The Bottom-Up Revolution

Strong Towns

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 power, and surviving the bumps along the way—all in the pursuit of creating stronger towns. Each episode features a Strong Towns advocate who is making positive change in their community.

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#300
Yesterday · 14 min
When Does Listening Become Taking Part?
For people trying to improve their towns, finding others who understand the struggle can make all the difference. Hearing how people elsewhere are approaching familiar challenges can give us new ideas for our own communities and a sense that we're part of something bigger. But what keeps people coming back to these conversations, and when does listening become taking part? In this special Member Week edition of Bottom-Up Shorts, Norm Van Eeden Petersman reflects on the responsibility we feel toward our towns and what it means to support this work together. If these conversations have been valuable to you, consider supporting Strong Towns directly by becoming a member here. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#299
Thursday · 44 min
A Vacant Bank Worth Fighting For
A filmmaker in Richmond, California, wrote a letter urging the owner of a vacant historic bank to do something with the building. To his surprise, the owner wrote back and offered to partner with him. Jayson Johnson, a self-taught filmmaker, now hopes to turn the property into a small film studio and community gathering place. But bringing the building back will require millions of dollars in repairs, and contractors have warned him to walk away. He's determined to continue, even as navigating city regulations proves more complicated than he ever expected. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Jayson Johnson (LinkedIn) Strike Five Films (Site) 530 Macdonald Avenue in Richmond (Site) Local Recommendations:‍ Masa Tamales CoBiz Richmond Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#298
November 3 · 17 min
14 Years of Seeing Strong Towns Grow
Fourteen years ago, Lindsey Meek found something in Strong Towns that helped make sense of her own experience designing subdivisions. A civil engineer by training and one of the movement's founding members, she's watched its ideas spread far beyond the people who first embraced them. Her involvement helped bring Strong Towns to Rochester, Minnesota, where speaking openly about development sometimes carried professional risks. Lindsey looks back on that experience and the encouragement she now finds in younger engineers who are willing to question conventional practices. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Lindsey Meek (LinkedIn) Can an Engineer Speak Out for Reform? (Article) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#297
October 29 · 43 min
Can a Coffee Truck Work Without Crowds?
What if a coffee truck could work with just a handful of customers in a neighborhood each morning? Juan Sanchez created Coffee in Your Community, a business built around serving small groups of customers in the same Raleigh-area neighborhoods every week. His compact coffee trucks bring a local coffee shop experience to places where a permanent storefront might struggle to survive. With just one barista and a quick setup, the trucks can serve relatively few customers and still make financial sense. They've quickly become familiar fixtures in the neighborhoods they serve, opening up possibilities for other small businesses to find customers in places they might otherwise overlook. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Juan Sanchez (LinkedIn) Coffee In Your Community (Site, Instagram) Local Recommendations:‍ Aija Eats Brewery Bhavana Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#296
October 27 · 21 min
What Horror Movies Reveal About Our Cities
A haunted apartment might sound terrifying, but what if the rent is too good to pass up? Filmmaker Allan Piper turned that idea into Evil Sublet, a horror comedy about a couple willing to live with ghosts for an affordable home. His next film, Highway Gothic, explores another familiar nightmare: being trapped in traffic with no way out. Both stories draw on the ways people feel stuck in everyday life, particularly when housing and transportation leave them with few good choices. Piper reflects on why horror is such a natural fit for these frustrations and what our fears reveal about the places we've built. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Allan Piper (LinkedIn, Instagram) eVil Sublet (Site) Highway Gothic (Site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#295
October 22 · 49 min
Why Changing Zoning Laws Isn't Enough
Massachusetts needs more housing, but getting permission to build it can take years, even when the zoning allows it. Housing advocate and researcher Jonathan Berk examined six projects for his report, Delayed by Design, to understand why so many housing developments struggle to move forward. He found that lengthy permitting processes can saddle developers with costly requirements and years of uncertainty, making even modest projects difficult to pursue. Even if Massachusetts succeeds in reforming its zoning laws, Berk's findings suggest that the permitting system could prevent much of that housing from ever being built. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Jonathan Berk (LinkedIn) re:MAIN (Site) Delayed By Design Report(Site) Local Recommendations:‍ Notch Brewing Lulu's Bakery Coffee Time Bake Shop Maitland Farm, Kitchen, and Spirits Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#294
October 20 · 20 min
The $96 Million Plan for Nine Blocks
What started as a temporary COVID closure on State Street has turned into a years-long debate over what the street should become. Sully Israel, leader of Strong Towns Santa Barbara, has watched outdoor dining, biking, and public life take over space that once belonged to cars as the city considers making the change permanent. The permanent redesign would cost $96 million for nine blocks, with roughly half of that going toward stormwater and utility work. For Strong Towns Santa Barbara, that creates an unusual tension between its usual small-bets approach and a project that may justify major investment. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Sully Israel (LinkedIn) Strong Towns Santa Barbara (Site) Fixing Traffic & Unlocking Housing: A New Vision for Los Angeles (Report) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#293
October 15 · 46 min
The Experiment to Meet People Next Door
The people closest to your home are often the people you know the least. Samira Reyes, a physician and creator of Samira Unscripted, wanted to see whether a low-pressure experiment could make that gap easier to cross. She invited neighbors into a group chat for small, practical help, and 16 people joined after she left 40 notes. Now she’s testing the idea with hundreds more people to see what actually helps strangers take that first step toward knowing the people next door. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Samira Unscripted (Site, Instagram) Waitlist for Neighborhood Experiment Toolkit (Site) Local Recommendations:‍ Saint's Café Palo Tapas Bar Existential Thread Co Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#292
October 13 · 17 min
Can You Run a Town in This Board Game?
