My fiancée and I went on an amazing road trip at the end of the summer, and now I am just finding time (by avoiding other pressing matters) to write about my experiences in some new urban environments. During my August trip, I visited Saint Louis, Kansas City, Topeka, Omaha, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee. I hopeContinueContinue reading “Musings from a Midwest Road Trip: Public Markets”
Author Archives: Noah Tang
The Importance of Proactive Historic Preservation
I had the pleasure of reading The University of Notre Dame School of Architecture Dean’s Charrette of Downtown Gary. Compared to our recently completed amateur Front N Center Design Charrette, this is the gold standard and professional quality. Notre Dame has gained a national and international reputation of being an excellent purveyor of traditional architectureContinueContinue reading “The Importance of Proactive Historic Preservation”
New Initiatives: Get Involved!
The Executive Committee recently passed two resolutions at our July 2025 meeting to continue our efforts at community revitalization. If you’re interested in joining these efforts, contact an Executive Committee member. BR2025.8 (Establish Public Art & Safety Committee) Creates a new committee to highlight ways to improve public spaces by working with city officials, businesses and/orContinueContinue reading “New Initiatives: Get Involved!”
Front N Center Charrette Process
This past Wednesday, July 9th, a group of sixteen volunteers worked to vision what could replace the buildings on the former Front N Center lots. Last year, the public was notified about the demolition of these long vacant buildings downtown due to long-term owner neglect. We wrote about our response here. Strong Towns Blono cameContinueContinue reading “Front N Center Charrette Process”
TEDx Talk: Thinking Small: Community-Oriented Responses to Urban Issues
I had the opportunity to share about about our movement and our ideals at a TEDx event earlier this year. Here is that video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8CA45PiYQo
Housing Flexibility Through Boarding
This post will be slightly different from what we have previously posted on this blog feed. However, I think it is important to discuss the personal side of the housing crunch here in Bloomington-Normal. Life can change quickly and housing situations can go from secure to precarious in a matter of days. Embracing a time-testedContinueContinue reading “Housing Flexibility Through Boarding”
Sidewalk Mural Completion & Updates
Our group has done over 153 volunteer hours to complete the sidewalk murals between the Bloomington Public Library and the Museum Square in Downtown. With the completion of our Sidewalk murals campaign, I want to remind you all of our membership empowerment program. This campaign was a member’s (Katherine McCarthy) idea, and we gave herContinueContinue reading “Sidewalk Mural Completion & Updates”
Meet Your Candidates for Executive Committee!
All members of the Bloomington Revivalists are eligible to vote for candidates for the Executive Committee. The EC is responsible for the behind-the-scenes action. Ballots will be by ranked choice, and the top vote-getters will receive two-year terms while the rest will fill the one-year unexpired terms of departing members. The Annual Meeting will beContinueContinue reading “Meet Your Candidates for Executive Committee!”
Downtown for “Everyone” Means Everyone
This history of exclusion in American cities is vast. The way we build our cities can be used against certain populations. One way we see this today is in the physical accessibility of historic buildings. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires a minimum level of accessibility for all publicly accessible buildings, was signedContinueContinue reading “Downtown for “Everyone” Means Everyone”
2025 Annual Membership Meeting! Save the Date!
The Bloomington Revivalists: Strong Towns Blono will have our annual meeting on Saturday, April 26th, from 1 to 3 PM at the Bloomington Public Library. It will be open to the public, but only dues paying members in good standing will be allowed to vote in the election and on any resolutions. We will beContinueContinue reading “2025 Annual Membership Meeting! Save the Date!”