The Strong Towns Podcast

New Zealand’s infrastructure commission added up every sector’s project wish‑list—and found a bill voters could never realistically pay. In this conversation, Geoff Cooper and Chuck Marohn unpack the national plan that starts by centering maintenance and renewals, then shows how that shifts the debate over big new projects, growth on the fringe, and the pressure on public budgets.

Additional Show Notes

Geoff Cooper (LinkedIn)

Te Waihanga (Site)

Te Waihanga National Infrastructure Plan (Site)

Chuck Marohn (Substack)

 

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

The conversation follows Michel Durand-Wood's path from noticing small local cuts—closed pools, rising taxes—to understanding his city as structurally insolvent. Along the way, he and Chuck talk about grants, debt, Canadian and U.S. examples, and why efficiency alone hasn’t fixed anything.

Additional Show Notes

Dear Winnipeg (Site)

You'll Pay For This! (Book)

Chuck Marohn (Substack)

 

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Chuck walks through three ways of seeing the housing crisis: supply, demand, and the Strong Towns view that grapples with “dark finance” and capital flows. He explains why campaign-style wins and single-variable fixes rarely deliver real affordability. The episode closes with a candid update on recent leadership changes and how Strong Towns has restructured its media work over the past year.

Additional Show Notes

Chuck Marohn (Substack)

 

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

For years, the dominant explanation for America’s infrastructure problems has been that we haven’t invested enough. Yet federal spending on transportation is at historic highs, and frustration with the results continues to grow.

This report offers a different interpretation.

The Interstate Highway System achieved its original goal. The challenges we face today are not the result of failure, but of a system that continued long after its purpose was fulfilled. Understanding what comes after it is the work in front of us.

Additional Show Notes

‍Watch on YouTube.

Read the Mission Accomplished White Paper.

Chuck Marohn (Substack)

 

This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Why 95% of planners get it wrong, how monetary policy killed Main Street, and why Chuck Marohn is optimistic about Gen Z. This wide-ranging conversation, first featured on the Yeoman podcast with Geoff Graham, explores the difference between Jane Jacobs's humble incrementalism and Robert Moses's technocratic master plans—and which approach is winning in 300+ communities.

 
Additional Show Notes

Chuck Marohn (Substack)

Geoff's Podcast https://yeomanpodcast.com/