The Strong Towns Podcast

Michel Durand-Wood, a local budget aficionado and longtime Strong Towns contributor, joins to demystify municipal finance. They discuss the need for everyday people to understand complex financial topics, emphasizing better communication and community engagement. The conversation shifts to accountability in municipal finance, revealing challenges in project evaluations and the emotional journey behind fiscal decisions. They also explore the long-term costs of infrastructure financing and tease upcoming projects aimed at making municipal finance both informative and entertaining.

In this engaging discussion, urban scholar Eric Goldwyn, program director at the Marron Institute of Urban Management, tackles the pressing topic of high-speed rail in the U.S. He outlines the significant advantages of rail over air travel and the challenges of implementation. Goldwyn emphasizes the need for federal support and unified design standards to foster efficient projects. He also highlights the crucial role of skilled engineers and advocates for a dedicated strategy to overcome obstacles, drawing inspiration from successful international rail systems.

A recent tragic car crash in Ontario sparks a deep dive into traffic safety failures. The conversation critiques conventional law enforcement responses and advocates for comprehensive investigations instead of placing blame. It highlights the shortcomings of traffic data collection and pushes for specialized teams to tackle systemic issues. Urban planning is examined, emphasizing the need for safety over mere traffic flow. Ultimately, empowering local initiatives is deemed crucial for making roads safer, underscoring community involvement in enhancing traffic safety efforts.

Explore the fascinating dynamics of the housing affordability crisis and why local leaders hold the key to meaningful change. Unearth the historical roots of housing market instability and how federal programs often exacerbate the problem. Discover the conflicts within policy initiatives aimed at increasing homeownership and the unintended consequences that arise. The discussion highlights practical steps local leaders can take for real reform, emphasizing localized solutions over distant federal interventions.

Maumee, Ohio, winner of the 2024 Strongest Town Contest, is facing a big sewer infrastructure challenge. It needs to update its sewer system to comply with EPA regulations — an extremely large, expensive project. To handle this problem, the city is requiring residents who want to sell their homes to pay for the needed updates to their sewage systems, which is generating backlash from residents. In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck explains the history of sewer infrastructure, how the Clean Water Act affects cities and the very limited options that cities have to handle this kind of challenge. He also points out that the Strongest Town Contest is about celebrating cities that are working hard to improve, rather than finding cities that are perfect. Just because Maumee is facing this challenge does not mean that it’s a failure — and it’s not alone in this struggle, either. All cities are either facing this challenge, too, or will be facing it in the near future. That’s the consequence of decades of unproductive growth. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X). Become a member.

Discussing the response to criticism on suburban infrastructure spending, misconceptions in municipal finance, challenges in maintaining infrastructure, financial burdens on cities, excessive capital investment post-WWII, and the need for cities to play an infinite game for sustainability.

Chuck Marohn, Strong Towns President, answers questions about escaping the housing trap through rezoning, incremental development, and historic designations. The podcast discusses regulatory reform, empowering cities for housing initiatives, economic complexities, and the availability of the book in audiobook format.

This is the final episode in the Strong Towns Podcast's special Member Drive series. Every day, Chuck has read one of his best articles that you might’ve missed. Today, he’s reading one of Strong Towns’ most popular articles, “Most Public Engagement Is Worthless.” This article explores the typical methods used by city planners when collecting feedback from the public and why they often fail. Instead of focusing on what people think they want — since most of the time they don’t know themselves — planners should focus on people’s actions and then adjust their policies to compliment the way real people actually live. If you enjoy this podcast, or any of the other work Strong Towns does, become a member today. Be the change your city needs. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Become a member today! Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

This is the fourth episode in the Strong Towns Podcast's special Member Drive series. Every day, Chuck is reading one of his best articles that you might’ve missed. Today, he’s reading “If We Made Shoes Like We Make Housing, People Would Go Barefoot.” This article is an excerpt from Chuck’s most recent book “Escaping the Housing Trap,” coauthored with Daniel Herriges. It discusses how restrictions on types of housing have caused massive price spikes, wiped out starter homes and made any housing incredibly difficult to acquire. Make sure to check back in tomorrow to catch the final installment of this special series. If you enjoy this podcast, or any of the other work Strong Towns does, become a member today. Be the change your city needs. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Become a member today! Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

This is the third episode in the Strong Towns Podcast's special Member Drive series. Every day, Chuck is reading one of his best articles that you might’ve missed. Today, he’s reading “How Fannie Mae Puts a Chokehold on Local Home Financing Solutions.” This article explains how mortgage financiers rose to dominance through an “orgy of debt and price appreciation” and how they continue to twist the conversation around housing to further increase prices and debt. Make sure to check back in tomorrow to catch the next installment of this special series. If you enjoy this podcast, or any of the other work Strong Towns does, become a member today. Be the change your city needs. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Become a member today! Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).