On Monday, Vox announced the launch of a major, multi-year editorial project exploring what it will take for the United States to restore its capacity to build — from new energy solutions, to upgrading transportation systems, to dramatically expanding the nation’s housing supply.
The project stems from a clear diagnosis: America urgently needs to build — fast — and it needs to grow. Through ambitious, solutions-focused journalism, Vox will examine the policy, political, and practical challenges that shape the country’s ability to construct the infrastructure and systems required for the 21st century. Coverage will delve into ideas and innovations that could unlock progress, including expanding electricity supply and modernizing the grid, improving and accelerating transportation projects, and growing housing availability to combat a decades-long shortage.
Vox received a grant from Arnold Ventures to support this project, though Vox retains full editorial control over all content produced as part of the project.
“Vox’s explanatory and solutions-focused journalism has been at the forefront of some of the most consequential policy discussions of the last decade,” said executive editor Elbert Ventura. “This generous grant from Arnold Ventures will allow us to dig into some of the most pressing questions in policy, surface undercovered ideas, and inform the national conversation in this crucial moment in our politics.”
The initiative spans two major editorial packages, podcast series, live events, and a forthcoming newsletter product. Reporting and analysis will come from Vox’s newsroom, as well as contributions from a diverse roster of freelance writers. The project aims to serve as a resource for lawmakers, government officials, policy thinkers, scholars, journalists, and others shaping the national conversation around America’s capacity to build. But it also seeks to bring smart policy thinking and under-examined ideas to the wider public.
The first editorial package, The Case for Growth, is live today, with additional stories rolling out over the next month. This series will explore why the US turned away from a growth-oriented mindset and why doubling back down on growth — in energy solutions; in productivity; in technology; and ultimately, in the economy — is the only way out of a zero-sum politics that has paralyzed the country.
The second package, How They Built It, will debut in 2026. This case-study series will examine what the United States can learn from countries that have successfully built infrastructure faster, cleaner, and more affordably — and what it would take to apply those lessons at home.
The project will also include a Today, Explained podcast miniseries; an interview series on The Gray Area; a new newsletter focused on infrastructure and building policy launching in 2026; and a series of salon-style live events exploring these topics, taking place in 2026 and 2027.
