Strong Des Moines
@strongdesmoines.bsky.social
Advocating for resilient, prosperous, people-oriented places in Des Moines and the surrounding area.
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Strong Des Moines took part in our first Park(ing) Day in the East Village! Check out our setup here! Thanks to everyone who came out and paid us a visit!
This issue becomes particularly pronounced in school drop-off zones. With the cold weather arriving in Des Moines, fewer and fewer children are walking and biking to school resulting in increased car drop-off rates. Being seen by motorists matters now as much as ever for those walking to school.
Lack of regulations are the reason cars are so big, heavy, expensive and dangerous, not the regulations themselves. buff.ly/MjSJjst
Thursday's Headlines Knock Down a Straw Man — Streetsblog USA
Lack of regulations are the reason cars are so big, heavy, expensive and dangerous, not the regulations themselves.
usa.streetsblog.org
December 4, 2025 at 6:16 PM
This issue becomes particularly pronounced in school drop-off zones. With the cold weather arriving in Des Moines, fewer and fewer children are walking and biking to school resulting in increased car drop-off rates. Being seen by motorists matters now as much as ever for those walking to school.
Had a terrific walking tour/audit of Highland Park with Breann from the City of Des Moines! Another tomorrow at 10am! Meet on the west side of Park Fair Mall!
November 15, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Had a terrific walking tour/audit of Highland Park with Breann from the City of Des Moines! Another tomorrow at 10am! Meet on the west side of Park Fair Mall!
Have you heard? Strong Des Moines' monthly meeting will be next week October 30th at the Forest Avenue Library at 6pm! Join us and our guest speakers, the Des Moines MPO, for dialog about informed development processes in our community. Social hour to follow!
October 21, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Have you heard? Strong Des Moines' monthly meeting will be next week October 30th at the Forest Avenue Library at 6pm! Join us and our guest speakers, the Des Moines MPO, for dialog about informed development processes in our community. Social hour to follow!
Some additional photos from Park(ing) Day! @parkingreform.org #strongtowns
September 30, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Some additional photos from Park(ing) Day! @parkingreform.org #strongtowns
Strong Des Moines took part in our first Park(ing) Day in the East Village! Check out our setup here! Thanks to everyone who came out and paid us a visit!
September 20, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Strong Des Moines took part in our first Park(ing) Day in the East Village! Check out our setup here! Thanks to everyone who came out and paid us a visit!
It's always a good morning to wake up with the Moore Elementary Bike Bus!
September 17, 2025 at 1:50 PM
It's always a good morning to wake up with the Moore Elementary Bike Bus!
Yesterday, we joined the North of Grand architectural tour led by resident historian Tom Wollan. We offered some history, context behind, and impacts of the construction of I-235, which forms the north border of the neighborhood, as well as some insights on the famous pedestrian bridges over it!
September 14, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Yesterday, we joined the North of Grand architectural tour led by resident historian Tom Wollan. We offered some history, context behind, and impacts of the construction of I-235, which forms the north border of the neighborhood, as well as some insights on the famous pedestrian bridges over it!
Last week's tactical cleanup was hugely productive and impactful at the Lower Beaver Trestle Trailhead! A little can go a long way, and taking action now is easy with a team! That's the Strong Towns approach.
September 11, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Last week's tactical cleanup was hugely productive and impactful at the Lower Beaver Trestle Trailhead! A little can go a long way, and taking action now is easy with a team! That's the Strong Towns approach.
Hopped on the 60 DART bus to head to the August meeting!
August 28, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Hopped on the 60 DART bus to head to the August meeting!
Joined the Moore Elementary Bike Bus this morning! Start one for your school now!
August 27, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Joined the Moore Elementary Bike Bus this morning! Start one for your school now!
Had a great time at Ingersoll Live with @momentumdsm.bsky.social and the Street Collective! Be sure to stop by our next Strong Des Moines meeting this Thursday at 6pm at the Central Library. The parking garage will be closed, but that should be something we can overcome!
August 25, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Had a great time at Ingersoll Live with @momentumdsm.bsky.social and the Street Collective! Be sure to stop by our next Strong Des Moines meeting this Thursday at 6pm at the Central Library. The parking garage will be closed, but that should be something we can overcome!
Stumbled upon this article about Newport, VT in preparation for a trip NE. It talks about how the town leveled an historic block hoping to attract a tech company to develop. The block is still empty nine years later. Big bets have big price tags. Like stadiums.
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016...
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016...
A Big, Sad Hole in the Cold Vermont Ground
It was going to be great, but it didn't turn out like the planners said it would. (Published 2016)
www.strongtowns.org
August 23, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Stumbled upon this article about Newport, VT in preparation for a trip NE. It talks about how the town leveled an historic block hoping to attract a tech company to develop. The block is still empty nine years later. Big bets have big price tags. Like stadiums.
