The Community Action Lab: Quick Facts

The Community Action Lab is a 24-month program to help communities identify their needs and take action to address them using resources that are immediately available within the region. This program reframes the conversation about building community resilience and prosperity, shifting emphasis from top-down solutions to bottom-up action by members of the community itself.

WHAT IS STRONG TOWNS?

Strong Towns is a nonprofit that focuses a host of expert engineers, land-use professionals, transportation officials, elected officers, journalists, urbanist organizations, and ground-level activists on the matter of building and maintaining financial stability in towns and cities across North America. We produce articles, studies, books, classes, and more resources to support people who are making their places stronger through local action.

HOW DOES THE COMMUNITY ACTION LAB WORK?

1. Locals get Strong Towns up to speed on what challenges and opportunities the community is facing, outlining a vision for long-term strength and resilience.
2. A team of locals train using Strong Towns resources, preparing to implement a new approach to community development.
3. The broader community is engaged through a series of local events which encourages residents to participate in the ongoing conversation about how their place is built.

WHO’S IN CHARGE OF THE COMMUNITY ACTION LAB?

Many North American communities are suffering from the same affliction. They are seeing decline caused by constant growth with no plan for maintenance, and development that serves top-down economic interests instead of locals’ needs. However, the solution is different for each place. That’s why each Community Action Lab is led by the participating community. Local leaders and action team members identify the challenges the Action Lab will focus on, and Strong Towns supports bottom-up efforts to address them.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

To learn more about Strong Towns and the Community Action Lab program, contact Lauren Fisher, communications manager for Strong Towns. (lauren@strongtowns.org / (844)218-1681)

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