Upzoned 5 Ways Ordinary People Are Making Their Places Stronger
Nov 12, 2025
Join Carlee Alm-LaBar, Chief of Staff at Strong Towns, and John Reuter, former city council member, as they dive into grassroots efforts transforming communities. They share inspiring stories of housing innovations like Monty Anderson's 'Roommate House' and creative solutions, such as curb chalking for pedestrian safety in San Diego. The conversation highlights the significance of community involvement in implementing policies and eliminating unnecessary parking mandates to boost local businesses. Tune in for practical tips on strengthening neighborhoods!
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Chalking Curbs To Make Policy Work
- Strong Towns San Diego volunteers chalked curbs to mark new no-parking zones after a pedestrian-safety law caused confusion and tickets.
- They acted because the city lacked capacity to implement the rollout and citizens wanted to help make the law work.
Policies Only Succeed When Lived
- Policy adoption isn't the finish line; implementation and human experience determine success.
- John Reuter emphasizes that laws only matter when people experience improved daily life.
Living In Your Own Incremental Project
- Monty Anderson converted a single-family home into multiple lockable roommate units while technically complying with code, then lived there himself.
- His approach tests incremental suburban retrofit ideas and demonstrates viability by being the end user and developer.
