Ryan Johnson: How Culdesac Tempe Develops Freedom, Revenue, and Belonging
Chuck sits down with Ryan Johnson, the founder and visionary behind Culdesac Tempe, the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S. They discuss the realities of living in and developing a community like Culdesac, from transportation costs to working with local government. Ryan explains how they maintain walkability in an Arizona desert, how they successfully nurture small businesses, and how they encourage people to embrace co-ownership of the community.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Learn more about Culdesac.
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.
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41:39
Using Radical Common Sense To Build Great Places, With Steve Nygren
Serenbe is a unique community just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. It’s based on the development pattern of traditional English villages, with walkable, mixed-use “hamlets” surrounded by nature. In today’s episode, Chuck sits down with Serenbe founder Steve Nygren to discuss the process of developing this kind of community, as well as Steve’s development philosophy of “radical common sense.”
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
“Start in Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where We Live With Radical Common Sense” by Steve Nygren
Learn more about Serenbe.
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership, including member-exclusive perks.
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51:40
NYT Journalist Shares Why America Should Sprawl
A few weeks ago, the New York Times article "Why America Should Sprawl" went viral, sparking a national discussion about housing and development patterns.
In today’s episode, Chuck sits down with Conor Dougherty, the reporter behind the article, to discuss his perspective on housing in more depth.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Prefer to read or watch? We've got you covered. Click here for the transcript or here for the YouTube video.
Learn how to beat the housing crisis the right way. Download The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform today!
Read more:
“America Should Sprawl” by Conor Dougherty
“Golden Gates” by Conor Dougherty
“America Should Sprawl? Not If We Want Strong Towns” by Charles Marohn
“Escaping the Housing Trap” by Charles Marohn and Daniel Herriges
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
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59:02
4 Ways To Build Homes and Expand Opportunity
Cullum Clark, director of the Economic Growth Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, returns to the Strong Towns Podcast to discuss his recently published report on housing reform. Cullum highlights several reforms that have proven to be economically feasible, politically realistic, and impactful on a large scale.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
More from Cullum:
Read the report: Build Homes, Expand Opportunity: Lessons from America’s Fastest Growing Cities
George W. Bush Presidential Center (site)
“How Do You Build More Housing When No One Wants Neighborhood Change?” (Strong Towns Podcast)
Learn how to unlock housing in your city: The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
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55:52
Escaping the Housing Crisis With Jeff Speck
Today, Chuck is joined by Jeff Speck, a city planner, author, and principal of an urban design and consultancy firm. They discuss the ideas shared in Chuck’s book “Escaping the Housing Trap” and how those concepts play out in the real world, including examples from Jeff’s own work.
Their discussion covers a wide range of topics, including incremental zoning reform, the benefits and pitfalls of inclusive zoning, and how to finance small-scale housing.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Join Jeff and Chuck in Providence next month. Get your National Gathering tickets now!
See more from Jeff:
The Planner’s Pledge (site)
“Walkable City” by Jeff Speck, updated edition
“Walkable City Rules” by Jeff Speck
See more from Strong Towns:
“Escaping the Housing Trap” by Chuck Marohn and Daniel Herriges
The Housing-Ready City: A Toolkit for Local Code Reform
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
Canada - english