A Conversation With Jerry Mechling (Recording, Transcript, Ongoing Chat)

On July 1, I talked with Jerry Mechling about How we Pay to Renovate Suburbia. Jerry worked for John Lindsay in NY, Served as Kevin White’s Budget Director in Boston, then went on to the Kennedy School & the Gartner Group. We had a far reaching conversation on the challenges facing America’s suburban communities, and approaches to addressing them.

Here is a recording of the session, along with a transcript, and some (surprisingly good) AI-generated high points:

Miles Fidelman and Jerry Mechling discuss the challenges of renovating and updating infrastructure in suburban communities. They highlight the need for collaboration, long-term planning, and investment in sustainable technologies. They emphasize the importance of spreading awareness about available solutions and creating a mindset shift towards viewing infrastructure updates as investments rather than costs. They draw parallels to the success of the internet and advocate for a similar model of collective action and experimentation in addressing infrastructure challenges. They also stress the need for equity and trust in decision-making processes and the importance of community engagement.

Takeaways

• Renovating and updating infrastructure in suburban communities requires collaboration and long-term planning.

• Infrastructure updates should be viewed as investments in sustainable technologies rather than costs.

• Spreading awareness about available solutions and creating a mindset shift is crucial.

• A model of collective action and experimentation, similar to the success of the internet, can be effective in addressing infrastructure challenges.

• Equity and trust are important in decision-making processes, and community engagement is essential.

Titles

• Engaging Communities in Infrastructure Updates

• Promoting Equity and Trust in Infrastructure Decision-Making

Sound Bites

• "This is basic capitalism."

• "We really have learned about how to go about this when we start thinking about how do we do any sort of collective action?"

• "The magic of the marketplace has failed us and government is gridlocked and politics has become a circus."

Chapters

00:00 The Scale and Scope of the Problem

17:12 Volunteers and Experimentation

23:58 Leveraging the Success of the Internet Model

31:57 Spreading Awareness and Engaging the Financial Community