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), allowsContinue 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 videoContinue 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 areContinue 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 committeeContinue 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'sContinue reading "Julia’s Backyard Quest for Accessible Housing"

Musings from a Midwest Road Trip: Public Markets

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 hopeContinue reading "Musings from a Midwest Road Trip: Public Markets"

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 architectureContinue 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/orContinue 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 cameContinue reading "Front N Center Charrette Process"

Strong Towns Blono

Doing the Next Smallest Step to Improve our Hometowns

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