#strongtowns — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #strongtowns, aggregated by home.social.
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RE: https://social.coop/@Sam_/116994488871535966
A few weeks after I installed this bench, the city removed the bus stop as part of their planned service reduction. Now what? #strongtowns #portland #busstopbenches
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City council candidate Kevin Bowman prioritizes the #StrongTowns approach to city building and believes housing is a human right.
https://www.kevin-bowman.org/values--priorities.html
Take a moment to learn about your candidates for the October #Guelph municipal election. -
Regen Melbourne
I can’t believe I have not written about Regen Melbourne before. I have been loosely involved with them from the beginning and the crafting of their original co-created vision statement, based on Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics model. I have also had the pleasure of being part of some of their workshops, and they have also been of great help and support with my own personal regeneration project.
Over the years, Regen Melbourne’s work has steadily evolved and now coalesces around three key Earthshots. An Earthshot is a declaration of intent to solve complex social and ecological challenges. Earthshots recognise that social and ecological regeneration are inseparable. They set an ambition of possibility, coherence of a collective response, and agitation of the conditions we operate within. Earthshots are whole-of-city in scope, long-term in commitment, and open to many entry points.
Each Earthshot has six key qualities.
Wildly Ambitious
Because the scale of the challenges demand it. We are all invested in the social and ecological future of this place.
Systems-oriented
Looking at the conditions we need not just outputs. Oriented towards multi-benefits not single solutions.
Whole-of-city
No one organisation can own the scope of the Earthshot. We are interconnected, so too must our response be.
Coherence, not consensus
There is no blueprint. Forward-leaning action looks like smart collaboration, not waiting for everyone to agree.
Long-term and open
Committed to building broad support over time. An Earthshot is a platform for entry points, not a closed project.
Of and for Melbourne
These Earthshots are in service to place. They build on what makes this city thrive and centre care for our future.
The current Earthshots they are focussing on are:
Swimmable Birrarung
A thriving and swimmable Birrarung, from source to sea
300,000 Streets
A city of participatory and truly liveable streets
Nourished Neighbourhoods
A network of resilient local food economies across our cityYou can find a load more about all of this on their website but what caught my eye recently was this particular article, The Power of Participation: Strengthening the civic muscle of Greater Melbourne. [LINK] The author, Joel Backwell, covers a lot of ground in this post talking about Participatory Urbanism in Melbourne, from “what we are seeing” now, to “where to from here”. For anyone living in Melbourne it’s a great snapshot of some of the wonderful projects and orgs operating on the ground and the work they are doing. The article asks the big questions about participation as well as explaining its importance. Something I have done in previous posts: HERE and HERE
#Biodiversity #Environment #Melbourne #OurWonderfulGreenFuture #Participation #ParticipatoryUrbanism #Regeneration #RegenMelbourne #SolarPunk #StrongTowns #sustainability #Urbanism
“What we are interested in is how all this participation comes together, in service of Greater Melbourne. How intentional must we be in directing this participation towards influencing and shaping power? Or is it enough to just create opportunities for people to come together to discuss what matters to them and their neighbourhoods, and then let a thousand flowers bloom? Can we expect that participation, in response to societal and environmental challenges, will organically scale up to political action? Or will it require organisations like Regen Melbourne to help join the dots, bring these spheres of activity together and build new spaces and institutions for collaboration and collective decision-making at a city scale?“
I’ll wrap this up here because I hope I’ve given enough reasons to go and read the post and check out more about what Regen Melbourne is doing in general on their website here: https://regen.melbourne They have their fingers in a lot of pies, so for anyone interested in Climate Change, Social Justice, or Regeneration, you will find loads of stuff to dive into: Climate Change Exchange – Democracy Beyond the Ballot Box – Connected Corridors – School Streets
Other links
You can follow The REGEN Gazette here: https://regen.melbourne/the-gazette
The People’s Plan for Footscray https://peoplesplanfootscray.net/
McKinnon and Foundations for Tomorrow https://foundationsfortomorrow.org
Doing Co: https://doingco.org/ -
StrongtownsGR meeting this week Wednesday at the Broadleaf Brewing on Bridge St. 2026-08-19 at 6:30pm. Let's talk about the future of downtown (GR Forward), transit & mobility (The MobileGR Blueprint), and organizing. #GrandRapidsMI #Strongtowns #StrongtownsGR #CorePrioritiesGR
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Bloomington IL #StrongTowns charrette
https://courtyardurbanist.com/p/setting-the-table-for-courtyard-urbanism -
The Interstate Highway mission ended in 1992. The Highway Trust Fund did not.
