Episode

The Strong Towns Podcast - A Better Block Versus Years of Planning

Podcast
Think and Act Locally
Published
Jul 20, 2026
Duration seconds
3391
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://podcast.strongtowns.org/e/a-better-block-versus-years-of-planning/
Audio
https://go.godcaster.fm/act/e/447/496821/57828921029/https%253A%252F%252Fmcdn.podbean.com%252Fmf%252Fweb%252Fkb2ydsx5rvfp9dp8%252FSTP_7-20-26.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/think-and-act-locally-7250018/episodes/the-strong-towns-podcast-a-better-block-versus-years-of-planning
Markdown
/podcast/think-and-act-locally-7250018/the-strong-towns-podcast-a-better-block-versus-years-of-planning.md

Actions

  • POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/think-and-act-locally-7250018/episodes/the-strong-towns-podcast-a-better-block-versus-years-of-planning/transcription-requests
    Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
  • GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/think-and-act-locally-7250018/the-strong-towns-podcast-a-better-block-versus-years-of-planning.md
    Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

Summary

Cities often spend years studying a street before making a change, only to discover that the public is reacting to plans no one has actually experienced. Krista Nightengale, executive director of Better Block, explains another approach: build a temporary version, invite people into it, gather data, and adjust what does not work. She and Chuck talk about winning over skeptical engineers, learning from residents, and making safer streets without waiting for a perfect plan. The goal is not to prove the first idea was correct, but to learn enough, quickly enough, to make the next decision better. Additional Show Notes Krista Nightengale (LinkedIn) Better Block (Site) Wikiblock (Site) Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members . Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons .