Urban planner Sara Joy Proppe discusses how churches can use placemaking to connect with their community, highlighting the importance of creating vibrant public spaces. She explores examples of churches engaging in small-scale projects, repurposing land for affordable housing, and practical steps for community engagement.

Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen is a passionate community organizer in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. With extensive experience in providing reports and educational materials on community and economic development, he has collaborated with organizations such as the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, and the Local Initiative Support Corporation, where he currently serves. Beyond his professional commitments, Armando is a dedicated father and volunteers actively within his local school district. In this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution, we delve into Moritz-Chapelliquen’s role as a grassroots community advocate. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen (LinkedIn; Twitter/X.) Check out Easton Public Market and Plants and Coffee. Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram). Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Maddy Novich is a criminal justice professor at Manhattan College, a mom of three, and an Instagram influencer living in New York City—you might know her as @cargobikemomma. Novich fell in love with cargo biking during a trip with her family to Europe in 2019, and launched an Instagram account when she came back to just share her love of biking around the city and to help other people, especially other women, realize that this mobility option is available to them. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Maddy Novich (Instagram). Check out Vinetaria, Lalibela, and Double Dutch Espresso. Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram). Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Deatra Kemp discusses closing the home ownership gap in minority communities, empowering African-American families through home ownership, and providing unique lending options for first-time homebuyers. She highlights the importance of community involvement, overcoming financial barriers, and tailored programs to achieve urban revitalization.

In this engaging discussion, Adam Greenfield, a transportation advocate and co-founder of Rethink35, joins Miriam Schoenfield, a board member and UT Austin professor, to tackle the controversial I-35 highway expansion in Austin. They dissect how such projects exacerbate traffic and harm communities. The duo highlights grassroots activism, legal challenges, and the socioeconomic impacts of highway widening. They emphasize the importance of collective action and community well-being, celebrating local efforts to foster sustainable urban planning and civil rights.

Jessica Peacock, fighting to reopen her great-grandparents' neighborhood grocery store in Walnut Terrace, shares her journey through the rezoning process, discusses the importance of community involvement, and explores the social significance of the family-owned store. She reflects on her experience as a teacher, explains the concept of zoning and its impact on black communities, overcomes financial constraints and personal growth, and envisions the grocery store as a hub for community programs.

Jon Jon Wesolowski, a content creator on TikTok and Instagram and founding member of the Chattanooga Urbanist Society, shares his journey towards urbanism, frustrations with city council, creating pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, taking agency in urban projects, advocating for change, their adventures in Europe, and exploring local businesses in Chattanooga.

Jennifer Gaughran, a marketing professional, and organizer of the Strong Towns Toastmasters group in San Diego, talks about living in a walkable neighborhood, transitioning from car commuting to biking, the importance of mixed neighborhoods, navigating a dangerous parking lot, transitioning Toastmasters clubs online during the pandemic, and being present and involved in the community.

On this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution, host Tiffany Owens Reed chats with Dustin LaFont. LaFont is the proud executive director of Front Yard Bikes, a youth workforce development program providing safe spaces for youth in Baton Rogue, Louisiana, to learn bike mechanics, welding, urban gardening, cooking, riding safety, and providing after-school jobs. LaFont first began repairing bikes with a few kids on his front yard in the summer of 2010, but as demand grew, the community rallied behind the project. Through the years, Front Yard Bikes has included over 2,000 youth and more than 10,000 bikes. With two after-school sites and a full-service bike shop in Mid City, Front Yard Bikes has become the largest community bike shop in the state and hopes to do even more with the amazing youth that champion the good work. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Front Yard Bikes (website). Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram). Check out Highland Coffees, City Roots, Chow Yum, and French Truck Coffee. Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

Alisha Loch is a Strong Towns member, a mother of three, and a founding board member of Norwood Together, a community development corporation in Norwood, Ohio—which was a finalist in the 2022 Strongest Town Competition. A lover of cities, Loch enjoys community events, parks, porches, and anything that increases the small-town feel of Norwood. She is passionate about working alongside other residents to keep her neighborhood vibrant for future generations.  Strong Towns members like Alisha Loch are making a difference in their communities. Will you join them by becoming a member today?