2023-04-27
42 分钟Whether it’s a giant infrastructure plan or a humble kitchen renovation, it’ll inevitably take way too long and cost way too much. That’s because you suffer from “the planning fallacy.” (You also have an “optimism bias” and a bad case of overconfidence.) But don’t worry: we’ve got the solution.
Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner.
This week, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite episodes about a problem that never seems to go away.
The episode is called why your projects are always late and what to do about it.
We have updated facts and figures where necessary.
Let us know if you find this episode at all helpful.
We are@radioreakonomics.com dot as always, thanks for listening.
In 1968, more than 50 years ago, the governor of New York state, Nelson Rockefeller, received a proposal that he had commissioned.
It addressed the mass transit needs of the New York City area.
One centerpiece of the plan was a new subway line that would run from lower Manhattan up the east side and into the Bronx.
It was called the Second Avenue Subway.
Four years later, Rockefeller and New York City Mayor John Lindsay held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Second Avenue subway.
But not long afterward, the project was shelved because of a fiscal crisis.
Years later, a new governor, Mario Cuomo, tried to restart it.
But once again, the budget would not allow.
And back it went on the shelf.
By now, the Second Avenue subway had become a punchline.
A New Yorker would promise to pay back a loan.
Once the Second Avenue subway was built, it came to be known as the most famous thing that's never been built in New York City.
But then, along came a man named.
Michael here, I'm gonna let him say it, Michael Horodniciano.