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This podcast features stories of the Strong Towns movement in action. Hosted by Tiffany Owens Reed, 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.
Episodes
Thursday May 20, 2021
Jeanyll Morris: Empowering Young People to Rebuild Homes
Thursday May 20, 2021
Thursday May 20, 2021
A few months ago, we came across an article about a fascinating and unique program where lower-income kids in Birmingham, Alabama, were learning home renovation and building skills as part of their high school education. This wasn’t just about learning construction skills, though, it was also about lifting up and revitalizing the neighborhood where they lived. The school program is called Build UP and this episode of the Bottom-Up Revolution podcast features an interview with Jeanyll Morris, Build UP’s chief academic officer.
In conversation with Strong Towns Program Director Rachel Quednau, Ms. Morris talks about how Build UP came to be, how these missions of education and neighborhood revitalization are entwined, and how the program has already made a positive impact on so many kids and families.
Ms. Morris’s own background in addressing educational needs and rebuilding schools in the south after Hurricane Katrina—and all the resilience she gained as part of that experience—has prepared her for what she does now. She explains that different school types (charter, private and public) bring various possibilities and drawbacks when trying to approach education with a new and creative model like Build UP’s. She also describes how step-by-step, home-by-home rebuilding can help a neighborhood grow more economically strong and stay that way for many years to come.
Listen to this episode if you’re eager to hear about a creative approach to education that sees children as an integral part of their communities—rather than just little machines to be programmed and sent off to college or careers. We guarantee you’ll be inspired by Ms. Morris’s passion and dedication to everyone she works with.
Additional Show Notes
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“This Alabama school wants to turn its students into future homeowners, and build careers in the process,” by Francesca Giuliani-Hoffman (CNN.com, March 29, 2021)
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Send us your own voicemail about the small (or big) thing you’re doing to make your town stronger. Just record a voice memo on your phone and email it to rachel@strongtowns.org.
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Subscribe to The Bottom-Up Revolution on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Podbean, or via RSS.
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Join our new course, “Aligning Transportation with a Strong Towns Approach” and, for a limited time only, get 20% off your purchase with discount code “NoStroads.” We’re also offering 20% off our whole 8-course bundle with code “LearnEverything.”
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Support this podcast by becoming a Strong Towns member today.
Thursday May 13, 2021
Marilyn Burns and Leah Ross: Starting a Community Laundry Co-op
Thursday May 13, 2021
Thursday May 13, 2021
You might be familiar with food co-ops or housing co-ops. But how about a laundry co-op? A group of community members in the Woodhill neighborhood of Cleveland are starting just that. Marilyn Burns and Leah Ross are part of a group of residents who, through surveys and outreach, learned that a majority of their neighbors do not have access to a nearby washer or dryer. This may seem like a small thing, but it’s such a fundamental and basic component of human dignity. Being able to show up at school or a job with clean clothes—especially during this time of COVID when everyone is more attuned to hygiene concerns—should be something everyone’s able to do.
Accordingly, Burns and Ross are collaborating with neighbors to get a cooperative laundromat started. In this interview, hosted by Strong Towns Program Director Rachel Quednau, Burns and Ross get into what it’s like to start a neighborhood-based effort like this one. They talk about all the important steps along the way, including gathering people together, doing your research, finding funding, and building support for the effort—always rooted in a dedication to listening to neighbors’ needs rather than dictating an outcome. It’s community engagement in the truest sense, from the bottom-up.
Additional Show Notes
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Send us your own voicemail about the small (or big) thing you’re doing to make your town stronger. Just record a voice memo on your phone and email it to rachel@strongtowns.org.
-
Subscribe to The Bottom-Up Revolution on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Podbean, or via RSS.
-
Join our new course, “Aligning Transportation with a Strong Towns Approach” and, for a limited time only, get 20% off your purchase with discount code “NoStroads.” We’re also offering 20% off our whole 8-course bundle with code “LearnEverything.”
-
Support this podcast by becoming a Strong Towns member today.
Thursday May 06, 2021
Charles and Whitney Coats: Promoting More Housing, More Options, More Access
Thursday May 06, 2021
Thursday May 06, 2021
Strong Towns members Charles and Whitney Coats are a husband and wife duo doing important work to increase housing opportunities in their home state of Texas. After spending two years in the Peace Corps in the Republic of Georgia (where they saw firsthand what it was like to live in a walkable, traditionally-designed neighborhood) to working for Habitat for Humanity today (where they help neighbors who wouldn’t otherwise be able to to access homeownership), Charles and Whitney are passionate about serving others and building strong towns.
They’ve been actively bringing Strong Towns conversations and ideas into their work at Habitat for Humanity and educating their colleagues about this message of financial resilience, built from the bottom up. They even started a podcast to discuss housing issues with fellow Texans.
The Coats are also involved in statewide efforts to reform housing policy. Charles serves on the board of a group called Texans for Housing, which is currently working to promote more flexible zoning laws, eliminating parking minimums and other steps that will enable more Texans to access and afford their own homes.
In this episode of the Bottom-Up Revolution podcast, hosted by Rachel Quednau, Charles and Whitney share their insights on how to speak to people from different political persuasions and geographic backgrounds to find common ground on housing issues, and how to make arguments for Strong Towns principles in a manner that can best be received by the leader or resident being appealed to. For Charles and Whitney, efforts to build stronger towns start with the simple act of loving your place, observing where your neighbors struggle, and then taking the small steps to make life better and more resilient for all.
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
Mayor Chris Frye: Shifting Perceptions About a Rust Belt City
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
This week’s Bottom-Up Revolution podcast features Mayor Chris Frye, who’s been leading the city of New Castle, Pennsylvania, since January 2020. Before running for mayor, his background wasn’t in politics but in social work and community service. He’s a husband and father of three—and he’s utterly dedicated to helping his city grow stronger. He’s also New Castle’s first black mayor, and a Republican.
