Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Americana
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of a Roof Over Your Head If your town can’t house the people it says it wants, it doesn’t matter how many jobs you help create—your economic development strategy has a gaping void. In 2026, “cheap rural housing” is mostly a myth. The real competitive edge for small towns and […]
Rural housing isn’t just one problem, it’s three braided together. Demography is tugging at our small towns with aging neighbors, fewer kids, and new folks drifting in and out on search of jobs and housing. The cost of living rural no longer pencils out for everyone who’d like to be here, especially when wages, materials, […]
Let’s look more closely at housing supply in the US and Canada. Housing supply isn’t as flashy as mortgage rates or viral TikToks about “forever renters,” but it’s the slow, structural side of the story that shows up in a patchwork of crowded houses, “no vacancy” signs in resort towns, and the permit line at […]
The rural housing market is more of an idea than a thing. Housing supply and needs vary considerably across nations and regions, let alone around the world. Today’s post builds on our February theme of demographics and housing trends, and implications for rural development. We’ll discuss demographics and housing markets in the US, Canada, and […]
Demography is destiny, the old saying goes, but if the last few years have taught us anything, it is that destiny is rarely a straight line. Demographic trends used to feel like slow‑moving background noise—births, deaths, and migration quietly nudging our communities from decade to decade. Now those same forces are front‑page news, from aging […]
Living off grid is a dream for many who move to the countryside, seeking self-reliance and independence. If you work in a small-town or rural planning office, you’ve likely encountered these modern homesteaders—residents with visions that echo those of early pioneers, building cabins and settling the land. Today’s off-grid dreamers often favor tiny homes of […]
Planning enthusiasts, architects, engineers, and community leaders, take note! The year 2024 has brought a wealth of thought-provoking urban planning books exploring development, architecture, and community resilience. Whether you’re passionate about economic development, city development, sustainable cities, urban design, zoning regulations, creative placemaking, or historical perspectives on city building, these dozen standout titles offer interesting […]
Short-Term Rentals like Airbnb have real world impacts on rural communities Over the past decade, short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb have overturned the travel and accommodation industry, providing tourists with unique stays in local homes rather than traditional hotels. While much of the conversation around short-term rentals has focused on urban markets, its growing […]
“At Strong Towns, we push back on the concept of a “solution.” There is no solution to the housing trap we find ourselves in… it’s always been an approach… People need to be able to try things, to respond to street or opportunity as it presents to them. Those responses need to be incremental, a […]
Global Map Animation from 1kilo on Vimeo. Minnesota’s Chapter of the American Planning Association kicked off the Upper Midwest Planning Conference for 2010 this week in Mankato, MN. The keynotes feature Jim Charlier from Boulder, and Tom Stinson (Minnesota State Economist) and Tom Gillaspy (Minnesota State Demographer). My highlight for the first day (other than […]
