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The redevelopment was recently highlighted by @strongtowns.org www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...

We’re housing fans!!! 🙋

You might be interested in our limited-run podcast called Stacked Against Us, all about the housing crisis and local, bottom-up responses that cities can take on right now. Here’s the link! www.strongtowns.org/stacked-agai...

This is what the (surprise!) fifth and final episode of Stacked Against Us will explore. The episode drops tomorrow; get caught up on the series: buff.ly/YNjf05p

Instead, she championed something different: a more decentralized, diverse, and, yes, messy city life created by many hands, grown from the ground up.

But her argument went deeper than specific land use decisions. Jacobs was calling out the top-down, technocratic mindset: the belief that a few formulas could design a better city than the people actually living in it.

We have tools and resources to help you get started with building a Housing-Ready City with a culture that nurtures local development.

Get the toolkits: buff.ly/V641Hdg

And read the full article: buff.ly/6SLVwUv

Legalization is a good first step, but that’s it. It’s a first step. The next is actually building an ecosystem around making these changes possible.

There are some things that state mandates can't do, like build teach staff members, build trust between the city and builders, and form local partnerships.

The smallest of projects must navigate systems designed for the largest of developments. A 600-square-foot backyard cottage must comply with the same development standards, permitting submission requirements, and timelines as a 2,500-square-foot house on a one-acre lot.

While Strong Towns’ Chief Technical Advisor Edward Erfurt was in Flagstaff, Arizona, the city council had declared a housing emergency. The city and community were on board with ADUs, but builders still couldn’t make the projects work because there's no broader system of support.

One of the developers on this project presented in Kansas City recently and was really impressive. Some cool work happening in Fayetteville.

Read more in “How Fayetteville’s New Program Makes It Easy To Build Housing” on our site! buff.ly/hxkexmZ

It also helps people know where to start—a crucial piece for getting new and local developers into the system. And moving from gatekeeping to guidance also means city staff work hands-on with developers and builders who are eager to build what the city needs.