The Strong Towns Podcast

Strong Towns

Urban Planning

Urban Development

Community Engagement

Affordable Housing

Housing Crisis

Infrastructure

Transportation

Local Government

Community Development

Housing Affordability

Housing Market

Housing

Strong Towns Movement

Sprawl

Highway Trust Fund

Public Engagement

Transportation Policy

Walkability

Property Tax

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 ... more

765 ratings

Publishes	Weekly	Episodes	600	Founded	16 years ago
Number of Listeners		Category	Government

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Latest Episodes

The $1 Trillion Infrastructure Backlog Cities Aren’t Counting

A strong bond rating can tell investors that a city is likely to repay its debt. It says much less about whether that city can afford to replace the roads, pipes, and other infrastructure its residents depend on. Richard Ciccarone, president emeritus... more

Yesterday • 1 hr 5 min

This Atlanta Corridor Makes Walking Normal and Deadly

Atlanta’s Buford Highway supports apartment communities, small businesses, and an international food scene that draws people from across the region. It also carries six to eight lanes of fast traffic, and drivers use it as an alternate route when nea... more

3 Aug 2026 • 49 min

America’s Half-Funded Highway System

The Highway Trust Fund brings in roughly $45 billion a year and spends closer to $80 billion. Congress keeps the system running by borrowing the difference and moving that money into a program still treated as if road users fully fund it. Rebecca Hig... more

27 Jul 2026 • 52 min • Most popular

A Better Block Versus Years of Planning

Cities often spend years studying a street before making a change, only to discover that the public is reacting to plans no one has actually experienced. Krista Nightengale, executive director of Better Block, explains another approach: build a tempo... more

20 Jul 2026 • 56 min

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Recent Guests

Rebecca Serna

Executive Director at Propel ATL

Propel ATL

Episode: This Atlanta Corridor Makes Walking Normal and Deadly

Sagirah Jones

Program Director at Propel ATL

Propel ATL

Episode: This Atlanta Corridor Makes Walking Normal and Deadly

Rebecca Higgins

Vice President of Policy at The Eno Center for Transportation

Eno Center for Transportation

Episode: America’s Half-Funded Highway System

Krista Nightengale

Executive Director of the Better Block

Better Block

Episode: A Better Block Versus Years of Planning

Jarrett Walker

Author of Human Transit; transit expert

Jarrett Walker & Associates

Episode: The Transit Tradeoff No City Can Escape

Victor Dover

Co-founder of Dover, Kohl and Partners Town Planning

Dover, Kohl and Partners Town Planning

Episode: Why Great Streets Are Not Enhancements

John Reuter

Executive Director of Strong Towns

Strong Towns

Episode: Inside the Strong Towns Leadership Transition

Lars Doucet

Policy analyst and writer focused on land value taxation; Data and Research at the Center of Land Economics

Center of Land Economics

Episode: What's the Housing Crisis Beneath the Housing Crisis?

Beth Osborne

Transportation policy expert

Transportation for America (t4america.org)

Episode: Rethinking the Federal Role in Transportation

Host

Chuck Marohn

Host of The Strong Towns Podcast

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 765 ratings

3:19 minutes in and you lost a Long time listener
Rep. Jake Auchincloss was given your forum to talk about a governor telling the president to go pound sand. Did he mean crooked and wasteful Minnesota? California? Where Billions earmarked to help people are lost in fraud because the locals are part of the fraud?
How dare you destroy the small towns program by allowing this unfocused fool a platform!
Republicans brought the power to small government in the 80s and 90s but we’ve seen in the last 20 years state and local governments abuse th... more
Apple Podcasts
1
Future-is-bright
United States2 months ago
3:19 minutes in and you lost a Long time listener
Rep. Jake Auchincloss was given your forum to talk about a governor telling the president to go pound sand. Did he mean crooked and wasteful Minnesota? California? Where Billions earmarked to help people are lost in fraud because the locals are part of the fraud? How dare you destroy your program by allowing this baloney! Republicans brought the power to small government in the 80s and 90s but we’ve seen in the last 20 years state and local governments abuse the federal trust. Local and state ... more
Apple Podcasts
1
Future-is-bright
United States3 months ago
Christopher
Incredible content every time! Anyone who loves their city and wants to see it succeed, needs to follow Strong Towns!
Apple Podcasts
5
ISUandU
United States4 months ago
Intro and outro suck a star
I love everything about this podcast (almost) but I can’t stand the intro and outro. The worst part is the random screaming people. Chuck is so able to see so many things but then he adds screaming people randomly to the podcast. Why? 😱
Apple Podcasts
4
Pagan Poetry
United States4 months ago
Less Chuck Please
Good podcast if you want to listen to a middle age white man talk about himself. Used to be much better. Please let the other Strong Towns staff takeover all of the podcasts.
Apple Podcasts
1
Bikes are cool
United States7 months ago

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Listeners Say

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

Audience notes occasional bias criticisms but overall values nuanced debate and actionable insights.

