Larry Binda speaks at Strong Towns
Last month, I spoke to a group called Strong Towns Harrisburg.
This organization is the local affiliate of the national nonprofit, Strong Towns, an urbanist group with the goal of making cities “safe, livable and inviting.”
I was honored that they invited me, as I share many of their aspirations and write about them often—things like responsible development, density, walkability and green space.
But what I really wanted to address was another topic, something perhaps less prioritized among the pro-city crowd. As I told them, I’m not an urban planner or a civil engineer or an elected official—I’m the publisher of TheBurg, and that’s where my expertise lies.
In my view, an engaged, high-quality local news outlet can play an essential role both in informing the public and in building community, a primary objective of Strong Towns. So, I centered my discussion around that belief.
I said that “community” was in TheBurg’s very DNA, as I based it, almost two decades ago, on an outstanding hyper-local paper from my old neighborhood in Washington, D.C. I thought that something similar could work in the Harrisburg area and, all these years later, I think I’ve been proven right.
A good community news outlet tries to foster progress and play a positive role in its town or city. It doesn’t hide from hard truths, but, in its critique, emphasizes possibilities and solutions. It also shines a light on the people, organizations and companies that share a common objective to serve others and make life better.
This is the goal that I set out for TheBurg. Maybe we can’t build more housing or make government more responsive or fix freakin’ Forster Street. However, we can offer a space for contextual information, community engagement and positive action—and I hope that’s what we do effectively every day and every month.
I now invite you to flip open our June issue and see for yourself. If you like what you see, visit our website and check out our daily news reporting and our other products, all designed, from the bottom up, with community in mind.
Lawrance Binda
Publisher/Editor
For more information on Strong Towns Harrisburg, visit their Facebook page: StrongHBG.
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