Course Description
Many communities struggle with maintaining housing that gives residents quality options at affordable prices. Neighborhoods in steep decline exist next to neighborhoods that are unaffordable, and dislocation is a constant source of social anxiety.
A Strong Towns approach is not a miracle cure, but it creates positive feedback loops so that stress and opportunity can lead to productive local action. In this course, we will examine:
- Why local housing markets are so distorted, and the impact this has on our stability and prosperity.
- How to create the right market incentives to bring about productive development patterns.
- How to systematically address neighborhood decline on a limited budget.
- Specific changes to local regulatory systems to create affordable housing options.
- Steps to foster a bottom-up community of builders to respond to local needs.
- And more!
Participants in this course will develop a plan for local action that they can begin implementing immediately.
Interested in purchasing multiple licenses for this course? Learn about group discounts here.
Course Curriculum
Introduction
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Section 1: Understanding the Housing Market
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Section 2: Housing in a Traditional City
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- Lesson 1: The power of growing incrementally (8:18)
- Lesson 2: How rising land values prompt redevelopment (6:21)
- Lesson 3: A diverse, flexible mix (7:15)
- Lesson 4: Adaptation of Buildings - Hives and Barnacles (3:53)
- Lesson 5: Incremental Improvement Over Time (5:18)
- Lesson 6: A City Shaped by Many Hands (6:19)
- Lesson 7: Incremental doesn’t mean slow (7:47)
- Preparing Your Plan: Take a Field Trip
Section 3: Housing Under the Suburban Experiment
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- Lesson 1: Origins of the Suburban Experiment (6:31)
- Lesson 2: The Beginning of Federal Housing Policy (10:01)
- Lesson 3: Growing the Market for Housing (7:18)
- Lesson 4: The Financialization Trap (10:08)
- Lesson 5: Development to a Finished State (7:56)
- Lesson 6: Designed to Decline (10:58)
- Lesson 7: Boom and Bust (6:36)
- Preparing Your Plan: Understanding the Suburban Experiment in Your Town
Section 4: Artificially Induced Decline
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Section 5: The Trickle or the Fire Hose
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Section 6: The Missing Middle and Incremental Development
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- Lesson 1: Intro to Incremental Development (8:24)
- Lesson 2: Incremental Development as a Housing Strategy (10:46)
- Lesson 3: The Missing Middle (10:24)
- Lesson 4: Accessory Dwelling Units (12:43)
- Lesson 5: What (and who) is an incremental developer? (8:55)
- Lesson 6: Confronting Barriers to Incremental Development (11:47)
- Preparing Your Plan: SWOT Analysis
Section 7: Zoning and the Housing Market
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- Lesson 1: Why zoning matters (8:40)
- Lesson 2: It's not just zoning (11:33)
- Lesson 3: The D Word (10:08)
- Lesson 4: Upzoning (10:13)
- Lesson 5: The cost of delay and uncertainty (11:45)
- Lesson 6: Who benefits from complicated rules? (10:42)
- Lesson 7: As-of-right Development (9:48)
- Preparing Your Plan: Kick the Tires on Your Zoning Code (9:28)
Section 8: Transportation Policy Is Housing Policy (and Vice Versa)
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- Lesson 1: Transportation Policy is Housing Policy (8:46)
- Lesson 2: Transportation and Affordability (6:05)
- Lesson 3: The 15-Minute Neighborhood (8:07)
- Lesson 4: Job Access and Spatial Mismatch (9:39)
- Lesson 5: Transit-Oriented Development (9:21)
- Lesson 6: Parking Policy is Housing Policy (8:12)
- Preparing Your Plan: Jobs and Housing (7:13)
Section 9: Addressing Affordability
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- Lesson 1: Affordability is a Wicked Problem (11:07)
- Lesson 2: Making Affordable Housing vs. Making Housing Affordable (5:56)
- Lesson 3: "Why Are Developers Only Building Luxury Housing?" (9:48)
- Lesson 4: How Does New Development Affect Existing Rents? (14:16)
- Lesson 5: Capital-A Affordable: How housing subsidy works in the U.S. (15:33)
- Lesson 6: Subsidized Housing and the Strong Towns Approach (7:21)
- Lesson 7: Addressing Homelessness (6:47)
- Lesson 8: Gentrification and Displacement (11:52)
Section 10: The Other Housing Crisis: Disinvestment and Decline
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- Lesson 1: The “Other” Housing Crisis (9:42)
- Lesson 2: There’s No Such Thing as a Bad Neighborhood (7:57)
- Lesson 3: The Power of Small Public Investments: The Memphis Model (6:43)
- Lesson 4: Return on Confidence: The Oswego Model (Paul Stewart) (14:44)
- Lesson 5: Revitalization Without Gentrification: Derek Avery Interview (9:57)
- Lesson 6: Dealing with Blight and Neglect (10:05)
- Lesson 7: Foreclosure and Tax Forfeiture (11:52)
- Lesson 8: The Local Case for Reparations (11:53)
Section 11: NIMBYism and the Politics of Housing
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This course provides 9 AICP continuing education credits, and is included in our Strong Towns Academy Subscription Bundle.
About the Instructor
Daniel Herriges serves as Senior Editor for Strong Towns, and has been a regular contributor since 2015. He is also a founding member of the organization. Daniel has a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. from Stanford University in Human Biology with a concentration in Conservation and Sustainable Development. After college, he worked as an environmental activist for several years, in support of indigenous people's rights and conservation in the Amazon rainforest. He can often be found hiking or cycling. Daniel is from St. Paul, Minnesota, and now lives in Sarasota, Florida.
Other Featured Speakers include:
- Charles Marohn - Founder and President of Strong Towns
- Rachel Quednau - Program Director at Strong Towns
- Gracen Johnson - Senior Specialist of Innovation and Research at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
- Paul Stewart - Founder of Oswego Renaissance Association
- and more