Review: David Alff on Abundance

A scholar of infrastructure looks at prescriptions for building

Can progressives make progress? This simple question has consumed generations of reformers, activists, and organizers. It is now igniting “abundance,” a movement and political philosophy that aims to revamp American liberalism by supercharging supply-side growth. Abundance advocates argue that progressives can obtain their goals (better schools, stronger infrastructure, more affordable housing) by reducing the zoning laws, labor standards, environmental regulations, and citizen hearings that dampen productivity. America, they claim, can streamline its way to wealth and health by conceiving progress not as the prevention of malfeasance but the pursuit of plenty.

Such change would require an attitude adjustment. The abundance thesis holds that progressives have grown so averse to overbearing governments and rapacious corporations that they have forgotten how to wield power for the public good. Democratic mayors promise economic justice while presiding over cities that price out all but the wealthiest residents. Eco-friendly governors let impact assessments and regulatory compliance keep them from delivering the high-speed trains that could reduce carbon emissions. Bogged down by process, even the most well-meaning leaders frustrate their constituents, exhaust public patience, and open the door to self-styled doers like Donald Trump.