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 Bottom-Up Revolution

The Bottom-Up Revolution features the stories of the Strong Towns movement in action. Hosted by Tiffany Owens Reed and Norm Van Eeden Petersman, it"s all about how regular people have stepped up to make their communities more economically resilient, and how others can implement these ideas in their own places. We’ll talk about taking concrete action steps, connecting with fellow advocates to build power, and surviving the bumps along the way—all in the pursuit of creating stronger towns. Each

society & culture

All Episodes

18:09

How To Convince Your City To Embrace Tactical Urbanism

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/10/28

What if you could change a dangerous street today instead of waiting 10 years? Isaac Gonzalez founded the advocacy group Slow Down Sacramento to prove that you can. Two years later, the group has helped transform Sacramento from a city that resists innovation to one that's embracing tactical urbanism.Today, Isaac explains how he kickstarted this change and how you can do the same. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Stop waiting. Start acting. Learn how to analyze crashes and quickly transform streets

en

48:09

How To Reclaim Dignity and Safety for Nondrivers

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/10/23

McKenzie Ortiz is the founder of Pedestrian Pride, a digital storytelling project that uplifts the realities of life for working-class people who can't drive. She also serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission in Columbia, Missouri. Today, McKenzie joins Tiffany to discuss what it's really like to be a nondriver in America and how storytelling can transform advocacy.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: ‍Uprise Bakery‍ Hitt Records‍ Ragtag Cinema Learn more about Pedestrian

en

16:34

How To Run for Office at 24 — and Win Support

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/10/21

Sam Foster is an engineer, Local Conversation leader, and mayoral candidate in Marietta, Georgia. He joins Norm to talk about why he's running for office at 24 years old, how he uses social media to educate the public, and what he has planned for a more prosperous Marietta.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Connect with Sam: Website Instagram TikTok A Better Cobb (site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know

en

41:48

How To Make Starting a Small Business Easy and Cheap

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/10/16

Zoe Tishaev and Dylan DelliSanti work for the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit, public interest law firm. As part of the Cities Work program, they partner with cities to make it cheaper, faster and simpler to start small businesses. Today, they join Tiffany to talk about the importance of small businesses and to explain how cities can revitalize their local economies.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: The Pug Copy Cat Cities Work Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone

en

15:13

How One Bus Driver Is Inspiring Safer Streets

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/10/14

Tyler Moldovan is a bus driver, urban advocate, and community organizer in Port Huron, Michigan. Today, he joins Norm to share how his work in transit, street safety, and local arts is helping to build a safer and more connected city.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn how your city can make its streets safer today with the Crash Analysis Studio model. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is

en

44:59

How To Fight a Highway Project — and Actually Win

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/10/09

Kyle and Beverly Greenwood brought together nearly 2,000 residents to stop a proposed highway in Brazos County, Texas. What began with a single flyer turned into a community victory that protected historic ranches and homes. Today, they join Tiffany to explain how they took on a highway expansion and won.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations:‍ Messina Hof Winery‍ C&J BBQ‍ Joe’s Place‍ ‍Bush Library‍ Aggie Land Safari ‍No East Loop (site)‍ Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know

en

20:04

How To Bring More Affordable Housing Options to Colorado

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/10/07

Mary Coddington is the founder of Twelve Inc., an affordable housing consulting firm based in Colorado. She also serves on the Denver Planning Board and works with the Colorado State Housing and Finance Authority. Today, she joins Norm to talk about her efforts to bring more housing affordability to her community on the neighborhood, city, and state levels.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Want to bring more housing to your community? Download our brand-new housing toolkit, "Who Will Build the Housing-Ready

en

45:26

How Permaculture Design Principles Can Make Cities...

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/10/02

Linda Appel Lipsius is the executive director of Denver Urban Gardens, where she supports a network of over 200 gardens and food forests that produce 650,000 pounds of food annually. She also helps launch initiatives to help make Denver a greener, more food-resilient place.Linda came on this podcast in July to discuss how community gardens can strengthen cities. Today, she rejoins Tiffany for a deeper dive into how the principles of permaculture can shape how we think about cities. ADDITIONAL SHOW

en

18:39

How Strategic Boldness Transformed Santa Fe’s...

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/09/30

Erick Aune is the director of the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization, as well as a member of Strong Towns Santa Fe. He’s spearheading a major shift in his region’s approach to street safety and design, replacing outdated assumptions with policies that help people thrive. Today he shares his strategy for changing transportation policy.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Erick was a participant in the Strong Towns Accelerator, a personalized coaching program that dives deep into Strong Towns principles

en

42:23

How To Run for City Council as a Self-Taught Advocate

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/09/25

Norm steps in for Tiffany on this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution. He's joined by Donna Boelen, who served on the city council of Bloomington, Illinois, from 2019 to 2024. Donna shares how she went from speaking at public comment to winning office as a self-taught Strong Towns-style advocate — and offers tips for anyone considering a run for city council.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Want to learn more about implementing the Strong Towns approach as an elected official? Join Mayor Erin Joyce of

en

20:07

How To Live & Grow Wisely in the Utah Desert

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/09/23

What does it mean to live wisely and grow well in the desert? Judith Rognli of Strong Towns WashCo shares how St. George residents are facing water scarcity, rapid growth, and livability challenges as a community.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Strong Towns WashCo Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about

en

40:05

How To Bring Community Projects to Life Quickly and...

