【聊了什么】
在上一期的节目中，我们讨论了刚刚赢得民主党纽约市长初选的新生力量马姆达尼。我们在播客中也提到，如果马姆达尼能够在11月击败其他候选者，成为纽约市长的话，将不可避免地要和州长、市议会、州议会、NYPD等等多方势力和利益团体打交道，来实现自己的承诺，也不可避免的要进行妥协。马姆达尼在竞选中喊出了要实现纽约公交免费的目标，如果要实现这一目标，就需要和掌管纽约地铁、公交和通勤铁路的纽约大都会运输署，也就是MTA打交道。
纽约作为的全球最知名的大都会、全美最大城市，却承载着一套“老旧且脆弱”的公共交通基础设施。技术和资金壁垒固然是常见的制约因素，但这座城市独特的制度基因才是影响基建发展的关键。
在这期番外节目中，嘉宾罗雨翔就从纽约地铁为什么这么烂讲起，分析了纽约城市发展背后的政治与经济。这期番外播客剪辑于第214期纽约文化沙龙的录音，由罗雨翔于2025年4月13日主讲。罗雨翔此前也做过另一期和纽约相关的节目《纽约的房价到底为什么这么高？》，两期播客都发布在我们的友台《选修课》上，也欢迎大家前去收听，并关注这档播客。
如果你对这期节目内容感兴趣，请关注主讲人罗雨翔的新书《创造大都会——纽约空间与制度观察》！国内各大平台均有销售（淘宝、当当、京东），海外用户请使用这个链接购买。
【支持我们】
如果喜欢这期节目并希望支持我们将节目继续做下去：
也欢迎加入我们的会员计划： https://theamericanroulette.com/paid-membership/
会员可以收到每周2-5封newsletter，可以加入会员社群，参加会员活动，并享受更多福利。
合作投稿邮箱：[email protected]
【时间轴】
00:02:00 纽约的地铁为何如此糟糕？基础设施背后的政治经济学
00:09:09 从电影《小丑》看纽约地铁问题的历史渊源
00:11:54 政府预算里的“两本账”如何影响了城市基建？
00:12:48 地铁运营权转移给州政府背后的政治经济学博弈
00:20:45 拉瓜迪亚机场为何没有地铁快线？社区利益与公共项目的冲突
00:25:14 环境保护法如何导致公共建设效率降低？
00:35:38 纽约街道规划如何成就了城市的宜居性？
00:39:56 “曼哈顿网格规划”的历史意义与经济逻辑
00:49:11 “商业改进区”如何推动纽约街区建设？
00:58:04 “公共与私人合作”模式的优势与隐患
【我们是谁】
选修课 Universus 是一档分享和探讨泛文化话题的中文播客，脱胎于2013年创办的纽约文化沙龙。 我们力求引发对学科方法和视角的认知和思考，而不仅仅是知识的传递。我们在组织活动的过程中积累了一些经验和人脉，尝试打造成年人的博雅教育，并在播客中拓展这样的探索。我们希望审视和反抗无意识的价值规训与随波逐流。我们希望冷酷地剖析自己的偏见，热忱地拥抱多元视角。我们希望去工具化，真诚地感知、理解、创造自己的生活和复杂的世界。我们追随原初的好奇而非代餐式的猎奇。话题可以轻松，方法力求严肃。在《选修课》里，我们互相映照，唤醒失落的维度。
主播： 老赵：理论物理学博士，软件工程师，纽约文化沙龙组织者。
主讲： 罗雨翔：美国注册城市规划师，哈佛大学与伦敦政治经济学院建筑与经济双硕士。现居纽约，参与以及主持北美20余地区的地产开发、区域经济政策与公共领域投资项目。
【 What We Talked About】
This episode dives into an intriguing paradox: New York City, a globally renowned metropolis with robust finances, yet burdened by an aging and fragile subway system. American certified urban planner Yuxiang Luo guides us through the intricate political and economic logic underlying the city's infrastructure issues. From budgetary mechanisms and political negotiations between state and city governments to the pros and cons of public participation systems, we realize infrastructure problems are far more than mere technical or financial issues—they're complex entanglements of institutions, history, and power dynamics.
Several thought-provoking questions arise during the discussion: Why is New York, despite its significant financial resources, unable to efficiently invest in its infrastructure? Why does subway management lie in the hands of the state rather than the city government? How can small interest groups exert outsized influence over significant public projects? Is this model protecting public welfare, or is it the fundamental cause behind the inefficiency and high costs of public construction? Is the New York model of public-private cooperation genuinely innovative, or does it carry deep institutional flaws?
If you find this episode interesting, please check out our speaker Luo Yuxiang‘s new book 《创造大都会》!
【Support Us】
If you like our show and want to support us, please consider the following:
Join our membership program: https://theamericanroulette.com/paid-membership/
Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/americanroulette
Business Inquiries and fan mail: [email protected]
【Timeline】
00:02:00 Why is New York’s subway system so bad? The political economy behind infrastructure
00:09:09 Tracing the historical roots of NYC’s subway problems through the movie "Joker"
00:11:54 How do the government’s “two budgets” impact urban infrastructure?
00:12:48 The political-economic game behind transferring subway management to state government
00:20:45 Why doesn’t LaGuardia Airport have a direct rail link? Conflicts between community interests and public projects
00:25:14 How does environmental law reduce efficiency in public construction?
00:35:38 How did New York’s street planning contribute to the city’s livability?
00:39:56 Historical significance and economic logic of the Manhattan grid plan
00:49:11 How do Business Improvement Districts promote neighborhood development in NYC?
00:58:04 Advantages and pitfalls of the public-private partnership model
【Who We Are】
选修课 Universus is a Chinese-language podcast created by the same people who founded the New York Chinese Cultural Salon (纽约文化沙龙）in 2013. The past decade of organizing events and talks put us in a position of creating a sort of liberal arts education experience for those who have left school. We strive to go beyond merely transmitting knowledge to reflecting on complex topics using cross-disciplinary perspectives. We strive to resist conformity, to dissect our own biases, and to embrace diverse schools of thought. Our goal is to help professionals resist becoming just a tool of production, and to understand the world around us in earnest. We let our genuine curiosity be our guide. With a light-hearted tone, we approach each topic seriously. We hope that “选修课 Universus” creates a space to explore lost dimensions.
Hosted by: Lao Zhao: PhD in Theoretical Physics, software engineer, and organizer of the New York Cultural Salon.
Guest: Luo Yuxiang: U.S. Registered Urban Planner, holding dual master's degrees in Architecture and Economics from Harvard University and the London School of Economics. Currently residing in New York, he has participated in and led over 20 real estate development, regional economic policy, and public domain investment projects across North America.
