The Bottom-Up Revolution Why Cities Need Community Led Crash Analysis Studios
Mar 31, 2026
Edward Erfurt, Chief Technical Advisor for Strong Towns and creator of the Crash Analysis Studio approach, builds community-led crash investigations. He discusses origins and spread of the studios. He explains barriers inside city hall and how small, rapid pilots at dangerous intersections build data and support. He outlines what cities must commit to for successful adoption.
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Crash Studios Turn Crashes Into Learnable Data
- Crash Analysis Studios let cities learn from crashes instead of only blaming individuals.
- Strong Towns ran 26 studios and made reports, photos, and materials available so communities and schools can replicate them.
Schools Are Running Crash Studio Clubs
- Students and professors adopted the Crash Analysis Studio into education and clubs.
- DeCampo High School runs a crash analysis club and engineering students at Dordt University use it as an introductory design exercise.
Target The Worst Crashes First
- Start with the city's most serious crashes and use the Crash Analysis Studio to target limited resources.
- Strong Towns will work with 10 cities to adopt the studio as standard care and expects cities to invest some resources too.