Listeners value practical takeaways for local governance and urban improvement.

Some reviews call for broader perspectives and better audio production, but content is consistently informative.

Thoughtful, data-driven conversations on local policy and infrastructure.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#26	United States/Government
Apple Podcasts	#72	Canada/Government
Apple Podcasts	#239	United Kingdom/Government
Apple Podcasts	#45	Australia/Government
Apple Podcasts	#104	Germany/Government
Apple Podcasts	#230	Italy/Government

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

This Atlanta Corridor Makes Walking Normal and Deadly

Q: Describe Buford Highway for listeners unfamiliar with the corridor.

Rebecca and Sagirah describe Buford Highway as a six-to-eight lane state route with high speeds, rough shoulders, no sidewalks in many places, and a design that treats it like a highway through dense immigrant communities, creating dangerous conditions for pedestrians and transit users.

America’s Half-Funded Highway System

Q: What is your view on devolving transportation funding to states as the most likely future outcome, and what would that entail for federal functions?

Devolution could leave essential federal functions in place—such as interstate coordination, certain regulatory activities, and post roads—while transferring asset ownership and funding decisions to states. It could increase flexibility and state experimentation but would require hard conversations about standards, equity, and national priorities.

America’s Half-Funded Highway System

Q: What were the key outcomes of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in terms of funding levels and program goals, and how did that interact with existing Highway Trust Fund dynamics?

IIJA increased funding and aimed to maintain elevated program levels, but the scale of expansion exposed limitations in implementation and in sustaining those levels. While some components (like rail and bridges) benefited, other areas (like EV charging) faced challenges due to state readiness and operational design, underscoring the complexity of translating funding into outcomes.

America’s Half-Funded Highway System

Q: You described the core goal of the Highway Trust Fund not as a strategic plan but as a mechanism to continue existing funding. What would be the implications if we tried to maintain current spending levels without expanding revenue or borrowing?

Maintaining current spending with flat revenues would require hard choices about what to fund and how quickly, likely squeezing both highways and transit. It would also force a reexamination of the federal role, potentially leading to prioritization of essential projects and could necessitate reforming how funds are allocated across programs.

A Better Block Versus Years of Planning

Q: Can you give everybody the elevator pitch for Better Block?

Better Block is an urban design nonprofit that works with neighbors to quickly test, learn from, and demonstrate street and public-space ideas on a single block, using temporary installations to generate real-world data, build community momentum, and gain permission for longer-term improvements.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Strong Towns Podcast

What is The Strong Towns Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful deep-dive into how cities grow, fund, and govern themselves, with a focus on local empowerment, street-level economics, and pragmatic infrastructure reform. Episodes frequently center on localism, transportation policy, housing affordability, and the financial mechanisms that sustain or strain urban and rural communities. Guests range from elected officials and planners to urban-finance thinkers, offering data-driven critiques, realistic pathways for rebuilding urban cores, and practical advice for advocates seeking incremental change without abandoning bigger-picture priorities. The show is notable for its willingness to challenge conventional wisdom with nuanced arguments, a strong emphasis on bottom-up resilience, and a habi... more

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Which podcasts are similar to The Strong Towns Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Strong Towns Podcast:

1. Upzoned
2. The War on Cars
3. The Bottom-Up Revolution
4. The Messy City Podcast
5. The Ezra Klein Show

How many episodes of The Strong Towns Podcast are there?

The Strong Towns Podcast launched 16 years ago and published 600 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 Strong Towns Podcast?

Recent guests on The Strong Towns Podcast include:

1. Rebecca Serna
2. Sagirah Jones
3. Rebecca Higgins
4. Krista Nightengale
5. Jarrett Walker
6. Victor Dover
7. John Reuter
8. Lars Doucet

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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