The Bottom-Up Revolution

Rachel Leonardo is the video producer at Strong Towns. She has a bachelor’s degree in architecture and specializes in breaking down complex topics into clear, actionable ideas that inspire local change. Rachel and Tiffany discuss the importance of collaboration in building great places that foster community, culture, and connection. They explore how social media can encourage that collaboration and how it intersects with Strong Towns’ mission. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Want to hear more from Rachel? Get your National Gathering tickets today! See Rachel’s work: Studio Leonardo (YouTube) Strong Towns (YouTube) Local Recommendations: Bar Casa Jesus Mari Posada de Sorauren   Gosaria Coffee Shop Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Hazen Elwood is a student, a member of Strong Towns Calgary (in Alberta, Canada), and a community manager with the organization For the City. Today, Norm and Hazen discuss ways to build an advocacy network and the power of raising local awareness through storytelling. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Unsprawling (site) Calgary made it to the Elite Eight in this year’s Strongest Town Contest. There are many great lessons that cities of all sizes can learn from their hard work. Click here to read more about their progress. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn). Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Justine Underhill is an elected city council member in Falls Church, Virginia, and an award-winning video journalist and independent filmmaker. She’s worked for international and domestic news organizations, created an award-winning docuseries, and started an educational YouTube channel. Justine joins Tiffany to discuss how media can be used to connect with people and drive change. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Want to hear more from Justine? Get your National Gathering tickets today! Learn more about Justine’s work: YouTube Channel Falls Church Forward Local Recommendations: Panjshir Restaurant  Saturday morning farmer's market Cherry Hill Park Northside Social Café Kindred Godfreys Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

How do you turn three people with snow shovels into an initiative that gets covered on the news, triggers a city-funded pilot program, and inspires people to stay in the city long-term? That’s what Andrew Neidhardt and Dustin Moore of Walkable Albany, a Local Conversation in New York, are here to explain. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Walkable Albany (site). Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn). Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Rosaline Hill is a registered professional planner and awards-winning architect from Ottawa, Canada. She’s consulted on zoning for the city of Ottawa and is the founder and principle architect of BuildingIn, a planning program that helps municipalities reach their housing goals through infill development. Today, Rosaline joins Tiffany to discuss the complexities of housing reform. She explains how she created a 3D modeling program that helps municipalities visualize and argue persuasively for development. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Equator Coffee  Capital Pathway Bike Trail Learn more about Rosaline’s work: BuildingIn (site) Walkable Ottawa (site) Ottawa Cohousing (site) Learn about the six simple code reforms local officials can implement today to welcome new housing. Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

In this episode of Bottom Up Shorts, Norm is joined by Saeed Vahid, a Local Conversation leader from Richmond Hill, Ontario. They talk about how he started the Local Conversation, how the group is collaborating with city officials, and how the expansion of the Greater Toronto Area has affected Richmond Hill. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Strong Richmond Hill (site). Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn). Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Diane Alisa is an author and founder of the nonprofit End Car Dependency. Her nonprofit helps support families by making it easier to get around safely without a car, build strong support networks, and empower children to be part of their communities. Diane joins this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution to discuss the impact of car-dependent design on families and the importance of building integrated communities (or "villages"). ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Support the work of advocates like Diane by becoming a Strong Towns member today! Local Recommendations: Downtown Provo “Love Letter to Suburbia: How to Restore the American Village” by Diane Alisa End Car Dependency (website) Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Daniel Bloemker is a Strong Towns member and Local Conversation leader from Bellingham, Washington. He’s been instrumental in advancing local efforts on parking reform, housing, and community spaces. He joins Norm in this Bottom-Up Short to discuss these efforts and the progress the city has made. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Want to support advocates like Daniel? Become a Strong Towns member today. Bellingham won the “Most Progress in Building Better Budgets” award in the Strongest Town Contest. There are many great lessons that cities of all sizes can learn from their hard work.

Elizabeth Turman-Bryant is a councilmember in Burlington, Washington. She's passionate about community building, revitalizing historical areas, and making Burlington more bicycle and pedestrian friendly. Turman-Bryant joins Tiffany to discuss her journey from nonprofit work to local government. She explains some of the projects she’s working on and the importance of striking a balance between the responsiveness of bottom-up activism and the influence of local government involvement. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Tacos Tecalitlan Train Wreck Bar Railroads Pizza and  Bar Taste of Thai by Wipa Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Denyse Trepanier is the president of Bike Walk Alameda, a nonprofit organization in the island city of Alameda, California. She joins Norm to discuss the city's efforts to improve biking infrastructure, including the creation of a network of low-stress bikeways and neighborhood greenways. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Bike Walk Alameda (site) Alameda made it to the Sweet 16 in this year’s Strongest Town Contest, from a list of almost 40 nominees. There are many great lessons that cities of all sizes can learn from their hard work. Click here to read more about their progress. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!