very perceptive from @scott https://scott.mn/2025/06/11/consultant_mindset_jarrett_walker_free_buses/
Text: When cities and transit agencies bring in Walker's firm, the assignment is: "Our budget is X million dollars. How can we best use this fixed budget to deliver service?" Even the best consultant? has to work within such terms. A consultant who retorts, "Your budget is too small for a world-class system. You need to go to the voters and politicians for better funding," wouldn't get hired again. That's not their job. Walker's error is to project that same role onto voters in a democracy.