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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 Jul 18, 2024
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Becoming a Member of Local Government
Thursday Jul 18, 2024
Thursday Jul 18, 2024
Erin Joyce is the mayor of Braintree, Massachusetts. She’s also a professional civil engineer, former chair of her local planning board, former PTO president, youth soccer coach, and mom to three boys.
She’s joining host Tiffany Owens Reed today on The Bottom-Up Revolution to discuss what it’s like to build strong towns as an elected official, the challenges and opportunities she’s faced, and the importance of community engagement in local government.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
- Erin Joyce (site).
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Local recommendations:
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Widowmaker Brewery in the Blue Hills.
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Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!
Thursday Jul 11, 2024
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…City Building With Small-Scale Manufacturers
Thursday Jul 11, 2024
Thursday Jul 11, 2024
Ilana Preuss is the founder and CEO of Recast City, a program that helps cities build strong downtowns by empowering small-scale manufacturers. She is also the author of “Recast Your City: How to Save Your Downtown with Small-Scale Manufacturing.” Previously, she was the vice president and chief of staff at Smart Growth America and led the technical assistance program at the EPA Smart Growth Program. She is a TEDx speaker on, “The Economic Power of Great Places,” and a featured keynote speaker.
In this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution, Preuss joins host Tiffany Owens Reed to discuss the importance of small-scale manufacturing and her experiences as a city builder.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
- Local recommendations:
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Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!
Thursday Jun 27, 2024
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Fighting for Better Public Transit in the Big Apple
Thursday Jun 27, 2024
Thursday Jun 27, 2024
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.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
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Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!
Thursday Jun 13, 2024
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Helping Local Advocates Improve Their Cities
Thursday Jun 13, 2024
Thursday Jun 13, 2024
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.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
- Become a member today!
- Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).
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Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!
Thursday May 23, 2024
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Unexpected Allies Fighting a Highway Expansion Project
Thursday May 23, 2024
Thursday May 23, 2024
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.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
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Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!
Thursday May 09, 2024
Brian Boland: Reclaiming Land From Urban Highways
Thursday May 09, 2024
Thursday May 09, 2024
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.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
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Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!
Thursday Apr 25, 2024
Christian Gray: Alleviating Neighborhood Poverty at a Root Level
Thursday Apr 25, 2024
Thursday Apr 25, 2024
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!
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
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Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Sara Joy Proppe: Helping Churches Use Placemaking To Connect With the Community
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
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.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
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Check out Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, Summit Avenue, Cathedral Hill, and West 7th St.
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Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
Armando Moritz-Chapelliquen: A Grassroots Community Advocate
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
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.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
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Check out Easton Public Market and Plants and Coffee.
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Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!
Thursday Mar 14, 2024
Maddy Novich: Not Your Typical Bike Activist!
Thursday Mar 14, 2024
Thursday Mar 14, 2024
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.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
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Check out Vinetaria, Lalibela, and Double Dutch Espresso.
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Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!