The decisions that look simple at the start of a board game can become the problems you spend the rest of it trying to solve. Nick Shrag, a video game programmer and board-game designer, built 'People Live Here' around two players sharing responsibility for the same town. One manages local government finances and development, while the other represents the community and the way people move through what gets built. Players have to work together as roads expand, highway subsidies shape development, and earlier decisions keep narrowing the options available later. Shrag is interested in games that do more than entertain as they can help people understand how real systems behave once those choices start piling up. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Nick Schrag (LinkedIn) Bugs & Bicycles by Sarah Rose (Site) Microlandia (Game) Join the play test here (Strong Towns Commons) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#291
October 8 · 50 min
What If a House Took Five Weeks to Build?
A house can take years to plan and build, but Andy Dragt and his wife can finish one in about five weeks. Norm Van Eeden Petersman joins Firefly Tiny Homes founder Andy Dragt, whose work has moved far beyond the tiny-house lifestyle people often see on HGTV or social media. Built for permanent living and movable when circumstances change, these homes can serve as a starter home while giving people more flexibility about where that home sits over time. They offer something the housing system has struggled to produce: a small, attainable home for people trying to get started. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Andry Dragt (LinkedIn) Firefly Tiny Homes (Site, Instagram, Start Smaller YouTube) This Tiny Backyard Home Cost $600,000 Upzoned Episode (Podcast) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#290
October 6 · 21 min
A Highway Fight Built on Learning and Doing
Allendale had already lost much of its population after one freeway cut through the neighborhood, and another highway project threatened to deepen the damage. Planner and architect Kim Mitchell first came into the fight thinking his professional role was to bring answers, but listening to residents changed how he understood the work. In 2012, he helped form a “learning and doing” group that still meets more than a decade later, building trust and civic capacity through repeated action. More than a decade later, Mitchell sees the trust and civic capacity built through that process as inseparable from the neighborhood’s continued ability to organize. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Kim Mitchell (LinkedIn) Strategic Doing (Site) Shreveport's Highway Emperors’ New Clothes (Article) Why Does The U.S. Destroy Its Cities For Highways? by Strong Towns (YouTube Video) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#289
October 1 · 39 min
Why Are Memphis Streets So Dangerous?
Memphis is the deadliest metro area in the country for people walking, with 5.5 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 residents. Sheridan Harris nearly lost her life in a hit-and-run while training for a triathlon three years ago, and she is still working toward getting back to the riding she loved before the crash. Since then, she has become part of My Green Line Project, which is collecting firsthand accounts from dangerous crossings across Memphis, including places residents say have needed attention for years. Her own intersection still has not been changed, but My Green Line Project keeps doing the work anyway, gathering residents’ stories and pressing for safer crossings whether officials recognize the problem or not. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Sheridan Harris (LinkedIn) Local Recommendations:‍ Novel Muddy's Bake Shop Whitney Winkler Art Studio & Shop Blue Suede Vintage Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#288
September 29 · 18 min
What If Getting Involved Locally Was Actually Fun?
