ASTA: Hotels, Parks, and Local Prosperity (March 5, 2025)

In this Ask Strong Towns Anything (ASTA) session, we explored key topics related to local prosperity, including:

• Hotels and local wealth—how lodging establishments contribute to (or drain) local economies and what makes them a strong investment for a community.
• Parks and public spaces—the challenges of underinvestment in parks and the importance of designing them to be nimble, adaptable, and wealth-building for surrounding properties.
• Conditions for local prosperity—what communities need to create sustained economic strength and resilience.

Edward Erfurt, Chief Technical Advisor for Strong Towns, and John Pattison, Community Builder for Strong Towns, joined the discussion, sharing their insights alongside our members.

Watch the conversation to learn how these elements shape strong, financially resilient places!

Resources Mentioned in this Session

Understanding Scale and Economic Impact

• "Large-Scale vs. Small-Scale Development" (Read here) – Explores the trade-offs between big developments and incremental, small-scale growth.
• "Big Box Supercenters: Prize or Curse?" (Read here) – Highlights how large retail developments can seem like an economic win but often create long-term financial liabilities.
• "Does It Scale?" (Read here) – Examines whether large-scale development models work in different community contexts.
• "Is This Development Out of Scale?" (Read here) – Discusses why matching development to a community’s scale and needs is crucial for financial sustainability.

For Those Interested in Small-Town Economics

• "Joshua Hopkins on Bottom-Up Small-Town Growth" (Read here) – A look at how local entrepreneurs and community members can drive change from the ground up.
• "Don’t Give Up on Your Small Town" (Read here) – Encouragement and strategies for small towns looking to build lasting prosperity through local investment and incremental development.

These articles reinforce the ideas we explored in today’s session: investing in local-scale projects, designing adaptable public spaces, and making decisions that strengthen community wealth over the long term.

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Want to support the movement for financially strong and resilient communities? Become a Strong Towns member today at strongtowns.org/membership.

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Already a member? Submit your questions for a future ASTA at strongtowns.org/asta and be part of the conversation!