New Castle, as you’ll learn from Mayor Frye, is a city going through the same challenges of economic downturn, disinvestment and neglect that so many cities in the Rust Belt and Midwest have encountered during the last several decades.
However, like our guest last week (De’Amon Harges), Mayor Frye is focused on seeing the assets and gifts in his city, not just the problems. He knows that the work of revitalization is not merely about fixing up old buildings or bringing jobs back, but about changing negative perceptions. He wants residents and outsiders to see New Castle, not as a place of blight, poverty, or crime, but as a beautiful city that can thrive and is thriving.
At the end of our conversation, Mayor Frye shares his thoughts for other leaders whose cities may be in a similar economic situation. One piece of advice? “Stay hopeful, and don’t become complacent.”
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
De'Amon Harges: A Roving Listener
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
This week’s Bottom-Up Revolution podcast guest is De’Amon Harges. Based in Indianapolis, Harges’ work focuses on deep listening and asset-based community development. He’s the executive director of a nonprofit called The Learning Tree, a board member of the Grassroots Grantmakers Association, recent recipient of Wesleyan Investive’s Tom Locke Innovative Leader Award, and a member of the Parish Collective. Perhaps the best way to describe him, though, is by his title, “the roving listener.”
Harges is dedicated to listening to his neighbors, hearing their stories and drawing out their gifts and talents. His work is rooted in the belief that everyone has something to offer their community, and the most meaningful transformation will happen when we focus on those assets and abundance—not on what a person or a neighborhood lacks.
In this conversation, we talk about the power of listening to help build strong towns and make our communities more resilient.
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
Lisa Leslie: Building a Cohousing Community
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
This week’s Bottom-Up Revolution podcast guest is Lisa Leslie, who helped lead an effort to create a cohousing community with 11 families in Silverton, Oregon. Lisa and her husband went from living with two other families (including Strong Towns Content Manager, John Pattison’s family) in a cooperative house, to dreaming of building a full-fledged cohousing community, to seeing that dream come to fruition this past year.
Cohousing is a term that really applies to the way most humans live around the world today and throughout history: it’s living with extended family and friends in close proximity, rather than having individuals and single households all occupying private, separate dwelling places. In Lisa’s case, the cohousing community she helped found, Evans Oaks, is made up of several small homes, clustered together, with lots of shared space and a commitment to doing life together. This isn’t some socialist commune, it’s folks who want to live close to their neighbors, share some duties and expenses, and have a support system around them.
We feature Lisa’s story today because it’s a wonderful example of someone envisioning a strong community and incrementally building it with her neighbors. The lessons she shares today—about patience and dedication and committing to deep engagement with one’s community—bear relevance even beyond a particular living situation. We hope it provides a fresh way to think about how we choose to live, no matter who your household or housemates are.
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
Jason T. Hyman: Bridging the Wealth Gap Through Intentional Investment
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
In this episode, we talk with Jason Hyman, an urban planner, real estate professional and business owner based in Houston, Texas. His firm, Jason T. Hyman, aims to “bridge the generational wealth gap found in minority communities through creative applications of urban planning, community engagement, and responsible development.”
Jason and his colleagues approach housing and development with an incremental mindset, helping build up streets and neighborhoods step by step. They engage in tactical projects of many sizes, helping rehab homes, support affordable housing and invest where it’s needed most.
Listen to the episode to understand the nuanced lens through which Jason views issues of housing access and wealth disparities. He knows that building up families and neighborhoods isn’t a matter of throwing tons of subsidies at the problem nor a matter of hoping the market will solve everything. Rather, he believes nonprofits, governments and for-profit companies can work together to increase prosperity for everyone.
Additional Show Notes
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Join us for our upcoming “Late Night with Strong Towns” event on April 8 at 8pm ET! If you’re a Strong Towns member, you should already have received your invite via email. If you’re not a member, we’d love to have you join the movement today, then you’ll receive your invite. (If you’re a member and haven’t seen your invite yet, email alexa@strongtowns.org and she’ll help you out.)
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Send us your own voicemail about the small (or big) thing you’re doing to make your town stronger. Just record a voice memo on your phone and email it to rachel@strongtowns.org.
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Subscribe to The Bottom-Up Revolution on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Podbean, or via RSS.
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Support this show and our many other resources for helping your town grow stronger by becoming a member today.
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Strongest Town 2021: Bentonville, AR
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Welcome to a special Strongest Town contest episode, featuring a competitor in the Final Four round of our competition: Bentonville, AR. Guests include: Tyler Overstreet (Planning Services Manager for the City of Bentonville) and Shelli Kerr (Comprehensive Planning Manager for the City of Bentonville). You can learn more about the contest and vote in this match-up by visiting strongtowns.org/strongesttown
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Strongest Town 2021: Bismarck, ND
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Welcome to a special Strongest Town contest episode, featuring a competitor in the Final Four round of our competition: Bismarck, ND. Guests include: Daniel Nairn (Senior Planner for the City of Bismarck) and Dawn Kopp (CEO of Bismarck's Downtowners Association).
You can learn more about the contest and vote in this match-up by visiting strongtowns.org/strongesttown
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Strongest Town 2021: Oxford, MS
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Welcome to a special Strongest Town contest episode, featuring a competitor in the Final Four round of our competition: Oxford, MS. Guests include Robyn Tannehill (mayor), Jon Maynard (President and CEO for the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, and President and CEO of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce) and Ben Requet (Planning Director.)
You can learn more about the contest and vote in this match-up by visiting strongtowns.org/strongesttown