SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

Chapter 12: Reforming Transportation Professions

Key Quotes

“What needs to be clear to everyone is this: engineers and transportation planners serve society, not the other way around.” — Click to Tweet

“Way too many engineers and transportation professionals fall back on the assertion that extensive deliberation is de facto evidence of a good approach. There is no such correlation.” — Click to Tweet

“Engineers two generations ago inspired a nation by building interstates across a continent, constructing landscape-transforming dams, and erecting iconic bridges. Today’s engineers are simply asked to maintain it all, a task far more challenging yet much less glamorous.” — Click to Tweet

“If it is to be relevant, the practice of engineering must expand beyond the rote applications of standards and equations to a deeper understanding of complexity.” — Click to Tweet

“Ask R. Moses” Series

In 2016, Strong Towns launched an advice column called “Ask R. Moses.” From the Strong Towns membership, we assembled a panel of licensed engineers to answer questions under the collective pseudonym R. Moses. Our intention was to give licensed professionals a chance to speak to important issues without fear of reprisal from their peers or employers. See all 14 installments of the series here.

Engineer to City: Crosswalk and Traffic Signal Not Feasible

In response to ongoing safety concerns, some elected official in Springfield, MA requested that a signalized crosswalk be installed in front of the Central Library. This letter is the response from the city’s public works director Christopher Cignoli.

• “Report On State Street Library Crossing” (Letter)

• MassLive news story about the letter

The Confessional

We’re giving other engineers a chance to make their “confessions” as well. Enter the Confessional.

Lawsuit against the Minnesota Board of Engineering Licensure

On May 18, 2021, Strong Towns filed a lawsuit against the Minnesota Board of Licensure. The complaint holds that the Board and its individual members have violated the First Amendment free speech rights of Charles Marohn and Strong Towns. You can read our announcement about the lawsuit here. Below you will find the full complaint and accompanying exhibits, as well as background articles from Strong Towns on engineering reform and the engineering profession.

Copy of the Complaint

Read the full complain on the Strong Towns site.

Accompanying Exhibits 

• Exhibit 1: A copy of the Board’s application form

• Exhibit 2: A copy of David Dixon’s complaint, together with the accompanying documents that the Board sent Charles Marohn

• Exhibit 3: A copy of Charles Marohn’s July 28, 2020 letter

• Exhibit 4: A copy of the Complaint Committee’s November 3, 2020 letter and proposed stipulation and order

• Exhibit 5: A copy of Charles Marohn’s November 17, 2020 letter

• Exhibit 6: A copy of the Complaint Committee’s December 17, 2020 letter

• Exhibit 7: A copy of Kristine Kubes’ January 19, 2021 letter to the Complaint Committee

• Exhibit 8: A copy of the Complaint Committee’s February 17, 2021 letter

• Exhibit 9: A copy of the Complaint Committee’s letter and proposed Stipulation

• Exhibit 10: A copy of Kristin Kubes’ March 23, 2021 letter

• Exhibit 11: A copy of the Complaint Committee’s April 20, 2021 letter

Select Strong Towns Articles on Engineering Reform

Strong Towns advocates for reforming the way we build our cities, especially the approach that professional engineers take with transportation and infrastructure systems. Licensed engineers not only have the right, but the obligation, to speak out when the work of their chosen profession threatens people’s lives, wastes taxpayers’ money, and diminishes our overall prosperity.

• “Update on the Strong Towns Lawsuit,” by Charles Marohn

• “Here's What People Are Saying about the Strong Towns Lawsuit” (Podcast)

• “Engineers Should Not Design Streets,” by Charles Marohn

More articles on engineering reform can be found here.

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