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 poi

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.