This Strong Towns podcast episode features Chuck Marone discussing the current chaotic national climate and relating it to the underlying financial instability of American cities, a problem Strong Towns has long highlighted. Marone connects this broad unease to specific issues like the rescinded federal approval for New York City’s congestion pricing and the dysfunctional business model of the MTA. He argues for a nuanced perspective, suggesting that acknowledging problems like the MTA’s mismanagement doesn’t necessitate aligning with top-down federal interventions. Ultimately, Marone advocates for local-level action and reform as the path to building financially resilient “strong towns,” emphasizing a new toolkit available for regulatory reform to promote housing development.
