Stroads - Top Content

"Why Bad Street Design is Both Costly and Deadly" (Video)

We understand how frustrating the problem of bad street design is, especially because most communities don’t have a vision or language for an alternative. But you don’t have to accept the status quo. Strong Towns literally wrote the book on building safe and productive streets. We help public officials, professionals, and citizen advocates take control of their local streets. We’ve seen places transformed. The same is possible for your city, too.

"What is a STROAD and Why Does it Matter" (Video)

Stroads are enormously expensive to build and, ultimately, financially unproductive. They're also very dangerous. This video explains the problem with stroads and how to solve it.

"How to Turn a Stroad into a Street (or a Road)"

Stroads are neither fast-moving roads nor productive, safe streets. But if you take these steps, you can turn them into something much better.

"Stroad Nation"

Ferguson, Missouri, is trapped in a cycle of decline, not because of its people or even their poverty, but because it is designed to be that way. Failing suburbs are where the power shifts of our time are concentrating desperation and discontent. Sadly, Ferguson will not be an anomaly.

"Engineers Should Not Design Streets"

Engineers are well-suited to constructing roads. Engineers are not good at building streets nor, I would argue, can the typical engineer readily become good at it. Streets that produce wealth for a community are complex environments. They do not lend themselves well to rote standards or even design guidelines.

"Engineers are great at building roads, but we should never ask them to build our streets."

Nice, California, doesn’t have nice streets. But it could, if city planners started thinking about road infrastructure in a way that prioritizes safety and walkability over asphalt. Here are a couple of redesign options, inspired by a Crash Analysis Studio held in the city.

"Not Just Bikes: 'The Stroads to Hell Are Paved with Good Intentions' (Video)"

The popular YouTube channel Not Just Bikes explains why stroads are less productive, less efficient, more expensive to maintain, and more dangerous than streets and roads. It also describes a program in the Netherlands that could inspire communities in the U.S. and Canada to fix all those stroads.

"The True Cost of a Stroad"

Here are five reasons to stop building stroads (street–road hybrids) and start building real community wealth.