The disappointments of #COP30 should draw us toward deeper consideration of grassroots alternatives that are already embodying just and sustainable ways of living. Convo w/ @ashishkothari.bsky.social of @vikalpsangam.bsky.social & Global Tapestry of Alternatives. deceleration.news/podcast-radi...

This afternoon, San Antonio’s Transportation and Infrastructure committee will review two street safety-related measures. One considers lowering the prima facie speed limit, while the other explores traffic calming techniques around quick builds and complete streets. Background ⬇️

On this Thanksgiving, something for your reading and listening pleasure. 🧵

The story of how Denver got its neighborhood shapes begins in 1959.

Planetizen’s Top Urban Planning Books of 2025

Texas has no regulations to protect workers from the state’s blistering heat and overturned city ordinances that required rest breaks. What does that mean for workers in one of the hottest parts of the country? @keertigopal.bsky.social and I spent months investigating for @insideclimatenews.org (1)

Texas lands 11 mentions in this FTA release for low- and no-emission bus grants. Working on getting a story out this week on the City of San Marcos’ award—$1,762,476 likely tied to Texas State University’s fleet. www.transit.dot.gov/funding/gran...

MARTA was awarded over $20 million this week through an FTA grant to replace some older, end-of-life buses with new ones. This is good news, and it will be a nice compliment to the new bus system that supposedly rolls out next April. www.transit.dot.gov/funding/gran...

Offering no new plans to cut fossil fuels, the U.N.’s COP30 climate conference failed to produce a roadmap to stop global warming.

After launching an ambitious global effort to reduce methane emissions in 2021, the U.S. is rolling back methane regulations and urging the European Union, the initiative’s co-founder, to follow suit.

DC is enforcing a “crackdown” on streeteries—outdoor seating for cafes—charging the cafes huge amounts of money to keep the facilities in place, and forcing them to use seating that doesn’t work in the winter. It’s a huge self-own, likely to end up hurting businesses, reducing street vibrancy.

Enjoyed that. Newcastle United 2 Man City 1.

The U.S. Supreme Court will now make a final decision on whether Texas can use its new congressional map, which was drawn this summer to benefit Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.

We have a current deficit of 500k nurses. There are 260k enrolled in BSN & another 60k registered in associate degrees. Nowhere near enough. Not to mention all the degrees deemed non-professional are in female dominated fields. Limit women access to economic freedom. www.newsweek.com/nursing-not-...

Overseeing all of this are dozens of Trump appointees who used to work in industries regulated by DOT: lobbyists, consultants, CEOs, trade group lawyers and more. Some of them disclosed $12M to $52M in financial interests in transportation companies and adjacent industries.

An excellent thread and even better story from ProPublica. More of this.

Trump is insulting and seeking to intimidate reporters. He's also sending a message to media bosses: you better play ball. My analysis from today's Morning Edition one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5613...

Powerful personal narratives are key to reducing traffic deaths. For things to change, the average person needs to know the stories of the victims of road accidents. f-st.co/Ru3rpJQ

San Antonio’s new Museo del Westside opened in October. It honors the unique heritage, culture, and people of the historic West Side. It’s housed in a former ice house that served as a grocery and gathering place for the community for decades. Read More👉 ebx.sh/P8lwhq

RFK Jr had committed to Bill Cassidy, as a condition to win his vote, that he would keep website language. Cassidy in February: “If confirmed… CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.” Note the language in second photo.

Trump Admin is planning to ask Congress to dramatically cut funding for transit as part of the 2026 infrastructure law. The proposal would eliminate the transit account, which funds billions of dollars in capital expenses. It would also prevent states from “flexing” roads funds for transit.

New from me: “A street safety project in Beacon Hill cleared review by San Antonio’s art commission this week, advancing despite a call from Gov. Greg Abbott to “remove all political ideologies” from Texas streets.“

NEW: ProPublica has identified dozens of instances in which the Trump administration’s DOT has moved to cut, weaken or delay safety regulations for cars, trucks, planes, trains and even oil pipelines. Experts say the changes will cost lives.

A great read with several pertinent planning takeaways, such as addressing housing needs and community disinvestment.

