Ōtautahi friends, do you have room on your fence for my face? I'm campaigning for Council in Papanui Ward, and am in need of some sites for election signs, especially in the Redwood/Papanui area. Thanks to those who have already offered! Reposts appreciated too :)

I'm very happy to confirm that I am running for Community Board in Papanui this year. Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/why-im-sta... I'm proud to be standing as part of The People's Choice in Christchurch Local Government ticket, alongside Simon Britten @thinkpapanui.bsky.social

Abuse in Politics is getting worse. Christchurch has a serious problem. Read here: foamerman.substack.com/p/christchur...

Woolworths is applying for a resource consent on Madras Street. Here are some thoughts I want to share about it. The St Albans Residents Association is hosting a series of public information meetings starting tonight (9th April) - 7-8:30pm. Read here: foamerman.substack.com/p/what-to-do...

Local Government cops a lot of flack thanks to Central Government changing its rules. What kind of issues has that created here in Christchurch? Read here: foamerman.substack.com/p/local-poli...

Christchurch City Council is split into several smaller authorities called Community Boards. Who are they and what do they control? Read here: foamerman.substack.com/p/local-poli...

Ever wondered who sits at the Council table, and what they stand for? Allow me to shine a little bit of light on that for you. 1 Mayor, 16 Councillors, and what I hope is a fairly balanced take on all of them. Read here: foamerman.substack.com/p/local-poli...

Local politics is a rewarding space to work in, but can often be an absolute headscratcher to understand. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to hold your hand through the plays and the players of local government; and what it all means. Read now: foamerman.substack.com/p/local-poli...

Razed to dust, this is what Israel's apocalyptic erasure of Northern Gaza looks like. Palestinians are "returning" to nuclear-scale desolation.

Imagine a city where people can move freely by any way possible and where traffic is a thing of the past. That requires a revolution for our transport infrastructure. Here’s my take on what that needs to look like Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/revolution...

This year, I started writing. This one is a quick recap and thank you to the people who have supported this, and an idea of where I plan to go next. Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/a-year-in-...

Antigua St bridge cycle counter hit 500,000 riders this year earlier today! Awesome sight to see and shows just how popular cycling is.

Published in newspapers across the Canterbury region today.

Following the launch of a program aimed at incentivizing office to residential conversion projects in Downtown Boston by streamlining permitting & offering tax incentives, The City of Boston has received applications to convert 18 office buildings totaling 611,000sf of space into 690 apartments.

It's rare you get such a clear illustration of whose lives have value in America and whose don't

Do we know if the $900 million includes the break costs for the ferries currently under construction? If not, expect more costs on top!

While Copenhagen brags about being the best bike city in the world, here in Christchurch the Copenhagen Bakery fought tooth and nail to prevent a cycleway for the sake of a few car parks. www.visitcopenhagen.com/biking

The continued delays to the Wheels to Wings cycleways deprive the residents of the Papanui and Harewood wards of safer active transport. This is simply an unacceptable result.

Christchurch had New Zealand's first public railway. 161 years later, we have no Commuter Rail services. How can we fix this injustice? Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/relearning... #transport #christchurch #urbanism

If you’re interested in cities and how to make them better, scroll to my “Starter Packs” section & explore 4 Packs I’ve created: - Urbanism & City-Building - Better Transportation & Mobility - Canadian Urbanism - Smart Cities & Climate Action Please help share them, especially with NEW audiences!

Time to go to work again

The more I've thought about this overnight, the more unhappy I am with this process. It seems a wholly inappropriate overreach at face value to completely exclude two elected members from any participation in the PC14 debates due to Conflicts of Interest 1/🧵 (www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3605...)

7 of Christchurch’s Councillors and the IHP Panelists say that it’s too far from here to the other side of Bealey Ave and that we shouldn’t have a walkable catchment here. What a day to be alive in our beautiful city!

This is disappointing. A 0 meter walking catchment is not acceptable for the North side of the city. There’s no excuse for not upzoning this area given its proximity and level of service.

