Greetings John,

 

Wow! What a fantastic week. I want to welcome our newest members and thank them for joining the movement: Ulysses Torassa, Tee Iseminger, Matthew Latch, Louisa Brinsmade, John Olson, Hartley Grims, Brooke Keljnot and Brenda Juarez.

 

Thank you for helping us share this message with others, helping us spread prosperity by building more strong towns!

 

Huge response to our announcement on the Strongest Town Conference and Celebration in Pensacola. If you're thinking of going, you might want to act fast. More information here.

 

And if you're pondering entering the Strongest Town competition this year, the deadline is this Sunday. We're excited to roll out the 2020 brackets. Get your submission in here. 

 

Here's our top posts from the week.

 

1. How We Crowd Out the Best Local Investments

by Charles Marohn | February 17, 2020

 

The Strong Towns approach to public investment is part of an overall strategy of shifting our local energy from chasing the next project to building real wealth.

 

2. Walkable? Check. Urban? Check. Rural? Also Check.

by Daniel Herriges | February 17, 2020

 

Compact development isn’t just for big cities. Some of the best walkable urbanism in the world is in the smallest towns. And embracing this is the key to enjoying the best of both worlds: urban and rural.

 

3. Closing the Doors on a "Bad Party" in Lake Wylie, South Carolina

by Strong Towns | February 19, 2020

 

A town in South Carolina just banned all new growth. The Upzoned podcast returns with a look at the challenges facing exurbs that can’t afford the growth they worked so hard to achieve.

 

4. Is Lexington Turning Against Infill?

by Nolan Gray | February 18, 2020

 

With horizontal growth hemmed in by an urban growth boundary and infill growth capped by inherited land-use regulations, Lexington seems headed toward a housing affordability crisis. It’s not too late to change course, but time is running out.

 

5. Tim Carney: “Alienated America” and the Rise of Populism

by Strong Towns | February 17, 2020

 

What do walkable neighborhoods and church attendance have to do with the surprising ascendance of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election? More than you might think...and maybe different than you might think, too.

 

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Have a great weekend. We'll see you back here on Monday. Keep doing what you can to make your place stronger.

 

-Chuck