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The Strong Towns Podcast

Strong Towns
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
Public Engagement
Transportation Policy
Walkability
Property Tax
Opioid Epidemic

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes600Founded16 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Government

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Artwork for The Strong Towns Podcast

Latest Episodes

Pedestrian deaths have climbed sharply since 2009, yet transportation agencies often point to small, recent dips as proof that things are getting better. Beth Osborne, president and CEO of Smart Growth America, returns to the Strong Towns Podcast to ... more

Strong Towns has always warned cities about the danger of fragile growth. Now, Chuck is applying that same lesson to the movement he helped build. In this episode, Chuck explains why Strong Towns can no longer depend on everything landing on his desk... more

Lars Doucet digs into a problem that shows up in expensive cities, sprawling suburbs, and even countries Americans often point to as models: land. Monopoly, he argues, became frustrating by design because it captured something real about how land mar... more

Beth Osborne has watched the same story play out five times: a new federal transportation bill arrives with big language about goals and accountability, states adopt the right words, and nothing changes. Osborne, who led Transportation for America an... more

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Recent Guests

Beth Osborne
Transportation policy expert
Transportation for America (t4america.org)
Episode: Rethinking the Federal Role in Transportation
JB Pritzker
Governor of Illinois, proponent of BUILD initiative
Office of the Governor of Illinois
Episode: Illinois Housing Reform Gets Practical
Jake Auchincloss
U.S. Representative, Massachusetts 4th Congressional District
U.S. Congress
Episode: A Congressman Makes the Case for Local Power
Patrick Kennedy
Planner and urban designer, adjunct professor, champion of the Atlas of Inner-City Highway Impacts
Human Ecosystem / American Dream / SMU (Past)
Episode: How Inner City Highways Bankrupt Downtowns And How We Rebuild
Joshua Bandoch
Author of How to Get What You Want, Mastering the Art and Science of Persuasion
Self, Author
Episode: Why Persuasion Fails When You Lead With Data
Kevin Klinkenberg
Urban designer, planner and architect; executive director of Midtown KC Now; host of The Messy City Podcast
Midtown KC Now; The Messy City Podcast
Episode: Why Messy Cities Depend On People Who Take Action
Tony Dutzik
Associate Director, Senior Policy Analysis at the Frontier Group
Frontier Group
Episode: Gas Taxes, Freeways, And What Washington Should Fund Now
Jim Wunderman
Leader/Executive involved with California Forever
California Forever
Episode: Balancing Big Experiments And Neighborhood Fixes In California Housing
Geoff Cooper
Chief Executive of the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission
New Zealand Infrastructure Commission
Episode: Why Infrastructure Maintenance Might Be The Real Megaproject

Host

Chuck Marohn
Host of The Strong Towns Podcast

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 759 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 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 States2 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 States3 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 States3 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 States5 months ago
  • Continuing education for local elected

    I love everything strong towns does! As a local elected I have so much to learn, it is daunting. ST helps!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    UnicornAnonymousPerson
    United States10 months ago

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
#23
United States/Government
Apple Podcasts
#23
Canada/Government
Apple Podcasts
#163
United Kingdom/Government
Apple Podcasts
#65
Australia/Government
Apple Podcasts
#84
France/Government
Apple Podcasts
#109
Germany/Government

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Rethinking the Federal Role in Transportation
Q: Why do you think there is so little accountability for outcomes in the federal transportation program, despite all the rhetoric around safety and emissions?
The guest argues that the program's design distributes control to state DOTs and cycles through little incremental programs that create a facade of progress without addressing core outcomes, calling for clearer goals and performance measures.
Rethinking the Federal Role in Transportation
Q: Can you, just from your perspective, give us an overview of Transportation for America, Smart Growth America, and how that ecosystem exists today, and maybe a little bit of the evolution of it?
Beth Osborne explains the origins of the movement, how the focus has sharpened over time, and how complete streets and multimodal planning evolved from environmental roots into a more implementation‑driven, outcome‑oriented agenda.
From Service Cuts To Understanding City Insolvency
Q: How did you come to realize that cities might actually be insolvent?
It was a slow realization sparked by conversations with Norm VanEden-Petersman and reading about the growth Ponzi dynamics; the key insight was that the big picture flow of funds mattered more than any single budget line, which shifted the focus from isolated cuts to understanding the overall financial structure of a city.
How To Build Resilience in Struggling Rural Communities
Q: Can you talk about the consulting work that you do and how people can get a hold of you?
I work on my own book projects and columns on rural issues, and I also work as a messaging consultant in public affairs.
What is Happening With Strong Towns? Strategy Discussion and Q&A
Q: How do you envision Strong Towns as an effective mediator between city and real estate developers?
Strong Towns aims to facilitate conversations that empower developers to create solutions that align with community interests.

Audience Metrics

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

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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 Urbanist Agenda
4. The Bottom-Up Revolution
5. The Messy City Podcast

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. Beth Osborne
2. JB Pritzker
3. Jake Auchincloss
4. Patrick Kennedy
5. Joshua Bandoch
6. Kevin Klinkenberg
7. Tony Dutzik
8. Jim Wunderman

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