This is the last thing I'll be writing for Strong Towns in 2017. I want to take the opportunity to thank you, our readers, for being part of our conversation. Since I published my first column back in 2008, this forum has been an intellectual exploration for me. It's overwhelming at times to ponder just how many people look to Strong Towns for explanations and answers today, but for me, it's always been about the disciplined act of putting thoughts in writing, sharing them and then learning from the interactions that follow.

I've learned more from this process in nine years than I ever learned from my undergraduate and graduate programs. That's largely because of you; all the thoughtful feedback and heartfelt reactions and intelligent conversation. In the cesspool that often is online dialogue, we have developed a shiny outpost of civility and thoughtfulness. That's you, and for that, I'm eternally grateful.

I've been talking about the essence of the following piece — that poor neighborhoods subsidize affluent neighborhoods in the American development pattern — during the Curbside Chat for some time now. Some people struggle with it, but I share this information towards the end of the conversation and, by that point, it's just another shocking fact in a long list of them throughout the Curbside Chat. I was finally prompted to write it down, however, and this piece is the result.

I think there were two reasons why I was hesitant, and kind of remain so. First, by itself, the suggestion that poor neighborhoods subsidize wealthy neighborhoods is so counter-intuitive — even to those who advocate for the impoverished — that it's really hard to believe. During the Curbside Chat presentation, I have over an hour of setup working up to this point. And it's one point of many. Here, in a ~1,000 word piece, I don't get the opportunity to provide that context. As a stand-alone piece, I worried the challenging and provocative nature of the claim would stretch our credibility. It certainly will for some.

I also have a lot of you who are pushing — I would go so far as to say demanding — that Strong Towns center its advocacy around the social justice narratives of our day. Not only is this not my language (I would be an inauthentic poser if I pretended it was) it's not the prism through which I view my work or the world in general. That being said, I'm glad that some people do view things through that prism, I don't oppose them and I'm happy to welcome them into our conversation. I think we have a lot to offer each other and, indeed, since starting Strong Towns, I feel like I've learned a lot and changed my understanding on many things. All of this is a process.

With that said, I am proud of this piece, originally published in January, and the reaction it received when it was first published. It's a narrative that needs to be told. I'm thankful for the work of Urban3, especially my good friends Joe Minicozzi and Josh McCarty, who made the data analysis possible. I hope we can do more of this kind of writing in the coming year.

- Chuck Marohn