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The Bottom-Up Revolution

Strong Towns
Strong Towns
Community Engagement
Urban Planning
Community Development
Strong Towns Movement
Affordable Housing
Urbanism
Urban Design
Housing Crisis
Walkability
Local Government
Community Advocacy
Architecture
Public Transit
Transportation
Local Conversations
Transportation Planning
Denver
Incremental Development
Public Transportation

The Bottom-Up Revolution features the stories of the Strong Towns movement in action. Hosted by Tiffany Owens Reed and Norm Van Eeden Petersman, it's all about how regular people have stepped up to make their communities more economically resilient, and how others can implement these ideas in their own places. We’ll talk about taking concrete action steps, connecting with fellow advocates to build... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes100Founded8 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Society & Culture

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Artwork for The Bottom-Up Revolution

Latest Episodes

Van Buren, Maine, had a problem no town wants: it owned more than half of its downtown buildings through tax acquisition. When Luke Dyer became town manager after a long career in law enforcement, he was facing vacant storefronts, deteriorating build... more

Horry County, South Carolina has grown so fast that the median household can no longer afford the median home. Dylan Thompson has lived there his whole life, and he's running for county council because he thinks the people making decisions about that... more

Zoning reform matters, but Eric Kronberg says it is not enough on its own. Cities also need useful building types, realistic development math, better street design, thoughtful tax policy, and a clearer vision for what good neighborhoods can become. H... more

Before Strong Towns became a national movement, its ideas spread through conversations, conferences, friendships and people willing to make room for a difficult message. For Member Week, Norm talks with Founders Circle member Paddy Steinschneider abo... more

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Recent Guests

Taylor Lightman
Neighborhood revitalization coordinator; Planning Commission member in Lewisburg, PA
Lewisburg Borough / Lewisburg Neighborhoods and Elm Street Organization
Episode: Small‑Town Housing, Big Feelings
Evan Clark
Member of Strong Towns Lexington, local organizer
Strong Towns LexingtonVA
Episode: Students Who Got a Sidewalk Built in 14 Days
Natalie Eger
Member of Strong Towns Lexington, local organizer
Strong Towns LexingtonVA
Episode: Students Who Got a Sidewalk Built in 14 Days
Jonas Anderson
Mayor of Cave City, Arkansas
Cave City government
Episode: When a Tornado Hit Main Street
Alkarim Devani
Co-founder of Middle and RoundSquare; housing policy and development advocate
Middle and RoundSquare
Episode: The Missing Middle Has a Missing Industry
Shelby Wild Brown
Executive director of Route One Farmers Market
Route One Farmers Market (Lompoc, CA)
Episode: Rerun: Breaking Down Barriers to Local Food
Natalie Legras
Leader with Strong Towns PDX in Portland, Oregon
Strong Towns PDX
Episode: Walk Your Neighborhood Like Jane Jacobs
Bryan Kelly
Leader of Sheboygan Active Transportation, local advocate
Sheboygan Strong Towns Local Conversation Group / City of Sheboygan
Episode: Can Safer Streets Start With a Video Game?
Nick Dennis
Representative of Lancaster, Pennsylvania community in the Strongest Town Contest
Lancaster, Pennsylvania Community
Episode: Lancaster’s Locals, Newcomers, and Streets Working Together

Host

Tiffany Owens Reed
Co-host and host on The Bottom-Up Revolution; steers interview direction and audience engagement

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 147 ratings
  • Ad placement is unaccountably disruptive

    Always ironic to have someone mid-sentence on the importance of thoughtful design in the physical world only to be cut off entirely without warning for a strongtowns event ad, sich that one has no idea what the thought was by the time the podcast resumes. Please work on the design of the podcast itself. Five stars to support the work.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jo mama 2277
    United States2 months ago
  • A+

    New host is fantastic!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MonkeysInACan
    United States3 years ago
  • Great Podcast

    This podcast is super inspiring. Rachel is a fantastic interviewer, and the range of guests are fascinating.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    CateAVL
    United States4 years ago
  • More Personal Dive into Strong Towns

    Loving the format and the stories from people active in their communities.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Mdelesd1
    United States4 years ago
  • Such interesting comments conversations about grass roots projects

    Fascinating ground-up projects in so many communities. I’ve started following the work of several interviewees because the conversations were so compelling. Locally based projects can take so many forms!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    listeninglou
    United States4 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners note the show is actionable and inspirational for local change agents.
Feedback highlights the engaging host dynamic and grounding in real-world projects.
Helpful for sponsors: listeners value concrete, community-driven outcomes.
Audience appreciates the range of practical guest expertise and grassroots case studies.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Small‑Town Housing, Big Feelings
Q: What is the long-term outlook once these reforms are in place?
The reforms put Lewisburg on a trajectory to better accommodate housing needs, increase walkability, and preserve town character, with ADUs gradually adding housing capacity and parking rules becoming streamlined through ongoing enforcement and additional architectural plans to lower barriers for homeowners.
Small‑Town Housing, Big Feelings
Q: What were the biggest challenges in achieving consensus and implementing the changes?
The biggest challenges were navigating diverse viewpoints, ensuring parking rules didn't kill potential projects, and aligning multiple municipal actors. The team spent a year in public meetings, adapting the ordinance based on feedback, and ensuring enforcement would be feasible given limited staffing.
Small‑Town Housing, Big Feelings
Q: Can you walk us through how you found the right balance between growth, affordability, and maintaining the charm of Lewisburg?
We started by forming a cross-functional housing committee, researched best practices from other towns, and then tested ideas through consensus-based decision making. We focused on ADUs as a practical, lower-hurdle path to more housing, while tightening flood protections and avoiding student-specific rentals to keep the housing stock stable and accessible for permanent residents.
Students Who Got a Sidewalk Built in 14 Days
Q: What is it like leading a local conversation group and what impact have you seen so far?
They describe creating reliable, accessible meeting spaces, the value of a predictable schedule, and how consistent gatherings foster ongoing engagement and progress in local projects.
Listening Your Way Into Local Change
Q: How does Strong Towns support groups that are just getting started?
They advise starting with one neighbor or friend, leveraging the Local Conversation Leader course, and forming small, welcoming meetings while planning to expand leadership and formalize meeting spaces as the group grows.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
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Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Bottom-Up Revolution

What is The Bottom-Up Revolution about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Across recent episodes, the show centers on bottom-up, community-driven urbanism: practical tactics for rebuilding and strengthening towns through local action, small-scale placemaking, and incremental policy wins. Guests range from mayors and city activists to planners and neighborhood advocates, sharing concrete steps that communities can take to improve walkability, safety, housing, and local economies. A notable thread is the emphasis on inclusive, participatory processes—empowering residents to shape streets, markets, and public spaces with affordable, implementable changes rather than relying on top-down mandates. The format often features on-the-ground case studies, from small towns to mid-sized cities, highlighting how local network... more

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Which podcasts are similar to The Bottom-Up Revolution?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Bottom-Up Revolution:

1. The Strong Towns Podcast
2. Upzoned
3. The War on Cars
4. The Urbanist Agenda
5. The Messy City Podcast

How many episodes of The Bottom-Up Revolution are there?

The Bottom-Up Revolution launched 8 years ago and published 100 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Bottom-Up Revolution?

Recent guests on The Bottom-Up Revolution include:

1. Taylor Lightman
2. Evan Clark
3. Natalie Eger
4. Jonas Anderson
5. Alkarim Devani
6. Shelby Wild Brown
7. Natalie Legras
8. Bryan Kelly

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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