As talks begin about how to kickstart the economy after the worst of the COVID-19 crisis, lawmakers, policy wonks, and the media are resurrecting a familiar plan: a huge infrastructure bill that will “get money flowing” and “put Americans back to work.”
The belief that infrastructure spending can cure what ails us, that infrastructure is a “good financial investment,” has gained such widespread acceptance (in both major parties, among advocacy groups, and in the media) that we here at Strong Towns call it the “Infrastructure Cult.” But we’re not buying it. Because when you do the math, you soon discover that the more-is-better dogma is financially ruinous for local communities in even the best of times.
On this week’s episode of Upzoned, host Abby Kinney and Strong Towns founder and president Chuck Marohn discuss a recent article from The Hill about the $2 trillion infrastructure bill gaining steam in Washington, DC. They talk about where the money is likely to come from and how it will be spent, the problems with comparing the bill to Great Depression-era recovery plans, and why we can’t fix the economy using the same thinking that made it fragile in the first place.
Then on the Downzoned, Chuck recommends a modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes and previews something big he’s been working on. And Abby, a Kansas City-based planner at Gould Evans, recommends a Netflix show that should be must-watch even for people who don’t live in Missouri.
Additional Show Notes:“Infrastructure bill gains new steam as coronavirus worsens,” by Mike Lillis and Scott Wong
Abby Kinney (Twitter)
Charles Marohn (Twitter)
Gould Evans Studio for City Design
Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom (Soundcloud)
Select Strong Towns articles about the Infrastructure Cult
A Reminder for Planners: "Every Projection is Wrong," by Daniel Herriges
The Hyperloop Is Always Greener from the Other Side of the Stroad, by Charles Marohn
What Should My City Do About Our Infrastructure Backlog? by Charles Marohn
Shreveport's Highway Emperors’ New Clothes, by Kim Mitchell
Why Does Infrastructure Cost So Much?, by Charles Marohn
Can a Big City Solve a Big Housing Shortage Incrementally?
Is the Household Garage America's Favorite Room or America's Worst Mistake?
Should Single-Family Neighborhoods Be Able to Buy Their Way out of Building More Housing?
What the Explosion of the Dollar Store Says About the State of Our Cities
Would you move to a new city for $10,000?
Five Gifts For the Strong Towns Advocate in Your Life (or Just For Yourself)
Amazon HQ2: Really, New York?
Can Walmart Restore the Town Centers It Helped to Kill?
Do You Really Have to Wear a Bike Helmet?
When it Comes to Housing, Do Millennials Have a Different American Dream?
Is Landlord Greed Responsible for Vacant Storefronts in NYC?
Opportunity Zones, But for Whom?
Failure and the Scientific Method
House Flipping in the Rust Belt
Big box stores think their tax bills should be lower. Are they right?
Dams and Reservoirs Won't Save Us
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