Getting involved in your city doesn’t have to feel like homework. Margaret Allen works at a bank and is part of Strong Des Moines, where meetings feel less like formal civic duty and more like a group of people genuinely excited about figuring things out together. That atmosphere has pulled her deeper into city budgets, council meetings, and conversations she once would have tuned out. It has also made the group more willing to borrow good ideas from elsewhere, including Strong Towns Chicago’s improv series, as they find their own ways to make local issues easier to talk about and more fun to be part of. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Strong Towns Des Moines (Site, Instagram, LinkedIn) Find a Local Conversation near you (Site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#287
September 24 · 44 min
The ADUs Built for Multigenerational Living
A small house in the backyard can solve a housing problem that changes several times over the life of a family. It might first give an aging parent a place nearby, then become a home for an adult child, a rental, or eventually a place for the homeowners themselves. Bradley Jones, founder of Tiny Homes of Tucson, has seen that flexibility become one of the biggest reasons families decide to build ADUs. In central Tucson, many older homes sit on deep lots with little more than dirt, a cactus, and room to spare, which gives families a chance to turn unused backyard space into housing that can keep adapting as their needs change. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Bradley Jones (LinkedIn) Tiny Homes of Tucson (Site, Instagram, YouTube) Local Recommendations:‍ Saguaro National Park Mount Lemmon Desert Museum Tombstone Amelia's Wildflower Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#286
September 22 · 19 min
New Zealand’s Urban Nerds Start at the Pub
Daniel Basubas thought New Zealand would feel very different from the sprawling Southern California communities where he grew up. Instead, he found many of the same development patterns and many of the same arguments over parking, bike lanes, and who streets are for. In Dunedin, he now helps lead the Urbanerds Ōtepoti Dunedin, a Strong Towns Local Conversation that meets at the local pub. The group gives people a low-pressure way to talk through those issues, meet others who care about the city, and get more comfortable participating in local decisions, whether that means commenting on a council plan or speaking at a public meeting. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Daniel Basubas (LinkedIn) Find a Local Conversation near you (Site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#285
September 17 · 44 min
What If Vacant Lots Became Farms?
A lot in Fairfax, Virginia, sat empty for 25 years, long enough that neighbors barely noticed it anymore. Oren Falkowitz, founder of Area 2 Farms, sees places like that as potential farms. He joins urban planner Jeffery Tompkins to talk about bringing food production back into neighborhoods using vacant lots, overlooked buildings, and other spaces conventional development often passes over. Their Urban Farms Toolkit tackles one of the biggest obstacles: zoning rules written for a very different kind of agriculture. For vacant parcels that may never attract conventional development, a farm can give the land a role in the neighborhood again. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Oren Falkowitz (LinkedIn), Area 2 Farms (Site) Jeffery Tompkins (LinkedIn), Proformus (Site), Thinking Big By Thinking Small (Substack) Urban Farms Toolkit (Site) Local Recommendations:‍ Natural State Provisions Wonderland Books Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#284
September 15 · 18 min
The Floating Neighborhoods Coming to North America
Floating homes are already common in parts of Europe, and Jeff Kraatz thinks North American cities could use the same idea to create entirely new neighborhoods on the water. The founder of Floating Towns explains what it actually takes to move beyond a few individual houseboats and build a community of 50 or 60 homes. The homes may float, but the harder work still happens on land: planning, approvals, infrastructure, affordability, and getting local leaders on board. With miles of waterfront sitting largely unused, Kraatz sees room for cities to grow in a direction they rarely consider. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Jeff Kraatz (LinkedIn) Floating Town (Site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#283
September 10 · 42 min
The Missing Ingredient in Great Placemaking
A developer can check every box for parks and shared spaces and still create a place nobody wants to spend time in. Colby Cox has seen stormwater ponds, tiny playgrounds, and generic amenity packages counted as community space even when they do very little to bring different people together or give them a reason to stay. Norm Van Eeden Petersman talks with the Convergence Communities founder about what changes when those spaces are designed around actual human activity: kids playing, teenagers hanging out, people eating, exercising, gathering, and simply being around one another. A park can occupy the right number of acres, but what makes it feel alive enough that people actually choose to be there? ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Colby Cox (LinkedIn) Convergence Communities (Site) The Granary (Site) Dogfish Brewery (Site) Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#282
September 8 · 16 min
The Goldilocks Problem Behind City Taxes
When Calgary’s main water feeder line broke for the second time in two years, Nathan Hawryluk decided he needed to get more involved. He already had an unusual view of the city’s finances as a planning commissioner, where questions about new neighborhoods and the infrastructure needed to support them regularly cross his desk. Norm talks with Nathan about the “bad Goldilocks spot” behind those numbers, where the city’s obligations and the revenue available to meet them have drifted apart. As Nathan puts it, “Our taxes are too high for people to pay comfortably and too low to actually do the job.” ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES The Commons (Site) Strong Towns Calgary (Site) "I got put on a committee... now what?" Office Hours with John Reuter Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here. This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.
#281
September 3 · 42 min
The Co-Living Exchange Pairing Students and Seniors
What if an extra bedroom could make housing more affordable for a student while helping an older adult stay in their home? Alison Donnally founded Joey Co. to pair students looking for housing with older adults who have space to spare and could use help with everyday tasks. Students pay rent, earn money back through agreed-upon work, and gain a different kind of connection to the community around them. Donnally talks about what makes these matches work, why home sharing is still unusual in the U.S., and what this model reveals about how many housing options we’ve left off the table. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Alison Donnally (LinkedIn) Joey Co (Site) Local Recommendations:‍ Sol Food Pollo Tropical Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram) Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.

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