In the Weeds Book Club

In the Weeds Book Club is brought to you by Green Bicycle Co. in collaboration with Paradigm Coffee & Music, Sheboygan Active Transportation, and Mead Library.

This is a book club that is meant to get “into the weeds” on topics of interest to our community. We read thought-provoking books then meet each month for 4 months per book, to discuss the themes and examine how they might be applied to ideas and actions for the City of Sheboygan. The book is available to borrow from the library or purchase from Green Bicycle Co.

Our first book started in November of 2022 and based on enthusiastic requests for continued conversations, subsequent meetings have been scheduled through 2024. Organizations are also invited, when appropriate, to share how ideas and impact can be made through their organization. New members are welcome anytime.

Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It by M. Nolan Gray

With lively explanations and stories, Gray shows why zoning abolition is a necessary—if not sufficient—condition for building more affordable, vibrant, equitable, and sustainable cities. The arbitrary lines of zoning maps across the country have come to dictate where Americans may live and work, forcing cities into a pattern of growth that is segregated and sprawling. Gray lays the groundwork for this ambitious cause by clearing up common confusions and myths about how American cities regulate growth and examining the major contemporary critiques of zoning. Gray sets out some of the efforts currently underway to reform zoning and charts how land-use regulation might work in the post-zoning American city.

• October 10, 2024, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, The Loft
• November 14, 2024, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, The Loft

Strong Towns by Charles L Marohn Jr

What is your vision for a(n even) more livable and happier Sheboygan?  Would you like to become more “in the know” on what’s going on in the city and local decision making?  Strong Towns discusses urban design and how cities can focus on bottom-up investments to strengthen the community and improve people's quality of life.  We will relate concepts to our local situation. 

• December 12, 2024, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, The Loft
• January 9, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, The Loft
• February 13, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, The Loft
• March 13, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, The Loft

Organizers, Presenters, Facilitators, and Promoters

Braden Schmidt is a Sheboygan resident, local organizer and 'young professional' who is passionate about empowering people to create the community they want to live in.

Kate Krause is a spacemaker and community connector. She tries to remedy things she's cranky about... ope, passionate about.