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Reviews
Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity by Charles L. Marohn Jr.
dragonflymorning's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! Who knew city planning could be so interesting? I learned so much about how finances work both nationally and locally, the ways communities develop, and ways to create impact for your community now. I only rated it four stars because the writing is decidedly repetitive to the point of annoyance (particularly if one reads the book in two sittings) but I would definitely recommend it and read it over and over again.
mglarson29's review against another edition
This isn’t bad, it’s just a little dense and more about economics than I’d prefer. I borrowed it from a friend so I skimmed the parts that he bookmarked.
daryase's review against another edition
У цій книжці підсумовано все, що не так зі способом, в який ведеться управління містечками в Америці. Зокрема, те, що там дуже вірять в інфраструктуру і чомусь не усвідомлюють, що побудовані дороги - це не актив, а графа витрат. Або можуть витратити два мільйони грошів на те, щоб перебудувати розв'язку так, щоб люди стали витрачати на ній на півхвилини менше часу, бо за роки з цього накопичується аж мільйон грошів витрат - правда, віртуальних, у вигляді "втрат працездатності", тобто запізнень на роботу. Ну, коли це так коротко переказати, то виглядає дуже абсурдно і незрозуміло, як вони там взагалі ще живуть. І коли автор книжки це не так коротко, а довго розповідає, теж виглядає абсурдно, але набагато довше. Насправді, я дізналася про цю книжку з ютьюб каналу Not Just Bikes, там є добрий стислий переказ, і його цілком достатньо для ознайомлення з аргументом автора, навіть якщо вас цікавить питання того, що не так з американською урбаністикою, так само, як мене цікавило, поки що я з цією урбаністикою ще мусила на щодень стикатися.
ingrid_kocher's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
"Humbly observe where people in the neighborhood struggle going about their daily routine. Identify the next smallest thing that can be done today to address that struggle. Do that thing. Do it right away. Repeat the process...Those making these investment decisions need to literally walk in the footsteps of the people they are serving, to be present as they experience the city. Consider it product testing: to observe how people are using that which has been built."
sannermatt's review against another edition
Every mayor and city council member should read this book twice.
For thousands of years, humans had perfected the incremental building and growth of the places we inhabit. In the decades after WWII, all of that knowledge and wisdom was flushed down the drain in favor of automobile-focused development. this new experiment has proven to be devastating for our towns and cities. Detroit was the first American city to try this experiment and other cities will soon follow in its wake.
Today, the infrastructure cult proposes more and more growth to solve our problems. However, quick growth with short term profits results in long term maintenance costs that are so often unaccounted for. Cities so desperate for and addicted to growth are willing to hand private developers tax incentives on a silver platter with little thought for the future.
Chuck Marohn has been spearheading the revival of American towns for some time now. In his book, he argues that cities should be looking at development in terms of “Value Per Acre” and he provides the math that proves it. His fiscally conservative approach is so darn appealing. He urges cities to make smart, incremental, and financially solvent improvements that won’t leave future generations with holes in their pockets.
If you love your city and want to see it thrive, buy this book and gift it to your city council members pronto.
For thousands of years, humans had perfected the incremental building and growth of the places we inhabit. In the decades after WWII, all of that knowledge and wisdom was flushed down the drain in favor of automobile-focused development. this new experiment has proven to be devastating for our towns and cities. Detroit was the first American city to try this experiment and other cities will soon follow in its wake.
Today, the infrastructure cult proposes more and more growth to solve our problems. However, quick growth with short term profits results in long term maintenance costs that are so often unaccounted for. Cities so desperate for and addicted to growth are willing to hand private developers tax incentives on a silver platter with little thought for the future.
Chuck Marohn has been spearheading the revival of American towns for some time now. In his book, he argues that cities should be looking at development in terms of “Value Per Acre” and he provides the math that proves it. His fiscally conservative approach is so darn appealing. He urges cities to make smart, incremental, and financially solvent improvements that won’t leave future generations with holes in their pockets.
