Is it fair to say that a general theme here is to care less about ideological versions about what works vs doesn’t, and just focusing on planning and executing infrastructure buildout with whatever tools you can?
Thanks for the summary Sam, good insights as ever. There is one point though that would deserve a better justification IMO: "you want infrastructure to be more profitable to supply than it is in a competitive market, because it is just so good to have more of it".
How good is it really to have more infra, especially roads, railways and public transport? Are there any (at least somehow rigorous and data-driven) approaches to quantify the benefits, especially the spillover effects? I have been thinking about this for some time but still have no clue, beside a CBA working with saved travel time and distance and some rather handwavy environmental criteria.
Listing all items confuses things. More of specific items, i.e., public transport, is always better. I say this because i've been living in China and public transport is everywhere, it works, and it's amazing to live in. More roads, not so much.
Is it fair to say that a general theme here is to care less about ideological versions about what works vs doesn’t, and just focusing on planning and executing infrastructure buildout with whatever tools you can?
Something like that, yes. Or at any rate, the usual ideological concepts aren't necessarily 'cutting at the joints' of reality here!
Thanks for the summary Sam, good insights as ever. There is one point though that would deserve a better justification IMO: "you want infrastructure to be more profitable to supply than it is in a competitive market, because it is just so good to have more of it".
How good is it really to have more infra, especially roads, railways and public transport? Are there any (at least somehow rigorous and data-driven) approaches to quantify the benefits, especially the spillover effects? I have been thinking about this for some time but still have no clue, beside a CBA working with saved travel time and distance and some rather handwavy environmental criteria.
Listing all items confuses things. More of specific items, i.e., public transport, is always better. I say this because i've been living in China and public transport is everywhere, it works, and it's amazing to live in. More roads, not so much.
This is a brilliant essay that I wish my American city would consider.
This is great. I look forward to much more about the esthetic and design choices and why they were so much better on all dimensions than now.