Should Kansas City Taxpayers Foot the Bill for a New Downtown Stadium?

The Kansas City Royals are considering building a new stadium downtown. But who should pay for it: the princes (team owners) or the paupers (taxpayers)?

Pattison, Economic Development, #DotheMath, Video, Top StoryJohn PattisonSeptember 28, 2021Kansas City, baseball, stadium, megaprojects, subsidies, Megaprojects, #DoTheMath

Ogden and the Storage Wars

Storage facilities have no place in a productive, walkable downtown. Here’s a case study showing why, and how to deal with the problem.

#DotheMath, Davis, Urban Design, Top StorySarah DavisSeptember 8, 2021downtown, Utah, storage units, Urban3, Land Use, walkability, #DoTheMath

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

The Question Every City Should Be Asking

Let’s #DoTheMath in Ramsey County, Minnesota.

#DotheMath, Suburban Experiment, Suburban Poverty, Zoning, Davis, Top StorySarah DavisAugust 4, 2021Value Per Acre, Urban3, Minnesota, St. Paul, suburban development pattern, traditional development pattern, #DoTheMath

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

Who Pays for Growth in Collier County, Florida: Part 3

Collier County is poised to spend over $200 million extending utilities to a whole new, previously rural, portion of the county. Let's #DoTheMath on this plan.

#DotheMath, Finance, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Herriges, Infrastructure, Rural, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMay 26, 2021collier county series, water, Infrastructure, Growth Ponzi Scheme, Florida, #DoTheMath

Should we do this project? A Strong Towns answer.

Our answer to this question is a pair of filters. If you can’t pass these filters, it’s a bad project.

Marohn, Infrastructure, #DotheMath, Top StoryCharles MarohnMarch 1, 2021#DoTheMath, Local-Motive Tour, Kevin Shepherd, infrastructure spending, how to

Doing the Math in Calgary

Calgary — like so many North American cities — is like an intergenerational dine-and-dash. Our children will get the bill.

#DotheMath, Success Story, Member Post, Top Story 2, Top StoryNathan HawrylukFebruary 23, 2021#DoTheMath, infrastructure cult, Alberta, Canada, member story, success stories

How to #DoTheMath for Non-Math Majors

You don’t have to be a math wizard to figure out if your town or city has more infrastructure than it can afford. Just follow these 5 simple steps.

#DotheMath, Success Story, Member Post, Top StoryNathan HawrylukFebruary 22, 2021#DoTheMath, infrastructure cult, Alberta, Canada, member story, success stories

Oh, the Bureaucratic Inertia Outside Is Frightful

Winnipeg says how much infrastructure it can afford is based on “personal preference.” But doing the math tells a different — and alarming — story.

#DotheMath, Infrastructure, Success Story, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodJanuary 28, 2021#DoTheMath, Winnipeg, infastructure, success stories, member story, impact

No Manifest Destiny: Doing the Math on Urban Growth Boundaries

Cities aren’t exempt from the iron laws of accounting: if you’re spending more than you make, eventually you’ll be underwater.

#DotheMath, Top Story 2, Top Story, Success StoryDustin ShaneJanuary 26, 2021annexation, urban growth boundary, Tennessee, #DoTheMath, success stories, member story

Best of 2020: Doing the Math on Roads, Cul-de-sacs, Drainageways, and More

People are running the numbers in their cities and confronting head-on the absurd un-affordability of the Suburban Experiment.

Best of Blog, #DotheMath, Top StoryStrong TownsDecember 10, 2020#DoTheMath, success stories, Best of 2020

How I Became a Strong Townie

“I was just a guy, in love with a city, asking it to make better use of my tax dollars.”

#DotheMath, Local Government, Membership, Success Story, Member Profiles, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodNovember 18, 2020#DoTheMath, Winnipeg, local finance, local government, member drive, success stories, member testimonials

Land Use and "The Cobra Effect"

When an attempt to solve a problem ends up making the problem worse, that’s The Cobra Effect. It’s also a pretty good description of the decisions that are slowly bankrupting many of our towns and cities.

#DotheMath, Infrastructure, Top StoryDavid SkuodasOctober 26, 2020suburban development pattern, Infrastructure, water, stormwater, #DoTheMath

The Solvent City: What Does It Look Like?

A planner in Gallatin, Tennessee does the math to find out how much infrastructure his city can support and who’s paying their share. What he finds could be the Growth Ponzi Scheme in action.

#DotheMath, Top StoryDustin ShaneOctober 21, 2020Tennessee, #DoTheMath, Value Per Acre

The Numbers Don't Lie

To have enduring prosperity, a community cannot squander its land; it must develop in ways that are financially productive.

Kansas City, Big Box Stores, #DotheMath, Top Story 2Charles MarohnOctober 12, 2020Urban3, kcmo2020, Kansas City, Joe Minicozzi, #DoTheMath, big box stores, kansas city series, Value Per Acre

Land Use and Services: A More Perfect Union

What’s missing from most comprehensive plans? Dollars and cents. Here’s a simple reform that will focus the conversation on development patterns that create real wealth.

Top Story, Planning Profession, #DotheMathSpencer GardnerSeptember 10, 2020Land Use, comprehensive plans, planning profession, #DoTheMath

I Did the Math on My Town’s Cul-de-Sacs. Here's What I Found.

A detailed analysis of 12 cul-de-sacs show the Suburban Experiment is a dead end. What will it take to make this city solvent?

#DotheMath, Suburban Experiment, Top StoryDustin ShaneAugust 11, 2020nashville, #DoTheMath, suburban development pattern

You're ready to #DoTheMath in your own town. These 6 resources will help.

What kind of returns will your city actually get from its infrastructure and other public investment spending? These 6 resources will help you uncover the truth.

#DotheMath, Top StoryStrong TownsAugust 7, 2020#DoTheMath, Strong Towns 101 Articles