Why are single-stair buildings actually SAFER than two stair buildings in some circumstances? It seems counter intuitive… obviously, more redundancy is better, right?

Single stair passes in Austin!

Drake's gonna be the first person to ever lose a Super Bowl halftime show.

I asked a local small scale developer (who owns over 100 small commercial properties in the urban core of Kansas City) what he thinks about the recent road diets done along his properties… …he absolutely loves them. Great for business. “Let’s do it everywhere” !!!! Let’s go!

omg everyone must hate us now hahahaha

Sometimes I google e-bikes just so my social media feeds feed me pictures of beautiful e-bikes. Could be worse. I’m not actually in the market for a new bike but no one needs to know that.

this is also in my grab bag - eliminating facade modulation and upper level setbacks for mass timber and passivhaus buildings! these are a legacy of poor urban planning in the 80s/90s that increase costs, embodied carbon, operational carbon, maintenance costs, etc.

elevator reform! @stephenjacobsmith.com (currently the minute you put in an elevator even in small buildings, it has to be massive and accommodate stretchers - this reduces the number of accessible homes in our state)

The car opened up a new way of building cities and organizing ourselves spacially. That’s the story of the past 100 years. We now have e-bikes, scooters, and AVs. IMO it’s time to develop new patterns of living/moving based on these technologies. But what does that look like?

Site visit day! Mass timber hybrid outside of Atlanta. Structural design by yours truly.

Next time someone tries arguing that it’s “social engineering” (cue ominous music) to give people CHOICES to walk, bike & take public transit in their city, tell them that designing our current car DEPENDENCY has been the largest and most damaging social engineering experiment in human history.

There’s a huge double standard when it comes to funding public transit vs funding highways. It plays out in various ways in how society looks at the costs of building & operating transit vs highways. The result is massive under-investment in transit. 🧵:

we should be concerned about the impacts of social media on kids and teens, but i don’t think we’re worried nearly enough about what it’s doing to middle aged people and seniors

I have 3 teenager boys so of course we’re watching Die Hard tonight. My poor wife.

You know, with free public healthcare, the government would have significant financial incentives to build safe walkable communities. Fewer car crashes = lower healthcare costs. More walking = lower healthcare costs. Maybe urbanist need to be universal healthcare advocates too.

Anyone else translate car expenses into equivalent e-bikes? I do this all the time $2000 car repair? That’s like 1.5 e-bikes. $30k new car? That’s like 20 e-bikes. Etc.

Hot take. The amount of parking a development provides should be determined solely by the developer and their banker. They are the ones taking the risk and holding the bag. Why should the government have a say, except, perhaps, to limit large lots for environmental reasons etc?

Had 71 not been built, much of the suburban housing in Lees Summit, Grandview, Belton etc would not exist today and the traffic generated from this suburban housing also would not exist. We destroyed urban housing to make suburban housing possible. Let’s reverse this.

Been thinking about how to build new small, sustainable, walkable towns on Federal lands…but getting power to these places seems like a major hurdle. Not anymore? Connect them with train service and freight in batteries charged by the Nevada desert. Maybe we don’t need small nuclear reactors…

Went to the mall today! This vehicle should be illegal! (I’m 5’9”)

that's right! 'The case for single-stairwell, mid-size multifamily buildings is gaining support in the U.S. Lawmakers in at least 10 states, including California, Oregon, and Washington, have either considered or passed legislation to allow such structures.' www.bdcnetwork.com/multifamily-...

We’re not lacking in talent. We’re just getting in our own way. The craftsman and designers are ready and willing, but our land-use and building codes largely obstruct beautiful places from getting built here

Hat tip @micaherfan.com As is so often the case, many people have chosen the wrong enemy

Is this zoom or cars I can’t tell

Shameless promotion, but if you’re in Kansas City, MO you should be following @rah.bsky.social She’s the future. 👀

Kansas City's transit general manager says what I've been saying all along about on-demand transit or microtransit: It's useful in niche settings but wildly overhyped. www.bloomberg.com/news/article... My 2019 take saying the same thing is here: humantransit.org/2019/08/what...

Sometimes the combination of arrogance and ignorance is breathtaking. Yes, US health care has high admin costs; that's because it relies so much on private insurers. Govt-run health insurance has much lower overhead

YES

Looking at you, hyw 71 Kansas City

Walking around a new car free neighborhood in Phoenix. Everything seems fine. Nice even. And super quiet.

Just boarded a plane. I’m reminded that checked luggage should be cheap/free and carry on should cost money so that incentives are aligned with easy and fast boarding. What we do. Is is dumb. Similar take with parking. On street should cost and parking garage should be cheap

Look at all the things LVT does (links to supporting research is available) Thanks @georgiststeve.bsky.social for putting this resource together.

People are replacing transit trips with e-bike trips oh no I guess that means we should all start driving everywhere again (Honestly tho I think this is fine. E-bikes offer high mobility freedom at low cost/low externalities so let a million e-bike trips bloom) 1/2

In the Netherlands they have cycle streets out in the suburbs/rural areas. Cycle streets are two bike lanes. Cars are allowed but the streets are so narrow that cars feel compelled to drive slow and there are bulb outs periodically to allow two cars to pass Cheap and great. Let’s build them. 1/2

TL;DR Sky did not fall. Land prices did not spike to absorb the increase in development potential…possibly because increased supply put downward pressure prices

Hmmm..

Great episode here youtu.be/uue6kfhZmI4?...

Someone please bring this mass wall construction tech to the US

Classic georgist take right here

The greatest gift you can give anyone is a meaningful conversation.

hmmm

This is the way

Its the way of the Lord

New idea that I love. YIMBY pilled city does a “land acknowledgment” but actually gives city land back to independent tribe for real this time. Tribe builds 35 high rise apartments. Everyone wins (Thank you but not my idea. See Vancouver BC and Noah Smith post today)

For reals there should be an exception to the 25ft Fire Apparatus Access road width law in the IFC on any street with side by side bike lanes. In an emergency, Fire can use the bike lanes. bikes can quickly vacate the lanes, but cars can’t quickly vacate a traffic jam.

Being a good neighbor in 2024 is… …grabbing the Amazon package of your neighbors porch while they are away before the porch bandits get it.

Only 7 comments but these podcast recommendations are fire and way better than those provided in 87 comments at that other place.

Went climbing. Had a blast. Now I want to move here. (Northwest Arkansas)

Switzerland—Rejects a referendum to spend $5.6 billion on highway widening. Paris—Moves to replace 60,000 parking spaces with trees and green spaces. Oslo—Eliminates cars from city center, cutting greenhouse emissions 35%. Kathy Hochul and Doug Ford—Let’s ask suburban boomers what they prefer.

share with your conservative friends and family