Alex Marshall

Recent Articles

• Infrastructure Lessons from the Irish Potato Famine
• Oct 1, 2013
• Public works projects should only be built when they have a clear purpose, but the United States hasn't always followed this philosophy.

• Why Bike Sharing is Such a Game-Changer for U.S. Cities
• Aug 1, 2013
• New York City’s first bike-sharing program, which is the nation’s largest, has the potential to revolutionize city life -- and not just in the Big Apple.
• 4 Comments

• States, Localities Are Failing to Seize Their Infrastructure Moment
• May 31, 2013
• It’s the best time in probably the last 75 years to overhaul and upgrade our infrastructure, but city halls and statehouses are letting the moment slip away.
• 4 Comments

• Who Should Control Broadband?
• Mar 29, 2013
• The question of who will install fiber-optic networks and who will control them is key because it could impact decades of economic growth. Telecom giants like AT&T think they should be the only player.
• 2 Comments

• Can Greater Government Involvement Solve America's Internet Access Problem?
• Jan 31, 2013
• Many foreign countries provide faster, cheaper and more widespread Internet access than the United States. In most of them, governments are much more involved with telecom policies and funding.
• 2 Comments

• Seoul's Transit System Serves as a Model for America
• Nov 30, 2012
• The South Korean capital shows what happens when transit is reorganized to serve the people.
• 4 Comments

• How Private Services Became Public
• Sep 28, 2012
• Things we take for granted today -- public police, roads and libraries -- were only achieved through long, hard political battles that lasted decades and sometimes centuries.
• 2 Comments

• Bikers, Walkers Need Cities to Protect Them
• Jul 31, 2012
• Without laws protecting pedestrians and bikers, the goal of having truly livable cities in America remains out of reach.
• 22 Comments

• America Must Invest in Bigger and Better Infrastructure Projects
• May 31, 2012
• Have we lost our capacity to think big? Asia and Western Europe are building a series of infrastructure mega-projects that dwarf our efforts.
• 3 Comments

• Encouraging Biking, Walking in Large U.S. Metro Areas
• Mar 30, 2012
• When home, work, school and shopping are in closer proximity, travel is easier. What can cities do to help get people out of their cars and onto their feet?
• 3 Comments

• Why Does Our Infrastructure Resemble a Third-World Country’s?
• Jan 31, 2012
• One explanation may be our budgeting process.
• 26 Comments

• A Lesson for Passenger Rail, From Roads
• Nov 30, 2011
• A look back at the building of millions of miles of roads shows why passenger rail needs a well-structured bureaucracy in order to succeed.
• 1 Comments

• Can Light Rail Unite Two Va. Cities?
• Sep 30, 2011
• Virginia Beach voted against the building of a light rail years ago. Now that it’s up and running in nearby Norfolk, Va., some think beach-dwellers may rethink their decision.
• 1 Comments

• Intercity Bus Travel Roars Back
• Jul 29, 2011
• Bus travel between major cities is popular, but operators need strict regulation to avoid a race to the bottom.
• 3 Comments

• Improving Ports to Keep Up with the Global Economy
• May 31, 2011
• With the expansion of the Panama Canal, states and cities are debating whether to spend money deepening channels and expanding facilities to handle new ships.