Charles Marohn

Yield Sign

Strong Towns Takes Licensing Challenges to Court

For a second time, Charles Marohn is facing a challenge from the engineering profession over his work as the founder of the popular advocacy organization Strong Towns. This time, Marohn and Strong Towns are pushing back.

May 25, 2021 - Strong Towns

Phoenix is Crane City

Is Population Growth Worth Fixating On?

While mayors of shrinking cities do all they can to buoy a discouraging metric, others ask whether population growth is all it's cracked up to be.

October 17, 2017 - Governing

Rent

All We Need to Do: Call BS

Ben Brown calls BS on a number of city planning and gentrification points.

May 25, 2017 - PlaceShakers

Cul-de-Sac

On the Municipal Balance Sheet, Central Districts Look Good

Charles Marohn analyzes Lafayette, Louisiana for how well (or poorly) its districts measure up in terms of infrastructure investment versus tax revenues. The results are telling.

February 1, 2017 - Strong Towns

Road Construction

Op-Ed: On the Pitfalls of Federal Spending

Charles Marohn of Strong Towns makes the case that whoever's in the White House, simply increasing federal spending on infrastructure isn't the wisest move.

January 19, 2017 - Strong Towns

Stroading

Charles Marohn: Not Your Typical Urbanist

From his home in Brainerd, Minnesota (population 13,500), this fiscally conservative engineer leads a growing movement. His slow-and-steady approach to urban development has real bipartisan appeal.

December 10, 2015 - MinnPost

Marohn Debates O'Toole

Charles Marohn, known as a reformed traffic engineer that launched Strong Towns, recently debated Randall O'Toole, known as the anti-planner. Recommended for understanding the conflicts that arise on the right side of the political spectrum.

September 17, 2015 - Strong Towns

Governing Profiles Charles Marohn's Message on Transportation Funding

An article for Governing profiles the method and message of Charles Marohn, known to Planetizen readers as the name behind the Strong Towns blog.

June 15, 2015 - Governing

Bipartisan

Talkin' Right, Leanin' Left: The 'New Consurbanism'?

If we remove our ideological blinders, we might notice that the traditional city serves the interests of both the Left and the Right. Common ground, literally and figuratively. Ben Brown explores.

January 12, 2015 - PlaceShakers

#BlackFridayParking Exposes that Empty Feeling

In the most recent iteration of the annual event, social media users around the country submitted images of empty parking lots in front of retail centers on the busiest shopping day of the year.

December 2, 2014 - Strong Towns

South Mall Parking Lot

Exposing Black Friday's Parking Perversion

Parking lots across the U.S. are designed to accommodate the crowds of cars participating in the busiest shopping day of the year. By asking his readers to capture images of underutilized lots last Friday, Chuck Marohn set out to expose the fallacy.

December 2, 2013 - Strong Towns

Infrastructure: By-Passing Tomorrow for Easy Implementation Today

We solve problems with over-engineered, anti-urban infrastructure schemes even though we have no plan for funding their future maintenance obligations. Howard Blackson uses San Diego as an example, and offers up some pedestrian-oriented solutions.

February 19, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Placemaking Wishes for 2013

Like a lot of people, Placeshakers is kicking off the new year with a list: placemaking wishes for 2013. Read on for seven trending ideas they hope break large.

January 4, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Innovation when Good Planning Policy Has Become the Norm

Scott Doyon argues for a stripped-down, back-to-basics 'punk rock' approach to urban growth and development to replace the 'rock and roll' excesses of planning during the housing boom; and he profiles the new innovators who are doing just that.

February 5, 2012 - PlaceShakers

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