It's the Little Things

Strong Towns

Want to better your community but don’t know where to start? Enter It’s the Little Things: a weekly Strong Towns podcast that gives you the wisdom and encouragement you need to take the small yet powerful actions that can make your city or town stronger.

  • 22 minutes 22 seconds
    Becoming the Sidewalk Lady in Athens Ohio

    In Athens, Ohio, stroller struggles on broken sidewalks and a sea of parking lots pushed Stevie Hunter to become the city’s “sidewalk lady.” She joins Norm to talk about mapping every parking lot in town, auditing rebuilt streets with a homegrown SPACE metric, and pushing for curb ramps, benches, and daylighted intersections. Their conversation shows how one resident’s daily walks turned into real influence over how a city treats its walkers.

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    14 April 2026, 10:00 am
  • 23 minutes 29 seconds
    Defying Deficit Narratives with Youth Pilot Projects

    In this episode, Uthish Ganesh tells the story of returning to teach in the neighborhood where he grew up and refusing to accept his school’s bad reputation. From a boys’ group with a perfect graduation rate to a student-run food program serving hundreds of families, he shows what happens when you stop believing deficit narratives and raise the bar instead.

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    7 April 2026, 10:00 am
  • 34 minutes 30 seconds
    Tree Canopies, Safe Speeds, and a Council Seat

    Emma Durand-Wood never planned on public office. But what began as challenging a pawn shop, planting trees, and pushing for safer speeds in her Winnipeg neighborhood grew into coalitions and, eventually, a successful run for local office. She talks about stepping into the role, facing the information fire hose, and keeping family and community at the center.

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    2 April 2026, 10:00 am
  • 19 minutes 51 seconds
    Why Cities Need Community Led Crash Analysis Studios

    Most crash analysis studios didn’t start inside City Hall—they were sparked by local members, neighbors, and conversation leaders who refused to accept dangerous streets as normal. Instead of waiting on the next grant cycle, Strong Towns is helping cities take small, fast steps at their most dangerous intersections through community-led crash analysis studios. Norm and Edward share how this work tests changes on the ground, builds data, and supports local champions both inside and outside city government.

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    31 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 49 minutes 47 seconds
    Restarting a Strong Towns Local Conversation

    In this episode, Josh Olson reflects on how he and others helped bring a Strong Towns local conversation group back to life in Madison, and kept it going with simple habits like reserving the same library room each month. It explores the projects that grew out of that effort, including safer street trials, Parking Day, and support for a major housing reform package. As the group took on these projects, members built relationships with city staff, showed up to public meetings, and pushed for small, low-cost changes—like turning a peak-hour traffic lane into parking—that the city implemented within months.

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    26 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 17 minutes 54 seconds
    How Madison Turned Small Experiments Into Safer Streets

    After repeated crashes into a beloved coffee shop, residents in Madison, Wisconsin pushed for a fast, inexpensive lane change instead of another long, consultant‑driven process. Josh Olson explains how neighbors gathered speed data, won a two‑month trial, and helped make the change permanent. Along the way, he shares how that work fed into broader safety goals, housing reforms, and a shift from “why don’t we” to “how can we.”

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    23 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 20 minutes 10 seconds
    From ADUs To Improv Chicago Builds Stronger Streets

    Chicago organizers Ellen Steinke and Dr. Chloe Groome walk through the fight to re-legalize ADUs, fix single-family zoning, and head off a looming transit fiscal cliff. They recount the campaign to save transit funding, including a sketch-driven show that turned insider debates about the Road Fund into something regular Chicagoans could act on. The episode follows their blend of detailed policy work, neighborhood organizing, and improv-rooted comedy.

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    23 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 17 minutes 19 seconds
    From Parklets To Pilots, Sheboygan Reclaims Its Streets

    Brian Kelly and Braden Schmidt went from curious residents to leaders helping redesign streets, modernize zoning, and unlock safer, more affordable neighborhoods in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In this conversation, they share how modest first steps—showing up to meetings, testing a parklet, repurposing old materials—grow into city‑wide change. Their story traces the path from tentative beginnings to a community that’s learning, iterating, and steadily becoming stronger.

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    23 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 19 minutes 2 seconds
    Inside West Allis's Playbook for Stronger Local Economies

    Steve Schaer and Patrick Schloss share how landlocked, eleven‑square‑mile West Allis, Wisconsin has become one of metro Milwaukee’s most business‑friendly cities by growing from within after major factory closures. They trace the community’s path from brownfields and aging corridors to adaptive reuse, new housing, and lively main streets filled with independent shops, coffee houses, and breweries. Along the way, they highlight zoning shifts, creative financing tools, arts events, transportation academies, and on‑the‑ground outreach that together have changed the city’s trajectory.

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    23 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 55 minutes 23 seconds
    Building Community With The Neighbors You Already Have

    When Graham McBain moved to Sacramento, he realized he had no local friends—just nearby houses. In this episode, he shares the simple, sometimes scary steps that turned that street into block parties, front-yard hangouts, and kids biking freely between homes. The conversation traces that change on his block and highlights practical ways to start building community where you live, with the people already around you.

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    19 March 2026, 10:00 am
  • 21 minutes 7 seconds
    How Vibrant Lafayette Organizes Parents for Safer Streets

    Most parents worry about safer routes to school but can’t track every plan or attend every meeting. In Lafayette, Kirk Wandy and Brian Parsons help lead Vibrant Lafayette in doing the legwork—digging into projects like the School Street path, meeting with staff, and then giving busy families clear, targeted ways to show up when it matters most.

    ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

     

    This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

    17 March 2026, 10:00 am
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