The Strong Towns Podcast

Ben Hamilton-Baillie, street designer and shared space advocate, joins the podcast from CNU 22 in Buffalo to talk about shared space, his memories of Hans Monderman and hopes for American transportation. This is a very special podcast you are not going to want to miss.

You can follow Ben Hamilton-Baillie on Twitter, see more of his work on his firm’s website and watch the video, Poyton Regenerated, that was discussed in the podcast.

This week is our membership drive. If you appreciate the content we provide, please consider supporting us by becoming a member. 

A special message to our podcast listeners from Chuck Marohn.

From CNU 22 in Buffalo, Chuck is joined this week by the incoming president and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism, Lynn Richards. They discuss Lynn’s background (really fascinating), how she became interested in leading the CNU and what she looks to accomplish in the position.

You can follow Lynn on Twitter at @lrichardsCNU.

Chuck goes solo this week on the podcast talking about Strong Towns happenings at CNU 22 and his thoughts on transit following comments he made recently in San Antonio.

Gracen Johnson of Another Place for Me is in the studio for this week’s podcast with Chuck Marohn talking about Brainerd, MN, and whether we ultimately need Another Place for Chuck.

This week we preview CNU 22 in Buffalo with two members of the host committee, Chuck Banas and Chris Hawley. You can register for CNU on the congress website.

Strong Towns will have a large presence at CNU this year, with podcast interviews, members meetups and we kick it off with a mini Boot Camp. We hope to see you there.

Chuck answers questions he received from high school senior Zach Sussman about what motivated him to start Strong Towns, how he went about starting it, what teenagers can do to help and more.

This week Julie Flynn of the Street Plans Collaborative joins Chuck Marohn to talk about her latest publication, Mercado: Lessons from 20 Markets Across South America.

We are really proud to be associated with some amazing people who are working hard to advance the principles of Strong Towns in their chosen profession. This week on the podcast we have a conversation with Kristin Green, the dynamic and visionary leader of the Texas-based engineering firm, Verdunity. Kristin and her colleagues brought the Strong Towns Curbside Chat to the Dallas area earlier this year and, in partnership with them, we are planning a return trip this October. They are pioneers in their field and it is a real pleasure to be able to share this conversation with you.

Verdunity combines the concepts of “green” (verde) with community in an effort to restore the balance between urban and natural systems and create long term prosperity for the communities they work with. They are a sponsor of Strong Towns and we are grateful for their ongoing support and their pioneering approach.

Our mission is to support a model of growth that allows America’s cities, towns and neighborhoods become financially strong and resilient. If you are an organization doing compelling work consistent with the principles of Strong Towns and would be interested in supporting our efforts to build a stronger America, please contact our Executive Director, Jim Kumon, to discuss ways we can potentially work together.

Mike Lydon of Street Plans Collaborative talks about his Tactical Urbanism, his unique career path and what life is like on a bike in New York City.