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I’m not blaming consultants, I mean sure the big four suck at everything but they don’t add that much cost. NYC is an interesting case. The city used to contro
by ch4s3 4y ago
I’m not blaming consultants, I mean sure the big four suck at everything but they don’t add that much cost.
NYC is an interesting case. The city used to control the subway system, but early 20th century progressives in an effort to combat corruption pulled control to the state. This was an effort to professionalize government and establish a technocracy of sorts where learned people dictated outcomes dispassionately. Their legacy has been anything but impressive.
The US also isn’t carved up into political units based around cultural/linguistic groups with economies centered around old imperial capitals. There aren’t strong internal borders, so when a big city is on a state border, it accrues development across that political division. If the Eurozone lasts another 150 or so years, you might see more cross border metropolitan areas.
- bluGill 4y agoThe NYC subways were built and operated by private companies in the late 19th and early 20th century (you can still see where the different companies had service because they built infrastructure that is stupid unless you are trying to compete with someone else). The city did regulate prices to too low to pay for ongoing maintenance, but otherwise did not control the subways. Of course that lack of maintenance did mean they eventually had a system they couldn't run at and they sold out cheap, but that was the mid 20th century.