In the US, local land use regulations are the key to unlocking healthy infrastructure. Zoning forces everything to be sprawled out across creation. If neighborhoods are allowed to have a variety of land uses, then riding a bike becomes an obvious & practical way to get around.

Doomer advocacy is a losing strategy, but it's common among US bike advocates. Things can get better in the end. After all, Copenhagen wasn't always Copenhagen. Organize fun group rides. Make some short trips by bike with a friend. Celebrate new bike lanes. Spread hope.

Road building contractors, truckers, civil engineers, and labor unions—they all funnel substantial sums of money into political campaigns because they want access to decision-makers and key influencers so they can shape legislation to their advantage. www.fastcompany.com/91402783/gro...

Zoning broke our brains, and legalizing healthy infrastructure is the first step in the path to recovery. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/zoning-bro...

Human-scale design outlawed. People separated from friends & family. Racial tensions exacerbated. Housing variety outlawed. Housing prices jacked up. Car dependency normalized. Agree or Disagree: Zoning created more problems than it solved. 🤔

Our built environment doesn’t have to be so depressing. Walk-friendly, bike-friendly, transit-friendly places are good medicine, and they’re not impossible to build. My latest in @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91396643/bui...

Innovations like this are necessities because so many people suffer from Car Brain. www.fastcompany.com/91386390/ai-...

The moment we stop treating the bus as a social program and start treating it like an express sidewalk, we unlock a public good that meets people where they are and moves them forward. www.fastcompany.com/91386390/ai-... @fastcompany.com

Asking big Why and What If questions is a missed opportunity for people working on shaping the built environment. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/great-idea...

There are times when the best way to learn something about urbanism is to embrace sheer ignorance. My latest in @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91381078/gre...

The pedestrian survival rate when hit at 40 MPH is only 15%. We've got a cultural problem that needs fixing, because… ✅ Driving 40 MPH on city streets is considered to be acceptable. ❌ Punishing people for driving 40 MPH on city streets is considered to be unacceptable.

I share some free tools for ‘amatuerbanists’ who want to plan a city without permission. www.fastcompany.com/91374198/cit... @fastcompany.com

It’s encouraging to see on-paper enemies form a bond over the YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement. Still, be prepared for the massive ideological fight now that young socialists are growing in prominence in cities across the country. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/sound-econ...

How great would it be if kids graduated without the assumption that they must be completely dependent on a personal automobile? usa.streetsblog.org/2025/07/16/c... @usa.streetsblog.org

Dear Urbanists, Families should be able to enjoy city life. They shouldn't have to expect sketchy behavior when walking down the sidewalk or riding the bus. If you truly support transportation systems for "all ages and abilities," don't dodge the difficult conversations about safety & security.

Building cities around people—instead of machines—delivers places people want to be. Here are 3 ways for your city to reclaim its streets. My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91365929/3-w...

"Subways are dangerous." In 2022, 88 people died on NYC subway tracks. Above ground: 🪦 118 people walking were killed by drivers 🪦 19 people cycling were killed by drivers 🪦 116 people driving were killed by other drivers 🚑 49,450 people were injured by NYC drivers

If you want to understand how even modern American cities became hostile to human life, don’t start with the political conspiracies; look at the way city planners and road engineers calculate success. www.fastcompany.com/91362348/roa...

We need to make good urbanism the path of least resistance. My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91360743/pub...

The auto industry spent about $12 BILLION on advertising in 2023. Whatever device you’re using to consume media, car makers and car dealers are paying to keep their products in front of you.

Driving 40 MPH on city streets is like walking through a crowded store swinging nunchucks. You might leave without hurting someone, but you're putting people in danger. If a person did get hurt, it's what we'd call a preventable injury.

Technology that’s used to change driver behavior comes down to this fundamental issue: licensed drivers routinely choose not to govern themselves, demonstrating a need to be governed by an outside force. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/one-simple...

Motorists break the law to save time, cyclists break the law to save their life. Anyone who uses a bicycle for transportation understands this is true.

Speed governors are going to be forced on us if we don't start governing ourselves. My latest in @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91352729/dri...

Driving fast in populated areas is dangerous. The Dutch recognized this almost 400 years ago. If you don't govern your own speed, vehicles will govern the speed for you.

In 2023, the average annual cost to own and operate a new vehicle climbed to $12,182. For households with two cars, that’s nearly $25,000 per year. Operating a household fleet burns an awful lot of cash. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/the-automo...

What if owning fewer cars was a sign of more success? What if wealth wasn’t a driveway full of cars—but the freedom to not need them? My latest in @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91341903/hou...

American children spend significant portions of their early developmental years staring at the interior ceilings of cars and tablet screens. It’s one of car dependency’s many negative outcomes. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/racing-kid...

It can’t be good for childhood development that so much time is spent looking at this.

The most dangerous part of Car Brain is that we don’t see it for what it is—a mass delusion that enables harm, excludes millions, and degrades mental and physical well-being. My latest in @fastcompany.com 👇 www.fastcompany.com/91330344/car...

Pros and cons of Intelligent Speed Assistance Pro: Prevent countless people from ending up in the hospital or morgue. Con: Some drivers will be sad. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/big-brothe...

If car commercials were honest, they'd say things like "The new Dodge, from 0 to kill-a-pedestrian in 2.2 seconds."

It's fun watching right-of-center NIMBYs try to turn their neighborhoods into sanctuary cities.

Status quo planners & engineers are hypnotists. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/planners-a...

In the US, a drivers license gives you permission to operate powerful sports cars, giant SUVs, and EVs with incredible acceleration. Should there be an extra level of testing to qualify for these types of motor vehicles?

This silly claim pops up every day on social media, as if *bicycles* are the primary threat on city streets.

Propaganda is a tool that, like any other tool, can be used for good or evil. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/the-crowd-...

For a bunch of reasons, conservatives and liberals have a shared interest for regulatory reform. If that seems preposterous to you, try mingling outside your current bubble.

Settle down in a flirtable city. open.substack.com/pub/alwaysta...

The NIMBY demand for strict government control over your life isn't new. Yesterday's "If booze is legal, my husband might get drunk" tracks with today's "If mixed-use neighborhoods are legal, someone might open a restaurant on my street."

Not sure what to read next? Lemme help. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/talk-to-st...

"Sorry, not my job."

Interesting that people jump to asking "is it safe to fly?" but not "is it safe to drive?" A single plane crash burns into the collective psyche for weeks or months. Meanwhile, the 100+ daily traffic deaths in the US barely register. The brain chooses spectacle over routine.

I might be ready for car commercials to follow the same advertising requirements as drug commercials. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/new-and-im...

Everything published by state DOTs should have a content warning like all the AI assistants: "Departments of transportation can make mistakes. Verify any important information."

Whether you’re a frustrated homeowner, an urbanist, or just someone tired of seeing “neighborhood character” used to prevent change, I wrote this book to make you laugh, think, and reconsider the rules that shape our communities.

"If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed." —Mark Twain

🔥 "The city of Binghamton is a place where we cut red tape. We get rid of regulations, we get rid of onerous zoning laws that may be antiquated or not. 21st century. Our message is build, build, build."

If you form bonds with people over issues, you'll find shared interests & natural allies across political party lines. Make America Healthy Again is one example: www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/make-ameri...

Whether it’s RFK, Jr. or someone else, it’s clear that “Make America Healthy Again” will be a part of Trump’s second term. Here's open letter to the next HHS Director about how infrastructure is crumbling our minds and bodies. www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/make-ameri...