Want To Use This Rural Road? That’ll Be $50K

Want To Use This Rural Road? That’ll Be $50K

Author: Strong Towns July 30, 2025 Duration: 50:20
In Lincoln County, South Dakota, a growing agriculture company is being charged $50,000 annually for wear and tear on township roads caused by the company's trucks and machinery. Abby and Edward discuss the balancing act between infrastructure costs and municipal budgets, especially in rural areas with few taxpayers. They explore the public process behind this kind of decision and offer suggestions on how it could be improved. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Milk facility to pay $50,000 for road use” by Rae Yost, KELOLAND (July 2025). Want to bring the conversation to your community? Book Edward as a speaker. Abby Newsham (X/Twitter). Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Each week, Upzoned takes a single, pressing story from the world of urban development, municipal policy, and community economics and holds it up to the light. Hosts Abby Kinney and Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns, sometimes joined by a guest, don't just skim the headlines. They dig into the nuances of a specific zoning decision, a new infrastructure project, or a shifting demographic trend, asking what it reveals about how we actually build our cities, towns, and neighborhoods. The conversation is grounded in the practical, bottom-up philosophy of the Strong Towns movement, making complex topics accessible and immediately relevant. This isn't a broad news recap; it's a focused, thoughtful dissection for anyone curious about why their community looks and functions the way it does. You'll hear informed debate, critical analysis, and a persistent questioning of conventional wisdom, all aimed at understanding how we can create places that are financially resilient and genuinely enriching for the people who live in them. Tune in for a deeper, more substantive take on the stories that shape our shared spaces.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Upzoned
Podcast Episodes
When a Building Is Demolished, What Should Happen to the Materials? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:07
“What happens when old buildings have reached the end of their life, either their useful life in terms of safety or their desirable life in terms of modern living?” a Next City article asks. The piece goes on to say that…
The 15 Minute City - A Good Life or an Infringement on Freedoms? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:51
The 15 Minute City: a term to describe mixed use neighborhoods, has become a political concept where critics believe the idea could result in an infringement on personal freedoms. On this Upzoned podcast, host Abby Kinne…
We’re Getting Worse at Construction Despite Technology Advances [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:41
Despite global advantages and new technologies, we are getting worse at construction. At least, that’s the case that Ezra Klein makes in his New York Times article, “The Story Construction Tells About America’s Economy I…
Portland’s Cully Neighborhood To Use “The One Ring” for Good [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:35
Portland’s Cully neighborhood is about to embark on a big urban renewal experiment with the intention of maintaining that area's current affordability. Yes, you heard that right. In the past, the term “urban renewal” was…
The U.S. Is Running Out of Skilled Labor. Is It Gen-Z’s Fault? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:28
The U.S. is crying out, saying we NEED more carpenters, plumbers, and other people in skilled trades and technical industries—but the generation about to take over the workforce, Gen Z, doesn’t seem interested. As time p…
People Move to Places with Zoning Laws, Ergo Zoning Is Good? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:08
In a recent Planetizen article titled, “Is Exclusionary Zoning a Good Thing?” author Michael Lewyn examines a theoretical argument presented by Judge Glock in the American Affairs Journal: that because people move to pla…
Thanks for a Great Year [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:46
It's been a great year here on Upzoned; thanks for listening. We wanted to close out 2022 with one last message, and to wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

«1...678910