Ask uncomfortable questions knowing you might find unpopular answers

The louder the conformists sneer and heckle, the better you’re doing.

Large corporations that own newspapers and TV stations are incentivized to produce content that generates ad revenue. Naturally, corporations don’t want to bite the hands that feed, so content won’t challenge or even be skeptical of industries writing the checks. 

The auto industry spent about $12 billion on advertising in 2023, according to the BIA Automotive Report. Whatever device you’re using to consume media—cell phone, tablet, laptop, TV—car makers and car dealers are paying to keep their products in front of you. 

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Substack is a great platform to cover very local and/or niche topics that corporate media outlets can’t afford to cover, either because the content might offend ad buyers or because the content won’t generate enough views and clicks for ad buyers. 

I’m excited about the growing number of independent journalists publishing here because not only are they permitted to challenge status quo power centers, they’re rewarded for it directly by their readers. The status quo isn’t limited to big businesses and their executive leadership teams. It’s also gobs of groupthinkers who are unwilling to be skeptical or curious about the reasons the built environment has been shaped the way it has. 

One way to improve the coverage of hot topics like the multiple lawsuits around the country over missing middle housing, congestion pricing, and speed cameras is for the coverers (journalists or normies or anyone else) to ask better questions. Attorneys have a rule that you should only ask questions you know the answer to. But if you’re trying to find truth, ask uncomfortable questions that might lead to difficult or unpopular answers. The louder the conformists sneer and heckle, the better you’re doing.

I have a Google Alert for particular types of news stories about traffic calming. That means every morning I get to see lame coverage of controversy swirling around projects that are intended to reduce life-altering crashes. They’re taking the easy clickbait angle (“Neighbors furious over new roundabout”) or perhaps unaware of the decisions that lead to continued death and destruction (“Governor announces new funding to expand clogged roads”). 

They say write what you know. (They, in this case, being made up of dozens of wildly successful storytellers over multiple generations, are well worth heeding.) Most reporters don’t know land use regulations. They don’t know traffic analysis or induced demand. They don’t know crash energy or proven ways to reduce crash energy. Reporters write what they don’t know, and the average person consumes it as insightful. 

Rendering of Andy Boenau at work. Socks and hair product are completely accurate, everything else is artistic license.

For professional news passer-onners, the list of questions below should be helpful. For writers on Substack who are curious about the built environment but don’t know where to begin in their quest for truth, the list of questions below should be helpful. For me, guy who’s been in the infrastructure industry since the late 90s, writing these questions is helpful because it reminds me that the built environment is fixable.

Topic: police department is installing cameras to automatically ticket people who drive too fast, run red lights, and park illegally. 

Questions:

• Can streets be designed so that traffic enforcement isn’t necessary?

• Why can’t cyclists just go around delivery trucks that are parked in the bike lane?

• If people are just parking in the bus lane for a few minutes, what’s the big deal?

• If bikes roll through red lights, why not ticket them the way you ticket motorists?

• Is there any proven safety benefit of people driving 25 mph in a city? 

• If the department of transportation decided this should be a 45 mph street, does that mean it’s safe to drive 45 mph on it?

• Is ticketing red-light runners just a cash grab?

• How many severe injuries are because of speeding?

• How many severe injuries are because of red-light running?

• What does illegal parking near stop signs have to do with traffic safety?

• How should the police department decide where to put safety cameras? 

• If automated enforcement is a proven safety tool, then why doesn’t everyone use it?

Topic: neighbors are mad that roads have been reconfigured to give more space to buses and bicycles by reducing the space for cars.

Questions:

• Do road diets cause traffic jams?

• Do bus-only lanes make traffic worse?

• Do bike lanes impact local business?

• Is eliminating life-altering traffic crashes (Vision Zero) a reasonable goal?

• Do the interests of people who ride bikes conflict with the interests of people who ride the bus?

• Why should bike lanes be forced on people who don’t ride bikes?

• Are road diets a form of authoritarian control?

• Do bike lanes that are separated from moving traffic do anything to slow down traffic?

• Should the transit agency wait until bus ridership is higher before adding bus routes and getting dedicated lanes?

• If a majority of residents oppose a road reconfiguration project, should the project be allowed to proceed?

• If a majority of taxpayers don’t want to use the bus, should bus service be canceled?

• How do road reconfigurations slow down people driving?

Topic: court rules that zoning reform is not allowed.

Questions:

• Why is it illegal to have townhomes on the same street as single-family homes? 

• How much power should neighbors have over an individual’s property rights?

• Is "neighborhood character" a euphemism for economic exclusion?

• Who benefits the most from preserving today’s zoning code?

• What is the strongest argument against legalizing townhomes and duplexes? 

• What are the implications of a large house being converted to apartments?

• If voters say walkability is important to them, why does zoning outlaw a mixture of uses within walking distance? 

• If mixed-use neighborhoods reduce car traffic, why prevent them?

• If a community is concerned about adding car traffic to a neighborhood, why is every new development project required to build new car parking? 

• Why allow zoning laws to artificially limit housing supply while rents and home prices skyrocket?

• Since Americans value freedom, what’s the justification for prohibiting small homes and small lots?

• Has zoning contributed to urban sprawl and longer commutes?

• How does restricting density in desirable areas increase segregation and economic inequality?

Topic: when urbanism topics are put up for a vote, the results overwhelmingly favor the status quo.

Questions: 

• How do strong emotional reactions influence people's resistance to changes in their environment or daily routines?

• What role does risk perception play in people's decision-making, especially when the actual risk differs from their perceived risk?

• How does cognitive biases impact people's reluctance to accept new ideas or systems?

• Why do people tend to prioritize short-term convenience over long-term benefits?

• How does groupthink develop in communities, and what can be done to prevent it from stifling diverse perspectives in public discourse?

• What psychological factors drive people to form attachments to objects or systems [cough cough car dependency cough cough] that they know might not be in their best interest long-term?

• How do changes to one’s routine or environment trigger feelings of anxiety or loss of control, even if those changes are designed to be beneficial?

• What are some typical cognitive distortions that lead people to overestimate negative outcomes when faced with change?

• How does the fear of losing personal autonomy or freedom manifest in public opposition to new policies or technologies?

• In what ways can behavioral science be used to help people overcome emotional resistance to change and see the benefits of adopting new ideas?

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Feel free to pass along any of these questions to reporters in your area covering transportation, housing, local government, and other urbanism beats. Better yet, let some of these questions guide you on a skeptic’s quest to why your community looks and feels the way it does, and then write about it.