A New Tool to Calculate the Lifecycle of Infrastructure

Calculating the 100-year lifecycle costs of new development shouldn’t be an obscure process, and the province of British Columbia, Canada, has created a tool to help its communities do exactly that.

Infrastructure, Incremental Housing, Top StorySeairra SheppardFebruary 23, 2023Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, maintenance, Maintenance, Incremental Housing, canada, Canada, British Columbia, Development, development pattern

What’s Behind PBOT’s $4.4 Billion Street Maintenance Backlog Excuse?

The maintenance backlog excuse should not be the end of the conversation—it should be the start of a new one.

Infrastructure, Safe & Productive Streets, Transparent Accounting, Top StoryJonathan MausFebruary 2, 2023maintenance, Maintenance, infrastructure maintenance, street repair, Transparent Local Accounting, Safe and Productive Streets, Oregon

Your City May Be Illegally Assessing You for Routine Infrastructure Maintenance

Part of having transparent local accounting is ensuring that the people living in a community know and understand the public costs associated with their homes and businesses. Right now, that isn’t the case in most places.

#DotheMath, Infrastructure, Marohn, Finance, Top Story, Transparent AccountingCharles MarohnNovember 28, 2022Transparent Local Accounting, local finance, public finance, maintenance, Maintenance, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cost, infrastructure maintenance, financial solvency, #DoTheMath

What Does $106 Million Get You in Maine? A Redundant Highway Expansion That Nobody Wants.

Maine residents want road maintenance. MaineDOT is giving them more roads.

The Paris of the Plains Can’t Afford Its Fountains Anymore

Kansas City is known for its beautiful fountains, but Parks and Rec says the city doesn’t have the funds to maintain this source of civic pride.

Upzoned, Podcast, Maintenance, Top Story, Transparent AccountingStrong TownsSeptember 28, 2022Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, Maintenance, Parks, Parks and Recreation, parks, Kansas City, Kansas

Our On Again, Off Again, Infrastructure Future

Frequent power outages in California give pause to reflect on the overall fragility of our built environment.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, Sanphillippo, Top StoryJohnny SanphillippoAugust 26, 2022California, wildfires, climate, Climate Change, infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, maintenance, Maintenance, Granola Shotgun

Why Is Rhode Island Building New Roads When Its Current Roads Are Falling Apart?

Rhode Island has built far more highways than it can afford to maintain. So why on earth is it building another one?

#NoNewRoads, Infrastructure, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 15, 2022End Highway Expansion, highways, highway spending, maintenance, Maintenance, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cult, Nero Project, Rhode Island, DOT, #NoNewRoads, roads

America *Must* End Highway Expansions

Until we have a credible plan for maintaining our existing transportation infrastructure, we must stop building more roads and bridges. Period.

Sowing Our Roads with Salt Is No Way to Grow Stronger Towns

Because we depend so heavily on cars, what happens when roads become too icy to drive on? The answer: road salt. But there are serious consequences to relying on salt for road-clearing.

The Infrastructure Bill Has Passed. What Now?

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.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Federal Government, Infrastructure, Taking Action, Top StoryStrong TownsNovember 10, 2021Infrastructure, infrastructure bill, infrastructure maintenance, federal government, federal funding, maintenance, Maintenance, how to, taking action

In Defense of Sticking Around

Building to last is the only thing we can afford to do. The social and environmental costs of disposable buildings are far too high.

Architecture, Infrastructure, Member Post, Top StoryWill McCartneySeptember 22, 2021second life cycle, maintenance, Maintenance, Florida, capitalism, fragility, Tax Code, Infrastructure, architecture

The High Price of Cheap Buildings

By building disposable structures, we are leading ourselves toward a socially, economically, and environmentally ruinous future.

Architecture, Infrastructure, Member Post, Top StoryWill McCartneySeptember 21, 2021second life cycle, maintenance, Maintenance, Florida, capitalism, fragility, Tax Code, Infrastructure, architecture

U.S. History Shows Spending on Infrastructure Doesn’t Always End Well

The past proves that people tend to disregard the long-term costs of the plans they make, particularly if they reap the benefits and others pay the costs. We must become more sophisticated than this.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Infrastructure, Maintenance, Top StoryRichard WhiteAugust 27, 2021maintenance, Infrastructure, history, infrastructure, infrastructure cost, Maintenance, infrastructure maintenance

This is why we need to #DoTheMath, even on "small" projects.

It’s easy for “maintaining” our public investments to become “upgrading” our public investments. Especially when there is money available. And especially when that money is borrowed.

#DotheMath, Top StoryJared WrightJune 17, 2020Maintenance, #DoTheMath, Strong Towns Community, Collin County

The Strong Towns Approach to Public Investment

The best financial investments our cities can make are those that humbly respond to how people struggle.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnSeptember 23, 2019Maintenance, infastructure, little bets

Shreveport is Waking up to its Infrastructure Funding Challenges

Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Shreveport, Success Story, Top StoryRachel QuednauSeptember 7, 2017Maintenance

A Dam Mess

Stop obsessing over building new infrastructure and start putting your best minds in charge of maintenance.

Marohn, #InfrastructureCrisisCharles MarohnFebruary 16, 2017Maintenance, water

This Week: No New Roads

It is one thing to have the freedom to drive; quite another to have no other option. America has long passed the point of diminishing returns with our approach to funding transportation. That is why this week we are focusing on #NoNewRoads.

#NoNewRoads, MarohnCharles MarohnJanuary 25, 2016Maintenance, transportation spending

The Ponzi Scheme in Action

Necessary repairs to roads and streets often get put off for a later time despite the fact that we see them decline before our eyes. This is an even bigger problem for underground infrastructure where the problem is out of sight, out of mind.

Top Story, Schaefer, Growth Ponzi SchemeJason SchaeferSeptember 10, 2015Jennifer Smith, Maintenance, Ponzi Scheme, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Infrastructure, Rockford, pipes

Interesting poll on the gas tax

There is a fraction of Americans who reflexively oppose any tax increase and a similar fraction of Americans that reflexively support any tax increase where they sense a need. That 40% in the middle point the way to a rational approach: fix what we have before we even think of building more.

#NoNewRoads, Top StoryCharles MarohnSeptember 9, 2015infrastructure cult, Maintenance, highway spending, gas tax

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