The Strong Towns Podcast

In a recording from the 24th Congress for the New Urbanism, Chuck Marohn interviews Seth Zeren (a founding member of Strong Towns) on the challenges of modern urban planning, development and placemaking. Plus, they reflect on CNU in comparison to other professional conferences like APA. Thanks to Seth and other members like him for supporting the work of Strong Towns. If you value this podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a member today: http://www.strongtowns.org/membership?

Without the support of members and generous donors, there is no Strong Towns. We kick off our summer member drive with a State of Strong Towns podcast. You can support Strong Towns by going to http://www.strongtowns.org/membership.

Chuck Marohn had the chance to interview several Strong Towns members together at CNU24 in Detroit. They share their backgrounds and how they came to be members of Strong Towns: Mayor Jill Dabbs from Bryant, AR, Kevin Barton from San Antonio, TX, Marielle Brown from St. Louis, MO, Ian Bost, from Ann Arbor, MI (originally from Detroit), and Andy Walker, from Detroit, MI. 

R. John Anderson talks about the growth of the small-scale developer movement, recent bootcamps hosted by his organization, the Incremental Development Alliance, and the value of small-scale projects. Plus a cameo from Kevin Klinkenberg to talk about baseball. You can catch more John Anderson on our site, as well as his blog.

Janette Sadik-Khan discusses her experience as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, focusing on smaller projects like plazas and bike access, instead of megaprojects that cost millions. She also discusses how you actually get things done in a city full of 8.5 million people, and the importance of data in persuading people to support new initiatives. Ms. Sadik-Khan's new book is Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution and it's well worth a read.

Recording live at CNU24 in Detroit Chuck Marohn interviews Hazel Borys, Principal at Placemakers, along with some Placemakers clients: Joe Cosentini, Town Administrator of Thompson's Station, TN, and Andrew Blake, City Manager of Ranson, WV. Hazel, Joe and Andrew discuss the work Placemakers did in these small towns, developing form-based codes, improving walkability and building better places. They also talk about the challenges of making change in small towns.

Reporting live from CNU24 in Detroit, Chuck Marohn interviews Michelle Erfurt, the Strong Towns Pathfinder, who coordinates Strong Towns events. She talks about what it's like to communicate with people all over the country interested in Strong Towns, as well as the process for putting together an event. Chuck also reflects on the highs and lows of past events.

Chuck and Rachel offer a preview of events and upcoming podcast recordings at CNU.  Mentioned in this podcast: The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, and Embedded podcast from NPR.

Andres Duany is an American architect and urban planner working at the firm DPZ, a co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), and the author of several books including Suburban Nation. He's also an inspiration for Strong Towns thinking. In this interview, Chuck Marohn and Andres Duany discuss the founding and growth of the new urbanist movement, gentrification, and the future of the suburbs.

Toby is a Strong Towns pioneer, making the city of Hays, KS better through his role as City Manager. He's been on the podcast before and we invited him back for an update on the progress of Strong Towns ideas in his community.