Upzoned — “5 Ways Ordinary People Are Making Their Places Stronger”
Podcast: Upzoned by Strong Towns
Host: Abby Newsham
Guests: Carly Almabar (Chief of Staff, Strong Towns), John Reuter (Advisory Board Member)
Date: November 12, 2025
Overview
This special episode of Upzoned spotlights inspiring “member wins” from Strong Towns advocates around North America—stories where ordinary people are making small but powerful changes to strengthen their communities. Instead of dissecting a single news article, host Abby Newsham, alongside guests Carly Almabar and John Reuter, explore several impactful examples of grassroots action, reflective policy changes, and creative placemaking, all rooted in the Strong Towns ethos of incrementalism and civic participation.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Taking Action Beyond Policy — San Diego’s Red Curb Project
[04:56 - 11:42]
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Story: Members of Strong Towns San Diego addressed confusion surrounding a new law prohibiting parking near intersections, which was little publicized and resulted in numerous tickets. Recognizing the lack of city resources for outreach or signage, volunteers took matters into their own hands by painting curbs red with chalk to visually signal the new no-parking zones.
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Insights:
- Community activism can bridge the gap between policy intent and practical implementation.
- Dopting a “meet your government halfway” attitude, rather than adopting a solely adversarial stance, fosters collective success.
“The end of the story is not when a law is passed… it’s the actual human experience.”
— John Reuter [07:32]"A lot of times citizens will just think that government happens to them… this is a reflection on us as a community."
— Carly Almabar [09:23]
2. Incremental Development That’s Personal — Monty Anderson’s Roommate House
[12:17 - 21:18]
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Story: Developer and Strong Towns hero Monty Anderson, recently featured in the New York Times, showcased his practical approach to increasing density by converting a single-family house into four “roommate house” units—each independent but technically connected to meet code. Anderson himself lives in one unit, underscoring his philosophy of designing for end-users.
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Insights:
- Real solutions often work within, not just against, existing rules.
- Developers embedded in their neighborhoods bring accountability and personal investment to their projects.
- Sharing and adapting ideas without "gatekeeping" accelerates positive change.
“Monty has done this in his projects for decades… he himself goes and experiences it.”
— John Reuter [13:54]“He really does design his projects as if he is the end user… that’s very valuable.”
— Abby Newsham [16:30]"There are also creative people that aspire to do interesting things. For people to look up to Monty and see what he's done… you can at least see that there's somebody thinking about development in a different way."
— Abby Newsham [19:13]
3. Removing Barriers to Access — Langley, BC’s Baffle Gates
[21:24 - 27:39]
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Story: Inspired by usability concerns, Strong Towns Langley championed the removal of “baffle” or “maze” gates on local trails—structures that hindered accessibility for wheelchairs, bikes, and strollers. Through outreach and advocacy, they secured council approval to remove the gates, improving daily accessibility.
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Insights:
- Community improvement doesn’t require heroic-scale projects; focusing on small, tangible wins builds local momentum.
- Sometimes the best solution is subtractive, not additive (“subtractive urbanism”).
"Success breeds success… people like to be a part of something that is seeing progress and seeing wins."
— Carly Almabar [23:20]“It’s not always about what we build. Sometimes it’s about subtraction.”
— John Reuter [25:50]
4. The Power of Community-Led Design — Bloomington, IL’s Charrette Process
[27:39 - 36:04]
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Story: In Bloomington (Blono), Illinois, Strong Towns members conducted their own design charrette—a collaborative, grassroots workshop—to develop alternatives to a planned demolition and parking lot conversion in downtown. They presented these community-generated visions to city council as a counterproposal.
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Insights:
- Community-led charrettes can unleash creativity and consensus, frequently producing better outcomes than consultant-driven processes.
- Inclusive, playful design thinking is accessible at any scale—from your front porch to a neighborhood block.
“So much… politics is the art of the possible. But our job is often to expand what’s possible.”—
John Reuter [30:23]“You don’t really need to ask super complicated questions… you can do it through some very simple prompts and get a lot of information out of it.”
— Abby Newsham [34:03]
5. Challenging Hidden Obstacles — Ending Parking Minimums
[37:32 - 43:08]
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Story: Reuter reflects on the transformative power of eliminating parking minimum regulations, a core Strong Towns campaign. In his own town of Sandpoint, ID, doing so unlocked small business expansion and reduced unnecessary costs, highlighting the tangible impact of seemingly technical zoning reforms.
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Insights:
- Parking minimums are a persistent, structural barrier to thriving communities; removing them enables organic development and supports local entrepreneurship.
- Simple changes can have outsized, cascading benefits for urban vitality.
“The opposite of place is parking… there’s just nothing going on. It just interrupts our human connection to one another.”
— John Reuter [39:12]“Every time I talk about parking minimums from now on, I’m going to use the phrase John uses: requiring people to build empty space.”
— Carly Almabar [40:52]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Participatory Democracy:
“Democracy is not just about elections. It’s about an ongoing process. And it’s not just about public hearings. It’s about participation.”
— John Reuter [10:35] -
On Sharing and Adapting Ideas:
“In Strong Towns… it’s so important we don’t gatekeep ideas. We share them, allow people to adapt them.”
— Abby Newsham [19:13] -
On Subtractive Urbanism:
“There’s probably a whole list of things that really just need to go away in our cities.”
— Abby Newsham [27:39] -
On Being Open to New Solutions:
“Figure out what can we play with together, where can we be creative together, what’s in our range of activity, what can we explore together and actually improve just a little bit.”
— John Reuter [32:33] -
Personal Testimony Embedded in Advocacy:
“You can almost see the history of the community through the housing.”
— Carly Almabar [54:44]
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Time | Topic / Segment | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 00:49 | Show introduction and episode overview | | 04:56 | San Diego’s curb painting & community implementation | | 12:17 | Monty Anderson’s “Roommate House” and incremental dev | | 21:24 | Removing baffle gates in Langley, BC | | 27:39 | Community charrette in Bloomington, IL | | 37:32 | Ending parking minimums and local experience | | 44:10 | “Downzone” segment: personal insights and recommendations| | 56:19 | Closing remarks and outro |
Tone & Language
The episode retains a positive, conversational, and accessible tone, mixing urbanism theory with relatable anecdotes and practical grassroots advice. Speakers frequently express admiration for citizen creativity, humility in learning from failures, and a strong belief in the power of small, local actions to catalyze bigger change.
Summary
This episode of Upzoned is a rich tapestry of how “ordinary people” (citizens, small developers, and neighborhood groups) become community builders by taking initiative—be it painting curbs, redesigning homes, removing barriers, holding self-organized workshops, or fighting invisible regulatory hurdles. The show’s central message: Real, lasting change comes from people willing to roll up their sleeves, partner with officials, and focus on the next small, meaningful step. Through stories like these, Strong Towns celebrates the multiplier effect that individual and small group actions have on the strength and resilience of whole cities.