In a bracket-style voting tournament akin to “march madness” for fans of cities and sustainability, Alameda is set to face off against 15 other cities across the United States and Canada to compete for the title of “Strongest Town.”
The annual contest is intended to highlight the work of city leaders and residents in “strong towns” that “take tangible steps to overcome its transportation, housing, or financial challenges,” in accordance with the Strong Towns Approach. Event organizer Strong Towns is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for new models of development that strengthen America’s cities and towns.
Bike Walk Alameda (BWA) Board Members Maria Piper and Cyndy Johnsen nominated Alameda for this year’s competition. In a statement to the Alameda Post, Piper said the nomination is an attempt to recognize “the hard work folks around the city have put in to make the city better” through policy efforts in housing and transportation.
The contest has grouped Alameda with Bend, Oregon; Marion, Ohio; and Warrenville, Illinois as four cities that have taken strides in “Right-Sizing Parking Policy.” Twelve more cities are sorted into three other categories, including “Striving for Safer Streets,” “Healing Local Housing,” and “Building a Better Budget.”
The 16 cities will face off over five weekly rounds of voting, the first of which took place from March 3 to March 6 for the honorary title of being the city that received the most votes in its respective category.
Eliminations begin following Round 2, which takes place from today, Monday, March 10 to Thursday, March 13. The top eight vote-getters will advance to Round 3 (March 17 to March 20), and the top four vote-getters from that round will advance to Round 4 (March 24 to March 27). The championship round to crown North America’s “Strongest Town” will take place from March 31 to April 3. The winning town will receive a certificate and Strong Towns will create a documentary short film about the community.
To participate in the final decision, cast your vote once per week on the Strongest Town website.
Ken Der is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Ken-Der.
