The Strong Towns Podcast What is Happening With Strong Towns? Strategy Discussion and Q&A
Nov 10, 2025
Join a captivating discussion on the evolution of a grassroots movement, tracing its origins from a simple blog to a thriving nonprofit. Discover insights into audience engagement, shifting strategies, and the milestones that contributed to explosive growth. Learn about community initiatives, the importance of tangible policy outcomes, and the challenges of navigating local politics. Valuable tips for elected officials and strategies for addressing NIMBYism make this conversation a treasure trove of knowledge for anyone interested in urban development and civic action.
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Humble Blog Beginnings
- Chuck Marohn started the Strong Towns blog in November 2008 as a therapeutic way to write through his ideas after the election.
- That blog evolved into a site and nonprofit supporting his consulting work and eventually grew into the Strong Towns movement.
2015 Strategy Tripled Reach
- In 2015 Strong Towns prioritized three strategic pillars: create powerful content, distribute it widely, and nudge people to act.
- This content-and-distribution focus rapidly scaled the movement's reach.
Audience Growth Validated Strategy
- Site uniques grew from 70,000 in 2015 to over 2 million by 2021 due to focused content and distribution.
- The dramatic audience growth validated the movement-building strategy.
