Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 13h

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 · 13h

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 · 13h

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.

2 2 12

Reposted by David King

Søren Have @sorenhave.dk · 14h

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 · 15h

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 · 16h

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 · 15h

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 · 16h

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 · 1d

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 · 1d

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 · 1d

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

420 3.2K 14K

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 1d

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 · 1d

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 · 1d

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 2

Reposted by David King

Chris 🎃 DevPods.gg gamedev community @chrisdeleon.bsky.social · 2d

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.

85 4.4K 16K

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 2d

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 · 2d

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 44

Reposted by David King

Vince Mpls @vincempls.bsky.social · 2d

#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 · 4d

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 · 4d

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 · 4d

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

2

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 4d

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

Reposted by David King

Bruce Stiftel @brucestiftel.bsky.social · 4d

"[I]n the end, he wasn’t really about parking. Don was an economist, and his mission was to help people understand the underlying economics of public goods and services. Parking was simply the vehicle, one might say, that he chose to do so."

open.substack.com/pub/futureof...

How Don Shoup Changed The World

Nobody thought much about parking until this UCLA economist wrote about it. Now, nobody thinks about parking the same way.

open.substack.com

3 8

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 5d

Of the nearly 17,000 who ran one of the three events, 52% overall were women. Running overall doesn't have a gender bias, as far as I know, and the spilt across all events seems to confirm that.

I'm not making a snarky point here, I'm legit curious as to why this difference exists across events.

1 1

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 5d

At today's Twin Cities marathon events, for the marathon 40% of runners were women, while for the half 64% were and the 10 mile 61% were. Why do these gender differences exist? Men have to do the hardest thing? Mothers have less time to train? (There are gender differences in household work.)

1 2

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 5d

Related.

Charlie Kirk-aligned church sued by father of sexual abuse victim

Nathaniel Pineda, an ex-volleyball coach at a Dream City Church-affiliated school, is in prison for grooming a 15-year-old girl.

www.phoenixnewtimes.com

1 21 57

Reposted by David King

Katie Brennan @katiebrennan.bsky.social · 6d

Take it from me: You do NOT negotiate with abusers.

So if Trump wants to illegally take New Jersey’s funding, we have to fight back with everything we’ve got.

My idea? Eminent domain Trump’s golf course for affordable housing.

My debut in @nydailynews:
www.nydailynews.com/2025/10/04/t...

Trump took Gateway money, we must take his golf club

Take it from someone who’s spent years as a survivor advocate, working with people hurt by those in power: You do not negotiate with abusers.

www.nydailynews.com

9 89 310

David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 6d

That story says no one actually saw him though.

12