The Strong Towns Podcast

Chuck Marohn is on vacation this week, but before he left, he sat down to record a solo podcast about his new life in downtown Brainerd in response to the frequent question he gets, "How's the new neighborhood?"

We'll be back with our usual Week Ahead podcast next Monday.

This week, Chuck and Rachel apologize for their recent absence on the podcast and discuss a recent article about the California Housing Crisis. They also discuss an ongoing Local Food campaign and recent favorite books.

Mentioned in this podcast:

• "California Housing Crisis" by Charles Marohn
• Local Food campaign
• Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
• Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Hochschild
• White Trash by Nancy Isenberg

Chuck Marohn interviews Pete Saunders, a planner and journalist who writes for Forbes, Business Insider and other publications, as well as his blog, The Corner Side Yard. Pete grew up in Detroit and now lives in Chicago so this discussion kicks off with a conversation about baseball (especially the Cubs and White Sox) and the relationship of stadiums and teams to their surrounding neighborhoods. Chuck and Pete also discuss two fascinating American cities where Pete has spent time: Detroit and Las Vegas. Finally, they contemplate the shift of African American populations toward the suburbs and out of the cities, and what that could mean for this demographic.

Mentioned in this podcast:

• Can the Chicago White Sox Help Turn Around the South Side?
• Las Vegas Lessons Part I and Part II
• On the Outside, Looking In

You can read more from Pete on his blog or connect with him on Twitter.

Chuck Marohn interviews Don Kostelec, a Strong Towns member and Senior Planning Associate at Alta Planning + Design based in Boise, ID. He's also the creator of this awesome video series.

Chuck and Don discuss a deadly street in Springfield, MA. (Read Chuck's open letter to the city of Springfield and the follow-up article for more back story.) They also chat about the challenges of the engineering and planning professions in general, and the nuance necessary in examining car crash data.

Chuck Marohn interviews Kate Herzog, one of the first members of Strong Towns and Marketing & Assistant Director of Downtown Bismarck in Bismarck, ND. Chuck and Kate discuss the economic and political challenges in the Bismarck area and what Downtown Bismarck is doing about it. They also discuss a "renaissance zone" in Bismarck and the benefits and drawbacks of that program, as well as comparisons with tax increment financing (TIF) programs.

Chuck and Rachel discuss the fate of America, in light of Chuck's article from today, "Where is our republic headed?" and whether all of our work is in vain or whether there's reason for hope. They also chat about a recent episode of Strong Talk.

Mentioned in this episode:

• "Where is our republic headed?"
• Strong Talk: Planning for Tourists vs. Residents
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• The Revolutions podcast

Chuck and Rachel check in after a couple weeks away (Rachel was traveling for her wedding and honeymoon). Chuck offers an update on recent events in Atlanta, GA, Calgary, AB and Utica, NY, including one at which he was made an honorary citizen and given a cowboy hat. Chuck and Rachel also talk about the best books they've recently read.

Mentioned in this podcast:

• The Happiness Hypothesis: Minding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Give a Girl a Knife by Amy Thielen

This is the last day of our member drive and we're taking a look at what comes next for Strong Towns.

Sign up to be a member at http://www.strongtowns.org/membership

Strong Towns member Paul Fritz of Sebastabol, CA, talks about the ways Strong Towns thinking has influenced him and his community.

Sign up to be a member during our member drive. Go to http://www.strongtowns.org/membership