2023 Strongest Town Contest Application
We welcome your applications for the Strongest Town competition. Refer to this page for additional information: www.strongtowns.org/strongesttown

The application below will: 
  • Ask for a little basic info about your town
  • Invite you to answer 6 questions about your town (just a paragraph or so per question, 900 character limit)
  • Request that you share 5 photos of your town along with brief descriptions (a sentence or two), which will be used in Round 2 of the contest, should your town advance to that round
Feel free to email rachel@strongtowns.org with any questions. 
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Name of your town? *
What state or province is your town in? *
Name(s) *
Please include first and last names of everyone on your team
Email *
Provide one email to be the main contact for this application.
Phone *
Provide one phone number to be the main contact for this application.
If selected, would you be willing to provide a list of local media sources (and, if available, media contact email addresses) for the major publications, stations and media outlets in your town? *

1. Excessive surface parking and the mandates that require such parking have harmed cities across the country for decades by making them less financially productive and preventing new local businesses from getting started (among other things). If you’ve had this experience in your place, you’re not alone, but we hope you’re taking steps to change that. What are people in your city doing to decrease the negative impacts of parking on the community?

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2. Across North America, communities seem determined to expand their highways, despite the fact that they can’t afford to pay to maintain the roads they already have. Often it’s the state Department of Transportation pushing projects through that cities and towns don’t even want. This might be the case where you live too. What are people in your city doing to shift the focus toward maintaining your existing infrastructure instead of just building more roads?

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3. Your city’s housing market should be free to respond to evolving needs and capacity, yet most communities have rigid zoning laws that prevent even the simplest of changes. What are some recent changes to your community's zoning laws that have resulted in increased housing flexibility and options? What is being done to change your community's approach to land use to allow for more incremental development (e.g., allowing someone to add a small backyard cottage to their property, or build a new business on a vacant lot)?

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4. Local government accounting is often unnecessarily complicated, confusing, and illogical. If this is the case in your city, we don’t blame you. But we want to know what your government is doing to make budgeting more transparent and truly account for infrastructure liabilities. Tell us a little about the progress people in your city are making toward greater accounting/budget transparency.

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5. Bad street design is the primary cause of vehicle crashes involving fatalities and traumatic injuries. But a good street built around people, not just cars, can be a vital building block for a strong community.  What are people in your city doing to build streets that are dominated by people and accommodate automobiles—not the other way around?

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6. What is your favorite thing about your town? *
Please share a link to a folder with your 5 photos. (This could be a Dropbox or Google Drive folder. As an alternative, you may email your photos to rachel@strongtowns.org. Please be sure to identify your town in the subject line of the email.) *
Photo 1: Write a sentence or two about your first photo that tells us what's going on in the image and why it illustrates your town's strength. (Please also include the photographer's name if they would like to be credited.) *
Photo 2: Write a sentence or two about your second photo that tells us what's going on in the image and why it illustrates your town's strength. (Please also include the photographer's name if they would like to be credited.) *
Photo 3: Write a sentence or two about your third photo that tells us what's going on in the image and why it illustrates your town's strength. (Please also include the photographer's name if they would like to be credited.) *
Photo 4: Write a sentence or two about your fourth photo that tells us what's going on in the image and why it illustrates your town's strength. (Please also include the photographer's name if they would like to be credited.) *
Photo 5: Write a sentence or two about your final photo that tells us what's going on in the image and why it illustrates your town's strength. (Please also include the photographer's name if they would like to be credited.) *
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