Chuck Marohn – Neighborhoods First

Chattanooga Design Studio is pleased to announce the next installment of CIVIQ: A Speaker Series Honoring Robert Taylor.  CIVIQ is a quarterly, free speaker series that celebrates the spirit of coming together to envision new ways of building cities collaboratively.

National growth and development expert Chuck Marohn will share his presentation Neighborhoods First at Camp House May 3,  from 6 to 7pm.  Doors open at 5:30 for light refreshments and networking with the presentation beginning at 6 o’clock.  A Q&A conversation will follow the presentation. Chattanooga Design Studio (CDS) is partnering with the City of Chattanooga to host the event.

Chuck is the founder and president of Strong Towns, a national nonprofit working to help America’s towns and cities become financially resilient.  Strong Towns reaches an audience of more than 200,000 readers and listeners per month, and has over 2,000 members throughout the US and Canada. Chuck is a Professional Engineer and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute. He is the author of Thoughts on Building Strong Towns Volumes I, II and III as well as A World Class Transportation System. He hosts the Strong Towns podcast and is a primary writer for Strong Towns’ web content. He has spoken in dozens of towns and cities across North America, and speaks regularly for diverse audiences and venues.

Strong Towns believes that risky low returning projects too often become expensive boondoggles that haunt a community for decades. Public officials everywhere are desperately seeking an alternative.

This talk will cover the “Neighborhoods First” approach to show how a community can grow stronger by making small, incremental investments over time. By observing how neighbors live their lives, by asking them where their daily struggles are, by getting out on the street and discovering what is actually going on, any local government can discern what their community’s pressing needs are.   A portfolio of incremental projects, each building on observed needs and past successes is the basis of a solid, long term investment strategy for communities of any size. It is an approach that fits into every budget., and will empower a local government to move beyond the lack of ownership and control that comes with traditional grant programs.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. For tickets visit Eventbrite.com or Facebook.com.