Strong Towns National Gathering 2025

When: June 9-11, 2025

Get your Strong Towns National Gathering tickets here.

Urban3 founder, Joe Minicozzi, is pleased to be holding two breakout sessions on Tuesday, June 10. From 11-12:15 at the Providence Public Library, Mr. Minicozzi will present “Building the Bridge: How to Connect Value Creation with Value Capture”. He will highlight how the continuing revenue stresses of COVID-19 and declining downtowns have forced states and localities to explore new sources of public revenue that do not impede economic growth nor burden taxpayers. Because local governments are the primary laboratories and practitioners of tax law and policies, this panel will discuss land value-based taxation and revenue policies. Tax policy must examine more than how much we tax but what we tax. Public finance economists believe publicly created land value (i.e., transportation projects, zoning, and planning) is a stable and substantial source of continued revenue streams. Governmental collection of land values and site value uplifts can reduce or replace inefficient and economy-killing reliance on sales, business, income, and other taxes on private investment and activity. This panel will discuss the basics of land value taxation, where used, and how best to define and quantify immediate and likely effects on the tax base. Our three speakers have all had substantial experience in research and legislative work in implementing and administrating these programs.

Mr. Minicozzi will also present “How Doing the Math Can Make the Case for Stronger Towns” from 1:45-3:00 at the Omni Hotel – Narragansett Ballroom. In the battle for stronger towns, we all come up against some common counter arguments: “But people like driving.” “Residents donʼt want to have to park
two blocks away from their destination.” “The suburbs exist because everyone prefers to live that way.” How do you fight back against those arguments? With math. Joe will walk through the math behind endless highways, subdivisions, and big box stores, and why it doesnʼt pencil out. Then heʼll talk through how to use that math in your discussions with local leaders to advocate for stronger towns