Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 11h

It seems that one main use case for AI will be to create AI versions of real people (mostly women without consent) that other people (mostly dudes) will have sexual relationships with.

The Verge @theverge.com · 19h

Sam Altman says ChatGPT will soon sext with verified adults

ChatGPT is about to get flirty.

buff.ly

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 13h

There's a good chance I was at First Ave more than a dozen times that month. Flour (Saturday in the Entry) was always a favorite of the lesser known names here.

2

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 17h

This piece focuses on payments for the vehicles, but also of note is that auto insurance has increased over 80% (CEX data) from 2020-2025. The costs of driving are insane.

Cars are so expensive that buyers need 7-year loans

Once rare, seven-year car loans are fast becoming the norm. They’re often the only way buyers can afford new rides, with average auto prices nearing $50,000.

www.seattletimes.com

1 3

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 1d

Letting individual airports set their own security is so bonkers and dangerous I don’t know how to respond, but privatizing air traffic control would make the US on par with Canada, the UK, Australia, Germany, and others. Privatizing it isn’t the issue, corruption and crony capitalism are.

Mike Lee makes statements and like his other statements they are not great.

1 3

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 1d

From this article I learn the Twin Cities has the faster construction job growth in the country, with the Phoenix region as #2. I didn't expect the Twin Cities to be #1.

From $5B to $25B, AZ's construction industry is booming and needs workers

According to the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, there are about 229,000 construction workers in Arizona, across all job levels.

www.azcentral.com

1 1

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 2d

"It’s the first time the bridge district has sought restitution for a traffic disruption on the Golden Gate, even though the bridge has a long history as the site of protest...
“People were driving to work. They weren’t planning on being stuck in the car for four hours,” said Denis Mulligan"

Carceral Abolition @carceralabolition.bsky.social · 2d

Gaza protesters who blocked Golden Gate Bridge hit with $163K bill

Claim marks first time restitution has been sought for traffic disruption by Golden Gate Bridge District missionlocal.org/2025/10/they...

Gaza protesters who blocked Golden Gate Bridge hit with $163K bill

Golden Gate Bridge wants $163,000 from 26 pro-Palestine protesters who blocked the bridge for hours last year in support of Gaza.

missionlocal.org

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 4d

I don't think any of those three would do well if they charged fares, though. Cincinnati was struggling when they charged a fare.

2 1

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 4d

One problem with streetcar projects, as I wrote about in this paper (2016), is they aren't built as transit projects. They are built as real estate development projects.

Streetcar projects as spatial planning: A shift in transport planning in the United States

Currently dozens of U.S. cities are in the midst of planning and building modern streetcar systems. Though seemingly mobility investments, the intende…

www.sciencedirect.com

2 8

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 4d

The streetcar was already on a schedule to halt service in 2027, so this is just sooner. Many if not most US streetcar projects are in trouble.

3 2 12

Reposted by David King

Søren Have @sorenhave.dk · 4d

Indeed. As was also documented a while back in Copenhagen: “law breaking by cyclists is “easy to notice for everyone” but transgressions by motorists, such as speeding, are harder to spot” [because we’re used to speeding cars, running late on red lights]

www.forbes.com/sites/carlto...

Cyclists Break Far Fewer Road Rules Than Motorists, Finds New Video Study

Busting the myth of the "scofflaw cyclist" Danish Road Directorate studies reveal that while 66% of motorists routinely break road traffic laws only 5% of cyclists do so. Law breaking by cyclists is h...

www.forbes.com

1 3 11

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 4d

If we were in normal times, federal spending on transit expansion should only happen in states that pass something like this. This is a good law.

Senator Scott Wiener @scottwiener.bsky.social · 4d

MAJOR NEWS: @GavinNewsom signed SB 79, my bill allowing more housing near public transit — rail, subway, rapid bus.

It’s a huge step for housing in California. It’ll create more homes, strengthen our transit systems & reduce traffic & carbon emissions.

Thank you, Governor!

5

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 4d

I have a colleague on the watch list and they had to move their classes to unlisted locations due to threats. They had to scrub their entire university profile, too. They got doxxed already plus stuff mentioned in the post below.

