Gas Taxes, Freeways, And What Washington Should Fund Now

Gas Taxes, Freeways, And What Washington Should Fund Now

Author: Strong Towns April 6, 2026 Duration: 1:02:43
Chuck Marohn and Tony Dutzik unpack the messy history of the gas tax, cross‑subsidies between states, and the moral story drivers were told about “user fees.” They revisit highway revolts, the rise of federal transit funding, and the long slide into Highway Trust Fund bailouts. Their conversation lays out stark choices for the next chapter of national transportation policy. Additional Show Notes Tony Dutzik (LinkedIn) Call "Time Out" on Highway Boondoggles (Article) Frontier Group (Site) What Comes After the Interstate Era? | New Report  (Youtube) Read the Mission Accomplished White Paper. Chuck Marohn (Substack)   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

Each week, Charles Marohn guides a discussion that feels less like a formal lecture and more like a thoughtful chat with a knowledgeable neighbor. The Strong Towns Podcast digs into the practical, often overlooked details that determine whether a community thrives or just struggles along. The conversations here consistently connect the dots between sensible budgeting and the physical shape of our streets, parks, and neighborhoods, arguing that true resilience comes from this intersection. You’ll hear specific examples of how towns and cities can make incremental, affordable investments that build long-term wealth and stability, moving beyond short-term fixes. Rather than offering abstract theory, this podcast focuses on actionable ideas for local leaders and engaged citizens alike, exploring how everyday decisions about infrastructure and land use directly impact a place's financial health. It’s a grounded perspective on creating communities that are not only more solvent but also more welcoming and livable. The ongoing dialogue reinforces the core idea that a strong town is built from the bottom up, one block at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Strong Towns Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Starve the Beast: Rethinking the Federal Role in Transportation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:13
Beth Osborne has watched the same story play out five times: a new federal transportation bill arrives with big language about goals and accountability, states adopt the right words, and nothing changes. Osborne, who led…
Illinois Housing Reform Gets Practical [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:40
Illinois is short roughly 130,000 homes today and needs about 240,000 more by 2030. The state can’t change mortgage rates or material costs, so Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois is targeting something else: the rules that…
The Neighborhood Outside the Church Doors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:53
A trip to Italy left Chuck surprised by how ordinary Catholic life felt in a country filled with churches. A later visit to Hasidic Brooklyn stayed with him for a different reason: families living under intense physical…
A Congressman Makes the Case for Local Power [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:19
Congressman Jake Auchincloss joins the the Strong Towns podcast with a case for localism that takes it seriously without treating it as a cure-all. He explains why localism deserves a bigger role in national politics, no…
Why Manchester’s Boom Isn’t the Whole Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:17
Is a city “dynamic” just because its charts point up and to the right? Chuck uses a week in the UK to question that assumption. In Manchester, a swelling population of 20‑somethings looks like success, until you notice h…
How Inner City Highways Bankrupt Downtowns And How We Rebuild [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:38
When planner Patrick Kennedy started asking why prime land near downtown Dallas was filled with parking lots and boarded‑up buildings, the trail led straight to an elevated freeway: I‑345. He explains how making a hard e…
New Zealand Keynote Planning In A World Of Limits [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:55
Speaking to planners in New Zealand, Chuck Marohn connects the country’s adopted infrastructure plan with a global pattern of cities that have grown themselves into insolvency. He traces the shift from incremental, pre‑D…
Why Persuasion Fails When You Lead With Data [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:20
Good arguments fail when they ignore how people feel. Chuck Marohn and Joshua Bandoch talk through using empathy, ethical persuasion, and values-based stories with everyone from public works directors to concerned reside…
Why Messy Cities Depend On People Who Take Action [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:47
Chuck and Kevin Klinkenberg explore why progress comes from people who stop waiting for permission and start doing things locally. They look at incremental developers, neighborhood groups, and the limits of top-down syst…
Balancing Big Experiments And Neighborhood Fixes In California Housing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:24
In this moderated panel at the REACH Ideas + Action Summit, Chuck Marohn and California Forever’s Jim Wunderman tackle California’s housing crisis from two very different angles: maturing existing neighborhoods and build…