We now face record spending, growing maintenance gaps, and projects that don’t match local realities.
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Our city deserves high-class amenities
#strongtowns #strongtownspdx -
You can’t solve a housing shortage with a system designed to keep housing scarce.
From 2006 through 2025, Canada’s dwelling stock grew by about 4.29 million units.
To keep up with household formation, restore a healthy vacancy buffer and account for households that couldn’t form because housing wasn’t attainable, we needed about 4.96 million.
That’s a 671,000-home shortfall in just 20 years.
And we were already roughly 459,000 homes behind when that period began. Total gap today: 1,130,128 homes.
About 475,000 of that is the basic demographic and vacancy shortage. Another 655,000 represents suppressed households: people who would have formed their own household if a suitable home had actually been available at a price they could manage.
The whole system is built to protect scarcity.
Zoning limits what can be built. Financing makes small, incremental projects unnecessarily difficult. Tax policy rewards rising property values. And with roughly two-thirds of Canadian households owning their homes, politicians know that falling prices are a much harder sell than vague promises to “build more.”
So we get longer mortgages, bigger savings accounts, buyer incentives and subsidized loans. More money to chase too few homes.
The Strong Towns point is that no amount of wrangling around the edges will fix a system whose basic incentives all point the wrong way.
We need to legalize small apartments, multiplexes and backyard homes in ordinary neighbourhoods (a big step towards this in BC recently, yay!). Make financing work for small builders. Tax land more and buildings less. Build public, co-op and non-market housing at a serious scale.
But first Canada has to pick a lane: is housing shelter that ordinary people should be able to afford? Or is it an investment that homeowners can expect to beat inflation, year after year?
It cannot reliably be both.
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It's a shame Strong Towns has such cruddy options for reading about this.
News Article (has a "turn off your ad blocker or subscribe" wall): https://www.brainerddispatch.com/news/local/apartments-proposed-for-city-hall-parking-lot
IG Short (supports fascism): https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZqO8cXzjAR/
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Beyond Economics: A New Lens on Climate Resilience
Every so often a new report comes out that reminds us all the climate crisis is a health crisis.
#ClimateChange #Environment #OurWonderfulGreenFuture #OWGF #Regeneration #StrongTowns #Urbanism
https://owgf.org/2026/06/10/beyond-economics-a-new-lens-on-climate-resilience/ -
I'd happily take a introductory car maintenance course from a non-carcentric mechanic. I.e a mechanic who is down with the #strongTowns, #safeStreets, #banCars agenda
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Strong Towns Newcomer Orientation
Orpheum/Homewise Offices, Wednesday, April 22 at 06:00 PM MDT
Strong Towns ABQ on Instagram: "Curious about Strong Towns ABQ? New here? Just looking for a way to get involved in building a stronger Albuquerque? ✨ Join us for our Newcomer Orientation ✨ This is a low-pressure, welcoming space to learn what Strong Towns ABQ is all about; our history, goals, and how we show up for housing, transportation, and fiscally responsible growth in our city. 🗣️ Ask questions 🤝 Meet others 🧭 Find your role! Whether that’s joining a campaign, helping with outreach, or just learning more 📅 Wednesday, April 22nd ⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM 📍 Homewise Center Conference Room 500 2nd St SW, Albuquerque"
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RE: https://cosocial.ca/@showuptoronto/116426034360977115
I didn't know there's a Strong Towns Toronto group! Very cool.
Advocating for safe streets, incremental development, and an alternative to Ontario's suburban experiment.
https://strongtownstoronto.ca/
#Toronto #StrongTowns #StrongTownsToronto #Urbanism #WalkableCities #Housing #Transit
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Strong Towns ABQ is entering a new chapter 🌆 Join us Wednesday, April 15 at 6 PM at Flock of Moons (111 Harvard Dr SE) as we talk campaigns, organizing, restructuring, and ways to get involved. New here? Come through. #ABQ #StrongTowns #Urbanism #yimby #strongtownsabq #albuquerque
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Just read "You'll Pay for This"
All I wanted was for my kids to be able to walk and bike to school. Now I'm reviewing my village's balance sheet and making notes.
All part of the @notjustbikes to #strongtowns pipeline.