Trams were once the lifeblood of Christchurch. They should be again. Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/christchur...

170 protestors blockaded a major shipping facility to fight climate change in Newcastle. Not a peep from media. Actions like these show exactly where states stand when local police label it as "self-serving stunts", while governments continue to screw up COP29 (www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...)

We've made a start pack of local urbanists and people we just think are cool in the urbanism space, check it out! go.bsky.app/TSTCfft

Vulnerable road users don't suddenly become "less vulnerable" because its a main road with "lots of drivers". That's just driver exceptionalism. In fact casualty stats show that main roads need 20mph limits just as much as residential roads. #20splenty where people are.

HERE IT IS! My 1st Urbanism & City-Building Starter Pack. I’ll keep adding to it as more city champions arrive here on Bluesky & I discover more of you. Please share this far & wide to support and grow our urbanism community here. Our cities need all the help they can get! go.bsky.app/G7isZfk

No blog this week, but just a note. The result of this vote is thanks to countless hours of community organising, both by different groups and individuals. It just goes to show how together we can make tangible change in our community. 1/4

Our Community Board decided to listen to the people and has chosen to keep the bus lanes over an ill informed clearway. Sensibility prevails.

We have to stop listening to business owners when making transportation decisions because they are woefully misinformed They will say things like "only one cyclist bikes here a year" for a street with hundreds of cyclists biking there in one afternoon

On Thursday, the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board will vote on whether or not to install a peak-hour clearway or bus lane on Cranford Street. For the sake of our community, they need to reject the staff recommendation. Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/what-to-do...

Walking is often a rewarding activity in any city. But it doesn't come without risk. What stands between us and a truly walkable city in Christchurch? Read More: foamerman.substack.com/p/strut-your...

Buses have been the backbone of our city's public transport for decades. Yet ridership still hasn't recovered from the earthquakes. What is happening? Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/green-lane...

Despite the increase in the number of cyclists in our city, cycling infrastructure has become a culture war issue. Why? Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/the-copenh...

It's about time we looked at how we prioritise our road space in Christchurch, and what that means for its users. Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/better-str...

Recent discourse has brought privatisation back into the public eye. We should not place our public assets in the hands of the private sector. Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/beware-the...

One of the many things Montréal has going for it is the brand-new REM system. Rapid transit has never looked so good. Read here: foamerman.substack.com/p/automatic-...

A lot of discussion has gone on about moving some roads in New Zealand to 110kph, but is it a safe idea? Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/debunking-...

The National Land Transport Program 24-27 might look like record funding, but for us in the South, it's all smoke and mirrors. Read more: foamerman.substack.com/p/a-push-for...

When it comes to rail in New Zealand, several important gaps need filling. Queue a new series picking the most important of these apart. foamerman.substack.com/p/missing-li...

The Downstream Effects Management Plan is supposed to be St Albans' saviour when it comes to traffic. So why doesn't it work, and what options should we look at? Read more here: foamerman.substack.com/p/when-is-a-...

In January, I took a trip from New York to Montreal on Amtrak's Adirondack. Here are my thoughts on why we need to fall in love with travelling again in this country. open.substack.com/pub/foamerma...

I often think about the housing crisis (easy fodder for the young mind) and think "damn things are tight". Recently, I've thought more and more about accessible housing, and how the shortfall of housing stock must be even worse in that market. Housing for all must be for everyone. #urbanism

Might be a little late to the party, but since the riots in the UK this week, I think I'm finally ready to kick the Twitter bucket. Can't justify continuing to use a platform that so loudly supports that kind of messaging.

This morning we are releasing our submission guide for the Cranford St bus lane project. This decision will finalise the layout of Cranford St between Berwick and Innes. We want to see the bus lanes kept. Find our submission guide here ↓ docs.google.com/document/d/1...

New Zealand exists in a state of 'we can barely maintain our current infrastructure capacity', combined with an attitude that even when we do replace things, it can't improve what was before. Wholly unserious country.