Sweat the Small Stuff

Your city’s long-term resilience requires paying attention to the little things.

Infrastructure, Owens, Top StoryTiffany Owens ReedMarch 7, 2023maintenance, infrastructure maintenance, small, public investment, little bets, Infrastructure, infrastructure, public space

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.

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.

A Minnesota Judge Throws the Book at Immoral Tax Assessments

This case shows why local governments need to do a better job accounting for maintenance costs.

Finance, Infrastructure, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnMay 9, 2022maintenance, finance, local finance, municipal finance, Assessments, local government, infrastructure maintenance, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cost, Minnesota, Law

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.

Alaska and New Infrastructure Funds: We Promise Not to Waste It!

As of November 15, Alaska is flush with federal infrastructure money. How should it be spent?

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

When the Company Leaves the Company Town

A Studebaker factory once brought jobs to South Bend, IN, but what’s happened to the city (and its infrastructure) now that the factory has closed its doors?

#DotheMath, Infrastructure, Davis, Maintenance, Urban3, Top StorySarah DavisAugust 19, 2021Indiana, South Bend, maintenance, infrastructure maintenance, Urban3, #DoTheMath, auto-oriented

Living Like Perennials

The instrumentalizing of our relationship with place has left us only practicing stewardship when we benefit from it. But it's our responsibility to live with an attitude of longevity.

Maintenance, Neighborhoods, Top StoryGrace OlmsteadAugust 6, 2021gardening, Gracy Olmstead, neighborliness, maintenance

The Coming Tsunami of Park Infrastructure Needs

Rather than building new parks, it’s time we #DoTheMath on the ones we’ve already got.

#DotheMath, #InfrastructureCrisis, Maintenance, Public Space, Top StoryDoug BatailleJuly 27, 2021#DoTheMath, Parks and Recreation, Parks, parks, public space, maintenance

Condos: American Local Governance in a Nutshell

The recent tragedy in Surfside, Florida, is both a harbinger of things to come and emblematic of the nation’s larger problem with maintaining our built environment.

Upzoned, Podcast, #DotheMath, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Maintenance, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 14, 2021Podcast, Upzoned, Florida, second life cycle, maintenance, Growth Ponzi Scheme, housing

45,000 Bridges in the U.S. Are 50+ Years Old. And They Are Beginning to Fail.

The recent failure of a Memphis bridge is costing millions every day. And there are 45,000 others like it in the U.S. that could suffer the same fate.

Podcast, Upzoned, Transportation, Infrastructure, #InfrastructureCrisis, Maintenance, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 30, 2021Podcast, Upzoned, Infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, maintenance, memphis

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