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The tense is wrong in the title. The process is still going on, and many currently financially thriving cities are still buying into the false promise of unchec

The tense is wrong in the title. The process is still going on, and many currently financially thriving cities are still buying into the false promise of unchecked growth without consideration for infrastructure, services, and overall quality of life. I also take exception to the use of the gestalt 'America' as if there were some central force orchestrating this phenomena - there isn't, just the same incentives that push developer's voices in city governments louder and louder.

anonu 6y ago
> I also take exception to the use of the gestalt 'America' These things start at the top - based on what the US govt decides or does not decide to regulate. With a lack of regulation, we all know the "free markets" reign to a point where they are no longer free and instead enhance divisions in society and further monopolies. Amazon, Facebook, Google are too big. They've provided great benefits to society to date - but govt needs to step in and control them now.
- sillyquiet 6y ago
  No, it doesn't. Not in a country where constitutionally such power by default is devolved to the states to regulate or not. One could make the argument it starts at the state level, but most states have left such matters to the municipalities in turn. So, these municipalities, acting independently and without coordination, and have arrived at the same state. Because they are all currently incentivized to.
  - zip1234 6y ago
    There are state and federal dollars that are used by these municipalities to widen their roads and such. It is not something that happened without coordination. A federal policy in which 10x more money is available for roads vs transit is an incentive for more of the same.
- jkingsbery 6y ago
  Reading the actual book that this video is based on, those pushing the "Strong Towns" theme are pretty agnostic to free markets, so it's kind of besides the point. The point is - we spend $X/year on infrastructure, but people only seem to think that infrastructure is worth <$X/year, so there will forever be a deficit. The Strong Town books also discusses what happened with a lack of regulation throughout almost all of human history: everyone lived in rural areas to work a farm, or else lived and worked in dense urban areas. American suburbia happened in large part not due to a lack of regulation at the top, but federal money being spent on roads, highways and infrastructure at the top.
anm89 6y ago
> I also take exception to the use of the gestalt 'America' as if there were some central force orchestrating this phenomena Agreed. This reductionist mindset bugs me to no end
throw0101a 6y ago
> The tense is wrong in the title. The process is still going on […] Channeling the late comedian Mitch Hedberg: I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to too. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Hedberg#Quotations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Hedberg#Quotations

anonu 6y ago

> I also take exception to the use of the gestalt 'America' These things start at the top - based on what the US govt decides or does not decide to regulate. With a lack of regulation, we all know the "free markets" reign to a point where they are no longer free and instead enhance divisions in society and further monopolies. Amazon, Facebook, Google are too big. They've provided great benefits to society to date - but govt needs to step in and control them now.

sillyquiet 6y ago
No, it doesn't. Not in a country where constitutionally such power by default is devolved to the states to regulate or not. One could make the argument it starts at the state level, but most states have left such matters to the municipalities in turn. So, these municipalities, acting independently and without coordination, and have arrived at the same state. Because they are all currently incentivized to.
- zip1234 6y ago
  There are state and federal dollars that are used by these municipalities to widen their roads and such. It is not something that happened without coordination. A federal policy in which 10x more money is available for roads vs transit is an incentive for more of the same.
jkingsbery 6y ago
Reading the actual book that this video is based on, those pushing the "Strong Towns" theme are pretty agnostic to free markets, so it's kind of besides the point. The point is - we spend $X/year on infrastructure, but people only seem to think that infrastructure is worth <$X/year, so there will forever be a deficit. The Strong Town books also discusses what happened with a lack of regulation throughout almost all of human history: everyone lived in rural areas to work a farm, or else lived and worked in dense urban areas. American suburbia happened in large part not due to a lack of regulation at the top, but federal money being spent on roads, highways and infrastructure at the top.

anm89 6y ago

> I also take exception to the use of the gestalt 'America' as if there were some central force orchestrating this phenomena Agreed. This reductionist mindset bugs me to no end

throw0101a 6y ago

> The tense is wrong in the title. The process is still going on […] Channeling the late comedian Mitch Hedberg: I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to too. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Hedberg#Quotations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Hedberg#Quotations