3 Reasons Your Neighborhood Should Start Throwing Block Parties
Block parties can strengthen community, but large-scale events often falter without support. Smaller, manageable gatherings still foster meaningful connections.
6 Design Relationships That Create Great Places
We focus on the relationships between elements of a space; the denser the web of these relationships, the more active and vibrant a space will be. One framework that illustrates this idea — and which acts as a constant guide to our placemaking practice — is the 6 Design Relationships.
Want to Build Community on Your Street? Just Hit "Print"!
What would you like to see in your neighborhood? Make an invitation, hit “print,” and figure everything else out as you go! You’ll be glad you did.
West Philly Porchfest: The Battle for Car-Free Streets and Community Celebration
It’s no surprise that Philadelphians want to bring some of the fun closer to home, even if it's only for a few hours on a hot summer day. The city can grant its residents that relief. All it has to do is say yes.
What’s There To Do Here? How Social Activities Expose a City’s Values
While the lament that “there’s nothing to do here” might sound like teenage grumbling, perhaps there’s more wisdom to it than meets the ear. Maybe we should be looking at our cities through the lens of organic social activities, not just because activities themselves are enjoyable but also because this lens is a chance to reevaluate what we value and to consider the relationship between our design choices and our community’s social life.
My Neighborhood's Summer Experiment in Building a Strong Town
Maybe we will see that we could spend a lot less money on moving cars quickly and storing vehicles and a touch more money making it easier to bike and walk, and that this would be good for all of our investments. Maybe someday we will even recognize that we can spend a lot less money and have a much higher quality of life with a Strong Towns approach.
9 Neighborhood Events for Next to Nothing
There is something so powerful about simply knowing the names of your neighbors. You don’t have to know much about their lives or personalities. Just being able to put a face and a name to a particular front door is an important part of developing trust and a sense of belonging in your place. It’s so much more than having someone you could borrow a ladder or a cup of sugar from (though that’s pretty handy). I think that knowing your neighbors is a critical starting point for building a stronger town.
Healing Our Nation Starts at the Community Level
We’re all struggling and the pain our nation is feeling is trickling down into our communities. And while much of what’s happening is beyond our control, and certainly leadership and policy decisions must happen on a national level, locally is where we can make a real difference.
Celebrating the American Front Porch
One could easily argue that America in 2019 needs more front porch time. Thankfully, the percentage of houses in America with front porches is rising again and none too soon. The porch symbolizes community, neighborhood and conversation. When you ask people about their favorite front porch, many recall a kinder, gentler time. What is your favorite front porch, and how does it resonate with you still today?
What to do when your city won't listen to reason
If you’re working your tail off and feeling like you’re getting nowhere, you’re probably working at too high a level. You need to level down and give yourself a few quick wins before leveling up again. Work at as low a level as you need to succeed.
Podcast Interviews on this Topic
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Building Neighborhood Connections With Acts of Hospitality
Tiffany Owens Reed talks with Scott Jones. Jones is a lifelong resident of Long Beach, California, where he is the co-founder and executive director of We Love Long Beach, a nonprofit that encourages and equips residents to build connections with their neighbors through acts of generosity and hospitality.
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is...a Neighborhood Person
Gracen Johnson, a founding member and long-time contributor to Strong Towns has found small but powerful ways to get to know neighbors and be a positive part of her neighborhood. Having a dog to walk regularly helps. So does observing what’s going on around her and finding ways to plug into that, rather than showing up with her own agenda. If you’ve heard of our “4-Step Process for Public Investment” at Strong Towns, this is exactly what Gracen is talking about.
How Public Art can Boost the Pride (and Resilience) of Your Neighborhood
Greta McLain is the Artistic Director at GoodSpace Murals—a Minneapolis-based public art organization that promotes neighborhood-led, community development through public art. In neighborhoods across the Twin Cities, Greta and her team meet with major institutions and residents to develop designs that reflect the vision and values of each neighborhood. Then, once the neighborhood has chosen its design, GoodSpace Murals taps into the community to ensure everyone can contribute to the final product.
The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Planting Street Trees and Neighborhood Connections
Emma Durand-Wood is a writer, editor, and former librarian. She’s also a leader in her neighborhood association and a big advocate for street trees. Durand-Wood lives in Winnipeg in Canada, which she calls “a big little city.” She started getting involved in local issues after a pawn shop was being proposed in her neighborhood and she and some neighbors got together to say that business wasn’t a great fit for their community.
How Small Acts of Neighborliness Can Shift the Morale of Your Neighborhood
Ask Steve MacDouell and you’ll discover an equally important element of a strong neighborhood —micro-neighborliness—which Steve defines as the small, patient, and practical ways that we pivot toward our localities and the people that we share them with. Think tending to community gardens, throwing a block party, or, as Steve shares in this episode, hosting a happy hour in your front yard.
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