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The Bottom-Up Revolution: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Strong Towns
This podcast features stories of the Strong Towns movement in action. Hosted by Tiffany Owens Reed, it’s all about how regular people have stepped up to make their communities more economically resilient, and how others can implement these ideas in their own places. We’ll talk about taking concrete action steps, connecting with fellow advocates to build power, and surviving the bumps along the way—all in the pursuit of creating stronger towns.
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- Yesterday48 min
Building New Neighborhoods With Old-School Charm
We've learned a tremendous amount about designing cities, yet many new neighborhoods still lack the charm of those built generations ago. Architect and urban designer Naama Blonder has spent years studying what makes older neighborhoods so enjoyable, and why new developments rarely capture that same feeling. In her book Building Charm, she identifies the physical qualities behind that experience and proposes ways to incorporate them into new developments. Blonder explains how her firm, Smart Density, applies these ideas in practice, and why making denser neighborhoods more appealing could help address the housing affordability crisis. Could the answer be as simple as scaling things down? It's Member Week at Strong Towns, if these conversations have been valuable to you, consider supporting Strong Towns directly by becoming a member here. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Naama Blonder (LinkedIn) Smart Density (Site) Building Charm: A hyper-practical guide to developing outstanding new neighborhoods by Naama Blonder and Misha Bereznyak (Book) What Street Design Has to Do With the Housing Shortage (Article) Local Recommendations: St. Andrews Park Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
- 3 days ago14 min
When Does Listening Become Taking Part?
For people trying to improve their towns, finding others who understand the struggle can make all the difference. Hearing how people elsewhere are approaching familiar challenges can give us new ideas for our own communities and a sense that we're part of something bigger. But what keeps people coming back to these conversations, and when does listening become taking part? In this special Member Week edition of Bottom-Up Shorts, Norm Van Eeden Petersman reflects on the responsibility we feel toward our towns and what it means to support this work together. If these conversations have been valuable to you, consider supporting Strong Towns directly by becoming a member here. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
- 1 weeks ago44 min
A Vacant Bank Worth Fighting For
A filmmaker in Richmond, California, wrote a letter urging the owner of a vacant historic bank to do something with the building. To his surprise, the owner wrote back and offered to partner with him. Jayson Johnson, a self-taught filmmaker, now hopes to turn the property into a small film studio and community gathering place. But bringing the building back will require millions of dollars in repairs, and contractors have warned him to walk away. He's determined to continue, even as navigating city regulations proves more complicated than he ever expected. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Jayson Johnson (LinkedIn) Strike Five Films (Site) 530 Macdonald Avenue in Richmond (Site) Local Recommendations: Masa Tamales CoBiz Richmond Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
- 1 weeks ago17 min
14 Years of Seeing Strong Towns Grow
Fourteen years ago, Lindsey Meek found something in Strong Towns that helped make sense of her own experience designing subdivisions. A civil engineer by training and one of the movement's founding members, she's watched its ideas spread far beyond the people who first embraced them. Her involvement helped bring Strong Towns to Rochester, Minnesota, where speaking openly about development sometimes carried professional risks. Lindsey looks back on that experience and the encouragement she now finds in younger engineers who are willing to question conventional practices. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Lindsey Meek (LinkedIn) Can an Engineer Speak Out for Reform? (Article) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
- 2 weeks ago43 min
Can a Coffee Truck Work Without Crowds?
What if a coffee truck could work with just a handful of customers in a neighborhood each morning? Juan Sanchez created Coffee in Your Community, a business built around serving small groups of customers in the same Raleigh-area neighborhoods every week. His compact coffee trucks bring a local coffee shop experience to places where a permanent storefront might struggle to survive. With just one barista and a quick setup, the trucks can serve relatively few customers and still make financial sense. They've quickly become familiar fixtures in the neighborhoods they serve, opening up possibilities for other small businesses to find customers in places they might otherwise overlook. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Juan Sanchez (LinkedIn) Coffee In Your Community (Site, Instagram) Local Recommendations: Aija Eats Brewery Bhavana Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
- 2 weeks ago21 min
What Horror Movies Reveal About Our Cities
A haunted apartment might sound terrifying, but what if the rent is too good to pass up? Filmmaker Allan Piper turned that idea into Evil Sublet, a horror comedy about a couple willing to live with ghosts for an affordable home. His next film, Highway Gothic, explores another familiar nightmare: being trapped in traffic with no way out. Both stories draw on the ways people feel stuck in everyday life, particularly when housing and transportation leave them with few good choices. Piper reflects on why horror is such a natural fit for these frustrations and what our fears reveal about the places we've built. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Allan Piper (LinkedIn, Instagram) eVil Sublet (Site) Highway Gothic (Site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
- 3 weeks ago49 min
Why Changing Zoning Laws Isn't Enough
Massachusetts needs more housing, but getting permission to build it can take years, even when the zoning allows it. Housing advocate and researcher Jonathan Berk examined six projects for his report, Delayed by Design, to understand why so many housing developments struggle to move forward. He found that lengthy permitting processes can saddle developers with costly requirements and years of uncertainty, making even modest projects difficult to pursue. Even if Massachusetts succeeds in reforming its zoning laws, Berk's findings suggest that the permitting system could prevent much of that housing from ever being built. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Jonathan Berk (LinkedIn) re:MAIN (Site) Delayed By Design Report(Site) Local Recommendations: Notch Brewing Lulu's Bakery Coffee Time Bake Shop Maitland Farm, Kitchen, and Spirits Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
- 3 weeks ago20 min
The $96 Million Plan for Nine Blocks
What started as a temporary COVID closure on State Street has turned into a years-long debate over what the street should become. Sully Israel, leader of Strong Towns Santa Barbara, has watched outdoor dining, biking, and public life take over space that once belonged to cars as the city considers making the change permanent. The permanent redesign would cost $96 million for nine blocks, with roughly half of that going toward stormwater and utility work. For Strong Towns Santa Barbara, that creates an unusual tension between its usual small-bets approach and a project that may justify major investment. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Sully Israel (LinkedIn) Strong Towns Santa Barbara (Site) Fixing Traffic & Unlocking Housing: A New Vision for Los Angeles (Report) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
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About The Bottom-Up Revolution
This podcast features stories of the Strong Towns movement in action. Hosted by Tiffany Owens Reed, it’s all about how regular people have stepped up to make their communities more economically resilient, and how others can implement these ideas in their own places. We’ll talk about taking concrete action steps, connecting with fellow advocates to build power, and surviving the bumps along the way—all in the pursuit of creating stronger towns.
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