Strong Towns group wants to build a better Nacogdoches

The Daily Sentinel
By NICOLE BRADFORD Staff Writer
Janaury 19, 2024

A group of Nacogdoches residents are planning a meeting this Sunday to share ideas about their community using guidelines from a national organization known as Strong Towns.

Set for 2 p.m. Sunday at the Fredonia Brewery, 138 North Mound St., the discussion is open to anyone interested in creating a stronger, more resilient community, organizers say.

“So often we live in a place and just think that we’re stuck with it — we can like it or not like it,” says Anne Kehneen, one of about a dozen local residents who gathered for an initial meeting in November. “But with just a few people and little fanfare we can start doing things to make our lives better, and to be the way we want them to be.”

The Strong Towns organization is a nonprofit based in Minnesota that advocates concepts such as walkability and mixed use town centers vs. car dependent, suburban sprawl.

“What we like about Strong Towns is it’s not political at all,” Kehneen said. “There’s something for conservatives, liberals and everyone in between. It’s based on people — on looking around and seeing what’s not working and taking the next step to something better.”

Kehneen said she and other organizers of Sunday’s conversation were intrigued by the Strong Towns organization’s articles, podcasts and blogs.

“We said, ‘Yes, that’s what we want! That got us wanting to have a conversation with our community,” she said. “Here in Nacogdoches we have had to make some very difficult financial decisions, and there are more in the future. A Strong Towns approach addresses these issues and paves the way for long-term financial solvency.”

According to its website, Strong Towns relies on “little bets,” or incremental investments vs. large projects.

Recommended steps, Kehneen says, “is to observe carefully, see what needs to be improved and take the next small step toward making that happen. It might involve city council, or it might involve a neighborhood organization getting together to make their street safer.”

In Chattanooga, she said, one organization has built around 50 benches for bus stops.

“Sometimes a group will paint temporary lines for a bike lane just to see if it helps,” she said.

The local group, she said, is in the process of sharing ideas and observations.

“We are discussing sidewalks, we’ve talked about bike lanes, and the need for our neighborhoods to be more cohesive,” she said.

The group is planning to get together at least monthly. They have also created a Facebook page titled “Nacogdoches Strong: An Informed Citizen Group.”

If you go A Strong Towns Local Conversation Group will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Fredonia Brewery, 138 N. Mound St.