Champaign's Green Street is the most productive in the community.

Which Midwest Town is Best?

10 March 2022

Strongest Town Contest invites voters to take Jasper, Indiana or Champaign, Illinois to Final Four.

Americans want better towns and cities, and these two Midwestern towns are answering the call. Thanks to Jasper, Indiana and Champaign, Illinois' dedication to great townmaking through bottom-up leadership and sound economics, they've met in the second round of the 7th annual Strongest Town Contest.

When voting on round two of this March Madness-inspired competition opens on March 14, each community will have another chance to show how they are building great lives for people who live there through resident-led development, good bookkeeping, and transportation that works for everyone.

Highlights:

• The Strongest Town Contest is a celebration of communities that are putting their focus on townmaking practices that build resilience and prosperity.

• The Elite Eight round features a photo tour of each community. Voting opens on Monday, March 14.

• The 2022 Strongest Town will be visited by nationally recognized author, engineer, and advocate for strong communities Chuck Marohn. This city will also be featured prominently on the Strong Towns website with a series of articles outlining their efforts to provide citizens with a good life in a prosperous place.

• Voting is open to anyone.

• Full Contest Details / Press+Partner Kit

What these cities are doing right

The predominant way our cities are built takes precious resources and squanders them on rapid growth that eventually turns into massive debt and fiscal insolvency. In order to ensure a prosperous people, the communities highlighted by the Strongest Town Contest are working to apply a time-tested approach that

Relies on incremental investments (little bets) instead of large, transformative projects
Favors resiliency of result over efficiency of execution
Is designed to adapt to feedback, to evolve over time to meet the changing needs of the community
Is inspired by bottom-up action and not top-down systems
Seeks to conduct as much of life as possible at a human scale
Is obsessive about accounting for its revenues, expenses, assets and long-term liabilities

"The contest is about the journey, not the destination," nationally recognized engineer and Strong Towns founder Charles Marohn said. "It's not a snapshot of where a place is as much as an examination of how they are trying to get to someplace better."

Jasper comes to the contest with a challenge to overcome: the high-traffic, high-speed US231 runs through it. A large group of residents are speaking out against a bypass highway that could damage the local economy, but that's just part of the picture. Safety improvements and alternative routes will need to be explored. Jasper is making investments in their downtown to improve existing buildings, and expanding parks and other public offerings. Town hall forums, breakfasts with city leadership, and youth outreach keep the community involved with the future of Jasper.

Champaign has a classic grid pattern, a flat topography, a car-sharing program, and a robust Mass Transit system that all work together to produce a commute average of about 15 minutes. They pride themselves on being a place where creative, passionate residents are willing and comfortable in investing to open up the business of their dreams. These become the backbone of the local economy and tax base, which, like in many places, is fueled not by big box stores, but by small businesses in the urban core.

Downtown Jasper, Indiana

Each round, a different aspect of participating communities will be featured on the contest website, and the public will vote on which towns are best applying the Strong Towns approach to create a thriving place.

Strong Towns helps local leaders identify the cause of decline in our cities and take action to build a stronger, financially resilient future. The Strong Towns movement is reshaping the North American development pattern with a return to bottom-up, incremental growth.

Media Contacts:
Strong Towns - Lauren Fisher, Communications
lauren@strongtowns.org / (844) 218-1681

Champaign - Rob Kowalski, Assistant Director of Planning and Development
rob.kowalski@champaignil.gov / (217) 403-8800

Jasper - Mark Nowotarski, Citizen Volunteer
148markn@gmail.com / (419) 270-9012

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