mattstephenskc
@mattstephens.bsky.social
comms pro | advocate for urban livability, sustainability & election reform | do good; live well 🟢 mattstephenscreative.com
Ahem, Kansas City Life Insurance Co. open.substack.com/pub/llmckinn...
Land Speculators vs. Developers: Why Communities Must Stop Rewarding Extraction & Start Enabling Those Who Actually Build
Because Housing Matters.
open.substack.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Ahem, Kansas City Life Insurance Co. open.substack.com/pub/llmckinn...
(Just about) every bike in a bike lane is one less car on the road. Bike lanes ease congestion, even when their addition entails the removal of a car lane.
January 26, 2026 at 11:58 PM
(Just about) every bike in a bike lane is one less car on the road. Bike lanes ease congestion, even when their addition entails the removal of a car lane.
Haters of terms like “cyclist” and “bicyclist,” how about “people who pedal”? 🤔
January 26, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Haters of terms like “cyclist” and “bicyclist,” how about “people who pedal”? 🤔
My retirement account is up 46% since April 2024. Is this typical? How y’all doing? #investing #retirement
January 26, 2026 at 4:17 PM
My retirement account is up 46% since April 2024. Is this typical? How y’all doing? #investing #retirement
Idea for KCMO public works: give notice to residents of when their specific streets will be plowed, and require that their vehicles be removed from said streets during said timeframe. Chicago does this, and it works brilliantly.
January 26, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Idea for KCMO public works: give notice to residents of when their specific streets will be plowed, and require that their vehicles be removed from said streets during said timeframe. Chicago does this, and it works brilliantly.
So, I started a Substack blog recently. Would love to have you as a loyal reader. See my latest here: open.substack.com/pub/mattstep...
Capacity and leadership: a digital marketing burnout story, with lessons learned.
An analogy
open.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:47 PM
So, I started a Substack blog recently. Would love to have you as a loyal reader. See my latest here: open.substack.com/pub/mattstep...
So, we’re allowing—and subsidizing—the construction and operation of data centers, which exist to power technology that makes humans obsolete while expanding our carbon footprint and raising everyone’s electric bills.
Makes perfect sense.
Makes perfect sense.
January 26, 2026 at 3:33 PM
So, we’re allowing—and subsidizing—the construction and operation of data centers, which exist to power technology that makes humans obsolete while expanding our carbon footprint and raising everyone’s electric bills.
Makes perfect sense.
Makes perfect sense.
Watched One Battle After Another last night after a couple of folks recommended it. It wasn’t very good. The dialogue (esp. DiCaprio’s) was belabored, the storyline moved too slowly and was disjointed, and parts were superfluous. Overall, it ran too long. The acting was decent, though.
January 12, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Watched One Battle After Another last night after a couple of folks recommended it. It wasn’t very good. The dialogue (esp. DiCaprio’s) was belabored, the storyline moved too slowly and was disjointed, and parts were superfluous. Overall, it ran too long. The acting was decent, though.
Imagine if the Jackson Co, MO assessor’s office was competent enough to sync their payment records with their bill-issuing program. Would be wonderful not to receive bills in the mail that I paid weeks ago.
December 18, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Imagine if the Jackson Co, MO assessor’s office was competent enough to sync their payment records with their bill-issuing program. Would be wonderful not to receive bills in the mail that I paid weeks ago.
AI companies should subsidize energy for households, since they’re responsible for driving prices up.
December 15, 2025 at 1:51 PM
AI companies should subsidize energy for households, since they’re responsible for driving prices up.
To all the neurodivergents, the HSPs out there, muddling through the chaos, complexities, and hurry of the winter holidays, I see you. May the good moments and the enduring loves outweigh the discouraging and the stressful. May you find solace, comfort, and joy.
December 14, 2025 at 4:53 PM
To all the neurodivergents, the HSPs out there, muddling through the chaos, complexities, and hurry of the winter holidays, I see you. May the good moments and the enduring loves outweigh the discouraging and the stressful. May you find solace, comfort, and joy.