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/09/18

Butch Roussel is the founder of the 24 Hour Citizen Project, an annual event that connects everyday citizens with the expertise and resources they need to solve challenges in their town. Over the last decade, the 24 Hour Citizen Project has funded dozens of incredible projects to the tune of $170,000 and counting.Butch joins Tiffany to discuss the big impact that small, locally funded projects can have on a community and how to bring those projects to life. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local

en

21:11

How 296 Strong Towns Advocacy Groups Are Changing the...

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/09/16

In this special episode of Bottom-Up Shorts, Norm is joined by John Pattison, Strong Towns' community builder and head of the Local Conversations program. They discuss what drives people to start one of these local advocacy groups, as well as the real costs and rewards of stepping into leadership. They also explore how mentorship, shared tools, and bottom-up collaboration knit single-issue advocates into a culture of lasting community change.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Learn more about Local

en

48:28

How To Build Community Wealth From the Bottom Up

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/09/11

Jessica David and Josh Daley are co-founders of Local Return, a nonprofit in Rhode Island dedicated to building community wealth through ownership and investment. They empower residents through education and financing, with a particular focus on small-scale developers and small business owners. Today, Jessica and Josh explain how Local Return works, how it benefits communities, and the legal and technical challenges of starting this kind of program.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local

en

24:18

Building Safe Streets for All in Brighton, New York

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/09/09

Christine Corrado is a city councilmember in Brighton, New York. She’s also the founder of Brighton Safe Streets for All and has served on a variety of city committees, from the Zoning Board of Appeals to the Public Works Committee. She and Norm discuss how she’s making her community safer and more prosperous.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Brighton Safe Streets for All (Facebook) Christine Corrado LinkedIn Town of Brighton (site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who

en

43:18

The Lost Art of Crafting Great Urban Places

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/09/04

Professor Jack Duncan is a professor of architecture and preservation at the College of Charleston. His mission is to help students and communities understand and rediscover the human-scaled patterns that make places beautiful, legible, and lasting. Today, Jack joins Tiffany to discuss how this mission relates to architecture, urbanism, and craftsmanship. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local Recommendations: Nathaniel Russell House Magnolia Plantation Gardens Angel Oak on Johns Island Duncan

en

18:41

How a Walk Audit Can Build Community and Momentum

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/09/02

Gioia Calabretta is one of the leaders of Livable Lynchburg, a Local Conversation in Virginia. She is also Strong Towns’ graphic design intern. She and Norm discuss a walk audit she recently participated in, as well as her unique viewpoint as both a Local Conversation leader and Strong Towns staff member.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Livable Lynchburg (Instagram) See more from Gioia: LinkedIn “I Refuse To Accept That My Best Days of Walkability Were in College” by Gioia Calabretta Norm Van

en

56:53

How Will Gardner Is Helping Build a Stronger South Coast

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/08/28

Will Gardner is the founder of South Coast Places For People, a new nonprofit — and Strong Towns Local Conversation — in Massachusetts. He previously founded Alma del Mar Charter Schools and now spends much of his time plotting street redesigns, housing reforms, and community events.In this episode, Will discusses the three working groups his Local Conversation recently started, which focus on parking reform, backyard cottages, and street safety. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Local

en

21:01

Adding Third Places To Unlock a Small Town’s Potential

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/08/26

Today, Norm is joined by Jess and Dan Sollaccio from Warrenton, Oregon. Jess is a city commissioner and a small-scale housing developer. Dan is a commissioner for the Warrenton Budget Committee and works remotely for a financial institution. They explain their asset-based mindset for strengthening their community, as well as their efforts to redevelop a vacant building into a community hub.ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Jessica Sollaccio (site) The Outpost (site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman

en

38:11

Fighting for Safe Streets in America’s Most Dangerous...

The Bottom-Up Revolution ·

2025/08/21

Memphis, Tennessee, was ranked the #1 most dangerous metro area by Smart Growth America in 2024. That’s not stopping Kelsey Huse, a safe streets advocate and grad student studying city and regional planning. She’s tackling the problem head-on by analyzing car crash sites, helping launch a city-wide advocacy coalition, and raising awareness for safer infrastructure online.Today, Kelsey joins Tiffany to share the inside scoop on Memphis’ dangerous design and how she’s working to change it. ADDITIONAL

en

212 results

Similar Podcasts

Voices of Life

APG Mannheim

Promo Estereo Podcast

Promo Estereo

Talking Timelines Podcast

Talkingtimelines

גיקונומי

ראם שרמן ודורון ניר

Drømmefanger

Drømmefanger