Having thwarted Chubbuck, Idaho in round one, and edged Sylvania, Ohio in the second round, Winona has moved on to the Final Four of the Strongest Town Competition.
Organized by Strong Towns, which, according to its website is, “an international movement that’s dedicated to making communities across the United States and Canada financially strong and resilient,” the Strongest Town Competition is an, “annual celebration of the towns and cities across North America (and even the world) who are building stronger communities, even in times of uncertainty and change.”
Voters can cast their semi-final ballots on the Strong Towns website. The voting for this penultimate round opens on Tuesday March 24th.
For the competition, Winona has focused on a number of features that make the city resilient, civic minded, and smart in terms of land use. In round two, Strong Towns specifically looked at Winona’s integrated transportation options, diverse housing choices, downtown revitalization, strong neighborhoods, and groundbreaking civic participation.
For example, on the topic of downtown revitalization, Winona believes, “Historic rehabilitation is important in Winona and its Heritage Preservation Commission recognizes that reinvestment in buildings, not preserving the community in amber, is what makes a place desirable, leading to creative development in town.”
Winona was nominated into the competition by Visit Winona’s Kate Carlson, and The City of Winona’s Luke Simms.
You can learn more about Strong Towns at strongtowns.org/about