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

59:34

We Broke North American Cities. Here’s How To Fix Them.

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/09/18

How did we go from building strong, prosperous cities to weak, debt-ridden ones? In this episode, Chuck tracks the cultural and economic impacts of World War II on our development pattern. He explains what must change if we want to build strong cities again.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES This episode is a recording of a presentation Chuck gave in Denver. Click here to see some of the images Chuck references. Get the Finance Decoder. Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong

en

61:10

How Traffic Engineering Made America’s Streets Deadly

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/09/15

Why are America’s streets so dangerous — and what can we do about it? In this episode, Chuck talks with Wes Marshall, author of “Killed by a Traffic Engineer” and professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado Denver. From the history of traffic engineering to the failures of Vision Zero, they explore how design decisions shape safety — and what it will take to build streets that protect everyone. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Look Both Ways with David & Wes (Podbean) Wes Marshall

en

51:57

James Anderson: How to Encourage Innovation in Local...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/09/01

Chuck is joined by James Anderson, head of the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. Under his leadership, the program has helped thousands of cities worldwide embrace an innovative, people-based approach to local governance.Today, Chuck and James discuss why local governments matter now more than ever. Then they explore ways that residents, advocates, and organizations can encourage city leaders to embrace innovation. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Bloomberg Philanthropies

en

21:04

Building Strength and Connections in Pensacola, With...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/08/11

Chuck is joined by Quint Studer, the founder of the Center for Civic Engagement in Pensacola, Florida. They discuss Strong Towns’ involvement in Pensacola’s renewal and the Civic Leader Summit that will be held there in September.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Civic Leader Summit Quint Studer (site) Chuck Marohn (Substack) Want to bring the conversation to your city? Book Chuck Marohn as a speaker. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about

en

52:34

The Housing Market Can’t Tolerate Lower Prices. Now...

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/08/04

No matter how easy we make it to build, the existing housing system is based on a financial model that cannot tolerate lower prices. If falling prices is the goal, then we need to build a system that can deliver on it. In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck explains how our current system prevents prices from falling and how we can build a better one. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn how to actually make housing affordable with the Housing-Ready Toolkit. Chuck Marohn (Substack) Want to

en

27:38

Playing the Long Game With New Zealand Infrastructure

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/07/28

In this special episode, Chuck is joined by Graham Campbell, director of Economics & Research for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission. They discuss the true cost of infrastructure — and why both New Zealand and North America are facing the same financial and structural challenges. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Chuck Marohn (Substack) Want to bring the conversation to your city? Book Chuck Marohn as a speaker. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more

en

54:39

The Housing Crisis Is More Than a Supply Problem

The Strong Towns Podcast ·

2025/07/14

In this episode, Chuck dives into the root causes of the housing crisis. Using clips from interviews with housing experts and reporters, he explores the popular theory that the housing crisis is caused by a lack of supply. He shows how this belief relates to the Strong Towns approach.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn how to unlock housing in your city: The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform Hear more from… Cullum Clark Conor Dougherty Steve Nygren Chuck Marohn

en

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

685 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