When it comes to infrastructure projects, “we're not just a bit behind the curve — we're ridiculously, embarrassingly behind the curve,” according to a recent article by Ryan Cooper.

Ryan Cooper asks a simple question without a simple answer: “Spain, a developed market democracy, gets 10 to 20 times as much infrastructure for its money as America does, and it is of much higher quality to boot. Why is this?”
The question of infrastructure spending seems particularly pertinent of late—given all the recent research showing new behaviors in transportation and the environmental threats created by climate change (which are uniquely challenging in New York City or California and everywhere else, for that matter).
Cooper mentions three possibilities—expensive labor, out-of-control private contractors, and a “crap procurement process”—as culprits for the state of infrastructure investment in the country, but also acknowledges “it would be a mistake to focus too much on particular techniques or failures. The reality is that when it comes to cost and quality, America is doing basically everything wrong.”
FULL STORY: Why is it so expensive to build a bridge in America?

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
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Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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