The Bottom-Up Revolution

Linda Appel Lipsius is the executive director of Denver Urban Gardens, where she supports a network of over 200 gardens and food forests that produce 650,000 pounds of food annually. She also helps launch initiatives to help make Denver a greener, more food-resilient place. Linda and Tiffany discuss the importance of nature in urban resilience and the benefits of community gardening, from access to healthy food to community building and mental health improvement. Linda explains how a permaculture design philosophy can help cities become more resilient. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES * Denver Urban Gardens [https://dug.org/] * Local Recommendations: * Little Owl Coffee [https://www.littleowlcoffee.com/] * The Kitchen [https://www.thekitchen.com/location/the-kitchen-bistros-denver/] * Museum of Contemporary Art [https://www.denver.org/listing/mca-denver-%E2%80%94-museum-of-contemporary-art-denver/4298/] * Tiffany Owens Reed [https://www.instagram.com/citiesdecoded/?hl=en] (Instagram) * Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! [https://www.strongtowns.org/guestsuggest?__hstc=21858660.26d2b8388116452b8eb814b1042f506d.1716471112449.1752685437877.1752689070326.1086&__hssc=21858660.17.1752689070326&__hsfp=3923671493] This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more [https://www.strongtowns.org/membership?utm_source=podbean&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=20250717_podbean_podcast_bur-community-gardens] about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Wendy Nash is the founder of Get Around Caboolture, a grassroots transportation initiative in Caboolture, Australia. She and Norm discuss the group's efforts to promote more transportation options, including hosting the first Week Without Driving outside the U.S. Wendy emphasizes the importance of tailoring messages to different audiences and explains why she would like to see more comedy in advocacy. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES * Get Around Caboolture [https://getaroundcaboolture.au/] * Strong Towns Academy [https://academy.strongtowns.org/] * Norm Van Eeden Petersman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/normvep/] (LinkedIn) * Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! [https://www.strongtowns.org/guestsuggest]   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more [https://www.strongtowns.org/membership?utm_source=podbean&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=20250715_podbean_podcast_bus-wendy-nash] about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Brandi Thompson is the “accidental” co-founder and leader of Strong Towns ABQ, a Local Conversation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She’s lived in eight states and has worked as a rattlesnake wrangler, a grant writer, and a teacher. She currently works as a flight nurse, providing care to patients who need to be air-lifted to the hospital. Today, Brandi sits down with Tiffany to discuss the strategies that have helped Strong Towns ABQ successfully advocate for zoning reform and against highway expansions. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES * Strong Towns ABQ [https://www.strongtownsabq.org/] (site) * Local Recommendations: * Old Town Plaza [https://www.visitalbuquerque.org/listing/historic-old-town-plaza/3572/] * Bike In Coffee [https://oldtownfarm.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLbnhlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFqTDA3WXhTZEFodVhuMUVIAR5igOkAL_uNDxlVms3SBD52n3osIvst71Qr2Op2cRdujCZN4OdbXnP3YQHgRg_aem_ADcPS-nlw9vrzZhj-OWsrQ#coffee:~:text=Honey!%20Oh%20My!-,Bike%20In%20Coffee,-has%20been%20serving] * High and Dry Brewing [https://highanddrybrewing.com/] * Tiffany Owens Reed [https://www.instagram.com/citiesdecoded/?hl=en] (Instagram) * Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! [https://www.strongtowns.org/guestsuggest?__hstc=21858660.26d2b8388116452b8eb814b1042f506d.1716471112449.1752086781391.1752090612935.1066&__hssc=21858660.1.1752090612935&__hsfp=3923671493] This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more [https://www.strongtowns.org/membership?__hstc=21858660.26d2b8388116452b8eb814b1042f506d.1716471112449.1752086781391.1752090612935.1066&__hssc=21858660.1.1752090612935&__hsfp=3923671493] about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Alyssa Lee and Kay Crumb are leaders of Strong SacTown, one of the largest and most successful groups in the Strong Towns Local Conversations program. Based in Sacramento, California, the group has 140 engaged members, balances multiple ongoing initiatives, and successfully collaborates with city staff. In this Bottom-Up Short, Alyssa and Kay share their advice for building and sustaining a successful Local Conversation. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES * Strong SacTown [https://www.strongsactown.org/] (site) * Alyssa Lee discussed this topic in more depth at the 2025 Strong Towns National Gathering. You can check out her presentation slides here [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1o_asmDEPBxFe7eXQxi9_0BFMaHBrZ9q30X68jB0ZaE8/edit?usp=drivesdk]. * Norm Van Eeden Petersman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/normvep/] (LinkedIn) * Do you know someone who would make for a great The Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! [https://www.strongtowns.org/guestsuggest]   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more [https://www.strongtowns.org/membership?utm_source=podbean&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=20250708_podbean_podcast_alyssa-kay-lc-bus] about membership, including member-exclusive perks.

Craig Cassar is a first-term city councilor in Hamilton, Ontario. Prior to serving in public office, he acquired nearly 25 years of private sector leadership experience. Craig is a believer in the Strong Towns philosophy of city building, an advocate for active and public transportation, and a passionate environmentalist. Today, Craig and Tiffany discusses the challenges Hamilton faces and the progress the city has made. They also talk about the importance of a holistic approach to city building, including creating synergy between urbanism and environmentalism. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES * Craig Cassar [https://www.craigcassar.ca/] (site) * Local Recommendations: * Tiffany Falls [https://conservationhamilton.ca/conservation-areas/tiffany-falls/] * Dundas Valley Trail System [https://www.alltrails.com/parks/canada/ontario/dundas-valley-conservation-area] * James Street North Art Crawl [https://tourismhamilton.com/event/art-crawl-on-james-north-3/] * Tiffany Owens Reed [https://www.instagram.com/citiesdecoded/?hl=en] (Instagram) * Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here! [https://www.strongtowns.org/guestsuggest?__hstc=21858660.26d2b8388116452b8eb814b1042f506d.1716471112449.1751471812181.1751481064441.1049&__hssc=21858660.4.1751481064441&__hsfp=3923671493]   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more [https://www.strongtowns.org/membership?utm_source=podbean&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=20250703_podbean_podcast_craig-cassar-bur] about membership, including member-exclusive perks.