Hello, John.

 

 

At the end of last week, people began to protest stay-at-home orders. Chances are, there were demonstrations near your place. We're seeing tension between groups that want to extend home-stays and people who want to reopen the economy.

 

Today, founder Chuck Marohn writes to encourage empathy. 

 

If we could go back in time and try to get everyone on the same page ahead of this disaster, education would not change hearts. Building a system where more people can prosper might.

 

Our top-down style of development has left households, workers, local business owners, and others in your place without the financial stability to weather a month of reduced or eliminated income. It's left them vulnerable not just to the virus, but to the economic downturn it has heralded.

 

If our places are strong, we won't need to play catch-up when emergency strikes. People will have the resources they need to endure scarcity without facing personal ruin. We can't go back in time, but we can—and must—start building fiscal resilience in our places from the bottom up. 

 

Stay well, 

 

– Lauren at Strong Towns