The Infrastructure Crisis Talk
Charles Marohn, founder of Strong Towns and speaker.
For more than six decades, local governments have been accustomed to building infrastructure and expanding existing systems. While liabilities have grown, transportation funding has not kept up. Now there is a desperate need for local governments to change their approach. We need to shift our strategy from an emphasis on continuous expansion to a more mature focus on maintenance and maximization of existing infrastructure. In difficult economic times, this is a scary, but necessary, realignment.
There are trillions of dollars of unproductive infrastructure already in the ground today waiting for us to make better use of. At Strong Towns, we see that our cities, towns and neighborhoods are dripping with opportunity. These opportunities are not of the mega-project variety. They are small—seemingly beneath us, perhaps—but they can positively transform everything about how we live our lives.
An infrastructure presentation brings your community into the national conversation about infrastructure spending and will help local decision-makers determine where to spend precious infrastructure dollars to get the best return on your investment.
Topics Covered in this Presentation:
How the national call for more infrastructure spending has been approached by different economists and political leaders.
Why a big pot of money will not solve America's infrastructure problems.
The need for real feedback in our infrastructure systems.
A four-point plan that involves prioritizing maintenance over new projects, below-ground over above-ground projects, work in older neighborhoods over newer neighborhoods, and small-scale projects over megaprojects.
Presentation length: This presentation typically takes 90 minutes, with 60 minutes for speaking and 30 minutes for Q&A. It can be condensed to a 60-minute presentation if needed.
Please contact Strong Towns' Pathfinder, Michelle Erfurt, if you have any questions about this presentation or hosting a Strong Towns event.
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In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck responds to a recent Substack column that criticized the Strong Towns stance on the Suburban Experiment and infrastructure spending.