Top 5 Stories from the Week (April 29–May 3, 2019)

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1. Still Pursuing Classic Approaches. Still Going Nowhere.

by Charles Marohn | April 29, 2019

While new transportation funding is needed, more money without significant reform is worse than no funding at all. We need to continue to oppose all of these funding efforts until serious reform is on the table.

2. My City Has Massive Infrastructure Liabilities. So Do 99% of the Cities in America.

by Alex Zhang | April 30, 2019

Plano, Texas is the midst of a bubble. Everything seems fine! Taxes are low. The city provides great services. It has an AAA bond rating. The music is still playing, and therefore everyone must remain dancing. But we have a looming problem: staggering long-term infrastructure liabilities that we haven’t even fully accounted for.

3. Want to Be Prepared For Future Growth? Do the Opposite of This.

by Daniel Herriges | April 30, 2019

A bill that has passed the Florida legislature proposes to build over 300 miles of new toll roads deep into rural areas of the state. Proponents claim it’s necessary to prepare for coming population growth. They couldn’t be more wrong.

4. No, Revitalizing Rural America Isn't A Lost Cause. But the Way You're Thinking About it Might Be.

Upzoned Podcast | Kea Wilson & John Reuter | April 26, 2019

A recent New York Times op ed despaired that economic trends have passed rural America by. So isn’t it time for some new economic trends?

5. Memphis’s U-Turn: How the City is Committing to a Stronger Future

Strong Towns Podcast | April 29, 2019

Equipped with “grit and grind”—but also with a whole lot of good data on the financial consequences of past development decisions—Memphis, Tennessee is taking smart steps toward a bottom-up renaissance. Just ask its Chief Operating Officer, Doug McGowen.

(Cover image via Urban3)