Why Take the Deep Dive?
Learning more about these ideas helps you spot the common-sense ways to keep Kingsville the kind of place we’re all proud to call home. You’ll see how small, smart projects can keep our downtown lively and our local businesses thriving without needing to stretch our town budget too thin. It’s about making sure our community stays affordable and strong so the next generation can actually afford to stay here, too.
🚀 Start Here
Strong Towns 101 is a straightforward look at how we can keep Kingsville a great, affordable place to live by focusing on small, smart improvements that build real value for our community over the long haul.
📚 Books: The “Big Three” and Beyond
If you haven’t read the official trilogy, start there. They move from theory to specific technical reforms.
- The Strong Towns Trilogy by Charles Marohn:
- Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity (The Manifesto)
- Confessions of a Recovering Engineer (The Transportation Guide)
- The Housing Trap (The Fiscal/Housing Guide)
- Walkable City by Jeff Speck: This is the “how-to” for making streets actually work for people. It’s highly readable and professional.
- The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup: It’s a tome, but understanding “Shoupism” is essential for fixing the fiscal holes in your city.
- Tactical Urbanism by Mike Lydon and Anthony Garcia: For when you’re tired of waiting for the city council and want to start with some orange cones and paint.
📰 Essential Articles
The Strong Towns blog has thousands of posts, but these “Deep Dives” are essential for post-101 advocates:
- 6 Principles for Building a Strong Town: These guide everything we do.
- The Real Reason Your City Has No Money: A breakdown of the “Value per Acre” analysis using the famous “Taco John’s vs. Old Block” comparison.
- The 4-Step Process for Public Investment: This is the most practical framework for any local advocate or city official.
- Poor Neighborhoods Make the Best Investments: A look at where the math actually supports growth.
🎙️ Podcasts & Videos
- The Strong Towns Podcast: Hosted by Chuck Marohn. Look for the “Upzoned” series for weekly news deep dives.
- YouTube: *Not Just Bikes: The “Strong Towns” series is legendary, but his videos on “Stroads” and “The Best Way to Build a City” are mandatory viewing.
- City Beautiful: Great for the technical “why” behind zoning and transit design.