What should I do in my community?

(Contributor comment)

I signed up here after reading many articles and Chuck's books (and others) and after a protracted, belabored, and painfully slow process of trying to nudge my town of Durango, Colorado, into some incremental progress.

We have a gazillion bikes and bikers here, and a walkable downtown, but glaring gaps in biking and pedestrian infrastructure that have come with developing on the margins outside of town. I have lived other places where there's an obvious sense of long-term despair for non-car infrastructure (Phoenix, for example), but I've been surprised/depressed by how even a small town full of people who express support for better/smarter growth patterns is ultimately paralyzed by its own bureaucratic processes.

So...I'm trying to start an organization here that will basically advocate for ST-type (and Walkable City, to be honest) policies and projects. Any ideas on how to organize people, set priorities, publicize, or other thoughts are welcome. I would love to hear from people who have done this in their town.

Comments

1 comment

  • Comment author
    Norm Van Eeden Petersman
    • Official comment

    I would recommend checking out the Local Conversations resources that we've compiled on YouTube and the ST Action Lab because what you're talking about sounds  a lot like the other Local Conversation groups that have been popping up across the country!

    Sign up at www.strongtowns.org/local to signal your interest in starting a group and @john.pattison, our community builder, will share a lot of resources and a link to the Local Conversation leaders' discourse channel.

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