If you’ve hung around Strong Towns for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard the phrase “do the math.” It’s an encouragement to look beyond a shiny brochure or a politician’s slick pitch to find out whether a development in your town, especially a new development, is truly worth the public (and private) investment. Will it provide a real return in terms of tax dollars to the city? Will it cost more in infrastructure than it actually offers to the neighborhood?
On this tour stop, Charles Marohn, President of Strong Towns, and Joseph Minicozzi, Principal of Urban3, walk you through the basics on how to calculate the tax value per acre of a given project, why it’s so important for your city, and how to communicate that to the powers that be—so you can hopefully avoid dumb projects and focus on the good ones.
The course is worth 1 continuing education credit through the AICP.
Charles Marohn
Joseph Minicozzi
“As an average citizen without any formal training in development or community planning, I found the information to be very accessible. I look forward to the whole series.”
“Will start asking the expense vs. revenue question for every proposal. Will probably drive people nuts. But it needs to happen.”
“This was a great session and I am excited to be able to have the knowledge and how to use it.”
“Thank you! Great level of detail - not too jargon-y.”
This session is part of our 2023 Local-Motive Tour, which features 10 action-oriented, short-form classes on subjects ranging from strengthening local businesses to creating better public engagement processes.
Check out the Round-Trip Ticket to unlock all 10 2023 Local-Motive sessions at an exclusive rate!