If you love your city and want to see it thrive, buy this book and gift it to your city council members pronto.
alexgeorge's review against another edition
3.0
Whilst I do agree with the principles I'm not entirely convinced by the almost entirely economic argument for such changes. Probably aimed more at policymakers or potential policymakers. Nice to see some critical discussion of retrofitting suburbia.
maxblackmore's review against another edition
4.0
As I went through the book, my impressions of it vacillated between good and mediocre. On one hand, I was disappointed about the depth of ideas and the rigor of supporting materials. On the other hand, I did enjoy its conversational style - and at times I did have a vivid sense of a dialogue with the author. But at the end of the day, Charles Marohn probably did not set out to write a Teutonic treatise. He probably intended something simple and more relatable. And that was exactly how the book turned out to be.
In essence, Marohn argues for viewing infrastructure as a liability - they require increasingly large amounts of maintenance each year. They always start as something nice and shiny but begin to fall apart in two to three decades. Since the suburb extension facilitated by infrastructure almost always fails to bring in sufficient tax revenues, local governments will find it financially challenging to repair stuff. The residents move on to new neighborhoods, and the old ones doomed to demise.
Marohn argues for a simple tax revenue per acre to assess the value of a development. Under this metric, older town centers almost always outperform the suburbs. It is surprising that the neighborhoods with the best financial performance are actually the shabby ones - the ones that 1) produce more tax dollars per acre as they are more densely developed; and 2) do not come with a big maintenance bill (simply because the local governments ignore them). It is the tax revenues from the poor neighborhoods that subsidize the maintenance of rich neighborhoods - something very counterintuitive.
Marohn has an enlightening way of defining his politics. He describes himself a libetarian at national level, and then becomes incrementally more progressive/socialist when it comes to the local/community levels. I am not saying this is the correct/only template for the political right to start a dialogue in today’s environment - but it sets clear boundaries in our discourse and could help bring back some civility.
The book ended with a strong touch of nostalgia. Connections with neighbors, walk-centric lifestyles - all quintessential in oldtime city centers. The almost emotional digression was not necessary in my view - but it did strengthen the conversational style and increased the text’s connection with the readers.
All in all, I would say I enjoyed the book. Read it like a blog post rather than a more buttoned-up analysis - and you will enjoy it as well.
In essence, Marohn argues for viewing infrastructure as a liability - they require increasingly large amounts of maintenance each year. They always start as something nice and shiny but begin to fall apart in two to three decades. Since the suburb extension facilitated by infrastructure almost always fails to bring in sufficient tax revenues, local governments will find it financially challenging to repair stuff. The residents move on to new neighborhoods, and the old ones doomed to demise.
Marohn argues for a simple tax revenue per acre to assess the value of a development. Under this metric, older town centers almost always outperform the suburbs. It is surprising that the neighborhoods with the best financial performance are actually the shabby ones - the ones that 1) produce more tax dollars per acre as they are more densely developed; and 2) do not come with a big maintenance bill (simply because the local governments ignore them). It is the tax revenues from the poor neighborhoods that subsidize the maintenance of rich neighborhoods - something very counterintuitive.
Marohn has an enlightening way of defining his politics. He describes himself a libetarian at national level, and then becomes incrementally more progressive/socialist when it comes to the local/community levels. I am not saying this is the correct/only template for the political right to start a dialogue in today’s environment - but it sets clear boundaries in our discourse and could help bring back some civility.
The book ended with a strong touch of nostalgia. Connections with neighbors, walk-centric lifestyles - all quintessential in oldtime city centers. The almost emotional digression was not necessary in my view - but it did strengthen the conversational style and increased the text’s connection with the readers.
All in all, I would say I enjoyed the book. Read it like a blog post rather than a more buttoned-up analysis - and you will enjoy it as well.