The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Rallying a Community To Fight Highway Expansion (and why it matters in Minot)

In Portland, Maine, a business owner named Stanis Moody Roberts has embarked on a mission to rally his community against a highway expansion that threatened to take eight acres of his land. Over the past year, he and local residents have successfully swayed their town council to reconsider support for the project, delaying construction by years. In today’s conversation with Tiffany Owens Reed, Stanis shares the story of grassroots organizing, the importance of local advocacy, and the broader implications for urban planning and community resilience.

Why does this matter in Minot? We’ve been “expanding highways” for decades, and there’s new plans to build new bypasses. It’s time to start asking what we’re getting from this community development model and do the benefits outweigh the costs. If you’re curious about what that sounds like when it happens in another place, this podcast is a great introduction.

Tiffany Owens Reed

Strong Towns

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