Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity
A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you'll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles--and why it just doesn't work. New development and high-risk investing don't generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens' quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the "traditional" search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live. CHARLES L. MAROHN, JR. is the president and co-founder of Strong Towns, a nationally recognized non-profit media organization working to shape the conversation on growth, development, and the future of cities. He has two decades of experience as a land use planner and certified Professional Engineer (PE). Charles was recently named #10 on Planetizen's list of the Top 100 Most Influential Urbanists. Review Quotes: "Sometimes, in our depleted and cynical times, one hears 'Well then, what is your genius plan? ' Here it is, finally, with extraordinary force and clarity: a genius plan."--ANDRES DUANY, author of Suburban Nation and founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism "Rebuilding our cities, towns, suburbs, and communities won't be easy. But Marohn shows us a way to a better future, driven bottom-up by our many and varied strong towns. Marohn has written the playbook for rebuilding our communities. A must-read for mayors, city builders, urbanists, and all of us who want to live in and create stronger, more vibrant, and inclusive places."--RICHARD FLORIDA, author of The Rise of the Creative Class, The Great Reset, and The New Urban Crisis "Charles Marohn brings the same incisive creativity to Strong Towns that citizens and city leaders alike must bring to their communities."--JANETTE SADIK-KHAN, Bloomberg Associates, former NYC Transportation Commissioner, author of Street Fight "Charles's genuine passion, his spot-on observations, and clear insights make the case as to why we need a bottom-up revolution to rebuild American prosperity that will compel us to rethink how to make places more livable, sustainable, and prosperous."--MITCHELL J. SILVER, past president of the American Planning Association "Somewhere between Small is Beautiful and Cities and The Wealth of Nations can be found the gem of Strong Towns, our current moment's most cogent, practical, and necessary response to the problem of urban economics."--JEFF SPECK, author of Walkable City and Walkable City Rules "A cogent call to rethink our faith in and commitment to unbridled and sprawling growth as the solution to challenges faced by our nation's cities and towns."--PATRICE FREY, President and CEO of the National Main Street Center