Which Wins Out: An Engineer's Discretion or a Book of Standards?

Chuck holds a Q&A session with Confessions of a Recovering Engineer readers.

Confessions Book, Engineering Profession, Podcast, Transportation, Top Story, ST PodcastStrong TownsNovember 29, 2021Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, transportation, engineering profession, engineers, engineering ethics

My Journey from Free Market Ideologue to Strong Towns Advocate, Revisited

I’ve had to reconcile my foundational belief in markets with my experiences working with cities. This has been a painful process.

Marohn, #InfrastructureCrisis, Engineering Profession, Infrastructure, Local Government, Top StoryCharles MarohnOctober 25, 2021Market Urbanism, Local Government Aid, infrastructure cost, Minnesota, small towns, Infrastructure, infrastructure, engineers, engineering profession, local gov

Other Engineers Make Their Confessions

Today we share some of the confessions we’ve received from readers both involved in and victimized by America’s broken transportation system.

Engineering Profession, Confessions Book, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 1, 2021Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, engineering profession, engineers, traffic engineering

Engineers Should Not Design Streets: A Programmer's Take

Software engineers don’t design user interface, so why do we let civil engineers design streets?

Confessions of (Another) Recovering Engineer

Fellow “recovering” engineer Kevin Shepherd offers his confessions: “Looking back now, I can say that many projects I designed actually hurt people and their communities.”

Member Post, Confessions Book, Engineering Profession, Planning Profession, Suburban Experiment, Transportation, Top StoryKevin ShepherdSeptember 20, 2021engineering profession, engineering ethics, traffic engineering, engineers, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, member story

Are Traffic Engineers Sociopaths?

Why is it that traffic engineers seem to value the flow of cars over human lives and safety? Are they just sociopaths?

Learning from Biology, Not Physics

In general, engineers treat cities like a physics problem, but what we need is engineers who are able to humbly grasp the overwhelming complexity of human habitat and work.

Confessions Book, Engineering Profession, Marohn, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnSeptember 10, 2021engineering profession, engineering ethics, engineers, leadership, confessions book, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions excerpt

We Need a New Conventional Wisdom About Streets

We're at a tipping point in how we design and think about our public streets. And things can tip the right way, once we confront the bankrupt ideology guiding our transportation system.

#SlowtheCars, Engineering Profession, Herriges, Confessions Book, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesSeptember 7, 2021Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, STROADS, planning profession, engineers, engineering profession, traffic engineering, #SlowTheCars

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

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

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

Strong Towns Has Filed a Lawsuit Against the Minnesota Board of Engineering Licensure in Federal District Court

The Minnesota board that regulates engineering licenses is abusing their power in order to stifle the free speech of Charles Marohn and retaliate against the Strong Towns movement for their advocacy on transportation, infrastructure, and engineering reform. Strong Towns has filed suit in federal court to stop the board’s actions.

Engineering Reform, Engineering Profession, Marohn, Top StoryStrong TownsMay 23, 2021announcement, engineering profession, engineering ethics, engineers

Engineers Should Not Design Streets

Engineers are great at building roads, but we should never ask them to build our streets.

#SlowtheCars, Marohn, Engineering Profession, Top Story, Engineering ReformCharles MarohnMay 6, 2021roads, traffic engineering, engineers, streets

Transportation Engineers Are Legally Obligated to Protect the Public. It's Time to Demand They Do So.

Transportation engineering profession is at a crossroads. The industry has not honored its ethical obligations. That must change.

Engineering Profession, Top StorySteffen BerrFebruary 18, 2021Street Design, traffic engineering, engineering profession, engineering ethics, engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, vision zero

I'm pushing for safe streets. Some engineers want me to go away.

A small number of engineers use the formal complaint process to silence those who want to make streets safer and reform their profession. We're not going to let that happen.

Engineering Profession, Marohn, Engineering ReformCharles MarohnAugust 3, 2020engineering profession, engineers

The Cost of an Extra Foot

For a traffic engineer, to be conservative in your design is to spend extra money building capacity you don’t really need. The spiraling costs of this approach are enormous.

Marohn, Engineering Profession, Roads and Streets, Top StoryCharles MarohnJanuary 6, 2020roads, narrow streets, Brainerd MN, engineers, engineering profession

Best of 2019: Two Photos Reveal Why the Key to Slowing Traffic is Street Design, Not Speed Limits

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

#SlowtheCars, Roads and Streets, Best of Blog, Top StoryStrong TownsDecember 13, 2019speed, traffic engineering, engineers, transportation, Best of 2019

2 Photos Reveal Why the Key to Slowing Traffic is Street Design, Not Speed Limits

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