In the vast majority of North American towns, a few heavy winter snowfalls per year is just an annoying fact of life. So why do some of the most predictably snowy places seem to become paralyzed every time the storms roll through—and not always because the plows can’t physically do their work?
That’s the question some residents in Milwaukee are demanding an answer to. While much of America is finally thawing out for spring, they’re still buried—and according to a recent article from Urban Milwaukee, part of the blame lies in their city’s finances.
That made us wonder: how does funding for snow clearance really work? Are constantly snow-buried streets in a city that sees harsh winter weather every year a symptom that your place could get stronger, or could get better at planning its plow routes, or adopt a better funding system for winter road maintenance or…something else entirely? And how can a Strong Towns approach help get our roads clear—or, more importantly, help us design streets that still work for all users when the big storm comes, whether they’re driving or on foot?
We sat down with Kevin Germino—Milwaukee resident, long-time Strong Towns member, and year-round pedestrian who has climbed a 6-foot mound of ice on his way to work—to ask what he thought about his city’s problem from an on-the-ground perspective. And then we talked about the power of Strong Citizens to offer the kind of knowledge our engineers don’t always seek: the unique insights of being an every day road user who’s just trying to get where they’re going.
Then in the downzone, Kevin talks about his favorite e-newsletter, Bloomberg’s Money Stuff, and their excellent coverage of Elon Musk’s latest meltdown. And Kea delves into her latest read: Susan Orlean’s The Library Book, a novelistic non-fiction account of the 1986 burning of the Los Angeles Public Library’s central branch that doubles as a love letter to the role libraries play in our communities.
(Top photo via Creative Commons)
Will Pandemic-Era Migrations Lead to Further Insolvency?
Amazon vs. Malls: What Does it Mean for Local Economies?
Meat Suit Cities: Reconciling Aesthetics with Progress
Housing is About Capital Flow, and Always Has Been
Has Infrastructure Become the "Ultimate Partisan Battleground"?
Does Subsidizing Electric Vehicles Promote Car Dependency?
How People-Centered Is Toronto's "People-Centered" Vision?
"If you have a property in the city, you should not leave it empty."
How a Small California Town is Charting Its Own Course to Energy Resilience
How Christchurch, New Zealand became a lesson in how NOT to rebuild after a disaster
When (If Ever) Should States Preempt Cities?
A Game-Changer for Economic Development in Arizona
Does Increasing Available Housing Cause Gentrification?
What Can We Hope For from a Mayor Pete D.O.T.?
Parking's "Free Ride" Is a Financial Disaster for Cities
Public Housing and the Housing Crisis
The Problem with Creating “Slow Streets” Too Fast
"Will Cities Survive 2020?"
For Teens, No Room in the Pandemic City
Will Wyoming Have to Start "Abandoning" Its Small Towns?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Social Dallas Podcast
Change Church Podcast
Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon
What the Fundraising
Delivering Solidarity