The Bottom-Up Revolution

David Jenkins, a city councilor in La Plata, Maryland, delves into the importance of making municipal finances accessible to residents. He discusses innovative practices for transparent budgeting that empower community participation. Jenkins shares his insights on the challenges of fiscal communication and calls for the establishment of citizen finance committees. He emphasizes the need for effective auditing and long-term planning as cities grow, encouraging stronger community engagement through financial literacy.

Dr. Jonathan Gingrich is a professor of engineering at Dordt College in Iowa. A trained chemical and environmental engineer, he started teaching transportation engineering due to staffing shortages. Unsatisfied with the standard materials required for the class, he incorporated the book "Confessions of a Recovering Engineer" by Chuck Marohn into his curriculum and had his class conduct a Crash Analysis Studio. In this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution, Dr. Gingrich shares how his unusual background helped him see past engineering codes and look for a better way to design streets. He explains the logistics of incorporating crash analysis and safe street design into the classroom, as well as the benefits it had for his students. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Dordt College The Fruited Plain Casey’s Bakery Learn more: Crash Analysis Studio "Confessions of a Recovering Engineer" by Chuck Marohn “How One Professor is Inspiring the Next Generation of Transportation Engineers” Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Josh Stewart is an advocate from Littleton, Colorado. A year ago, his 12-year-old son was struck and killed by a car while biking to school. Since then, Josh has been relentlessly pushing for safer streets in his community. He joins Norm in this Bottom-Up Short to share his story and what he’s learned over the last year of advocacy work. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “The Cost of an Extra Foot” (article) “Large Trucks Need Better Street Design” (article) Learn more about the Crash Analysis Studio model for responding to and preventing car crashes. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! Subscribe to The Bottom-Up Revolution on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Podbean or via RSS.

Jesse Russell, the visionary founder and CEO of Hiatus Homes, transformed from a Los Angeles TV producer into a pioneer of small-scale housing in Bend, Oregon. He dives into the journey of navigating the intricate landscape of tiny home development amidst rising housing costs. Jesse shares insights on community engagement, innovative financing, and the benefits of housing designed for affordability. His passion for thoughtful design and local collaboration sheds light on how tiny homes can revitalize communities and address pressing housing issues.

In this insightful discussion, Christian Schick, the leader of Strong Towns RVA in Richmond, Virginia, shares how his organization creates community momentum and engagement. He emphasizes the importance of inclusivity in advocacy and details successful strategies for community meetings. Schick highlights key accomplishments like abolishing parking minimums and encourages a positive narrative post-elections to strengthen community bonds. He shares his personal journey towards fostering a bike-friendly environment, illustrating how neighbors can unite for meaningful change.

Mike Christensen is the executive director of the Utah Rail Passenger Association, where he works to educate the public and policy makers about the value of investing in passenger rail. He also serves on Salt Lake City’s planning commission, as well as the boards of the Utah chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism, the Utah Transit Riders Union and the national Rail Passengers Association. Christensen joins Tiffany Owens Reed on this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution to discuss the benefits of passenger rail, including how it can lead to more productive land use, as well as his work advocating for better public transit outside of metropolitan areas. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Temple Square Red Iguana Park Cafe Mike Christensen (Twitter/X) Utah Rail Passenger Association (website) Amtrak Long Distance Study Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Varsha Gopal is an architect from Chennai, India. She is putting Strong Towns ideas into action by starting conversations about what makes places thrive — what makes them special, sustainable and prosperous. On this episode of Bottom-Up Shorts, she joins Norm to discuss two research projects she recently conducted in her city and what they taught her about thriving cities, urban design and community engagement. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn). Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! Subscribe to The Bottom-Up Revolution on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Podbean or via RSS.

Maricela Sanchez is a city council member and anesthesiologist from Prosser, Washington. She has lived in major cities all over the U.S., including Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. In today’s episode, she joins Tiffany to discuss how her travels and profession molded her perspective on what makes a town safe and resilient. They also discuss Sanchez’s role as a councilor, where she focuses on creating safe, walkable neighborhoods and improving active transportation. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Historic Mercer Building Princess Theatre Brewminatti Coffee Shop Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Stanis Moody Roberts is a business owner from the Portland, Maine area. For the past year he has been organizing locals to oppose a highway expansion that would have claimed eight acres of his land. He joins Tiffany on today’s episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution to discuss this journey and the progress his community has made — including how they convinced their town council to rescind support for the project and delayed construction by several years. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Mr. Tuna Bubba’s Sulky Lounge Smiling Hill Farm Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram). Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Welcome to this episode of Bottom Up Shorts! Today, Norm is joined by Andrew and Anna Carley, the leaders of Strong Towns Grand Rapids, a Local Conversation in Michigan. They discuss the progress they’ve made in advocating for policy changes in their city and how they became one of the go-to groups that city officials turn to when they’re considering policy changes. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Strong Towns Grand Rapids (site). Want to hear more from the Carleys? Hop on the Spring Local Motive Tour, where they’ll share their tactics for regional organizing and letter-writing campaigns. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn). Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!