Congratulations Lockport IL, Strongest Town 2021
Congratulations to the citizens and the Team.
Every year, the Strongest Town contest awards the title of Strongest Town to the community that is building strength and financial resilience using the Strong Town philosophy.
Using these principles empowers communities and builds collaboration by focusing on a bottom-up strategy for decision making.
Responding to challenges in a larger town or city is tricky.
Often citizens are left feeling excluded, not understanding decisions that are made by their leaders. They aren’t allowed the opportunity to share their experiences.
This award is present to a community working toward financial resilience and prosperity using the principles outlined by Charles Marohn, the founder and president of Strongest Towns.
After four rounds and more than 33,000 unique votes cast, the 2021 Strongest Town is…
Lockport, Illinois
Congratulations to everyone who participated!
The annual contest began with a host of applicants, which were narrowed down to sixteen finalists.
These finalists came from communities of many sizes, from all over the country. They each highlighted a different approach to building strength and resilience from their perspectives.
Each community was paired off and competed against another contender. The winner would move on to the next level.
There were two levels of competition to reach the semi-finals and then the finalists competed to win the championship.
At each level of competition, teams answered questions about housing, civic engagement, and transportation. They told us how they were working to support citizens and businesses during the pandemic.
When the field was narrowed down to eight, a photo essay explaining their strategy and highlighting successes was accepted as part of the Round 2 submissions.
The final four competitors were interviewed by program director Rachel Quednau, to discuss and further highlight their town’s unique approach to building a strong town collaboratively.
The final round concluded with a webcast with Strong Towns president Chuck Marohn.
The Lockport team included: Ben Benson, Bren Cann, Brittni Calderon, Lisa Heglund, Mayor Steve Streit, and Lance Thies.
Congratulations to all the participants and to the citizens of Lockport.
Strong Towns founder and president Charles Marohn will visit Lockport to celebrate the canal town’s victory with a Strong Towns event.
Lockport wasn’t well known at the start of the competition.
They came out of Round 1 as strong contenders as the judges considered their thoughtful submissions on their efforts. Walkability and bike-ability, housing, and support for business during the pandemic were just a few highlights.
Round 2 provided a broader view as participants included educators, entrepreneurs, and residents. Citizen involvement was a theme that ran through all of Lockport’s submissions and was a strong indication of the choice to build bottom-up action systems.
Lockport’s small, incremental investments (little bets) have enhanced the sense of community by allowing engagement at all levels.
The town has rallied around its citizens during the pandemic, at the city level, and at the citizen level with the volunteer-driven Lockport Shield program.
All of the contestants in the competition were examples of building strength and resilience. Every entrant can be proud of the steps they’ve taken toward creating a community that will last.
Strongest Town
To follow this year’s competition:
- Round 1: Bellingham, WA vs. Lockport, IL
- Round 2: Lockport, IL vs. Middleton, WI
- Round 2 Member Commentary
- Semifinal Round: Bismarck, ND vs. Lockport, IL
Championship Week:
This philosophy is a way to assist local leaders in finding ways to identify the causes of decline in their town. It also gives them a road map and supports to take concrete action that will build a stronger, financially resilient future.
“The Strong Towns movement is reshaping the North American development pattern with a return to bottom-up, incremental growth.”
Previously published by the author on Newsbreak.