Daniel Garcia

Opinion | Chris Hayes: The Democrats’ Main Problem Isn’t Their Message

Incredibly good piece about why Dems are losing because they can’t capture attention

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/o...

New Study Shows How Paris Pedaled Its Way to a Cycling Revolution Cycling through central Paris meant weaving between buses and scooters—a bold choice reserved for the fearless few.

“The transformation is astonishing. [Paris] has quietly—& quickly—become one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world. What started as a series of emergency “coronapistes” or pop-up bike lanes, built during the pandemic has evolved into a permanent bike network spanning hundreds of kilometres.”

Olympia renovating Armory building to house local nonprofits The City of Olympia plans to reopen the building by 2027 and provide affordable rental space for eight nonprofit organizations.

The City of Olympia plans to reopen the building by 2027 and provide affordable rental space for eight nonprofit organizations.

If you do not actually spend money at the cute local businesses you love, those businesses will go away.

Poll: Gov. Ferguson’s first approval rating lowest in over 30 years A Cascade PBS/Elway poll found that disappointment crossed party lines, with those surveyed citing the budget, new taxes and his political ideology.

This is what happens when one accomplishes absolutely nothing positive and does very unpopular things www.cascadepbs.org/news/2025/07...

People of all ages and abilities walk, cycle, and drive along the low-traffic streets of Amsterdam, which are lined with buildings, trees, bike infrastructure, and prominent 30 km/hr signage.

People of all ages and abilities walk, cycle, and drive along the low-traffic streets of Amsterdam, which are lined with buildings, trees, bike infrastructure, and prominent 30 km/hr signage.

People of all ages and abilities walk, cycle, and drive along the low-traffic streets of Amsterdam, which are lined with buildings, trees, bike infrastructure, and prominent 30 km/hr signage.

People of all ages and abilities walk, cycle, and drive along the low-traffic streets of Amsterdam, which are lined with buildings, trees, bike infrastructure, and prominent 30 km/hr signage.

In late 2023, Amsterdam introduced a 30 km/h limit. A large number of arterials were lowered from 50 km/h, 4,500 signs installed, 140 lights reconfigured, and 200 km of markings adjusted. Aiming to improve safety, liveability and accessibility, 80% of the road network is now at this critical speed.🧵

Paris cycling numbers double in one year thanks to massive investment and it's not stopping The report delves into the nuances of Parisian cycling culture, exploring the vibrant community of riders who navigate the city's streets

Paris urban biking DOUBLED in just one year.

“Cycling in Paris has transcended mere trendiness; it’s become a fundamental aspect of the city’s identity. Despite challenges like inclement weather, cyclists continue to flock to the streets, setting new records and reshaping the urban landscape.”

Hmm almost like people don’t trust paint to protect them - why would they think that??

New research from @marcelmoran.com et al. finds that protected bike lanes -- but not painted bike lanes -- strongly increase Citibike trips in NYC.

arxiv.org/pdf/2507.04936

The secret to Baltimore's extraordinary year This April, Baltimore saw five homicides.

1. We interrupt this programming for some LEGITIMATELY GOOD NEWS

Violent crime in Baltimore has PLUMMETED to historic lows

How did the city do it?

Baltimore adopted a comprehensive set of "woke" policies, treating violence as a public health issue

Why the federal government is making climate data disappear Under Trump, climate denial has given way to something even more dangerous: climate erasure.

Why the federal government is making climate data disappear.

Under Trump, climate denial has given way to something even more dangerous: climate erasure.

grist.org/language/tru...

#Climate #Data #Politics #Politics #Environment #EPA

Behavior that you see in a system in any given moment is a reflection of the conditions of that system. Biking is notoriously undersupported by broader infrastructure.

My take is that you have a whole bunch of people who would LOVE to do more biking if you could change the basic conditions.

The best bookstore ever

Besides the cats, I got this insanely cool “clans and tartans of Scotland” there for like only $10

Bothell Drops Parking Mandates, Legalizes Neighborhood Corner Stores Citywide » The Urbanist # Bothell becomes the first city in either King or Snohomish County to fully eliminate off-street parking mandates in order to reduce costs for homebuilding. The move clearly solidifies the city as a ...

