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Is this really true though? Every infrastructure project in cities seems to cost billions of dollars (Boston’s Green Line Extension, New York’s 2nd Avenue Subwa

Is this really true though? Every infrastructure project in cities seems to cost billions of dollars (Boston’s Green Line Extension, New York’s 2nd Avenue Subway). It would take quite a lot of suburban road, gas, electric etc infrastructure to add up to anything close to that.

kiba 5y ago
They cost billion of dollars but they are also supporting places that also pays a lot more taxes. With suburbia, you get low cost infrastructure, but also low tax revenue. You better hope that your tax revenue exceeds the costs of supporting suburbia.
seanmcdirmid 5y ago
The infrastructure costs in cities are more expensive but service many more people and economic activity, they are amortized much more efficiently than a suburban bridge to nowhere.
- thehappypm 5y ago
  Is this true? As a case study, Boston’s population is about 700k, call it a million people living in a genuinely urban environment in greater Boston, of a metro area of 3 million. I think there’s more suburbanites than urbanites in most American metros.
  - seanmcdirmid 5y ago
    Where do the suburbanites work? That tunnel, rail, or subway is allowing who to get into and out of the city easier? > The Green Line Extension (GLX) project will extend the existing MBTA Green Line service north of Lechmere Station and into the communities of Somerville, Cambridge, and Medford.
    - thehappypm 5y ago
      GLX is primarily about serving the urban community better.
      - seanmcdirmid 5y ago
        From wiki: > The Green Line Extension (GLX) is a construction project to extend the light rail Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line northwest into Somerville and Medford, two inner suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. I’m not familiar with the Boston area, are Medford and Somerville mainly urban extensions of Boston?
        thehappypm 5y ago
        Somerville is the main beneficiary of GLX and is basically part of the urban core of Boston, yes.

kiba 5y ago

They cost billion of dollars but they are also supporting places that also pays a lot more taxes. With suburbia, you get low cost infrastructure, but also low tax revenue. You better hope that your tax revenue exceeds the costs of supporting suburbia.

seanmcdirmid 5y ago

The infrastructure costs in cities are more expensive but service many more people and economic activity, they are amortized much more efficiently than a suburban bridge to nowhere.

thehappypm 5y ago
Is this true? As a case study, Boston’s population is about 700k, call it a million people living in a genuinely urban environment in greater Boston, of a metro area of 3 million. I think there’s more suburbanites than urbanites in most American metros.
- seanmcdirmid 5y ago
  Where do the suburbanites work? That tunnel, rail, or subway is allowing who to get into and out of the city easier? > The Green Line Extension (GLX) project will extend the existing MBTA Green Line service north of Lechmere Station and into the communities of Somerville, Cambridge, and Medford.
  - thehappypm 5y ago
    GLX is primarily about serving the urban community better.
    - seanmcdirmid 5y ago
      From wiki: > The Green Line Extension (GLX) is a construction project to extend the light rail Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line northwest into Somerville and Medford, two inner suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. I’m not familiar with the Boston area, are Medford and Somerville mainly urban extensions of Boston?
      - thehappypm 5y ago
        Somerville is the main beneficiary of GLX and is basically part of the urban core of Boston, yes.