In case you missed it, Utrecht, Netherlands has begun building the largest Dutch “car-free” neighbourhood. With: 12K people 6K homes 1.8K social rental homes 1.5K mid-range rental & affordable owner-occupied homes 21K bike parking spaces 250 shared cars 2 parcel hubs Parking structures on the edge.

Made it outside today 🥵 for the worthwhile celebration of the Downtown Mall! It’s the central hub of our city, full of people, businesses, and great food. The Mall is the ultimate place-maker, prioritizing people over cars and withstanding the backlash that let ped malls fail in other cities.

Happy Birthday to the Downtown Mall 🎂🎂🎂. A visionary mall that has withstood the test of time and become a national model for pedestrian centric community planning. @creighdeeds.bsky.social and I honored the 50th anniversary with resolutions! @jenfleisher.bsky.social @nat4cville.bsky.social

Fun fact: because BOTH of my cars broke down, I finally broke down, got a loan, and bought an ebike AND LET ME TELL YOU, THIS IS THE BEST PURCHASE I'VE EVER MADE I wish I'd done this sooner. I feel like my commute to work actually means something now. Anyway her name is Bluey

Maybe since NPR says it, people will believe it. “The reason rent increases have fallen behind inflation comes down to Economics 101: supply and demand. Specifically, the supply of apartments has been boosted by a construction boom.”

"We think that building housing is part of the solution. We think net zero is part of the solution. We think a car-light development is part of the solution. We think building a sense of place and community is part of the solution." -- leader of the Squamish nation www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/o...

It's literally and figuratively a breath of fresh air to be in urban spaces designed for people and without cars.

Bike-lanes don’t cause traffic congestion. Car dependency, dumb land-use sprawl, too many (& bigger) cars being driven too much taking up too much space, highly subsidized driving costs, and not enough choices in how to get around, ALL cause traffic congestion. Think about it. THAT’S common sense.

I'm not saying everyone has to live by bike, but you don't have to accept the car culture status quo. Mobility freedom is infrastructure that gives you real choices. In a well-designed city, taking the cargo bike for this errand is simply faster, easier, and way more fun.

I was in Toronto over the weekend. Great city. I was thrilled to see FedEx delivering by bicycle. Can we have this in Chicago please!?

Also quick note that this project, nestled behind UVA health was made possible thanks to our recent zoning changes.

Excited to celebrate the kick off of new Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville homes in Fifeville with @creighdeeds.bsky.social and Councilors @nat4cville.bsky.social and Payne. Lots of smiles and sunshine. Find out more about their Cville projects at Cvillehabitat.org.

"E-bike ownership and use had the most growth in the 30-39 age bracket, rising from 19.3% in 2024 to 23.2% in 2025. Families with young children revealed an above-average interest in purchasing e-bikes, with almost 9% of such households planning to purchase in the next 12 months..."

Keep up to date on all things bike in Cville at bikecville.com! The Saturday morning group rides that leave from the City Market are friendly, fun, and open to e-bike & classic bike riders. Join us any Saturday! #bikecville

This is exactly what happens when cars are the default transportation policy. EVs are often sold as the ultimate fix, but they take up the exact same amount of space as gas cars. A blanket "cars-for-everything" policy will always fail because geometry always wins.

Thrilled that the City of Charlottesville won both the Bike Month City vs City challenge (racking up more rides than Richmond, VA Beach, Roanoke) and the business challenge from VA Dept of Public Rail & Transit! 🚲 #bikecville

This is devastating.

“Air pollution fell substantially as Paris restricted car traffic and made way for parks, people-streets and bike-lanes.” Better for the climate, better for health, better for livability and quality of life. Common sense. Such a no-brainer, it’s remarkable that more cities HAVEN’T done the same.

I get why some drivers get so insane about bike lanes, because once people SEE how much better it is absolutely nobody wants to go back to their car infested bullshit

Paris air pollution is down 50% after its radical bike-friendly transformation Cars have been banned from more than 100 streets. Tens of thousands of parking spots have been eliminated. Hundreds of miles of bike lanes have been added. And air pollution is plummeting

This is one reason why the belief that replacing curbside parking with bike lanes will kill small businesses is rooted more in car ideology than fact. You can't pause every few feet to window shop when you're driving, much less pop in every store that catches your eye.

"Bikes can replace car trips" ≠ "Everyone MUST replace their car and ride a bike for all trips."