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🌄 Outer Districts Meeting is back! Join us as we continue building stronger suburban ABQ — safer streets, real community, and local impact. We’re also looking for a new group coordinator as Michael joins the Strong Towns ABQ Board 🎉 Ready to jump in? Come be part of it. #StrongTowns
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Join STGR, the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers (MARP), and the Michigan chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism in a discussion on passenger rail and urbanism in Grand Rapids and throughout the state.
Where: Downtown Grand Rapids Inc, 29 Pearl St NW
When: 2026-02-18 6:30pm - 8:00pm
#GrandRapidsMI #Strongtowns #StrongtownsGR #publictransportation #CNU #MiCNU
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Despite my absolute lack of understanding about municipal finances, I did the Strong Towns Finance Decoder Worksheet for DeKalb County, GA.
Here are the results and a link to my Google sheet.
https://orangegnome.com/posts/3819/strong-towns-finance-decoder-for-dekalb-county-ga
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5/5
Next month I start a local civics class my city is offering, giving me monthly access to key people in my local government. I've organized two trash clean ups in that time, the second one having 15 people turn out to help clean a waterway.
Getting involved locally has def gone hand in hand with a sense of nurture & nourish.
#civiccollapse #civicrepair #civic #urbanism #strongtowns #community
#nurture #nourish -
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If we're disconnected while starved for connection, starting by caring about others through nurture & nourish seems as smart a place as any.
Certainly rings true for me. A year ago I started volunteering 2 hrs a week at our community garden. About 8 months ago, going to city council meetings, and speaking. I formed a pro-bike group, and we're advocating successfully for bike paths.
#civiccollapse #civicrepair #civic #urbanism #strongtowns #community
#nurture #nourish -
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My partner @agni made an observation about grass roots marketing in general - rather than spend 100% of time blasting out what you're doing, spend 80% nourishing and nurturing others, caring about them, boosting them, giving them support and love. Then 20% saying "oh hey we're organizing downtown every other sat at a coffee shop".
#civiccollapse #civicrepair #civic #urbanism #strongtowns #community #nurture #nourish
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What turns that around? What changed that for me, why did I start to care?
I think the need is self-apparent - as residents, we regularly feel disconnected and disinterested in the place where we live. What turns that around? What changed that for me, why did I start to care?
#civiccollapse #civicrepair #civic #urbanism #strongtowns #community #nurture #nourish
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1/
I think I was in my late 30s when my brain made the jump from thinking "they really should do something about this dumpy town I have to live in" to "omg it's me, 'public' means it's all our jobs" and it's only been the last few years that I've put that into action.
I think the need is self-apparent - as residents, we regularly feel disconnected and disinterested in the place where we live.
#civiccollapse #civicrepair #civic #urbanism #strongtowns #community
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Bioplhilia and the need to fill our cities with nature.
The one giant living ecosystem we are all part of on planet Earth has given birth to us human beings. Our DNA comes from this ecosystem. Our cell structures, our shapes, and our brains are what they are today because we inherited them from our “Mother Earth.” To be human is to be from planet Earth and its living ecosystem.
Humanity has known this truth for millennia, and many cultures throughout history had some way of expressing it. The Greeks created Gaia, the earth goddess, who symbolises the living spirit of nature and embodies our deep, instinctive connection to the natural world. Australia’s Indigenous peoples believed in Dreamtime, which represents the sacred connection between people, land, and nature—echoing a recognition of humans’ innate bond with the living world. Humans have long known this connection with nature on a spiritual level, and modern science has only amplified that understanding further.
Biophilia
Biophilia, which literally means “love of life” or “love of living systems,” acknowledges how we recognise our connection to nature on an emotional level. Being surrounded by the natural world feels like a mother’s embrace—a deep connection to our heritage and our very essence. This is why, when immersed in nature, we experience a profound affinity with our environment. Biophilia refers to the innate human tendency to seek connections with nature and other living beings. It reflects the inherent bond humans have with the natural world, which positively impacts both our physical and mental health. Biophilia is linked to reduced stress, enhanced cognitive function, and an overall greater sense of well-being.
Our broken connection with nature
It’s clear to see that this connection has been broken. As more and more people move into our industrialised and mechanised cities, a growing number of people experience this broken connection. The noise from our machines, the pollution they create, the giant freeways, speeding cars, hard surfaces, and toxic smells in our cities all disconnect us from that inherent sense of belonging to the environment. All these unnatural elements create tension, unease, and anxiety within us. Perhaps not all the time, and usually to a greater or lesser degree, but that uneasy feeling is there, just beneath the surface. While we distract ourselves with our jobs, gadgets, entertainment and leisure activities, the need for connection with nature always lives below the surface.
