This special episode of the Strong Towns Podcast explores the Strongest Town Contest, including what cities can learn from previous winners, what it means for cities to participate, and a preview of this year's Contest. Joining the discussion are Strong Towns staffers Lauren Ronnander and John Pattison, as well as Stephen Gawron, the former mayor of the 2018 Strongest Town, Muskegon, Michigan.

Learn more about the Strongest Town Contest.

Nominate your place (anyone can do this for free, even if you’re not a local official or city staff!)

Chuck Marohn (Substack).

Today, Chuck is joined by Ben Hunt, the creator of Epsilon Theory. Their conversation revolves around the concept of the Widening Gyre, a “profound social equilibrium where bad people and bad ideas drive out good people and good ideas.” They discuss this concept from a few different angles:

How it relates to top-down systems like America’s political systems and corporations.

How it has led to the loss of a national narrative and increased division and conflict.

How a community-based approach that focuses on doing the right thing today is the best way out.

Hear more from Ben Hunt:

“Ben Hunt: We're Not Going to Fix This from the Top Down” (podcast).

“Ben Hunt: In Praise of Bitcoin” (podcast).

Ben Hunt (Twitter/X).

Epsilon Theory (site).

Chuck Marohn (Substack).

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses housing with Cullum Clark, director of the Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. They talk about why there is so much resistance to new development, ways that officials and advocates could engage with the public to reduce that resistance, and what the incoming Trump administration could mean for housing.

George W. Bush Presidential Center (site).

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

Learn what comes next for incremental housing in 2025 by tuning into the State of Strong Towns address on January 30 at 4 p.m. EST.

In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses the common misbelief that an incremental approach to housing development is inherently slow. He explains how an incremental approach can actually be much faster than focusing on large housing projects, what that means for major cities, and how to make incremental housing more appealing to people who don’t want their neighborhoods to change.

Transcript available on our site.

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

Learn what comes next for incremental housing in 2025 by tuning into the State of Strong Towns address on January 30 at 4 p.m.

The Building Culture Podcast explores holistic solutions to crafting a more beautiful, resilient and thriving world through the built environment. Its host, Austin Tunnell, recently invited Strong Towns President Charles Marohn and California YIMBY’s Nolan Gray onto the show to debate the housing crisis. It was a great conversation that explores how these movements align and differ in their approaches to housing.

Transcript available on our site.

The Building Culture Podcast.

Nolan Gray (Twitter/X).

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

Over the years, Chuck has added audio clips to the Strong Towns Podcast outro music to memorialize influential moments and experiences he’s had since founding Strong Towns. Today, in honor of that outro music being retired, he breaks down each of these clips, explaining why they’re significant and how these experiences influenced him and the Strong Towns movement as a whole.

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck continues answering housing questions submitted by Ohio State University students. The questions cover state and federal housing policy, local government’s role in financing and regulation, local action, the division between urban and rural environments, and temporary housing.

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck answers housing questions submitted by Ohio State University students. The questions cover the history of the housing market, as well as backyard cottages, alternative housing arrangements, and housing finance.

Tune in on Monday for Part 2, where Chuck will answer questions related to other topics, including state and federal housing policy.

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

On this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses safe streets advocacy with Amy Cohen, the co-founder and president of Families for Safe Streets. They cover the importance of using both data and personal stories to drive change, some of Families for Safe Streets’ recent initiatives, and advice for local advocates on how to support people who have lost loved ones to traffic violence.

See the additional notes for resources and support from Families for Safe Streets.

Personal stories can be a powerful driver of change. Families for Safe Streets’ Community Story Map collects these stories. They also offer a toolkit for using the map to bring awareness to traffic violence.

Families for Safe Streets offers support services for those affected by traffic violence. Click here to learn more.

Learn about the Strong Towns model for creating safer streets.

Amy Cohen (Families for Safe Streets site).

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

It’s Member Week here at Strong Towns. As a special treat, we’re publishing three new episodes of the Strong Towns Podcast. In this episode, Chuck explains how election years affect a nonpartisan nonprofit like Strong Towns. It’s kind of ugly, but it doesn't change our mission.

Become a member today!

Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).