A new social media-fueled engagement effort is shedding light on the policies that make it hard to build walkable, mixed-use infill in communities around the country.
"Nearly every urban neighborhood in this country -- whether small town or big city -- has properties that could use a little love." So goes the thinking behind the latest social media engagement exercise led by Charles Marohn and the Strong Towns team, who have spent the week talking about the federal rules that have made that love difficult to find, tilting the playing field so that capital and expertise flow away from walkable, mixed use neighborhoods.
The #BuildHereNow hashtag is meant top coalesce advocacy for infill, walkable, mixed-use development in cities and communities of all sizes. The post announcing the effort explains more:
We all know that empty lot, that underutilized building, that is just waiting for the right person to come along and knit it back into the fabric of the neighborhood. Imagine that right person could actually get the financing -- that the rules weren't rigged against them -- and all they needed was your encouragement. This week, let's provide that encouragement.
The Housing page at the Strong Towns website is hosting a live feed of the images and tweets that are pouring in from all over the country. Strong Towns also promises a review of the top photos at the end of the week.
FULL STORY: #BUILDHERENOW - Crowdsourced Optimism
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