SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

Chapter 10: Transportation Technology and Fads

Key Quotes

“There are very few chronic problems plaguing society today that would not be alleviated, at least somewhat, if everyone walked a mile or two each day.” — Click to Tweet

“A community of people who walk has a very different economic structure than one where everyone drives. It is more fine-grained and personal, where Adam Smith’s invisible hand of the markets meets his insights on human behavior and our innate desire to be thought of as lovely to each other.” — Click to Tweet

“At the end of the day, rideshare is merely a taxi service using an app with a business model that exploits excess market liquidity and Americans who are bad at math.” — Click to Tweet

“If to bring about a self-driving vehicle revolution you find yourself willing to address safety concerns by fencing off humans from the public realm or dramatically slowing vehicle speeds, what is it about the computer driver that is so enticing?” — Click to Tweet

“If I know the self-driving car will stop when I step out into the street, I am never going to wait at a stupid traffic signal again.” — Click to Tweet

“While I believe in grand visions — Strong Towns is a grand vision — I do not believe in shortcuts.” — Click to Tweet

“In a democratic society, it takes humility to co-create something with those around you, especially if that thing is worthy of our aspiration and enduring affection. High-speed rail in America is the opposite of humility, which is why it fails to deliver on its many promises.”

Monkey Parking

Monkey Parking was an app that allowed an individual who was leaving a parking spot to alert other drivers that the spot was coming available. A frustrated driver looking to park could then bid on that parking spot. The individual leaving would accept the bid, wait for the bidder to show up, and then swap spaces. Monkey Parking handles the transaction. Read more about what Monkey Parking says about the state of parking in North American cities in this 2014 Strong Towns article.

Self-Driving Cars

Driverless Cars and the Cult of Technology

Automated Vehicles Will Make Our Streets Worse

“Humans will not be allowed to interfere with the free flow of traffic. Our economy will depend on it, after all. All those commuters that need to get to their jobs, all those potential customers that need to get where they are going…There’s too much at stake in maintaining efficiency.” — from “Automated Vehicles Will Make Our Streets Worse,” by Charles Marohn

Are Self-Driving Cars a Solution Looking for a Problem? (Podcast)

And at the end of the day, do we actually need self-driving cars? Are they a solution looking for a problem—or perhaps the wrong solution for problems (traffic deaths, traffic congestion, etc.) that could be solved in better, easier ways? Abby Kinney, an urban planner in Kansas City, and Charles Marohn discuss these questions in this episode of the Upzoned podcast.