Not Just Bikes | How Bankrupt American Cities Stay Alive - Debt [ST04] @NotJustBikes | Uploaded 3 years ago | Updated 4 hours ago
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For centuries, cities used to be built incrementally. Improving and building on successful places, and changing or abandoning unsuccessful places. This changed in America in the 1940s, when whole neighbourhoods were built on the edge of town, to a completed state. After several generations, many of these places are financially insolvent, but are propping themselves up with an ever-growing mountain of debt.

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Sources and Image Credits

Thumnail photo:
Suburban Sprawl, Vegas Style
flickr.com/photos/johnkay/3732615241

This video is based on the work of Strong Towns, especially the "Growth Ponzi Scheme":
strongtowns.org/journal/2020/8/28/the-growth-ponzi-scheme-a-crash-course
strongtowns.org/journal/2011/6/13/the-growth-ponzi-scheme-part-1.html
strongtowns.org/journal/2011/6/14/the-growth-ponzi-scheme-part-2.html
strongtowns.org/journal/2011/6/15/the-growth-ponzi-scheme-part-3.html
strongtowns.org/journal/2011/6/16/the-growth-ponzi-scheme-part-4.html

Aerial view of the Napa River where it divides Vallejo, California
By Dicklyon - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69952050

Historical compilation of photos from Brainerd, MN
Downtown Brainerd, then and now:
http://www.crowwinghistory.org/brainerd_downtown_buildings.html

Penny Postcards from Minnesota
http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/crowwing/postcards/ppcs-crow.html

$3.2 Billion to Fix Tampa's Aging Pipes? From Where?
strongtowns.org/journal/2019/8/30/32-billion-to-fix-tampas-aging-pipes-from-where

The land of the FREE [Backus, MN]
strongtowns.org/journal/2010/2/17/the-land-of-the-free.html

Transactions of Decline, Lowry Edition
strongtowns.org/journal/2010/4/20/transactions-of-decline-lowry-edition.html

We Need Growth. But Only If It Generates Real Wealth.
strongtowns.org/journal/2019/10/9/we-need-growth-but-only-if-it-generates-real-wealth

Branch Closings and Budget Cuts Threaten Libraries Nationwide
americanlibrariesmagazine.org/branch-closings-and-budget-cuts-threaten-libraries-nationwide

We Can't Afford To Keep The Streetlights On
businessinsider.com/we-cant-afford-to-keep-the-streetlights-on-2009-8

Cost of deferred maintenance for U.S. infrastructure tops $1 trillion, new report finds
transportationtodaynews.com/news/16110-cost-of-deferred-maintenance-for-u-s-infrastructure-tops-1-trillion-new-report-finds

U.S. and UK on brink of debt disaster
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2009/01/20/us-and-uk-on-brink-of-debt-disaster

Mortgage Debt Outstanding, All holders
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MDOAH

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Chapters

0:00 Intro
0:05 Strong Towns
0:14 Why isn't suburbia bankrupt?
1:12 Traditional incremental development
3:13 Growth and financing through debt
4:54 Why increasing taxes isn't enough
6:44 Successful cities need successful services
7:41 Growing cities with debt
9:32 Conclusion
10:29 Patreon shout-out
10:39 Outro

#StrongTowns #MunicipalDebt