Charles Marohn, Strong Towns president, presentation titled Strong Towns: A Bottom Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity presented in Norman, Oklahoma on February 27, 2023

This is the first workshop event in a series of three for the Community Action Lab sponsored by the City of Norman.

In this presentation, Charles Marohn explains, in plain language, how so many communities have found themselves in decline after decades of “growth.” The problem lies in the current model of development — one which values short-term gains over long-term prosperity. To strengthen our cities and ensure their economic success, we must look to traditional ways of building cities. In this presentation, we show how active citizens, local officials and design professionals can change the negative trajectory in their towns and help them to become more resilient — no matter what challenges lie ahead.