Lauren MacIvor Thompson @lmacthompson1.bsky.social · 4d

I know people personally, tenured and not, who have endured horrendous harassment that has required campus security walking them to and from class or their cars, having other people handle their email to filter out threats, and people showing up at their offices or calling repeatedly.

1 5

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 5d

I have few regrets in life but giving away their For Ladies Only 7” singles I once had is on the list.

For Ladies Only (Killdozer album) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

1

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 5d

Perhaps you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them but the singer is maybe 5 feet tall and would play while standing on a milk crate. These guys are awesome.

1

Reposted by David King

James Medlock @jdcmedlock.bsky.social · 5d

“I’ll declare war on you if you don’t give me the peace prize” is an incredible bit

420 3.2K 15K

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 5d

I haven’t seen much written about all of this. Here’s one. www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...

www.tandfonline.com

1

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 5d

I’m curious which part you see threatened most. There’s pluralistic society, democratic principles, sustainability, etc. Their focus on private cities is particularly worrisome to me, but at least those won’t succeed in part because they will be in the middle of nowhere.

2 3

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 5d

One thing I'd add to this take on EV demand is that the auto market is global, so while the US is a large regional market, they aren't the only market. Manufacturers who want to sell globally will have to be in the EV game. US firms aren't going to want to be isolated.

EV demand isn’t falling off a cliff: Urban Science

Despite the end of a key tax credit, five other factors are still supporting demand for battery electric vehicles sales, per the consultancy.

www.wardsauto.com

2 3

Reposted by David King

Chris 🎃 DevPods.gg gamedev community @chrisdeleon.bsky.social · 6d

Portland protestor frog costume: What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge pepper balls?

Morpheus from Matrix movie: No, Frog. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to.

89 4.5K 16K

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 6d

This is a good post. We can build places to minimize exposure to elements while preserving walkability in any climate. We don’t have to build for hours long strolls. Think in terms of only needing to be outside for a few minutes, which is fine even in a Phoenix summer or Minneapolis winter.

Jarrett Walker @humantransit.bsky.social · 6d

Is climate really a barrier to making cities walkable? Only if you listen too much to elites ... humantransit.org/2025/10/nobo...

"Nobody Walks Here. It's too Hot or Cold or Wet or Dry." — Human Transit

Almost everywhere I travel as a consultant, someone asks me whether it’s realistic to expect people to walk given the extremes of their climate. They don’t just ask me this in Edmonton and Singapore. ...

humantransit.org

13 45

Reposted by David King

Vince Mpls @vincempls.bsky.social · 6d

#OnThisDay Oct 8, 1956: Southdale, the first fully enclosed shopping mall in the world, opens in Edina, Minnesota. Architect Victor Gruen, later realizing his invention had not lived up to his utopian vision of a car-free public square, became the biggest critic of malls until his death in 1980.

Mall exterior with Dayton's department store sign in script.

Interior of the Mall 1956. Woolworth's with neon sign on the left with other shops surround a central indoor plaza. Wood finishes, skylights, balconies, plants created a wholly new indoor shopping experience. Color transparency by Grey Villet, Life Magazine archives

4 29 92

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 8d

In waiting for a Waymo today they gave me waits of 12 minutes (when I ordered), to immediately 3 minutes, then immediately to arriving, then 10 minutes, then 7, all within a couple minutes of actual time while I was at the pick up. This is awful service. Reliability once requested is a big deal.

1

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 8d

Of note for university budgets, graduate students (PhDs) often don’t pay tuition as these are funded studies. Undergrads and Masters students generally pay full price, so the distribution of these declines matters. Related, grant funding uncertainty could be part of this decline. (gift link)

Nearly 20 Percent Fewer International Students Traveled to the U.S. in August (Gift Article)

The data shows the steepest decline in August international student arrivals since the pandemic.

www.nytimes.com

1 3

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 8d

If you consider that people would stop going to these restaurants if that happened, sure.

2

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 9d

There is a problem with disorder on many transit systems. Not crime, not lawlessness, but things that occur that make people feel unsafe. One event can make a bus or train full of people worry about their safety. It’s a widespread problem. Operators are ill-equipped to fix it on their own. Gift link

What a week’s worth of rider text messages reveals about Metro Transit’s problems

Serious crime is down on Metro Transit, but riders continue to report “quality of life” crime that makes some feel unsafe on light rail.

www.startribune.com

1 5