Today is the First of November, which in the Marohn household means that we are now allowed to listen to Christmas music. Don't worry; we are not breaking out the classics today -- no Bing Crosby and nobody singing Silent Night -- but a fun mix of swing, jazz and big band. And since today the kids have an early out -- a half day of school, brilliant move the day after Halloween -- I suspect we'll experience a little of the old Friday dance party. Have to keep doing that while the kids are still young enough to think dad is mildly cool.
Enjoy the week's news!
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When it comes to pouring new concrete, curb and gutter, Charles “Chuck” Marohn wants municipalities across America to slow down and do the math.
Cities and counties, said Marohn, have gotten so far ahead of themselves in funding new roads, sewer and water projects that they are hopelessly in debt.
The nation is culturally trained to look at development in a positive way, he said. “When we get new development, our public coffers suddenly seem very flush. The catch is that we agree to maintain all of that stuff … forever. We agree we will fix the roads, replace the sewer systems, and keep those pumps running indefinitely.”
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Andrés Duany, co-founder of the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU), discusses the prospects for Lean Urbanism within local government.
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Sick of being the tail end of someone else’s big project process? Want to get something done right now? By focusing on small, incremental neighborhood projects, you can not only make positive progress right now but you can directly benefit the constituents that elected you.
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