Top 5 Stories from the Week (Sept 24–Sept 28, 2018)

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1. Dallas’s Ticking Time Bomb of Infrastructure Costs

by Charles Marohn | September 26, 2018

A recent D Magazine story nailed the problem with Dallas’s development pattern: the city has way more infrastructure than it can afford to maintain. But its solution—assessing local taxes differently—didn’t go far enough.

2. Learning From Failure

by Charles Marohn | September 24, 2018

Americans need to become more tolerant of government failure. That will happen, if and when, government starts to deliver improvements iteratively, and demonstrates the capacity to learn and improve with each iteration.  

3. Right-Sizing Akron’s Kenmore Boulevard

by Daniel Herriges | September 25, 2018

Akron, Ohio is tackling its stroad problem, one oversized boulevard at a time. “Right-sizing” this neighborhood main street will make it safer and more inviting and hospitable for small businesses.

4. What Comes After NEXT?

by Charles Marohn | September 21, 2018

Austin needs a new Grand Bargain, one that includes everyone and exempts no one. (This is the conclusion to our five-part series on Austin’s failed overhaul of its development code, CodeNEXT.)

5. Developers Are Finding Value in Less Profitable Projects

by Zack Barowitz | September 25, 2018

In Portland, Maine, some established developers are venturing into filling the need for workforce housing without the help of subsidies, even though it is less profitable.

Top photo via Wikimedia Commons.

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