The inaugural year for Strong Towns ABQ — an anti-sprawl, advocacy group — was marked by highs and lows, its leaders said while taking stock this week. One of the biggest disappointments? The Albuquerque City Council’s failure to adequately address the city’s affordable housing crisis.
“There is a perception that a majority of the councilors seem almost hostile to changes in our zoning laws,” Brandi Thompson, Strong Towns ABQ committee coordination chair, said.
Thompson has been part of the group since it launched as a chapter of the national Strong Towns organization in November 2023. The group has gained members and influence ever since, including an increased presence at City Council meetings and as the host of its own public gatherings. Its main focuses are finding solutions to the lack of affordable housing (it advocated for duplexes and other zoning changes) and transportation issues (it is opposed to the proposed expansion of the I-25 S-curve, and successfully advocated for the return of rentable scooters and e-bikes to the city).
Thompson said all the priorities fall under the umbrella of community-building.
“Our built environment can feel hostile at times, discouraging us to meet as a community, go on walks, and meet our neighbors,” Thompson said. “Strong Towns ABQ directly works to fight this by advocating for a built environment that encourages us to come together, to bump-into each other as we are going about our lives, to take ownership over our neighborhoods.”
City Desk ABQ asked Thompson to look back on 2024 and forward to 2025. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
City Desk ABQ: How would you characterize the first year overall?
Thompson: Our group had unexpectedly high engagement and impact through our first year, which is a testament to the pent-up demand that exists here in Albuquerque for this type of work. We didn’t have to cultivate this energy, we simply gave it a vehicle for expression.
Affordable housing was the biggest letdown?
We were certainly disappointed by the failure of the duplex bill at City Council as a policy loss. But I think the biggest moral disappointment for us is the lack of many of our city councilors to act on housing for the city as a whole. The fact that we have councilors who see people suffer in the streets, but won’t take a brave stance against a few powerful lobbyists is very disheartening.
Simultaneously, these councilors will complain about the disorder in our streets from the homelessness epidemic, finding solace in the fact that they can use the issue to enrage voters while ignoring their duty to do something about it.
What was the most significant win?
We had many this year — the biggest is giving people who usually don’t participate in civic activities a safe space to do that. We have brought people into the conversation that have not been present in recent history. If you attend a typical City Council meeting, the audience is very homogenous in age, race and economic status, and the atmosphere is usually one of complaining.
Since Strong Towns ABQ, the audience has changed. There are more Gen Z and millennials in the group from multiple backgrounds and with a wide variety of priorities. We are focused on being for policies, not just being obstructionists — and we are teaching people how to participate.
What’s on tap for 2025?
Strong Towns has five priority campaigns which we will continue to advocate for — incremental housing, stopping highway expansion, safe and productive streets, ending parking mandates, and transparent local accounting.
We are also excited to announce that we are pursuing a [nonprofit] status for our local chapter, as we could have a larger reach with funds and are excited about the new avenues this step will open for us.
To connect with Strong Towns ABQ, click here.