Making Change Happen: Small Actions, Big Impact
How the Strong Towns 4-Step Public Investment Process Helps Us Build a Better North Tahoe
The Simple 4-Step Process
- Observe – Where do people struggle in our community?
- Ask – What is the next smallest thing we can do right now to improve that struggle?
- Act – Do that thing! No waiting, just action.
- Repeat – Keep improving, one small step at a time.
Real Examples of “Next Smallest Things”
Here are stories of small, community-driven actions that made a real difference.
🚲 The Guerilla Gardener: Clearing a Bike Path in Seattle
A bike commuter noticed an overgrown path making cycling unsafe. Instead of waiting, he grabbed a hedge trimmer and cleared it himself. The result? A safer, more welcoming space for walkers and bikers.
What’s North Tahoe’s version? Organize a group to clear blocked sidewalks after snowstorms, or call attention to spots where cars consistently block pedestrian space.
🚗 Slowing Speeding Cars with “Squiggle Roads” in France
A small town was fed up with drivers speeding through. Instead of waiting for expensive speed bumps, they painted odd, squiggly lines on the road to make drivers slow down. It worked.
What’s North Tahoe’s version? Use temporary materials—like cones, paint, or planters—to create a visual reminder that slows traffic near pedestrian-heavy areas.
🛠️ The Pothole Vigilantes of Oakland
Locals got tired of waiting for the city to fix dangerous potholes. They grabbed asphalt patching materials and did it themselves. People started noticing—and the city took action.
What’s North Tahoe’s version? Start a community reporting effort for unplowed sidewalks and dangerous street conditions. Take before-and-after photos to build awareness.
✉️ Letter-Writing Campaigns: A Simple Way to Take Action in North Tahoe
Not every “Next Smallest Thing” is physical—sometimes it’s speaking up.
- Want safer crosswalks? Advocate for repainting and better lighting.
- Tired of snow-blocked sidewalks? Push for better snow removal policies.
- Need more bike racks or traffic calming? Rally support with a letter campaign.
GuidedLetter.org makes it easy to create letter campaigns in just a few minutes. Then your supporters answer a few simple questions, and the tool drafts a personalized letter they can send to decision-makers.
📢 Join an existing letter writing campaign or start your own:
✍️ Support Tahoe Spark for fair electric rates
📢 Create a letter-writing campaign
Ideas & Resources for Tactical Urbanism in North Tahoe
Tactical urbanism is about small, low-cost, temporary changes that can make streets safer, create better public spaces, and improve community life. Here are some simple ideas inspired by 47 Ideas for Taking Action and Planning-by-Doing: Tactical Urbanism:
🛑 Traffic & Pedestrian Safety
- Organize a community-led walk audit to identify unsafe sidewalks, crosswalks, and streets.
- Use temporary cones or signs to test out safer pedestrian crossings or slow down traffic.
- Paint or chalk a pop-up crosswalk at a high-use area.
🏡 Public Spaces & Gathering Areas
- Turn an empty lot or parking space into a temporary parklet with chairs and planters.
- Set up a DIY community bench in a spot that needs more seating.
- Work with a local business to add outdoor seating on underused pavement space.
🚲 Bike & Walkability Improvements
- Mark where bike racks are missing and ask businesses to install them.
- Create a temporary bike lane using cones or tape to test safer routes.
- Clear blocked sidewalks after snowstorms and make sure pedestrian spaces stay open.
🌱 Beautification & Green Spaces
- Start a community gardening project in an overlooked space.
- Add planters or greenery to break up excessive pavement.
- Organize a cleanup event for a neglected park or public area.
For more ideas and inspiration, check out:
🔗 47 Ideas for Taking Action
🔗 Planning-by-Doing: Tactical Urbanism
What’s Your Next Smallest Thing?
You don’t need a government meeting or a big budget to improve your town. Look around. Find something small. Fix it.
💡 Ideas to Start in North Tahoe:
- Shovel a path through snowbanks where sidewalks are blocked
- Move an illegally parked car from a sidewalk or crosswalk (or report it!)
- Ask a local business to install bike parking or a bench
- Put out temporary seating in an underused space
- Set up a community tool-share for fixing things
Make Actions Real: Public Commitments That Get Things Done
Ideas are great, but real change happens when people commit to specific actions with clear deadlines. A successful action plan needs three key elements:
✅ What? – Define the exact action.
✅ How? – Identify the steps and resources needed.
✅ By when? – Set a clear deadline (not just “soon” or “sometime”).
Without this, a plan is just talk. By making commitments public, we create accountability and momentum for change.
📅 Action Nights: Turning Ideas into Action
Strong North Tahoe’s Action Nights bring neighbors together to identify real issues and turn ideas into action with clear commitments. Every idea must include a specific “What? How? By when?” to ensure it happens.
At our March 5th Action Night in 2025, we tackled:
- Housing, safe streets, community projects, and advocacy
- Using the 4-Step Public Investment Process to find quick, effective solutions
- Small actions that make a big impact—starting immediately
- Members publicly commit to a specific action with a clear deadline.
- Progress is shared at the next Action Night for accountability.
These events are just the beginning—join in and help make these ideas happen!
🚀 Got a “Next Smallest Thing” idea or success story?
🚀 Got an idea or success story? We want to hear it!
Whether you’ve already taken action or have an idea that needs community support, share it on our Ideas & Issues page.
🔹 Propose a new “Next Smallest Thing”
🔹 See what others are working on
🔹 Join the discussion and make an impact
Join a Community Action Group
Join a group of fellow community members and be the change you want to see in North Tahoe:
- Bottom-Up Approach Action Group – Let the community shape what happens here.
- Safe & Productive Streets Action Group – Make streets safe and easy for everyone to use.
- Incremental Redevelopment and Housing Action Group – Fix old buildings and add homes, one small step at a time.
- Transparent Local Accounting Action Group – Show how every tax dollar helps our towns.