The Bottom-Up Revolution

Erik Lowe is the founder of Reimagine Spokane, a grassroots group of citizens who are calling for safer streets and better transit in Spokane, Washington. He's also the designer of the “Spokane Reimagined” plan, a $1 billion proposal to improve safety and connectivity in Spokane over 20 years. On this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution, he joins host Tiffany Owens Reed to talk about transit advocacy and the importance of walkability and safe streets.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• Local recommendations:

  1. Riverfront park, food truck, falls, gondola.

  2. Atticus Coffee.

  3. Domini’s Sandwiches.

• Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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

Seth Zeren is a a neighborhood developer and founding member of Strong Towns, as well as a self-proclaimed recovering city planner and a writer at the Build the Next Right Thing Substack. A San Francisco native, Zeren now lives with his family in Providence, Rhode Island, where he works as an incremental developer.

On this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution, Zeren joins host Tiffany Owens Reed to talk about his path to becoming an incremental developer with a midsize real estate firm, the stark divide between most modern developers and non-developers, and his approach to both incremental finance and philosophy.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• Build the Next Right Thing (Substack).

• Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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

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).

• Local recommendations:

  • Widowmaker Brewery in the Blue Hills.

  • Foley's Ice Cream Shop.

  • Thayer Birth Place, Historical Society.

• Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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

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:

  • Bespoke Not Broke Consignment

  • The People’s Book

  • The Olive Lounge

• Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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

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

• Rider’s Alliance (site).

• Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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

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).

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

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

• Stop TxDOT I-45 (site).

• Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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

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

• Bridge Forward Cincinnati (site).

• Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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

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

• inCOMMON Community Development (website).

• Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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

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

• Proximity Project (website).

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

• Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram).

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