Today, I want to look at a utility investment near my hometown of Brainerd, Minnesota. At first glance, it seems like an extreme case, but looking at it with a touch of scrutiny reveals a lot of insight into why America’s basic infrastructure systems are failing and will not be maintained.
Read MoreThe Northern Beltline project has been haunting Alabama for over 50 years, draining money, time and energy from other more productive and desired projects. Here’s how it came about — and why it refuses to stay dead.
Read MoreAnd whatever you do, don’t repeat Canada’s mistake.
Read MoreThe latest Highway Boondoggles Report is out, showcasing just how much money is being wasted on highway expansion projects across the U.S.
Read MoreThe Housing Accelerator Fund is a grant program that will inject $4 billion into Canada’s cities and towns by 2026–2027. There are a lot of ways to use this money well…but also a lot of ways to use it poorly.
Read MoreThe federal government’s refusal to hold TxDOT accountable for the harm it’s doing in Houston is allowing history to repeat itself—something the current administration pledged it wouldn’t do.
Read MoreFor some, the Reconnecting Communities Program symbolizes an auspicious reversal of values that have characterized the past 70 years of transportation planning. For others, it's business as usual.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Transportation would have you think it cares about equity—but budgets are often more telling than rhetoric.
Read MoreAs of November 15, Alaska is flush with federal infrastructure money. How should it be spent?
Read MoreCOVID has enabled us to get some “disaster relief” for the housing crisis. But what about when the pandemic is over?
Read MoreThe $1 trillion infrastructure bill is being signed into law. But who gets to decide how the money will be spent, and will they make the right decisions for communities of color?
Read MoreWe’re skeptical that the bill will address the real and current infrastructure needs in our cities today—but the good news is, you can. And you can get started right now.
Read MoreDo no harm: put your people and their needs at the heart of your approach. Here’s how.
Read MoreThe problem isn’t a lack of political consensus. The problem is consensus around a failed vision of how to achieve American prosperity.
Read MoreHint: even if you get a road for free, you still have to pay to maintain it.
Read MoreHint: the Right isn’t any better.
Read MoreGot potholes? Can’t get federal funding for routine street maintenance? That’s what you think! As it turns out, there are all sorts of ways that cities game that system.
Read MoreIf electric vehicles become the norm, our fuel tax-funded infrastructure might suffer. What should cities do?
Read MoreThe proposed Green New Deal is ambitious and urgent—but completely omits any mention of local land use. Can sweeping federal policy mix with the kind of decentralized, bottom-up change we need?
Read MoreWhy build a downtown transit system if you’re just going to close it at peak demand?
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