STRONG TOWNS

OUR VISION
We seek to have the Strong Towns Approach be the default way that every city, town, and neighborhood pursues growth, development, and prosperity.

OUR MISSION
We seek to replace America’s post-war pattern of development, the Suburban Experiment, with a pattern of development that is financially strong and resilient. We advocate for cities of all sizes to be safe, livable, and inviting. We work to elevate local government to be the highest level of collaboration for people working together in a place, not merely the lowest level in a hierarchy of governments.

OUR IDENTITY
We are an advocacy organization that primarily uses media to grow and support a movement for change.

OUR STRATEGY
We believe that the change we seek will occur when there is a critical mass of thought and action, making the Strong Towns approach self-evident to decision makers and the people they serve.


PRIORITY CAMPAIGNS
With our 2022 strategic plan, we focusing our programs on the following priority campaigns:

- Transparent Local Accounting: We seek to reveal the financial implications of the Suburban Experiment by increasing the transparency of local government accounting practices.
- End Highway Expansion: We seek to curtail the primary mechanism of local wealth destruction and municipal insolvency: the continued expansion of America’s highways and related auto-based transportation systems.
- Safe And Productive Streets: We seek to shift the priority of local streets from automobile throughput to human safety and wealth creation.
- Incremental Housing: We seek to have the next increment of development intensity allowed, by right, in every neighborhood in America.
- End Parking Mandates and Subsidies: We seek an end to the mandates and subsidies that cause productive land to be used for motor vehicle storage.

Strong Towns has identified five priority campaigns to direct our work that we feel will best help us accomplish our mission:

TRANSPARENT LOCAL ACCOUNTING
We seek to reveal the financial implications of the Suburban Experiment by increasing the transparency of local government accounting practices.

END HIGHWAY EXPANSION
We seek to curtail the primary mechanism of local wealth destruction and municipal insolvency: the continued expansion of America’s highways and related auto-based transportation systems.

SAFE AND PRODUCTIVE STREETS
We seek to shift the priority of local streets from automobile throughput to human safety and wealth creation.

INCREMENTAL HOUSING
We seek to have the next increment of development intensity allowed, by right, in every neighborhood in America.

END PARKING MANDATES AND SUBSIDIES
We seek an end to the mandates and subsidies that cause productive land to be used for motor vehicle storage.

Strong Towns was founded in 2009 from a blog written by Charles Marohn, now president of Strong Towns. Since then, our audience has grown from one or two readers a week to our current annual readership of over two million. Strong Towns members make up the majority of our revenue stream, which is why we refer to our work as a movement; our work truly wouldn’t be possible without the people who believe in it. Our audience is driving real change in their own communities, and they regularly share with us stories of implementing critical change in their own cities and towns. The Strong Towns approach is built on the idea that we’re not going to solve these immense, systemic problems on our own. Instead, we’re inspiring millions of people internationally to catalyze change from the bottom up, amplifying both our capacity and their impact.

Strong Towns has grown from a blog written by one motivated person to a current staff of 15+. Our staff members work remotely, allowing our organization to select highly qualified individuals who represent communities across the United States. Our team meets at least twice a year in-person for intensive retreats where we evaluate our current work, strategize on upcoming projects, discuss new topics and ideas, and build on relationships with fellow team members.

Strong Towns leadership consists of 3 highly dedicated and committed members of our Board Of Directors, who lead a larger Advisory Board of exceptionally qualified individuals. The Advisory Board steers our organization as we continue to grow our movement, and includes city council members and officials, a state senator, urban planners, journalists, an architect, and community organizers. The Advisory Board meets regularly to provide staff with feedback on programs, projects, and development efforts, offering invaluable expertise to Strong Towns.