x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Strong Towns Podcast

The Strong Towns Podcast is a weekly conversation on the Strong Towns movement, hosted by Strong Towns Founder and President Charles Marohn and frequently featuring special guests. The podcast explores how we can financially strengthen our cities, towns, and neighborhoods and, in the process, make them better places to live. Join Chuck in examining how everything from urban design to economics to systems theory to psychology helps inform this core question.

government

All Episodes

41:39

Ryan Johnson: How Culdesac Tempe Develops Freedom,...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/06/30

Chuck sits down with Ryan Johnson, the founder and visionary behind Culdesac Tempe, the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S. They discuss the realities of living in and developing a community like Culdesac, from transportation costs to working with local government. Ryan explains how they maintain walkability in an Arizona desert, how they successfully nurture small businesses, and how they encourage people to embrace co-ownership of the community.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn

en

51:40

Using Radical Common Sense To Build Great Places,...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/06/23

Serenbe is a unique community just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. It’s based on the development pattern of traditional English villages, with walkable, mixed-use “hamlets” surrounded by nature. In today’s episode, Chuck sits down with Serenbe founder Steve Nygren to discuss the process of developing this kind of community, as well as Steve’s development philosophy of “radical common sense.”ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Start in Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where We Live With Radical Common Sense” by

en

59:02

NYT Journalist Shares Why America Should Sprawl

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/06/09

A few weeks ago, the New York Times article "Why America Should Sprawl" went viral, sparking a national discussion about housing and development patterns.In today’s episode, Chuck sits down with Conor Dougherty, the reporter behind the article, to discuss his perspective on housing in more depth. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Prefer to read or watch? We've got you covered. Click here for the transcript or here for the YouTube video. Learn how to beat the housing crisis the right way. Download The

en

55:52

4 Ways To Build Homes and Expand Opportunity

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/06/02

Cullum Clark, director of the Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, returns to the Strong Towns Podcast to discuss his recently published report on housing reform. Cullum highlights several reforms that have proven to be economically feasible, politically realistic, and impactful on a large scale.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES More from Cullum: Read the report: Build Homes, Expand Opportunity: Lessons from America’s Fastest Growing Cities George W. Bush Presidential Center

en

01:06:01

Escaping the Housing Crisis With Jeff Speck

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/05/26

Today, Chuck is joined by Jeff Speck, a city planner, author, and principal of an urban design and consultancy firm. They discuss the ideas shared in Chuck’s book “Escaping the Housing Trap” and how those concepts play out in the real world, including examples from Jeff’s own work.Their discussion covers a wide range of topics, including incremental zoning reform, the benefits and pitfalls of inclusive zoning, and how to finance small-scale housing. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Join Jeff and Chuck in

en

56:25

Why Sprawl IS the Housing Crisis

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/05/19

On the surface, sprawl seems like an easy answer to the housing crisis. It fits with the mechanisms we have in place today, and it aligns with the lived experiences and political will of most Americans. But the reality of our housing crisis is more nuanced, and it's bigger than sprawl: The problem is the current way we develop, whether that's inside cities or on the fringes. Chuck explains why in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn how to beat the housing crisis

en

54:12

ZacTax: How To Build Financially Healthy Cities

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/05/12

ZacTax is a financial analysis firm that helps city officials understand their revenue streams and make smarter financial choices. Today, Chuck is joined by its founders, Chad Janicek and Patrick Lawler. They explain how they work effectively with local governments and how their work is helping drive a cultural shift toward stronger and more productive cities.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about ZacTax: Website LinkedIn Connect with Chad and Patrick: Email: chad@zactax.com ||

en

18:13

The World Is on Fire. That’s Why We’re Here.

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/04/28

Chuck reflects on the current state of the world. He explains that, when you recognize things are broken, you have two options. You can wait helplessly for someone else to fix them, or you can start rebuilding the systems closest to you.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES It's Member Week! Join the movement that's building stronger towns across North America. Join us for a four-hour livestream tour of North America on Wednesday, April 30, from 1-5 p.m. CDT. Chat with Chuck and meet some of the Strong Towns

en

53:00

How To Handle the Bureaucracy of Local Government

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/04/23

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Carlee Alm-LaBar and Kevin Blanchard, former city staff members in Lafayette, Louisiana. Carlee is now Strong Towns’ chief of staff, while Kevin is CEO of the nonprofit Downtown Lafayette, which promotes infrastructure development and business revitalization.Carlee and Kevin discuss the challenges of balancing competing demands and priorities when working in local government, particularly when trying to make smarter financial

en

48:57

3 Reasons This Is a Great Time for Walkable Streets

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/04/17

In this episode, Chuck explains why our current situation, though tense, actually presents a great opportunity for advocates of street safety, walkability, and bikeability. He then lays out a number of common misconceptions and errors that advocates will have to avoid if they want to take advantage of this opportunity.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Chuck Marohn (Substack)

en

01:17:15

Road Design Creates Aggressive Drivers. We Can Fix That.

