Van Eeden Petersman, Daniel Herriges, and Gracen Johnson trace the links between winter operations, stormwater,…
What LA’s Trash Problem Reveals About Its Streets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:17
While Los Angeles gets ready for the Olympics and World Cup, residents watch trash pile up in the places tourists never see. Chuck, Norm, and Carlee trace the links between auto‑oriented growth, a strained city budget, a…
Why a Legal Home Addition Sparked Outrage in Fairfax County [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:14
A multigenerational home addition sparked national attention and local outrage in Fairfax County, Virginia. Chief Technical Advisor Edward Erfurt sits down with guest host Norm Van Eeden Petersman to explore why legally…