Unnatural and hostile Urban environmentsNature connectedness
All over the world, people are noticing this broken connection. People are writing books about Biophilia, [Links] blogging about it, creating academic courses, [Link] and making videos on the subject. [Link] Nature Therapy and Nature Bathing have become business opportunities, with people paying to reconnect with nature. [Link] The theory of Nature Connectedness is now well established and attracting research interest. [Link] As more and more people recognise these broken connections in our cities, the rise of a movement in response should come as no surprise.
Modern day deserts – Loneliness
Our cities have become modern-day deserts to humanity’s Biophilic needs. They can feel completely alien to us, both physically and emotionally. In urban environments, it is often only our shared connection with other people that keeps us feeling grounded and happy. For hundreds of years, our relationships with each other have fulfilled many of our innate “nature-connected” needs—but even that is now breaking down. As we organise ourselves into increasingly disconnected and individual spheres, we are losing that vital human-to-human connection. As more people drive everywhere, that sense of connection fades. As more people move to suburbs—especially those without local parks, town squares, or corner shops where we naturally bump into other people—things only get worse. Is it any wonder that we’re now facing a loneliness epidemic? [Link]
In the Countryside
While this post is mostly about cities, it would be wrong to think that this disconnection exists only in urban areas. Our countryside has suffered significant ecological degradation. It’s crisscrossed by asphalt roads and divided by fences, with fields ravaged by heavy agricultural machinery, leaving behind vast, artificial monocultures. While we can still find pockets of nature, they are like small islands—similar to parks in our cities. Is it any wonder that farmers commit suicide in such high numbers? Yes, this has much to do with the pressures of modern agriculture, but a disconnect from nature clearly plays a role as well.
I still think of that scene in Trainspotting, the movie, where the protagonists leave their squalid urban surroundings to enjoy a walk in the countryside. When they get there, they find a cold, wind-swept, barren place that in no way feels welcoming. It may be the countryside, but it’s been stripped of almost all life. Our anti-heroes quickly scurry back to their squalid urban life, which they see as the preferable option. I wonder if they had gone to the countryside and been surrounded by lush green forests and spent time sitting under giant trees with the sun on their faces, perhaps the film would have ended a bit differently. [Link]
Both urban and rural environments suffer from invisible toxins permeating the air, soil, and water, disrupting nature’s delicate balance. These pollutants and petrochemicals break fundamental ecological bonds, causing widespread environmental damage. Though their effects remain unseen, these toxins are making our planet and its farmers increasingly ill. [Link] While Biophilia focuses on humanity’s connection to nature, when we damage nature’s internal connections on a large scale, we ultimately harm ourselves as well.
“Oil Fields #19a,” Belridge, California, U.S.A., 2003.Photographs by Edward Burtynsky / Courtesy International Center of PhotographyThese problems are well known by farmers, yet few are willing to acknowledge them or make the necessary changes. Charles Massey, a Monaro woolgrower, in his book The Reed Warbler, explores the profound connection between humans and nature, emphasising that this bond is essential for our well-being and spiritual health. He argues that the natural world is not just a backdrop for human activity but a living, interconnected system of which we are deeply part of. Massey highlights how reconnecting with nature helps restore a sense of belonging and meaning, countering the alienation many feel in modern, technology-driven society. [Link]
The Wealthy
Wealthy individuals throughout history have leveraged their financial resources and influence to immerse themselves in natural surroundings. This practice spans from the meticulously designed gardens of 18th-century European nobility to the verdant landscapes of affluent suburbs and sprawling country estates. What began as a display of status has evolved into a means of creating personal green sanctuaries amidst our increasingly industrialised urban environments and altered landscapes. In contrast, the poorest people have always been denied access to nature in cities. From the Manchester terraces, of the Industrial Revolution, to the favelas of South America, greenery and nature have consistently been withheld from the urban poor by developers and planners.