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/04/10

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses how the design of an environment affects people psychologically. He explores how cities can use that knowledge to make streets safer, using a crash in Hyattsville, Maryland, as an example.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Get the full crash report from Hyattsville, Maryland. Learn more about the Crash Analysis model. Chuck Marohn (Substack)

en

01:02:47

Mark Moses: How To Understand and Fix Government...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/04/07

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Mark Moses, author of “The Municipal Financial Crisis: A Framework for Understanding and Fixing Government Budgeting.” Up for discussion today:The dangers of relying on “balanced budgets." The difference between city and business finances. The issues with privatization and regionalization. And more! ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Download the Strong Towns Finance Decoder to uncover the truth about your city’s finances. Connect

en

46:07

We Need a New Approach to Road Safety and Design

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/04/03

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck shares a keynote speech he gave at a statewide transportation conference in Kansas. He discusses the limitations of traditional traffic safety techniques and the consequences of designing high-speed roads through cities and towns, both in terms of safety and finance. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Chuck Marohn (Substack)

en

01:06:40

How To Manage City Finance Effectively, With Rick Cole

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/03/31

Rick Cole is the chief deputy controller of Los Angeles and a councilmember in Pasadena, California. He’s known for tackling challenging city budgets and has been honored for his work as a public official several times, including with a Excellence in Management Award. Cole joins Chuck Marohn on this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast to discuss city finances and how they can be improved. Their conversation includes the following topics: What does it mean for budgets to be value statements? How

en

59:21

The Keys to a Healthy City Finance Department With...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/03/24

This week, Chuck is joined by Shayne Kavanagh, senior manager of research for the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The GFOA provides training and resources to city finance officers. In his role, Kavanagh develops new approaches to budgeting, financial reporting and revenue that can better address the problems local governments are trying to solve.Chuck and Kavanagh discuss the role of finance officers as “decision architects.” Kavanagh gives a closer look at the world of local

en

54:45

How To Finance Housing in a Smart and Local Way: A...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/03/17

What cities have successfully financed housing at the local level? How does tax increment financing work? When should cities stop subsidizing large-scale housing projects? Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn answers all these questions and more in this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES There are six code reforms your city officials can implement today to welcome more housing to your community. Learn more here. Do you want 1-on-1 coaching with Chuck on how to bring more

en

59:52

It Won’t Be Us: Thoughts on Our Current Craziness...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/03/11

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck addresses the craziness of the current political climate. Using recent policy changes and public responses as examples, he explores how we’ve created a political climate of either-or: Either you decide to take a chainsaw to bankrupt and failing systems or you refuse to acknowledge that they’re bankrupt and failing. Chuck shows how the Strong Towns approach provides a third path, where problems are recognized and addressed in a healthy way. He also

en

01:06:56

These 6 Code Reforms Will Bring More Housing to Your...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/03/03

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck talks about housing development and zoning code reform with Seth Zeren, a neighborhood real estate developer in Providence, Rhode Island. They dive into the six code reforms recommended in “The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform,” covering why they’re important and how they help developers, residents and cities.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Get your National Gathering ticket before they sell out! “The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for

en

33:40

America Needs a New Housing Bargain. Here’s Why.

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/02/24

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck explores the flawed nature of North America’s current “housing bargain,” where most neighborhoods are allowed to stay exactly the same as long as some neighborhoods — usually those that are poorer and have less political clout — are forced to radically change. He proposes a new way forward that respects cities as living and evolving systems. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES This Thursday, February 27, Strong Towns will release a toolkit to help city

en

51:59

Remembering Donald Shoup: A Legacy of Curiosity,...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/02/17

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Victor Dover, a planner and urban designer. They discuss the work and legacy of Dr. Donald Shoup, an engineer and professor of urban planning who revolutionized the fields of urban planning and parking reform with his book “The High Cost of Free Parking.” They also talk about their own relationships with Dr. Shoup and how he impacted their work as an engineer and planner. Then, keep listening for a rerun of an interview with Dr. Shoup

en

678 results

Similar Podcasts

The Fly

Georgetown"s Institute of Politics and...

THE CONSTITUTION STUDY

Paul Engel

The DSR Daily

The DSR Network

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

Fora do Baralho

Rádio Observador