The Bottom-Up Revolution

Danny Pearlstein is the policy and communications director at Riders Alliance, a nonprofit transit advocacy organization in New York City. With degrees in environmental studies and urban planning from Cornell, a degree in law from Cardozo and a history on the New York City Council, Pearlstein works to ensure every New Yorker has access to frequent, reliable, accessible and affordable public transit. Today, he joins host Tiffany Owens Reed to discuss congestion pricing, car dependency and public transit in the Big Apple.

Rider’s Alliance (site).

Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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In this special episode for Member Week, Tiffany interviews Strong Towns Community Builder John Pattison. Pattison works with advocates in hundreds of communities as they start and lead local Strong Towns groups called Local Conversations. In the interview, they explore how these groups embody the bottom-up nature of the Strong Towns movement, some of the ways Local Conversations have successfully improved their cities, and how becoming a member supports the Local Conversations program.

In addition to his work with Strong Towns, Pattison is the author of two books, most recently “Slow Church” (InterVarsity Press), which takes inspiration from Slow Food and the other Slow movements to help faith communities reimagine how they live life together in the neighborhood. He and his family live in Silverton, Oregon.

• Become a member today!

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In this special edition of The Bottom-Up Revolution, recorded last week at the 2024 National Gathering, we have a double interview with Susan Graham and Ally Smither. Graham and Smither are part of a movement in Houston, Texas, called Stop TxDOT I-45, which is working to prevent a massive highway expansion.

Susan is a retired nurse who has lived in Houston for decades and who started the movement after hearing about the Texas Department of Transportation’s plans for her neighborhood. Ally is originally from London, Ontario, in Canada. A professional opera singer, she stumbled upon the world of transportation advocacy during COVID-19, as well as finding a new professional path in communications, community advocacy and (most recently) as chief of staff for Texas Senator-Elect Molly Cook.

Stop TxDOT I-45 (site).

Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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Brian Boland is a native of Cincinnati and the founder of Bridge Forward Cincinnati, an advocacy group working to reclaim 19 acres of city land from urban highways. He has a master’s degree in Urban Sustainability and Resilience and 30 years of experience in neighborhood revitalization. In addition to his work with Bridge Forward Cincinnati, Boland is one of the founders of CNU Midwest and a member of Strong Towns. He helped organize this year’s Congress for the New Urbanism, which will be held May 15-18 in Cincinnati, directly after the Strong Towns National Gathering.

Bridge Forward Cincinnati (site).

Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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Christian Gray is a native of Southern California, but now resides in Omaha, Nebraska, with his family, where he is the co-executive director of inCOMMON Community Development, an organization that aims to alleviate poverty at a root level by uniting and strengthening vulnerable neighborhoods. Gray has worked in the field of national and international community development for 16 years, and we’re excited to have him on The Bottom-Up Revolution this week to talk about his community and the work he’s doing in it!

inCOMMON Community Development (website).

Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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Sara Joy Proppe is a native of Texas, but lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has a degree in urban planning, and has over a decade of professional experience and managing private real estate development projects, as well as leading community placemaking workshops throughout the Midwest. She's the founder and director of Proximity Project, a consultancy that helps churches discover how they can use placemaking to connect with the local community.

Proximity Project (website).

Check out Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, Summit Avenue, Cathedral Hill, and West 7th St.

Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen is a passionate community organizer in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. With extensive experience in providing reports and educational materials on community and economic development, he has collaborated with organizations such as the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, and the Local Initiative Support Corporation, where he currently serves. Beyond his professional commitments, Armando is a dedicated father and volunteers actively within his local school district. In this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution, we delve into Moritz-Chapelliquen’s role as a grassroots community advocate.

Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen (LinkedIn; Twitter/X.)

Check out Easton Public Market and Plants and Coffee.

Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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Maddy Novich is a criminal justice professor at Manhattan College, a mom of three, and an Instagram influencer living in New York City—you might know her as @cargobikemomma. Novich fell in love with cargo biking during a trip with her family to Europe in 2019, and launched an Instagram account when she came back to just share her love of biking around the city and to help other people, especially other women, realize that this mobility option is available to them.

Maddy Novich (Instagram).

Check out Vinetaria, Lalibela, and Double Dutch Espresso.

Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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Deatra Kemp is a native of Milwaukee with a long background in the real estate industry. She is passionate about helping close the home ownership gap within her city's Black and Hispanic communities. As the Vice President of Programs at Acts Housing, she oversees the homebuyer coaching, lending, and home rehab programs that help first-time homebuyers realize their dream of owning a home.

Acts Housing (website).

Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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On this week’s episode, we’ve got a special double interview with Adam Greenfield and Miriam Schoenfield, who are both freeway fighters based in Austin, Texas. Greenfield is a transportation and land-use advocate and co-founder of Rethink35. Schoenfield, who is a board member at Rethink35, is a professor at The University of Texas at Austin. Challenging the expansion of a massive highway is one of the biggest missions one can take on in any city, so we’re excited to have Greenfield and Schoenfield on the show to talk about this important work that they’re doing.

Rethink35 (website).

Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!