I often disagree with Charles Marohn at the conceptual level. I think a preference for small bets at the household and public levels are mistakes. But I also imagine he is reacting to Burnham's quip, "Make no small plans, for they fail to stir men's souls." (Or something like that.) That's also wrong. There's no magic scale for problem solving. Sanitary sewers and water treatment systems are indispensable projects for human settlements, and there is no such thing as a small sewerage plan. They only function as networks which scale broadly. On the other hand, development of retail and housing can be very helpful as incremental projects. And if urban retail should be well distributed, smaller scale development is implied. So I think the proper scale of the project depends on the specific problem that you are trying to solve.
I often disagree with Charles Marohn at the conceptual level. I think a preference for small bets at the household and public levels are mistakes. But I also imagine he is reacting to Burnham's quip, "Make no small plans, for they fail to stir men's souls." (Or something like that.) That's also wrong. There's no magic scale for problem solving. Sanitary sewers and water treatment systems are indispensable projects for human settlements, and there is no such thing as a small sewerage plan. They only function as networks which scale broadly. On the other hand, development of retail and housing can be very helpful as incremental projects. And if urban retail should be well distributed, smaller scale development is implied. So I think the proper scale of the project depends on the specific problem that you are trying to solve.
"There's no magic scale for problem solving." That's very well put.
our enjoyable essay reminded me of three different maxims, which shows that you are floating down a stream of wisdom.
A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. (Chinese proverb)
The hardest step in any run is the one out the front door. (random running magazine several decades ago)
Bill Murray: “Baby steps!" (What About Bob?)