Gracen Johnson, a founding member and long-time contributor to Strong Towns, recently had that now-common experience of moving mid-pandemic—to Ottawa in Canada. Yet she’s found small but powerful ways to get to know neighbors and be a positive part of her neighborhood. Having a dog to walk regularly helps. So does observing what’s going on around her and finding ways to plug into that, rather than showing up with her own agenda. If you’ve heard of our "4-Step Process for Public Investment" at Strong Towns, this is exactly what Gracen is talking about.

Gracen has lived in rural and urban areas, but she says she’s not a city person or a small town person—rather, she’s “a neighborhood person.” In this episode, you’ll hear a lot from Gracen about how to connect with your neighbors and, as she says, “give more than you take” with those around you. Near the end of the interview, we also have an interesting conversation about top-down versus bottom-up advocacy, because the reason Gracen moved to Toronto was to work for a quasi-federal government housing agency. It’s certainly a valuable discussion.

Additional Show Notes

Grab your ticket to the 2022 Local-Motive Tour today!




Nominate your town for the Strongest Town contest.




Read Strong Towns articles by Gracen.




Read Gracen’s "Places I Don’t Want to Sit" photo essay.




Why are street trees important? Read "The Magic of Tree-Lined Streets," by Sarah Kobos.




Watch the Curbside Chat video series Gracen created for Strong Towns




Check out the popular Not Just Bikes channel on YouTube.




Send your story ideas to rachel@strongtowns.org.




Support this podcast by becoming a Strong Towns member today.