This one’s on you, engineering profession. Society is done tolerating this level of indifference, incompetence, and incoherence. What are you going to do?

#SlowtheCars, Walkability, For Newcomers, Greatest Hits, Engineering Profession, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnSeptember 2, 2021Safety, safety, #PedestrianUnfriendly, Pedestrian Safety, engineering ethics, engineering profession, traffic engineering

Iterating to Safety (Excerpt from Confessions of a Recovering Engineer)

We need to #SlowTheCars on every street that's been the site of an auto-related fatality. The best way to do so? Through an iterative approach.

#SlowtheCars, Confessions Book, Marohn, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 30, 2021iteration, streets, Pedestrian Safety, Safety, Street Design, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, #SlowTheCars, confessions excerpt

The Spooky Wisdom of Pompeii

What lessons can we glean about anti-fragility and human psychology from a 2,000-year-old fast food restaurant?

Marohn, Strong Towns Book, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 23, 2021history, pompeii, spooky wisdom, Strong Towns Book, traditional development pattern, human scale, psychology

The Projections Fallacy

We spend billions every year on our transportation network, large percentages of it based on traffic projections—despite the fact that we don’t accurately project traffic.

Engineering Profession, Mistakes A Town Makes, Roads and Streets, Marohn, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 16, 2021traffic projections, traffic congestion, engineers, engineering profession, transportation, traffic engineering

Automated Vehicles Will Make Our Streets Worse

Automated vehicle technology will do nothing to make our streets better places to be.

Marohn, Transportation, Roads and Streets, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 12, 2021autonomous vehicles, auto-oriented, cars, technology

The Key to Slowing Traffic is Street Design, Not Speed Limits

Two simple photos show the difference between a street simply designated as 20 mph, and one actually designed to be safe. We can't regulate our way to safety.

#SlowtheCars, Roads and Streets, Greatest Hits, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 5, 2021speed, traffic engineering, engineers, transportation

Our Transportation Budget Is a Fraud We Perpetuate on Ourselves

The Senate has agreed to discuss an infrastructure bill…but what does it matter when real reform isn't going to come from multitrillion-dollar infrastructure proposals?

#InfrastructureCrisis, #NoNewRoads, Federal Government, Infrastructure, Marohn, Public Transit, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 2, 2021Infrastructure, infrastructure, Infrastructure Week, infrastructure bill, federal government, #NoNewRoads

Traffic Congestion Was Last Century’s Problem…but It Is This Century’s Solution

Our national transportation obsession has been about maximizing the amount that you can drive. We now need to focus on minimizing the amount you are forced to drive.

Marohn, #NoNewRoads, #SlowtheCars, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 29, 2021congestion, gas tax, traffic congestion, #SlowTheCars, transportation, #NoNewRoads

One Billion Bollards

If the federal government wants to fund transportation, skip the megaprojects. Start with a billion bollards.

#SlowtheCars, Marohn, Transportation, Urban Design, Walkability, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 26, 2021Safety, Pedestrian Safety, public safety, transportation, pedestrians, #PedestrianUnfriendly

Crossing the Street is Like Dodging Bullets

The continued street/road hybrid approach of America's countless stroads causes needless tragedy, with the side effect of our cities going bankrupt in the process. #SlowTheCars

#SlowtheCars, Marohn, Roads and Streets, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 22, 2021negligence, Buffalo NY, STROADS

A Plan for Parking That You Can Use in Your Place

Today I’m sharing a plan I offered to my colleagues on our local parking committee. My hope is that it'll benefit those who are thinking through similar issues in their places.

Marohn, Parking, Strategies, Taking Action, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 19, 2021Parking, Brainerd MN, parking minimums, development pattern, strategic plan, resource

Update on the Strong Towns Lawsuit

We’ve been asked for news on the federal lawsuit we filed against the Minnesota Board of Engineering Licensure. Here’s some more info on the case and how it’s proceeding.

Engineering Profession, Engineering Reform, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 12, 2021engineering profession, engineering ethics, engineers

Design Speed is a Value Statement

Choosing a design speed is an application of core values. We shouldn't allow the engineering profession to make this decision for us.

#SlowtheCars, Marohn, Engineering Profession, Podcast, Engineering Reform, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 8, 2021engineering profession, engineering ethics, engineers, #SlowTheCars, Podcast

A Preview of Bi-Partisan Compromise on Infrastructure (Sorry, It's Not Good)

We should not be cheering on simulacrums of reform when the majority of spending is going to programs that are making us weaker as a country, as cities, and as neighborhoods.

#InfrastructureCrisis, #NoNewRoads, Infrastructure, Local Government, Marohn, Politics, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 6, 2021MoveMN, Infrastructure, transportation, walkability, bikeability, #NoNewRoads, infrastructure cult, local government, Minnesota

My Neighborhood's Summer Experiment in Building a Strong Town

In the summer, my neighbors invite things to happen that they will oppose most any other time of the year. It’s the best part of being here.

Community, Marohn, Neighborhoods, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 21, 2021community, community building, neighborhood, Brainerd MN

A National Infrastructure Bank is a Stupid Idea

A bill in Congress is pushing for a National Infrastructure Bank, which would mean (in theory) bold federal action to address America's infrastructure crisis. It's a big idea. It's also a really bad one.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Federal Government, Infrastructure, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 14, 2021Infrastructure, infrastructure cult, Infrastructure Bank, infrastructure cost, federal government, top-down, South Carolina

Closing Out Member Week with Some Awesome Messages

It’s the last day of our member drive, so let’s read some “FU” comments from our members. …What are “FU” comments? “Fundraise Up,” of course!

Membership, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 11, 2021member drive, membership

Here's How *You* Can Help Heroes in Your Community

This is the Year of Action, twelve months where we are focusing on what it takes to help our millions of site visitors make theirs a Strong Town. Here’s how you can help in this mission.

Membership, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 7, 2021membership, member drive

The Republican Roadmap on Infrastructure (It's Not a Real Plan)

The Republican Roadmap isn't a real alternative to the American Jobs Plan, and even if it was, we must stop talking about our national infrastructure strategy in terms of “Democratic versus Republican” approaches.

#InfrastructureCrisis, #NoNewRoads, Infrastructure, Marohn, Politics, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 1, 2021American Jobs Plan, Infrastructure, infrastructure bill, #NoNewRoads, politics, top-down

Break Out of the Resource Trap with a Strong Towns Approach

Communities in decline face a great deal of work if they hope to someday become stronger towns. Remember that it is a process, not a destination. Here’s how you can begin.