My time at the Citymakers Collective 2026. This summer I visited the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina. Not as a tourist this time, but as an urbanist. For two weeks in June, a nonprofit organization called the Citymakers Collective hosted over 20 students for an intensive urban design program. Headed by my friend WillContinueContinue reading “How to Build Beautiful Communities”
Author Archives: Noah Tang
2026 Charrette Keynote: the Courtyard Urbanist
What: Our 2026 Downtown Bloomington Charrette will kick off with a public engagement session and a keynote from prominent urbanist, Alicia Pederson! Alicia Pederson, Ph.D., is the founder and director of Courtyard Urbanist, an organization working to make fine-grained, mid-rise courtyard development practical again in American cities. Her work focuses on family-friendly housing, small-developer participation,ContinueContinue reading “2026 Charrette Keynote: the Courtyard Urbanist”
A “New” Normal: Top-Down or Bottom-Up Redevelopment in Uptown?
We are a Strong Towns Local Conversation open to everyone in the Bloomington-Normal area. What happens in Normal impacts the rest of the region. We are in favor of infill development anywhere in the twin cities, especially in the urban cores. Walkable city centers and density are imperative to a Strong Town. However, the wayContinueContinue reading “A “New” Normal: Top-Down or Bottom-Up Redevelopment in Uptown?”
Fundraising Dinner March 13th!
What: Homecooked Meal & Learn Our Mission Come help us meet our fundraising goal for 2026! Strong Towns Blono will be offering a wonderful homecooked dinner at the Penthouse of the Monroe Centre (Fox n Hounds Building) hosted by the wonderful Vicki and Tim Tilton. Panoramic views of Bloomington! The dinner will feature hors d’oeuvres,ContinueContinue reading “Fundraising Dinner March 13th!”
Strong Towns Blono Podcast Episode 1
https://anchor.fm/s/10ed3cb10/podcast/rss Our first guest of the podcast, longtime local Robbie Osenga of Catalyst Construction talks with Noah about building housing in central Illinois.
Return of Downtown Local Ownership?
After the September 8th 2025 Bloomington City Council meeting, residents of the urban core can now construct the beloved shophouse typology. (I know, it took some time to push this blogpost out the door). Agenda Item number 8.B. standardized the accessory dwelling unit application process (which we will talk about in a separate post), allowsContinueContinue reading “Return of Downtown Local Ownership?”
Strong Towns Blono Member Awards 2025
In order to finish 2025 strong, our organization decided to recognize the members that have made us so successful this year. With over 30 members in attendance on a Thursday evening, we enjoyed games, homecooked food, and each other’s company. Presidential Recognition Award Presented to Shea Grehan, the Social Media Director, for creating amazing videoContinueContinue reading “Strong Towns Blono Member Awards 2025”
Notes From the STILL Gathering
Noah, Alan, and I (Tyson) attended the first Strong Towns Illinois (STILL) gathering in Chicago on the weekend of September 27th. Representatives from several Local Conversations across Illinois came together to connect on a variety of topics. Here is what I took away from the experience. Observations and Tips Perspective we should take towards areContinueContinue reading “Notes From the STILL Gathering”
September Executive Committee Updates
The Executive Committee of Strong Towns Blono met on Sunday, September 21st to discuss and pass the following: Resolutions Passed BR2025.11 New Meeting Structure Strong Towns Blono shall enact monthly plenary meetings for its members to be held at a regular date, time, and location. Third Thursday at 5:30pm These meetings will also contain committeeContinueContinue reading “September Executive Committee Updates”
Julia’s Backyard Quest for Accessible Housing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A99FqQC9w9Q ADUs or Accessory Dwelling Units have been legalized on paper in Bloomington, Illinois since 2022. However, many conflicting clauses in the zoning code and use table effectively disallows them from being built. Julia Sutherland has been a resident of central Bloomington for more than a decade and has decided to turn her garage artist’sContinueContinue reading “Julia’s Backyard Quest for Accessible Housing”