Among other things, presenters debunked common misconceptions about homelessness and also highlighted how fundamentally homelessness is a housing problem

Tragedies like these are an inevitable cost of a society that designs for cars first and everything else second. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can do so much better to the benefit of ourselves and others. Lives would be saved. Grieving would be replaced by celebration.

Riding bikes is 10X more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities. And that’s just the climate emissions. Doesn’t include the massive public & personal cost difference, the air & noise pollution difference, the massive space difference, etc, etc…Via @theconversation.bsky.social

The City of Cincinnati just rolled out 0% interest loans for e-bikes. $100/month, no down payment. Cincinnati hills are no joke, so affordable e-bikes could be a game changer for getting more people to bike.

Steady progress on places for over a thousand people to live. Would you advocate they tear it down and replace it with a cottage and a handful of townhomes?

Yes.

We need to stop prioritizing parking lots over people. Today, I assembled a roundtable to discuss our Building Up Illinois Developments Plan — and the consensus was that we need to act fast. Looking forward to passing it and getting to work in our neighborhoods.

If you’re thinking “I’d like to learn more about this important topic from a national and local expert,” well have a I got a treat for you: events.humanitix.com/inclusionary...

Governor Spanberger just announced she is rejoining RGGI. 🎉🏞️

Nice to see Charlottesville noted for removing parking minimums in the updated zoning code 👍

Great opinion piece in the paper today - “This legislative session in Richmond, the Commonwealth Housing Coalition is prioritizing four bills designed to take significant steps to address Virginia’s housing shortage:” dailyprogress.com/opinion/colu...

Wade to stay on as Charlottesville mayor; Oschrin to serve as vice mayor >>> https://www.29news.com/2026/01/05/wade-stay-charlottesville-mayor-oschrin-serve-vice-mayor/

“Being truly pro-cycling isn’t just about saying you like bikes. It’s about accepting that [...] we sometimes need to rebalance public space, which means, yes, removing a few parking spaces or reallocating a traffic lane.” “If you love cycling, make room for it” by @jfrheault.bsky.social

Some good news in the City Council packet for Monday’s meeting: the city is planning to purchase 2000 Holiday Drive to use as a low-barrier homelessness shelter. More here: charlottesvilleva.portal.civicclerk.com/event/2511/f...

there are almost certainly more people — more blue collar laborers, specifically — involved in the cultivation and production of chardonnay grapes and wine than in coal

It’s the start of Week Without Driving in the Charlottesville area and beyond! #weekwithoutdriving

Quick-build projects are an effective and cost-efficient tool to demonstrate changes that lead to improvements in pedestrian safety! America Walks is proud to have participated in a tribal pedestrian safety workshop and quick-build demonstration in Pueblo of Jemez, NM. Read more ➡️ buff.ly/vVb93Kb

Come out to Loop de Ville this Saturday! Circumnavigate Cville on a our wonderful trail system with fellow walkers, runners, or bikers. It will still happen in light rain, so join for any or all of the 20 miles! Snacks along the route & a big party (with a GONG) at the end. loopdeville.org

As the seasons change, you might be wondering about biking in different weather conditions. E-Bike Dad and Livable Cville member @yyahn.bsky.social wrote a very nice guide to biking in the cold weather months. Check it out! yyahn.com/wiki/Bike/Wi...

Modular, mass timber, and single-stair This workforce housing project in Montana maxes out the current IBC code limitations on single housing with a 10,000 sf floor plate and 8-bed units that each feature shared living, kitchen, and laundry. www.idcubedmodular.com/blank

How can you not be romantic about density?

Getting an e-bike is just about the best purchase and lifestyle change I’ve ever made. Thank you to all of the users who are biking and advocates who are helping others make the switch. Check out Cville’s e-bike lending library to see for yourself! www.ebikelibrarycville.org 🚲

What an incredible weekend to be outdoors in Charlottesville! Every Saturday morning there’s a casual bike ride that starts at the City Market (wear a silly shirt), and this time Mayor Juandiego Wade joined on a ebike! 🚲 Www.bikecville.com

Could you go a week without driving?

Look at how many bikes can fit in one car parking spot. P.S. Join Bike Cville every Saturday morning at 9 am for a casual ride around the city (we also often stop for a snack/coffee break). Meet at the City Market downtown! 🚲 Schedule and more info here: bikecville.com/rides-and-ev...

New mixed-use building on Broadway in Lakeview that retained some ornament and design elements from its much-smaller predecessor. Turned out well!