Bothell, Washington (pop. 52,000) has become the latest American City to completely eliminate minimum parking requirements for all uses citywide. The package of land use reforms passed last week also legalized neighborhood retail and cafes citywide.

📍Bothell, WA
www.theurbanist.org/2025/07/10/b...

Inclusionary zoning is a tax on housing Sometimes, policies have unintended consequences or unforeseen downsides

Inclusionary zoning is a targeted tax on the construction of new housing — the absolute worst way you could think of to raise money for investments in social housing projects.

www.slowboring.com/p/inclusiona...

How extreme car dependency is driving Americans to unhappiness A car is often essential in the US but while owning a vehicle is better than not for life satisfaction, a study has found, having to drive too much sends happiness plummeting

“The United States, with its enormous highways, sprawling suburbs and neglected public transport systems, is one of the most car-dependent countries in the world. But this arrangement of obligatory driving is making many Americans actively unhappy, new research has found.”

Via @theguardian.com.

We should elevate more stories of projects being on time / early

The GOP’s version of greatness?
Slashing food aid for 900,000+ Washingtonians so the ultra-wealthy can get another tax break.

IRS says churches can now endorse political candidates Since 1954, an IRS rule had barred houses of worship from explicitly endorsing political candidates.

If churches want the free speech to endorse political candidates, they can pay taxes.

www.npr.org/2025/07/08/n...

So-called “inclusionary zoning”—the requirement that landlords rent new units to poor tenants at a loss as a condition of building new homes—is a tax on new housing that worsens the housing affordability crisis it is ostensibly designed to address.

It’s bad policy and we should stop doing it.

Seine swimming pool opening gives Paris mayor another jewel in her green crown Making the famed river swimmable is one of the final big projects Anne Hidalgo will inaugurate before she leaves office next year.

NEW: “The transformations that Paris made work better for everyone, including drivers.” I’m interviewed for this @politico.eu @victorglaf.bsky.social article on Paris Mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social’s truly remarkable city-building legacy. @carlosmorenofr.bsky.social is quoted along with many mayors.

America’s fastest-growing suburbs are about to get very expensive Sprawl made suburbia affordable. Now it’s breaking it. Here’s what a new vision of the suburbs could look like.

An important article about the growing sunbelt housing shortage, fueled by the same causes as CA's shortage: sprawl. Namely, once suburban sprawl is built, people who move there decide to lock it up to prevent new density. And there's an outward limit to sprawl, a commute too far to be worth paying.

Congress Gives ICE More Money Than It Could Have Ever Imagined It’s impossible to overstate how much power ICE just got from Trump’s budget.

Republicans just took away your healthcare so they can fund their secret police: newrepublic.com/post/197612/...

Since 1980, there have been over 400 weather disasters in the US, with total damages over $1 billion.

These disasters have cost $2.9 trillion in total and killed nearly 17,000 people.

Don't tell me we "can't afford" to address the climate crisis.

The truth is we can’t afford not to.

Zohran I will take back all my gripes about the free bus plan if you figure out a way to pay for it with parking meter revenue

Car Harms Monday: Why Driving is Bad for Business, Household Wealth and Community Prosperity in 8 Images - Streetsblog New York City In the latest entry in our car harms series, an economist shows why car dependency is actually bad for business.

Study finds that most US driving imposes more costs than it produces benefits -- in other words, it is *subtracting prosperity*.

Does Constant Driving Really Make Our Country Richer? — Streetsblog USA A new study reveals that constant driving is making America less productive and prosperous — and getting people on other modes could help right the ship.

The thing about car dependency is that we get told all the time that even if being forced to own a car is making *us* poorer, it's great for the U.S. economy on aggregate because everyone can make more money and buy more stuff. But it turns out when you run the numbers that's... not true at all.

[VICTORY ALERT] AB 130, which creates a broad CEQA exemption for infill housing projects, has been signed by Governor Newsom. Because it is part of the budget, it is effective immediately.

Paris before-and-after street transformation

Car parking removed between 2003-2023 in Paris

PARIS: In the last 20 years, 44ha of Paris car parking has been transformed, making room for wider sidewalks, bikes & buses (15ha), bike racks, EV spots, accessible space, & 2.2K new patios/terraces for outdoor dining. 90% of Paris trips are via walking, biking & transit. V/@villedeparis.bsky.social

Trains are so chic