Incomplete
3 stars
Marohn frustrates me, he's on the right track about the bankrupt nature of suburban sprawl, but he remains myopically obsessed with small towns in a way that ignores the fact that most Americans (and increasingly, most humans) live in urban areas. The "bottom-up revolution" can't happen when engineering regulations, zoning, land use, mortgage-backed securities, federal transportation funding, and other systems block the individual action for which he advocates. And Marohn identifies those issues, but doesn't really offer a solution.
Marohn speaks with the most epistemic authority when he turns his criticism on his own profession. It often veers into the personal, but in general, I think his criticisms of engineers that did not involve disputes over his own licensure were the strongest parts of the book.
If you've been "orange pilled" or have a real interest in urbanism or land use or active transportation, maybe this book is for you. …
Marohn frustrates me, he's on the right track about the bankrupt nature of suburban sprawl, but he remains myopically obsessed with small towns in a way that ignores the fact that most Americans (and increasingly, most humans) live in urban areas. The "bottom-up revolution" can't happen when engineering regulations, zoning, land use, mortgage-backed securities, federal transportation funding, and other systems block the individual action for which he advocates. And Marohn identifies those issues, but doesn't really offer a solution.
Marohn speaks with the most epistemic authority when he turns his criticism on his own profession. It often veers into the personal, but in general, I think his criticisms of engineers that did not involve disputes over his own licensure were the strongest parts of the book.
If you've been "orange pilled" or have a real interest in urbanism or land use or active transportation, maybe this book is for you. If not, there are more well-rounded and accessible books to start with.
