The 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.
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And whatever you do, don’t repeat Canada’s mistake.
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The latest Highway Boondoggles Report is out, showcasing just how much money is being wasted on highway expansion projects across the U.S.
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The 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.
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The 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.
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For 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.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation would have you think it cares about equity—but budgets are often more telling than rhetoric.
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As of November 15, Alaska is flush with federal infrastructure money. How should it be spent?
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COVID has enabled us to get some “disaster relief” for the housing crisis. But what about when the pandemic is over?
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The $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?
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We’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.
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Do no harm: put your people and their needs at the heart of your approach. Here’s how.
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The problem isn’t a lack of political consensus. The problem is consensus around a failed vision of how to achieve American prosperity.
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Hint: even if you get a road for free, you still have to pay to maintain it.
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Hint: the Right isn’t any better.
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Got 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.
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If electric vehicles become the norm, our fuel tax-funded infrastructure might suffer. What should cities do?
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The 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?
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Why build a downtown transit system if you’re just going to close it at peak demand?
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In this week’s Upzoned podcast, Kea and Chuck discuss the new federal Opportunity Zones program. Is a big bucket of money what disinvested neighborhoods need? Or is using a federal program to develop a neighborhood like steering an ocean liner with a canoe paddle?
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