Is America on the path to experiencing a small-town revival? A recent article by James Kunstler posits that, especially in the wake of COVID-19, we have entered into "an era of stark economic contraction that will change the terms of daily life in America." One major such change would be that our living arrangements will shift from focusing around big cities and suburbs back to small towns.
We live in a society where the tendency is to scale up more and more; we’re going from the Walmart economy to the Amazon economy, which is likely a larger scale than we ever envisioned, and this would seem to be the total opposite of Kunstler’s thesis. How would his suggested “scaling down” happen, and would it be a rapid change or something that will follow the Amazon age—or is it perhaps something that will happen as a part of the Amazon age?
This week on Upzoned, host Abby Kinney is joined by Strong Towns president Chuck Marohn as they "upzone" these questions—i.e., they look at them through the Strong Towns lens. They dive into the reasons why Kunstler suggests we might be facing an economic collapse (not quite as an apocalyptic event as the word “collapse” might imply), and they discuss the allure of small towns, especially in regards to quality of life.
Then in the downzone, Chuck shares some exciting extraterrestrial news, and Abby is starting a thriving seed collection.
Cincinnati Pledges $200K in Funding for Popular Bikeshare Service
Department of Justice Opens Criminal Investigation Into “Housing Cartel”
Inside the Notorious Gridlock of Colorado's I-70
“Redesigning” Cincinnati With the Connected Communities Plan
Our Financial System Favors Large-Scale Development…but at What Cost?
Traffic Deaths Now Exceed the Number of Homicides in LA. This Initiative Aims To Change That.
$350 Million Mixed-Use Development Presents a "Huge Opportunity" for South Bend, IN
Could this New Approach to Public Housing Actually Work?
Parking Minimums Might Be on the Way Out in Dallas
Coming Back Down to Earth After a “Next-Level” Downtown Revitalization
Today’s Generation of Families Are “Disillusioned” by Suburbia
Millennials Are Fleeing Cities in Favor of the Exurbs
Ryan Johnson: Builder of the First Car-Free Neighborhood Made From Scratch in the U.S.
Transportation Meltdown: Children on the School Bus Till 10 p.m.
Is Affordable Housing Possible Under Current Zoning Laws?
Arizona Pushes for Suburban and Rural Development, Despite Dwindling Water Supply
Atlanta’s New Idea To Address Their Housing Crisis
The Invisible Reason for High Housing Prices: Restrictive Land-Use Regulations
Why Can’t We Have the “Perfect” Neighborhood?
Behind the Scenes at the Strong Towns National Gathering
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Social Dallas Podcast
Change Church Podcast
Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon
Nonprofits Are Messy: Lessons in Leadership | Fundraising | Board Development | Communications
Beyond the Rodeo