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016...
www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016...
Chris Arnade was the keynote speaker at the ST National Gathering in Providence this year. His thoughts in this article address how mistrust and overregulation in the US sometimes conspire against the greater good. Where do you see this happen locally?
walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/why-the-us...
walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/why-the-us...
Why the US can't have nice things
A rant on bus stops
walkingtheworld.substack.com
August 14, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Chris Arnade was the keynote speaker at the ST National Gathering in Providence this year. His thoughts in this article address how mistrust and overregulation in the US sometimes conspire against the greater good. Where do you see this happen locally?
walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/why-the-us...
walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/why-the-us...
Meeting #1 is in the books! Thanks to everyone who came out!
August 1, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Meeting #1 is in the books! Thanks to everyone who came out!
Reposted by Strong Des Moines
👍 WOW… Ukrainian soldier stuck in the grey zone was delivered a electric bicycle by drone to help him evacuate.
July 30, 2025 at 9:11 PM
👍 WOW… Ukrainian soldier stuck in the grey zone was delivered a electric bicycle by drone to help him evacuate.
Reposted by Strong Des Moines
We’ve seen this before. But what if it didn’t have to be this way?
The buttonhook is a highway engineer’s fever dream: six roundabouts engineered to keep traffic flowing to and from strip malls, fast food franchises, and big box stores.
It’s absurd.
The buttonhook is a highway engineer’s fever dream: six roundabouts engineered to keep traffic flowing to and from strip malls, fast food franchises, and big box stores.
It’s absurd.
July 30, 2025 at 3:19 PM
We’ve seen this before. But what if it didn’t have to be this way?
The buttonhook is a highway engineer’s fever dream: six roundabouts engineered to keep traffic flowing to and from strip malls, fast food franchises, and big box stores.
It’s absurd.
The buttonhook is a highway engineer’s fever dream: six roundabouts engineered to keep traffic flowing to and from strip malls, fast food franchises, and big box stores.
It’s absurd.
Be sure to join us for the Strong Des Moines relaunch on Thursday, July 31st at 6pm at the Heritage Center at 120 E 5th St! We will be biking over to the Des Moines Biergarten afterwards to continue the conversation with our friends from @momentumdsm.bsky.social.
www.facebook.com/events/50313...
www.facebook.com/events/50313...
Strong Des Moines Monthly Meeting - Group Relaunch!
Event in Des Moines, IA by Strong Des Moines on Thursday, July 31 2025
www.facebook.com
July 28, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Be sure to join us for the Strong Des Moines relaunch on Thursday, July 31st at 6pm at the Heritage Center at 120 E 5th St! We will be biking over to the Des Moines Biergarten afterwards to continue the conversation with our friends from @momentumdsm.bsky.social.
www.facebook.com/events/50313...
www.facebook.com/events/50313...
Rethinking our spaces is easy and not terribly expensive! Cities across the continent are expanding freedom of movement, restoring neighborhood vitality, and capitalizing on the benefits of multi-modal investment.
Fergus, Ontario (pop. 20K) can make safe room for bikes. Your town can too
July 19, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Rethinking our spaces is easy and not terribly expensive! Cities across the continent are expanding freedom of movement, restoring neighborhood vitality, and capitalizing on the benefits of multi-modal investment.
Two-wheeling around the new Fleur/Locust/Grand area!
July 16, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Two-wheeling around the new Fleur/Locust/Grand area!
What does it say about our priorities when a place stations six crossing cops at an unsignaled zebra crossing over a 7-lane arterial near a large entertainment venue? The Strong Towns approach seeks to scrutinize and offer alternatives to this arrangement. This example imported from KC.
July 14, 2025 at 5:47 PM
What does it say about our priorities when a place stations six crossing cops at an unsignaled zebra crossing over a 7-lane arterial near a large entertainment venue? The Strong Towns approach seeks to scrutinize and offer alternatives to this arrangement. This example imported from KC.
Strong Des Moines community project #1 complete! Members helped clear unsightly weeds on Merle Hay Road south of Urbandale Ave!
July 12, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Strong Des Moines community project #1 complete! Members helped clear unsightly weeds on Merle Hay Road south of Urbandale Ave!
Reposted by Strong Des Moines
Most complaints about “cyclists behaving badly” ignore the built environment those riders are navigating. People generally respond to the conditions they’re given. If the design is flawed, behavior will reflect that.
More people need to learn to recognize this.
More people need to learn to recognize this.
July 10, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Most complaints about “cyclists behaving badly” ignore the built environment those riders are navigating. People generally respond to the conditions they’re given. If the design is flawed, behavior will reflect that.
More people need to learn to recognize this.
More people need to learn to recognize this.