Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Confessions of a Recovering Engineer will be a logical 'Part 2' to Chuck's book Strong Towns. It builds on Strong Towns: Bottom-Up Revolution by focusing on the core transportation insights Marohn has developed in more than a decade of writing for Strong Towns. The article Confessions of a Recovering Engineer (November 2011) remains the most widely read and distributed piece ever published on the Strong Towns website.
In the past few years, we have seen an increase in public interest as it pertains to our local communities and improving upon them. Put simply, more and more people are beginning to care about their community and improving it. Confessions of a Recovering Engineer examines the one of the key elements of any community both large and small: the transportation system. It gives non-technical people (really, non-engineers, which will include planners and elected officials and members of the public) permission, along with the capacity, to question the accepted engineering practices that shape their city. Readers will get a better understanding as to why streets, roads, highways, etc. are designed in the manner they are, why transportation design is vital to a thriving community, and how they can be improved upon the better the communities they serve. It will highlight real examples of poor design and how it has had a negative impact on the community it serves as well as case-studies in which improvement has helped to revitalize said community.
Synopsis
Discover insider secrets of how America's transportation system is designed, funded, and built - and how to make it work for your community
In Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town, renowned speaker and author of Strong Towns Charles L. Marohn Jr. delivers an accessible and engaging exploration of America's transportation system, laying bare the reasons why it no longer works as it once did, and how to modernize transportation to better serve local communities.
You'll discover real-world examples of poor design choices and how those choices have dramatic and tragic effects on the lives of the people who use them. You'll also find case studies and examples of design improvements that have revitalized communities and improved safety.
This important book shows you:
- The values of the transportation professions, how they are applied in the design process, and how those priorities differ from those of the public
- How the standard approach to transportation ensures the maximum amount of traffic congestion possible is created each day, and how to fight that congestion on a budget
- Bottom-up techniques for spending less and getting higher returns on transportation projects, all while improving quality of life for residents
Perfect for anyone interested in why transportation systems work - and fail to work - the way they do, Confessions of a Recovering Civil Engineer is a fascinating insider's peek behind the scenes of America's transportation systems.