Readers on Infrastructure
As I expected, only a minority of readers live in a fantasyland where they think the public gets the infrastructure we want:
Pick the statement you agree with most:
- We get the infrastructure that makes developers the most money. 30 [42.25%]
- We get the infrastructure we want only if we fight for/demand better. 15 [21.13%]
- We get the infrastructure we get because most people don’t know other options exist. 12 [16.9%]
- We get the infrastructure that was commonplace years ago, but outdated today. 8 [11.27%]
- We get the infrastructure in our communities that most of us want and use. 5 [7.04%]
- Unsure/No Answer 1 [1.41%]
The rest of us know the so-called “free market” is limited by municipal zoning codes and time saver standards rather than creative thinking to respond to ever-changing demographics and preferences.
I should’ve had the top answer be one that costs developers the least rather than makes the most money, but you get the idea. To change this pattern we need to educate the public on other options so they’ll also demand better.
— Steve Patterson
As your poll choices indicated, this is not a black-or-white issue. Most of us would like better infrastructure, but most of us are not willing to push for, fight for or pay for it. If you want “creative thinking”, it needs to come from the grass roots and be implemented by our elected officials. We will generally (continue to) get “the minimum”, the question is what is the minimum, the threshold that we, as a community, establish and enforce? Preaching to developers and contractors won’t do much good – they want to “play by the rules”, get in and get out. If the rules say crap is OK, we get crap. If the rules say better, we get better. Expecting to get more than the minimum, on a regular basis, is living in a fantasyland . . . .
It isn’t fantasyland to expect our government to educate the public on urban planning choices, develop a plan from consensus, then work to implement that consensus vision. That would be good governance.
That assumes that “government” has people with an urban planning background. Given that in many of our small municipalities “planning” falls under public works, any “planning” is done by a civil engineer more concerned with turning radii, waste water runoff and parking counts. And in the city, given the power of our individual aldermen, most of whom have no planning background, it’s not surprising that any “vision” centers around sales taxes. Good, effective planning takes citizens, especially those with a design background, pushing it to make it a priority/ Expecting “government” to lead, to educate the citizenry, only happens when the voters demand it!
It’s fantasyland to expect the government to educate the voter to care about their block/neighborhood/city/state/country. It seems to be more and more extremes….either you’re a caring voter who educates themselves on the issues from a variety of sources, or you’re apathetic and barely know who represents you.