The Strong Towns Approach || Office Hours || Charles Marohn

About Office Hours

Our door is wide open once a week for Strong Towns members to come and discuss how to build resilience and prosperity in their communities. Each week will focus on a different topic with a member of the Strong Towns team. The tone is casual and conversational. Drop in late if you need to; you’ll be just as welcome.

Wednesdays at 1 p.m. ET on Zoom

Submit your questions and ideas for topics in advance as you register, or ask them on the fly. Just so you know, pre-submitted questions and topics will be given priority during the conversation.

Schedule & Registration Details Are Available Here

Can't attend? Catch the replay in Action Lab once it gets posted.

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RECOMMENDED READING

Great article on the mindset of a local advocate: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2021/8/24/what-to-do-when-your-city-wont-listen-to-reason

If you're interested, tactical urbanism resources: https://actionlab.strongtowns.org/hc/en-us/articles/360060859371-Tactical-Urbanism-Core-Insights

Rachel Quednau's article on suburban insolvency is really on point https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017/7/24/busting-4-common-myths-about-the-suburbs

Connected to this question is another oldie-but-goodie on maintaining a focus on the impacts of the suburban experiment (not on 'sprawl' as a nebulous concept) https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/4/17/sprawl-is-not-the-problem

But there are things that can be done: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/1/8/12-step-program-for-financially-insolvent-cities

I like this ST article about insolvency showing up as a "soft default" rather than hard bankruptcy: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/10/24/dispatches-from-spokane-living-a-soft-default

Calgary should spend or save ~$3B/year just to cover the replacement costs of everything that the City owns. The City's budget is usually ~$4.5B/year. That doesn't give me confidence about our finances.

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2021/2/20/how-to-dothemath-for-non-math-majors

Articles on annexation:

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/6/11/when-is-it-okay-to-annex-property

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/8/3/the-dollars-and-sense-of-annexation

Taking Action

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/1/11/this-city-knows-how-to-talk-to-residents

The Problem Described in One Situation

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/1/11/roundabout-woes-in-north-denver

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2015/7/6/orderly-but-dumb-crosswalks

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2021/5/19/a-new-direction-for-car-dependent-orlando

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/4/30/want-to-be-prepared-for-growth-do-the-opposite-of-this

On the days you're feeling frustrated