Public Works Funding And Planners

The recent Journal of the American Planning Association article, "Underestimating Costs in Public Works Projects: Error or Lie," by Bent Flyvbjerg, Mette Skamris Holm, and Soren Buhl, has sparked an international discussion of the decision-making procedures used in funding major public works projects... It's a good example of how our knowledge advances step by step, and the important role that our referred journal can play in that process. Planners have known for years that estimates for public works projects need to take both uncertainty and political reality into account. An important companion question for future research might also be whether any specific project is the best way to fulfill the overall vision and plan for the future quality of the city."

Thanks to Denny Johnson