I’m at the launch of Oregon’s design competition for sunlight suite buildings - neighborhood-scale mulifamily buildings designed around one central staircase. “This is one of those innovations whose time has come,” says Gil Kelley of @1000oregon.bsky.social.

Building codes and zoning codes are where cost benefit analysis goes to not just die, but be killed. In a very real way zoning codes have been written as if the real world is full of thresholds beyond which extraordinary costs are incurred for no benefit.

#stpaul: vote YES for admin citations this fall.

🗼 I arrived in Tokyo recently excited to try their legendarily efficient train system. I left wowed by another mode of transit: its surprisingly safe streets. Can Minnesota learn lessons from Japan’s war on traffic deaths? My reflection for @axios.com >> www.axios.com/local/twin-c...

Carve em all back in. They were always a mistake but now more than ever.

Sustain Saint Paul is also proud to endorse YES on City Question 1. Yes on Question 1 will allow the Saint Paul to issue Administrative Citations that will enable the city to enforce its ordinances and change the behavior of bad actors without escalation to criminal courts.

📣SUSTAIN SAINT PAUL CITY ENDORSMENTS 🧵: Sustain Saint Paul proudly endorses Mayor Melvin Carter III for Re-Election!

St Paul DSI is in proceedings to force the demolition of the blighted CVS building at Uni/Snelling. If you are cool and you live in St Paul you will email [email protected] and tell them that you support requiring the demo of that building

I am still glowing from the Sibling Rivalry event last night at @blackhartstp.com. Thanks to everyone who came and donated to @sustainstpaul.bsky.social!! It's humbling to witness this groundswell of enthusiastic support for our work. The future is bright!

Still can’t believe it. Great time last night. Too bad i had to cut my material short. I had a whole bit on the Winter Carnival vs the Aquatennial. Thanks to everyone for coming out!

I love our cities 🫶 @sustainstpaul.bsky.social @moreneighbors.org @blackhartstp.com @hoopermn.bsky.social

I’ve never before been in a gay neighborhood soccer bar where everybody was chanting for an urban geographer, but I must say it’s a good time here at the @sustainstpaul.bsky.social fundraiser.

TONIGHT AT 6PM: It happens here, and it finishes here! Twin Cities enter, one City leaves. Welcome to the THUNDERDOME!⚔️ Buy a your ticket now!

Black Hart Owner Wes Burdine says he is really excited for this meeting between Saint Paul and its absolute mess of a younger sibling, Minneapolis, who probably needs to sleep on our couch while they 'get things together.' @wesburdine.bsky.social

To help us BURY Minneapolis🏗️, we are so excited that four anonymous donors are sponsoring a $4k Matching Challenge. They've agreed to match one-time gifts of $200 or more AND recurring gifts of $10/month or more ($120/year), dollar for dollar, up to $4k! The match is active now!

😂

tysm for the shoutout! what's interesting about the midway is that it's arguably never been built at a pedestrian scale in the days of yore (here, an aerial photo from ~1950) much of it was scaled to accomodate rail traffic for the streetcar barn (left) and the montgomery ward warehouse (center)

PAULIE has arrived! Mayor Carter celebrates the launch of Saint Paul’s new permitting and licensing system — designed to make it easier for residents, homeowners, and contractors to get things done. PAULIE is a cornerstone of our modernization and recovery efforts. Get started at stpaul.gov/paulie.

What we want from transportation systems is access to stuff. Having choices about how to travel is good. Getting around safely is good. And to broaden the tent, we can’t demonize people for driving. (Really important & underdiscussed point.)

Had a great time tabling at the 9th Annual Ward 2 Picnic hosted by Rebecca Noecker. Talked to many people about what they want to see in a sustainable city and a thriving downtown Saint Paul. Let's build it together!

😂

Look no further! Come drink beer and make fun of Minneapolis with us. And also make a donation to @sustainstpaul.bsky.social

This event is going to be fun! Register and make a donation to support @sustainstpaul.bsky.social

Have you melted into the ground yet out of adorable-ness, cuteness, and transit nerd-ness? No? Only me? Ok cool. But Ward 4 has an actual transit rider/bike user as our councilmember and I couldn’t be happier.

Really excellent insights from @mattprivratsky.bsky.social. New housing around the U of St. Thomas is a good thing!

@scoopsstp.bsky.social The 4th Annual Nut Roll Ride was super fun!

Hear hear!