Development Near Dallas Light Rail has ‘Directly Created’ Over 5,000 Jobs, Generated $18 Billion Over 25 Years - h/t Railway Age

KSAT landed a mention in this morning’s top headlines from @usa.streetsblog.org for coverage of World Day of Remembrance. In an unfortunate news, yet another pedestrian was killed on a San Antonio roadway early Sunday morning, hours before the city recognized lives lost to traffic violence.

“The biggest reason there aren't more walkable neighborhoods in the U.S. is that they've basically been banned … People feel they need a car, and then we mistake that as people wanting a car, when really they just didn't have an alternative.” – Ryan Johnson, Culdesac founder

New from me: “San Antonio’s Transportation Department is hosting four planned community open house meetings beginning this week, inviting the public to provide feedback on pedestrian safety around the forthcoming Green Line ART project.”

To understand how Bari Weiss might approach climate coverage at CBS, I read every climate article the Free Press has published. Almost every one reinforced a common fossil fuel industry talking point—that climate change is exaggerated, that solutions don't work, and that fossil fuels = freedom

“The state agency in charge of building Texas’ massive highways says Texans need more ways to get around if the state’s going to continue to grow — a stunning acknowledgment in car-dominant Texas.” New from @joshuafechter.bsky.social via @texastribune.org

COP30 Glossary: What You Need to Know About This Year’s UN Climate Summit in Brazil

“A letter from Assistant City Manager John Peterek cited available safety data that showed that the intersection of N. Main Ave and E. Evergreen St., where the rainbow crosswalk is located, is safer than a nearby crosswalk without rainbow painting.”

In Arizona, where this story is based, data centers are driving up electricity demand and infrastructure costs. For a state where many Americans go to retire, the once affordable retirement communities are beholden to the rising rates on their electric bills.

How did your neighborhood vote on the Spurs arena proposition? Use our map to see how your neighborhood voted on Bexar County Props A and B, the NEISD bond election and more in the Nov. 4 election. bit.ly/4hH2ZK8

It was 10 p.m. on election night. Twenty minutes prior, most news organizations had called the NYC mayoral race for state assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a previously obscure politician who rose to power through an unrelenting campaign for affordability. insideclimatenews.org/news/0511202...

TPR is providing live election results as the polls close tonight at 7:00 PM. On the ballot are Props A & B along with 17 state constitutional amendments and multiple school district elections. Read More👉 ebx.sh/M4rZpt

Four races highlight this year's elections: a redistricting referendum in California, governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia and the mayoral contest in New York City. n.pr/4927eOb

Up to 75,000 voters may turn out at the polls on Tuesday, according to Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew. Read More👉 ebx.sh/1aCM8B

“Traffic crashes aren't accidents. They are preventable,” Austin City Council member Vanessa Fuentes said during an Oct. 10 event. “They are a public health crisis, and like any health crisis, they require a direct, holistic response.”

The City of San Antonio’s planet-warming emissions ticked up in 2023, according to new data released on Monday. That interrupts gains made after adopting a climate action plan in 2019. #satx #climatechange deceleration.news/san-antonio-...

Even as the government shutdown rages on, the Senate recently passed a sweeping bill that would prioritize applications for competitively-awarded federal transit funding if they are accompanied by pro-housing plans along transit corridors.

New pedestrian safety infrastructure comes to portion of dangerous road in San Antonio.

40 Elite Athletes Call for Urgent Adaptation Finance at COP30 Amid Climate Threat

2026 Sundance Film Festival Announces Park City Legacy Program Featuring Archival Screenings, Special Talks, Robert Redford Tribute and Culmination Event

“The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is advancing plans for quick-build public realm improvements along Occidental Avenue S, an underutilized and overbuilt street at the front door of South Downtown’s two sports stadiums.”

Trump’s anti-climate change language no longer surprises world leaders. f-st.co/u2T61cH

Satellite images of the White House in October 2024 in comparison to Thursday morning show the entire East Wing has been demolished. Read more: https://cnn.it/48LSN0I

The Trump administration is opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, again. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/c...

Greatness

Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas painting steps rainbow after Gov. Abbott's order on crosswalks https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/oak-lawn-united-methodist-church-dallas-painting-steps-rainbow-after-gov-abbott-order-crosswalks/287-887d969b-4d80-4705-a691-f32263fe5ae4