Can Progressive Planners Appeal to Conservative Principles?
Trump’s approach to policies like NYC’s congestion pricing isn’t just irrational and wasteful — it defies the tenets of conservatism. But there are ways to reframe the issues.
Currently, most communities devote less than 10% of their transportation budgets to walking, biking and transit infrastructure.
Photographer: Eric Lee/BloombergDuring my three decades as a planning consultant, I have worked with stakeholders ranging from conservative to liberal. Traditional conservative politicians took their civic responsibilities seriously; they tended to be courteous and thoughtful, and demanded detailed policy analysis. Regardless of whether you agreed with their priorities, you had to respect their principles. Conservative, after all, literally means caution and efficiency, as in less risky investments and more efficient resource consumption.
President Donald Trump’s opportunistic populism is the opposite. During his first two months in office, Trump imposed countless careless and wasteful policies. Some, such as firing and then unfiring nuclear experts and Federal Aviation Administration employees, and giving billionaire Elon Musk immense but unclear powers, are dangerous and irresponsible. Others, such as cutting energy efficiency programs, are foolish and costly.