Susan Chapelle
Chuck Marohn and Strong Towns changed how I think about the cost of growth. Through courses and urban planning discussions, I came to look beyond whether a project could be built and ask what the municipality would be responsible for maintaining and replacing decades later. The important correction was understanding that new development and a larger tax base do not automatically make a community financially stronger. Roads, pipes and other infrastructure create lasting obligations. A project can look attractive at approval while leaving future residents with costs that were never properly assessed. What persuaded me was the costing. Strong Towns asks communities to compare the value a project creates with the public infrastructure liabilities it adds. That is a concrete test, and it changed the questions I bring to development decisions. I still support more housing and economic growth. I now place greater weight on using existing infrastructure well, allowing incremental housing and understanding operating and replacement costs before making commitments. For Ward 14, that means asking what services a development needs, who pays for them and whether funding continues after construction. My job is to improve the decision, even when that requires changing the assumptions I brought to it.