The National Movement
Founded in 2008 by a “recovering” civil engineer, Strong Towns explores how urban sprawl has led to insolvent towns and has taken a toll on street safety, housing affordability, and community across America. Our development pattern needs an overhaul, and Strong Towns calls on citizens and local officials to take up the charge of building resilient, vibrant, strong towns.
About Strong Towns Wilmington
Wilmington has seen tremendous developments in the past decade moving us towards vibrancy! Still, many of our residents face challenges where their built environment is not meeting their needs. Housing costs, walk-ability and safety are just a few of these challenges.
Zoning policies and historic development patterns are shaping our places in more ways that we know, and learning these concepts equips us to make the best decisions for our city going forward. Implementing “Strong Towns Approaches” in Wilmington can help build resilient neighborhoods that support our residence.
Join us to learn how you can take action to build a better Wilmington! Residents and policy makers alike are crucial to the “bottom-up” Strong Towns approach.
Join us every 2nd Saturday of the month between 10:00 AM & 12:00 PM.
A Few Strong Towns Concepts
In a Strong Town, a street is a safe place for people to spend time and build relationships; and a perfect place to put a wealth-generating business or home.
But many of us drive on dangerous “stroads” that drain our town's economic vitality. Street designs that center pedestrians provide both social and economic benefits, and should be prioritized over high-speed roads in towns.
Wilmington, along with most every town across America, is on a path towards financial insolvency. Urban sprawl and decades of highway expansion have resulted in enormous maintenance liabilities that are increasingly coming due.
Financial resilience is key to building prosperity in our city, and “gentle in-fill” is a critical tool to move towards financial solvency.
In a Strong Town, housing emerges rapidly in response to local needs. However, in Wilmington and most cities throughout the US, regulations effectively bar small developers from building.
We must address Wilmington’s regulations that block bottom-up responses to housing shortages and allow for more flexibility around what can be built and who can build it.
It Takes a Village
There are many amazing organizations in Wilmington and throughout Delaware with objectives aligned with Strong Towns. Here are just a few we are working with. If your organization is involved in related work and would like to join forces, please reach out!
