Welcome to March, John.

 

You're likely to hear a lot about black swans this week. As the financial markets gyrate, we'll be told how nobody could have seen this coming. Yet, just like 2008, that's clearly not true.

 

I didn't call the housing market crash, but neither was I surprised by it. Working in the city-building trenches, it was clear that something was very wrong. I was telling the communities I worked with to prepare.

 

We've been saying the same thing for years here at Strong Towns. If you repeatedly drive over a bridge you know to be old and rickety, it’s not a black swan when the bridge finally collapses.

 

As I write today in my Monday post, Market Correction Time:

 

"Our economy is brutally fragile because it’s comprised of cities that are brutally fragile, the wealth of our places long stripped out in service of national, short-term growth objectives."

 

There are ways to make our financial markets stronger and more resilient. They begin with making our neighborhoods stronger and more resilient.

 

You have an important role to play in that. Let's make this the week our community gives up on living the illusion of wealth and shifts to a Strong Towns approach.

 

Seize the day!

 

Chuck Marohn

Founder and President of Strong Towns