Strong Towns Chicago is Chicago’s independent local chapter of the national Strong Towns movement. We’re organizing for a Chicago that works for everyone: walkable neighborhoods, safer and more vibrant streets, more homes in more places—and the resilient public finances to sustain it.
The Strong Towns national organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media advocacy organization. It produces content that analyzes the failures of the post-war North American development pattern while giving citizens the knowledge and tools to start making our places better today.
At Strong Towns Chicago, we align our efforts to improve the city of Chicago along the five priority campaigns of the national organization:
Our Core Principles:
The national Strong Towns organization has identified Six Principles for Building a Strong Town:
#1: Financial solvency is a prerequisite for long-term prosperity.
#2: Land is the base resource from which community prosperity is built and sustained. It must not be squandered.
#3: A transportation system is a means of creating prosperity in a community, not an end in itself.
#4: Job creation and economic growth are the results of a healthy local economy, not substitutes for one.
#5: Strong cities, towns, and neighborhoods cannot happen without strong citizens (people who care).
#6: Local government is a platform for Strong Citizens to collaboratively build a prosperous place.
Start with the first Strong Towns book or take the free Strong Towns 101 course to learn more about how these principles lead to stronger and more prosperous places.