So exciting!! What a dramatic improvement for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers.

With Traditional neighborhood zoning districts (T-Districts) you too can enjoy a nice homey cafe

Our policies are working!🏘️🌳☀️💪 @blindeke.bsky.social describes new co-living apartments that offer a fresh approach to infill development They are only possible because of the 1-6 conversions and elimination of parking mandates Sustain pushed for in 2023/2021

You know, it's been a terrible year for the DFL so far. But it'd be really great if state senators would quit doing stupid bullshit like endangering the public and focus on holding on to the legislature. This isn't a fucking game.

Congratulations to Ward 4's new Sustain-Endorsed City Councilor MOLLY COLEMAN 💙 W4's decisive first-round selection of a Housing and Transit Champion sends a powerful message that this city ready for serious, progressive, urbanist solutions. Thank you W4 voters! 🏘️🚌🌳🚲 @mollycoleman.bsky.social

Just heard that @mollycoleman.bsky.social won the Ward 4 election handily, proving (once again!) that the anti-street-safety 'tree truther' SARPA cranks have no juice. Congrats to Molly! I think she can be an excellent St. Paul City Council Member.

52% of the vote! Congrats, #stpaul Ward 4 Councilmember-elect @mollycoleman.bsky.social!

Good morning, Ward 4! Happy Special Election Day! Vote Molly Coleman for City Council!

Thanks @naomikritzer.bsky.social for making the connection between zoning/development and the everyday problems that residents face.💙 "people are unlikely to call you up and say 'we need massive zoning reform!' but that zoning reform is connected to a lot of the issues they are calling you about."

Zoning reform isn’t flashy. But it has a HUGE impact on your daily happiness. I’ve lived in walkable neighborhoods and I’ve lived in isolated car-centric neighborhoods. Casually strolling a block for groceries is a game changer. Your mental health and pocket book feel it.

#stpaul Ward 4 residents, vote for @mollycoleman.bsky.social by this coming Tuesday, August 12th!

Important thread about St. Paul's tax base problems. This is the 5-alarm fire for our city: a lot of legacy infrastructure and expenses + a huge share of untaxable land = we simply need more people to live here. A lot more. I want people in leadership who will say that plainly. St. Paul must grow.

Both Minneapolis and St Paul should be looking to add a million more residents collectively in the next 50-70 years. All of the metro growth should come in the two central cities and the inner burbs, NOT in the exerbs. Density makes for better cities.

Bottom line is there is a need in St. Paul to work with private developers/capital as unsavory as that may be, as the tax base is currently not there. This cannot be magicked away or ignored.

I'm sorry, but the Rice Street Sears parking lot is not "well used." www.startribune.com/the-secret-l...

The Nut Roll is absolutely a can't-miss event, right up there with the @bikemn.bsky.social Twin Cities Bike Tour.

It's funny to think that my preference for urban living in areas with dense, mixed-used, walkable neighborhoods, multi-family housing, small businesses, and diversity probably stems from Sesame Street. Like an early education in Jane Jacob's urbanist theories.

Everything Molly discusses here is an immediate need that requires a thoughtful, pragmatic solution. I have no time for magical thinking

I wrote about why I like Molly Coleman for Ward 4 City Council. If you live in the neighborhood, please vote for her before August 12th! (Chauntyll Allen would be my second choice.) tcsidewalks.blogspot.com/2025/07/vote...

Watch Ward 4 candidate @mollycoleman.bsky.social in her ride-along with @wedge.live Molly talks zoning, housing, vacant buildings, transit, biking, and what levers a councilor has to truly address resident's needs.🏢🚲🚆🌳 She's demonstrating why we're so proud to have endorsed her.

SHORT VERSION: If you haven’t heard, there is a special election on August 12th for the Ward 4 City Council seat in Saint Paul. I’m backing @mollycoleman.bsky.social as my first choice and it’s not particularly close. Please vote! (Long version threaded below) 1/ www.ramseycounty.us/residents/el...

I’m deeply honored to receive the Sierra Club’s endorsement in this race. Cities can and must be at the forefront of preserving and protecting our planet, and I’m committed to ensuring that Saint Paul does its part.

Matt said it best, but I'll just add, i'm also endorsing @mollycoleman.bsky.social because I've seen the depth of her understanding of our city, both what is needed, and from where the organized pushback is going to come. Progressive, but clear-eyed and pragmatic about getting things done.