establishing our game plan as a group

 

The first few meetings of your Local Conversation are likely to involve both relationship-building and some education. In terms of relationships, it’s important to learn who’s in the room: where are they from, what experiences do they bring, which issues (housing, walkability, economic development, etc.) are they especially passionate about.

Education can be important, too, after that first meeting, just to make sure everyone has a basic understanding of Strong Towns ideas. Local groups typically use one or more of the following resources to get folks on the same page with the Strong Towns approach and terminology (like “stroads”):

• Curbside Chat Series — A six-episode video series, none longer than 5 minutes.

• Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity, by Chuck Marohn — A great primer, for groups who want to do a book club-style introduction to Strong Towns.

• Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town, by Chuck Marohn — The second Strong Towns book, focused on transportation.

• Strong Towns 101 Course* — A free, and in-depth introduction to core Strong Towns principles.

• Not Just Bikes + Strong Towns Course* — A free course based on the popular NJB Strong Towns video series. Also available as downloadable discussion guides.

• Mobilizing Your Community to Become a Strong Towns (Course)* — A new course by Chuck Marohn about how to connect with neighbors and start building a stronger town where you live. This course is free (use this link) for people starting or leading Local Conversations, and for people who are members of Local Conversations.

(*Note: For all these Academy courses, you’ll need to create an account in the Strong Towns Academy, if you don’t have one already. It’s free.)

But these are just some ideas. You and your group will be able to discern better than I what are the next best steps.