T minus 7 days until #A2Council votes on a shiny new Comprehensive Plan! Kudos to planning commission, activists, and staff! 🎉 Should we make housing-misinformation bingo cards? What should go on them? 🤔

Pizza pro quo A slice went to all And who is to blame? That damned Kirk Westphal #a2council

Sorry, but this @nytimes.com op-ed on free fares in New York City, by @galvinalmanza.bsky.social, is deeply ignorant of the issues. It proposes that pretty social justice vibes and some careless citations will change facts of math. Thread: 1/ www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/o...

The City temporarily banned street parking citywide so that plows could clear streets and make travel safer. But since they didn't send a postcard, text, and a person to move my car, I'm going to angrily post a 67 chapter book about it to every social media site. #a2council by James Q. Porkchop

Los Angeles is failing so badly at Vision Zero that it sullies the whole program. This Washington Post investigation, where the city undid a road diet and then a woman got killed walking her dog 🤯 it's political malpractice! www.washingtonpost.com/business/int...

In August and Sept 2021, a group of anti-sidewalk activists lobbied the city to cancel the construction of a sidewalk on the north side of Sunset Road from Brooks to Newport. They argued, among other things, that Sunset is "adequately" served by the single sidewalk on the south side. #a2council

I looked Blackstone and Airbnb in the eyes — but the enemy staring back was our own zoning code.

As violent as American drivers already were, we are simply not prepared for the raw carnage of aging suburban boomers behind the wheels of instant-torque, 0-60 in 2.5 seconds EVs. They're going to slaughter tens of thousands of people and we're doing nothing to prevent it.

“We’re pulling up the ladder for your own good.” This would never happen in other left-leaning cities. 🤣

The @annarborobserver.bsky.social newsletter had a decent summary of the dynamic at the #a2council Transportation Commission meeting last week (mailchi.mp/aaobserver/a... ). But we need to take some time to talk in detail about why the city's presentation was so damaging and damning... (🧵)

Attention Chicago friends.

Important new research on the impact of zoning on the housing market. Minimum lot size requirements have two main effects: they increase housing costs and contribute to racial segregation. This was somewhat known to housing folks, but this paper matters because it uses advanced methods and data

The “detour” part of this sidewalk catches a bunch of slush in the winter thanks to high-speed snowplows. There is a still a distinct low spot in the turf where the stump was removed decades ago.

So many maps are like this.

The US and South Korea are the only wealthy democracies still using a full presidential system. Trump’s abuses aren’t a bug, they’re a feature of a system that incentivizes strongmen — and no way to swap out leaders without a full election. Maybe it's time we joined the modern world.

I've had two different #umich hospital call center interactions recently where I was deceived into thinking I was reaching a generic voice mail menu — and it turned out to be a live person. Beyond just great articulation, actual voiceover quality! Wished I had taken down the names to share.

I'm inclusive, just not here! #annarbor bursts into the pantheon of lawn-sign contradictions as a draft of our new comprehensive plan moves toward the public comment period. #a2council #YIMBY

#Annarbor friends! ❤️THANK YOU❤️ to everyone who signed the SafetyforStadium.org petition! We're delivering it to City Council on Monday. If you haven't, this is your last chance to tell #a2council to narrow the road and install safe bike lanes and crossings! 🚴‍♀️🚶‍♀️👩‍🦽

Ann Arbor didn't just miss its #VisionZero deadline of 2025, we've had a record-breaking number of deaths & injuries recently. And this is with a City Council that is on board with traffic calming. Sharing this analysis as a cautionary tale. #a2council www.damnarbor.com/2025/03/opin...

Check out my latest blog post on Density as Ann Arbor considers enabling more housing types city-wide. It's going to be a web series called, Density is Fun! I'd love to do a video walking tour of how missing middle housing can help transform Ann Arbor. #a2council thewychefamily.com/density-in-f...

Even in progressive cities, it’s disappointing to see that the “planning process” still largely serves to lend a veneer of legitimacy for wealthy homeowners to control other people’s properties, even if they 1) live blocks and blocks away, and 2) will be long dead before a change affects them.