Strong Towns ABQ advocates for equitable services, housing, transportation, and safety through inclusive, fiscally responsible means, promoting better communities in Albuquerque with sustainable changes and community collaboration.
Strong Towns ABQ advocates for equitable services, housing, transportation, and safety through inclusive, fiscally responsible means, promoting better communities in Albuquerque with sustainable changes and community collaboration.
Let’s face it—housing has been static for decades due to arbitrary zoning laws. This is a major driver of the homelessness crisis and skyrocketing housing costs in our city. Housing is not an investment commodity; it’s essential for our community.
This is backed up by the Albuquerque Region Housing Assessment, which found that we need to legalize incremental density citywide and build 55,000 housing units by 2045 to meet demand. It’s time to act.
Highway expansion doesn’t solve congestion—it makes it worse. Decades of research show that widening roads only induces more traffic, wastes public funds, and harms communities. We need safer, smarter alternatives that prioritize people, not just cars.
The Albuquerque I-25 S-Curve project is a prime example. Instead of spending millions to expand highways, we should invest in better transit, safer streets, and walkable neighborhoods that benefit everyone.
You can’t fix what you don’t see. Like many cities, Albuquerque’s budget is complicated—spread across numerous projects and funded by various revenue sources, making it difficult for most people to understand. This lack of transparency hides the true cost of deferred maintenance and the city’s ability to provide basic services.
Decades of car-centric, sprawling growth have left Albuquerque with a $100+ million road maintenance deficit, yet we continue expanding roads we can’t afford to maintain. It’s time to prioritize fixing what we have over endless expansion.
Strong Towns ABQ is a community group of Albuquerque residents working to make our city stronger, more resilient, and more livable for everyone.
We are a local chapter of Strong Towns, a national movement advocating for cities to prioritize people over cars, build financially sustainable communities, and create safe, inviting neighborhoods.
Like many American cities, Albuquerque has relied on a top-down approach to housing, transportation, and development—often prioritizing the interests of a select few. We believe in a bottom-up approach, where change is driven by the community, for the community.
Join us as we push for a more walkable, affordable, and people-focused Albuquerque!
Next monthly meeting :
Wednesday, April 21st
• 6:00pm-7:30pm
Location:
Homewise Center, Orpheum Community Hub
500 2nd Street SW
Downtown Albuquerque
Enter through the Eastern Entrance - parking lot and entrance are behind the building (not on the 2nd Street Side)
On the Agenda:
Strong Towns ABQ – April Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, May 21st
6:00–7:30 PM
Homewise Center (Orpheum Community Hub), 500 2nd St SW, 87102
Join us for a conversation with Adrian Carver about the exciting work underway to revitalize the San Pedro corridor. Through the Main Street America framework, San Pedro Main Street is empowering local residents and businesses to shape a thriving, walkable, and resilient community.
We’ll learn how the Main Street Approach has helped thousands of communities across the country transform their economies through locally-driven, place-based strategies—and what lessons Albuquerque can draw from it. This is the kind of people-first, financially resilient approach that Strong Towns principles are all about—locally grounded, adaptable, and built to last.
Let’s explore how this approach fits into a Strong Towns vision for Albuquerque.
**Please note: Access to the Orpheum Community Hub is through the parking lot entrance on the East side of the building—**not the front doors facing 2nd Street.
The venue is accessible by transit, has bike racks, is wheelchair accessible, and offers both street and lot parking. Feel free to bring your own food. After the meeting, we’ll head to Sidetrack Brewery for community building.
Let’s keep working together for affordable housing, safer streets, financial transparency, and meaningful local change!
No RSVP required—just show up and bring your curiosity!
Here to learn? Check out our growing list of resources!