New Urbanism Authority to Host 'Curbside Chat' in Roswell

For its April Town Hall Roswell meeting, RoswellNEXT will partner with Strong Towns, a Minnesota-based organization that promotes a model to help towns become financially strong and resilient.

Dubbed a "Curbside Chat" by Strong Towns, the meeting will cover the causes and impacts of the current economic crisis, as well as review past ideas about suburbia and potential strategies that could be adopted to adjust to the new realities faced by cities across the country.

So how did the pairing between the local group and the nationally known organization come to be? RoswellNEXT President Michael Hadden met up with Strong Towns Executive Director Chuck Marohn several years ago at a Congress for the New Urbanism. The two have cooresponded on numerous topics related to urbanism since, Hadden told Roswell Patch.

"I had always hoped we could get the Curbside Chat down to Georgia, as I think it is a message that would be well received here, [considering the talks are about] fiscal responsibility and common sense in infrastructure and the built environment," he said.

Watch Chuck Marohn's TED talk attached to this article.

Marohn is one of the keynote speakers at the 2013 Congress for the New Urbanism in Salt Lake City.  

"That's a pretty big deal in the planning world," said Hadden. "So, it seems that his message is starting to gain some traction."

According to information provided by Strong Towns, years of unstable property values are now showing up as uncertain revenue streams, which has streched goverment budgets and caused local leaders to look elsewhere for answers. Strong Towns "Curbside Chat" takes a look at how U.S. towns have built themselves into decline by emphasizing growth over resilience and how we can start a real recovery.

Due to the the length of Marohn's presentation, Town Hall Roswell won't have a panel this month, however the presentation will be followed by a Q&A.

"The Q&A will give an opportunity to bring a Roswell flavor into the discussion," said Hadden.

The "Curbside Chat" will be held, Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. The presentation will be held at the Roswell Historic Cottage, 972 Alpharetta Street in Roswell. Admission for the event is $5 for members of RoswellNEXT or CNU Atlanta and $10 for the general public. Proceeds from the event will benefit RoswellNEXT and Strong Towns. Register for the event online on the RoswellNEXT website or contact RoswellNEXT at general@roswellnext.org for more information.

More information on the Curbside Chat program is available online.