In the Weeds Book Club

In the Weeds Book Club is brought to you by Sheboygan Active Transportation in collaboration with Paradigm Coffee & Music 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.

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.

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, PCR2
• February 13, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, PCR2
• March 13, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, PCR2

Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis by Charles L. Marohn, Jr. and Daniel Herriges

Renowned urbanists Charles (Chuck) Marohn and Daniel Herriges introduce a first-of-its-kind discussion of the tension between housing as a financial product and housing as shelter. This is the key insight that’s been missing from the Housing Crisis Conversation; and the insight that can help cities fight back against the crisis from the bottom-up. This book offers a serious, yet accessible, history of housing policy in the United States and explains how it led us to this point in time: where we face a market that is rigged against people who, only a few decades ago, could have been homeowners or stable, long-term rentals.

• April 10, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, PCR2
• May 8, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, PCR2
• June 12, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, PCR2
• July 10, 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, PCR2

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.