The Strong Towns Podcast
The Strong Towns Podcast is a weekly conversation on the Strong Towns movement, hosted by Strong Towns Founder and President Charles Marohn and frequently featuring special guests. The podcast explores how we can financially strengthen our cities, towns, and neighborhoods and, in the process, make them better places to live. Join Chuck in examining how everything from urban design to economics to systems theory to psychology helps inform this core question.
Episodes
Chuck walks through three ways of seeing the housing crisis: supply, demand, and the Strong Towns view that grapples with “dark finance” and capital flows. He explains why campaign-style wins and single-variable fixes rarely deliver real affordability. The episode closes with a candid update on recent leadership changes and how Strong Towns has restructured its media work over the past year.
Additional Show Notes- Chuck Marohn ...
For years, the dominant explanation for America’s infrastructure problems has been that we haven’t invested enough. Yet federal spending on transportation is at historic highs, and frustration with the results continues to grow.
This report offers a different interpretation.
The Interstate Highway System achieved its original goal. The challenges we face today are not the result of failure, but of a system that continued long aft...
Why 95% of planners get it wrong, how monetary policy killed Main Street, and why Chuck Marohn is optimistic about Gen Z. This wide-ranging conversation, first featured on the Yeoman podcast with Geoff Graham, explores the difference between Jane Jacobs's humble incrementalism and Robert Moses's technocratic master plans—and which approach is winning in 300+ communities.
Additional Show Notes- Chuck Marohn (Subst...
In this year’s State of Strong Towns address, Chuck Marohn reflects on where the movement stands at the start of 2026 — what’s changed, what’s growing, and how the work ahead remains grounded in humility, restraint, and bottom-up action.
Additional Show Notes
This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!
A major highway project is pitched as a safety upgrade — but at what cost to the community? Today, Chuck is joined by Matt Steele, a fellow Brainerd-area resident and longtime Strong Towns member. They unpack a highway interchange that's been proposed in nearby Baxter and the long-term trade-offs that shape strong (or fragile) places.
Additional Show Notes- Read more about this project: "Six Roundabouts to Nowhere" by Charl...
Why is housing so expensive, and what can local communities actually do about it? In this live recording, Chuck unpacks the roots of America's housing trap and shares actionable reforms that any community can implement.
Additional Show Notes- This presentation was recorded live from Wayne, Pennsylvania. Click here to bring Chuck to your own city!
- Check out Strong Towns’ housing toolkits for more strategies to bring housing t...
Family farms are struggling to survive across America, with whole communities hanging in the balance. In today's episode, Chuck sits down with Brian Reisinger, author of "Land Rich, Cash Poor." They unpack the structural issues leading to the decline of farms and rural communities, as well as opportunities to rebuild resilience.
Additional Show Notes- Bring Chuck to your own city!
- Learn how to support small dev...
Strong cities know who they are. In today's episode, Chuck is joined by Ryan Short, founder of Civic Brand. They discuss how uncovering a shared identity guides smarter decisions, strengthens civic pride, and helps communities thrive.
Additional Show Notes- "The Civic Brand: The Power & Responsibility of Place" by Ryan Short
- Civic Brand (site)
- Ryan Short (LinkedIn)
- Chuck Marohn (Substack)
Chuck breaks down the financial math behind urban decline in this live recording of a Wilmington event, with opening remarks from Delaware Governor Matt Meyer. Learn why growth is bankrupting your city — and how to reverse it.
(Note: Audio improves at 5:16 when Chuck takes over.)
Additional Show Notes- Check out some of the images Chuck references in the episode.
- Bring Chuck to your own city!
- Connect with Strong Towns Wilmingto...
Author Diane Alisa just wanted her kids to have what she didn't: freedom to roam, community, and a childhood that doesn't require a minivan. Somewhere along the way, she realized the suburban dream itself might be the problem. Today, she and Chuck dig into what the Suburban Experiment cost us — and what comes next.
Additional Show Notes- Want to hear more from Diane? Check out her episode on The Bottom-Up Revolution!
- “Love Lett...
Chuck records from the road after speaking at a housing summit in Pennsylvania. He reflects on why the Strong Towns message resonates with local officials struggling to address the housing crisis, as well as the challenges facing the movement and plans for the future.
Additional Show Notes- Member Week is almost over! Join the movement today.
Strong Towns members are making their places stronger everywhere from the Bahamas to Mongolia. Chuck and Member Advocate Norm Van Eeden Petersman discuss how people in Colombia and Uganda can speak the same language about streets, and what that means for building better places everywhere.
Additional Show Notes- It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement today!
Can New Urbanists learn from suburbia's success? In this special episode, Chuck sits down with CNU founder Andres Duany, who shares big ideas he says the movement isn't ready to hear. They discuss how New Urbanism captured territory in the battle for cities, why its failing to hold that territory, and where Strong Towns fits into the fight.
Additional Show Notes- It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement today!
Chuck sits down with Carlee Alm-LaBar, Strong Towns' chief of staff, to talk about what it's like managing a growing movement that's focused on action. Learn how the organization is evolving to help thousands of members make real change in their communities.
Additional Show Notes- It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement by making a donation of any amount.
In this special Member Week episode, Chuck explores Strong Towns’ strategy, from its origin as a blog to its future in 2026 and beyond. He then answers audience questions about Strong Towns’ funding, his advice for elected officials, and more.
Additional Show Notes- It's Member Week at Strong Towns! Join the movement by making a donation of any amount.
You can also check out the video version of this podcast here: https:/...
Today, Chuck sits down with Laura Foote, executive director of YIMBY Action. They dive into America’s housing crisis, debate the future of zoning, and explore what it will take to fix broken incentives and build more homes.
Additional Show Notes- YIMBY Action's new implementation guide
- Strong Towns' new housing toolkit
- YIMBY Action (site)
- Laura's email: laura@yimbyaction.org
- Chuck Marohn (Substack)
Hey listener, you h...
Chuck Marohn tackles 16 real questions from city officials wrestling with the messy reality of housing reform. From a lack of transit to competition from big developers, he explores the challenges of getting more housing on the ground.
Additional Show Notes- Want to fix your city's housing market? Download our new housing toolkit, "Who Will Build the Housing-Ready City?" to get started.
- "Unleash the Swarm" by Daniel Herriges (e...
Since finishing the Interstate Highway System in the 1990s, the U.S. has added 75% more urban highway lanes — and we're on track to double it again. Erick Guerra, author of "Overbuilt" and professor of regional planning, joins Chuck to discuss why we can't stop building highways we don't need and how our transportation funding system creates cities that are more dangerous and less prospero...
Chuck is joined by Sam Quinones, author of “Dreamland” and “The Least of Us,” to talk about his newest book “The Perfect Tuba.” They discuss how a curiosity about tuba players turned into a deep exploration of hard work, community, and finding joy and purpose in difficult circumstances.
Additional Show Notes- "The Perfect Tuba: Forging Fulfillment from the Bass Horn, Band, and Hard Work" by Sam Quinones
- Connect with Sam Quinone...
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