With the impacts of climate change worsening, phenomena like the urban heat island effect highlight some of the many other issues that arise from a lack of nature. While many cities are finally beginning to address the issue of limited green space in the poorest neighbourhoods, available resources are nowhere near enough to meet the scale of the problem. Much of the work is still often left to small not-for-profit organisations like North East Trees in LA. [Link]
Creature Comforts
While we do love our connection to nature, we also love the creature comforts that our cities offer. We don’t enjoy being surrounded by nature when we are uncomfortably cold and wet. We appreciate what our homes and cities provide: roofs over our heads, mud-free streets, temperature-controlled environments, running water, access to a myriad of services and more. Nobody wants to give up their creature comforts, but in order to have many of them, we end up destroying nature. Nobody is saying we should all go live in forests—so the question remains: what is the compromise? How can we have more nature in our cities, that we can connect with, especially when “free” space is in such short supply?
Bringing nature back
Our aim should be to restore as much nature as possible to both our cities and the countryside. We need to look at the quickest and easiest ways to do this and get started on those first. For me, the absolute simplest way is by removing a modest 10% of on-street parking and replacing it with native trees and plants. This would absolutely transform our cities. Streets are one of the most important parts of our cities and should be part of our commons that we all have the right to change—within reason and with full consultation.
Yimby Melbourne produced this excellent report, looking at the feasibly and benefits of this approach and even did some costs too. http://trees.yimby.melbourne
There are many ways we can swap parking for greenery that are quick, reasonably cheap, and would have an immediate effect on our cities. Paris is leading the way on this. Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s plan for removing 70,000 of the city’s 140,000 on-street parking spaces to make Paris greener and more people-friendly is well under way.
Participatory Urbanism.
It’s 2025, and it is long past time that everyone in our cities had the same access to greenery that the wealthiest residents enjoy. Yes, there is a cost to this, but there is an even greater human health cost for those living in nature-deprived spaces. Fortunately, there are ways to achieve greening objectives more quickly, more cheaply, and more easily through participatory urbanism—by inviting people to shape their own streets and giving residents who want to get hands-on a way to do so, as Emma Cutting has done with her Pollinators Corridor project. [Link]
All over the world we are seeing citizen De-paving movements springing up. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depaving] Where local residents go out into the community and looking for opportunities to rip out hard surfaces and replacing them with nature. There are groups all over the world, from Portland to Berlin now doing this. Once the paving has gone they plant trees and bushes and return a little more space back to nature. De-paving also allows for opportunities to bringing back natural hydrological systems that capture stormwater run off. De-paving projects often include Sustainable Urban Stormwater Design. (SuSD) This is an approach to managing rainwater and runoff in urban areas that prioritises environmental sustainability, aiming to mimic natural hydrological processes to reduce pollution, improve water quality, and enhance urban resilience. I wrote about a project like this [HERE]
The Melbourne Regen Network has recently launched its 300,000 Streets initiative, which aims to transform the city’s streets into vibrant, community-centered spaces that promote social interaction, environmental sustainability, and economic vitality. This project seeks to engage residents in shaping their neighbourhoods, addressing issues like walkability and green space to enhance overall liveability. [Link]
Wrapping up…
Biophilia is something that exists in all of us to a greater or lesser degree. Though we may block it out with endless distractions, it’s always there in the background. For many people, this need for connection with nature—and with others—is much more pronounced, much clearer and more obvious. For some, the disconnection from nature contributes to a general feeling of unease, a background anxiety they just can’t quite put their finger on.
As our cities and countryside have become more industrialised and mechanised, the backlash against our disconnection with nature has grown stronger and stronger. We are now at a point where thousands of movements around the world recognise Biophilia and are actively seeking to do something about it. This is very much part of what I see as the Re-Growth Revolution. [Link] And this author, for one, thinks this is bloody marvellous!
#Biodiversity #Biophilia #climateChange #Environment #nature #OWGF #Regeneration #SolarPunk #StrongTowns #sustainability #Urbanism
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In response to news about UAW (United Auto Workers) securing battery production under the UAW master contract:
Now let's get those batteries into bikes, minerals under the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples, and production into the hands of @UAW unions workers. ✅✅✅
(Post on twitter if you want to boost: https://twitter.com/sambutlerUS/status/1710413981788070088)
#CarFree #Indigenous #JustTransition #Bicycle #Bikes #Transit #Walkable #StrongTowns #FuckCars #Lithium #Mining #Extraction #Unions #HotLaborSummer #SupportTheStrikes #Strike #Labor #Workers #AutoWorkers #Batteries #EV #Climate #ClimateCrisis #ClimateCollapse #RareEarth #Sovereignty #Treaty #Decolonize #Solidarity