DISCOVER STRONG RICHMOND HILL
Independent. Community-based. Guided by Strong Towns principles.
We bring Richmond Hill residents together to learn, question, and help build a safer, more liveable, financially resilient city.
Explore what drives us →Five ways to see a stronger city
Explore the Strong Towns approach through five familiar questions.
Tap a card to read more. These are five accessible entry points to the Strong Towns approach, not an official or permanent list of its current campaigns.
01Financial resilienceBuild a city we can afford to maintain
A new road, pipe or recreation facility creates costs long after the ribbon-cutting. A financially strong city asks whether long-term revenue can support long-term obligations.
Richmond Hill question: Can we maintain the infrastructure we build today?
02Safer, more useful streetsDesign streets for people
Street design influences how people drive, cross, walk, cycle and reach transit. Safety and access should be built into the street, not left to enforcement alone.
Richmond Hill question: What would make crossings feel safe for children and older residents?
03Incremental housingMake room for more kinds of homes
Neighbourhoods can change gradually through secondary suites, duplexes, smaller homes and mixed-use buildings. Small additions can expand choices without waiting for megaprojects.
Richmond Hill question: Can people find a home near family, shops and jobs?
04Better transportation choicesMake the best use of what exists
Widening roads is expensive and rarely solves car dependence. Strong Towns asks us to evaluate transportation investments for their long-term financial and human return.
Richmond Hill question: Which short everyday trips could become easier without a car?
05Productive land useLet our land do more
Land is limited and valuable. Parking mandates and single-purpose development can make housing and local commerce harder to provide, while creating costs that last for decades.
Richmond Hill question: Could parking lots and commercial strips serve more everyday needs?
Strong Towns also sets out six foundational principles, from financial solvency and productive land use to the role of citizens and local government.
Read the six principles ↗See Richmond Hill differently
Bring the questions home to the places and decisions around us.
STREET DESIGNStreets, Roads & StroadsIs it a street, a road, or something in between?Explore ↗
Strong Towns distinguishes a street, a place for people and local activity, from a road, which connects places. A stroad tries to do both: it moves traffic relatively quickly while also serving shops, driveways, intersections and crossings. That mix can create conflicts. As you travel around Richmond Hill, ask where street design creates these competing demands and how the space might work better for everyone. Learn about stroads ↗
MUNICIPAL FINANCESWhat we build, what we maintainWhat will this investment cost twenty years from now?Explore ↗
The construction price is only a beginning. Roads, sidewalks, water pipes and public facilities require maintenance and eventual replacement. We ask whether today's decisions will remain affordable for future Richmond Hill residents.
HOUSING & LAND USEMore choices, small changesMust every housing solution be a major development?Explore ↗
In some places, additional suites, small multiplexes and more flexible local land use can let neighbourhoods respond gradually. The question is how to make useful, context-sensitive change possible.
Watch what inspired us
A friendly introduction through Jason Slaughter's Not Just Bikes series.
The Truth About American Cities
Jason Slaughter introduces the Strong Towns argument about the financial challenges of car-dependent development in the US and Canada.
Watch one now, bookmark the rest, or use the free Strong Towns Academy course and discussion guides to go further.
Open the free guided course ↗Go deeper, at your pace
Books and free resources that explain the thinking behind the movement.
Strong Towns
A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity
Start with the financial case for changing how North American cities build and grow.
Confessions of a Recovering Engineer
Transportation for a Strong Town
Understand how conventional street design affects safety, prosperity and daily life.
Escaping the Housing Trap
The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis
Explore the tension between housing as shelter and housing as an investment.
Who we are. What we do.
Independent, nonpartisan and firmly rooted in Strong Towns principles.
What we are
An independent, nonpartisan civic association.
A place to learn, question, discuss and participate.
A publisher of local stories, analysis and explainers.
Guided by Strong Towns principles in Richmond Hill.
What we are not
Not part of City Hall or a police program.
Not a neighbourhood-watch organization.
Not a political party or candidate campaign.
Not required to follow the direction of public institutions.
How a search for housing became a local conversation
Our separate Our Story page preserves the personal experience and discovery of Strong Towns that started this work. We have not duplicated it here.
Read Our Story ↗Questions people ask
Are you a neighbourhood-watch group or a police initiative?
No. We are not a police program or a neighbourhood-watch organization. We may work with public institutions on shared concerns, but we set our own priorities and retain our independence.
Do you work for City Hall?
No. Strong Richmond Hill is an independent civic association. We may attend meetings, ask questions, collaborate, criticize policies or suggest different approaches, guided by our principles.
Are you a political party or do you endorse candidates?
No. We are nonpartisan. We encourage informed participation in municipal affairs and can assess public policies without endorsing a political party.
Are you against people driving?
No. Driving is necessary for many people. We want more safe and practical choices so that owning or using a car is not the only way to participate in everyday life.
How are you connected to Strong Towns?
We grew from a local conversation inspired by the Strong Towns movement. Our activities and decisions are organized locally, and Strong Towns does not fund our work.
Our publishing standardsHow we handle news, analysis and opinion +
Publishing is one part of our civic work. We have an openly stated perspective, and we still owe readers careful, fair and transparent treatment of facts.
- Sources: We favour records, documents and attributable information, and link to them where practical.
- Fairness: We seek relevant responses for consequential or contested claims when appropriate.
- Clarity: We distinguish reporting, interpretation and opinion and make uncertainty visible.
- Corrections: We review credible error reports and correct material mistakes.
- AI tools: Some drafts may use AI assistance, with human editorial responsibility for published work.
- Submissions: We welcome local perspectives, subject to editorial review; contributors should disclose relevant affiliations.
Questions, corrections and submissions can be sent through our Contact page.
Your city. Your part.
Find a way to learn, connect or contribute.
You don’t need to be an expert to care about Richmond Hill. Choose how you’d like to start.
Bring your questions and experience. Our mission remains grounded in Strong Towns principles.