Thought-provoking read from @clmarohn.bsky.social: www.panoptica.ai/the-gutenber...
The Gutenberg Moment
Every communication revolution births chaos before it births order. Gutenberg's press collapsed the gatekeepers of knowledge in the fifteenth century—and it took centuries of war, displacement, and in...
www.panoptica.ai
December 1, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Thought-provoking read from @clmarohn.bsky.social: www.panoptica.ai/the-gutenber...
SMSD et al, early release is the wrong call. Give road crews more time to clear the snow. Releasing the students during the worst conditions is negligent.
December 1, 2025 at 6:27 PM
SMSD et al, early release is the wrong call. Give road crews more time to clear the snow. Releasing the students during the worst conditions is negligent.
"when you look past the partisan narratives, you find a complicated story that shows just how hard it is to reduce violent attacks to any one issue." www.readtangle.com/the-national...
The National Guard shooting.
Plus, is the stock market in an AI bubble?
www.readtangle.com
December 1, 2025 at 6:19 PM
"when you look past the partisan narratives, you find a complicated story that shows just how hard it is to reduce violent attacks to any one issue." www.readtangle.com/the-national...
Any of my KC peeps have a top-notch electrician, skilled in working in old homes, that they could recommend?
November 26, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Any of my KC peeps have a top-notch electrician, skilled in working in old homes, that they could recommend?
Honestly, humans depress me 😞 Check out their YTD numbers at the end. www.fox5vegas.com/2025/11/26/o...
Over 100 drivers cited during turkey crossing safety demonstration in Las Vegas
Officials report over 100 drivers were cited during a turkey crossing safety demonstration near a Las Vegas Middle School.
www.fox5vegas.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Honestly, humans depress me 😞 Check out their YTD numbers at the end. www.fox5vegas.com/2025/11/26/o...
Excellent article attempting to reconcile the differences of the Strong Towns and Abundance movements. Worth a read for my fellow urbanists. buildthenextrightthing.substack.com/p/two-great-...
November 6, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Excellent article attempting to reconcile the differences of the Strong Towns and Abundance movements. Worth a read for my fellow urbanists. buildthenextrightthing.substack.com/p/two-great-...
NYT Games thought of the day: Why didn’t Miami name their pro basketball team the Magic? Or why did Orlando take the name?
November 6, 2025 at 1:38 PM
NYT Games thought of the day: Why didn’t Miami name their pro basketball team the Magic? Or why did Orlando take the name?
Back injuries are THE WORST. Just as I was starting to feel normal again, I re-injured my back in the most embarrassing way possible. (I'm not telling how!) 😣
November 5, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Back injuries are THE WORST. Just as I was starting to feel normal again, I re-injured my back in the most embarrassing way possible. (I'm not telling how!) 😣
No one person can care about everything that deserves caring about. I need reminders of this, and we all need to extend grace to each other concerning what issues we let lie.
October 27, 2025 at 2:43 PM
No one person can care about everything that deserves caring about. I need reminders of this, and we all need to extend grace to each other concerning what issues we let lie.
Important article from Beck Johnson on Kansas City's fundamental economic quagmire: www.linkedin.com/pulse/kansas...
Kansas City Built a City We Can't Afford - And How We Might Fix It
For decades, The City of Kansas City, MO has been celebrated as one of America’s most affordable and livable cities. This has lead to a prosperous period with lots of positive momentum, but buried in ...
www.linkedin.com
October 14, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Important article from Beck Johnson on Kansas City's fundamental economic quagmire: www.linkedin.com/pulse/kansas...
Any other midwestern asthmatics been struggling over the past week, or is it just me? Trying to figure out if I'm fighting sickness or just allergies. Bronchitis is the worst (well, next to pneumonia).
October 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Any other midwestern asthmatics been struggling over the past week, or is it just me? Trying to figure out if I'm fighting sickness or just allergies. Bronchitis is the worst (well, next to pneumonia).
Been working through my photo editing backlog. Here's a gallery documenting PorchFest KC in October of 2023: mattstephens.zenfolio.com/porchfestkc2... #porchfestkc
PorchFest Kansas City 2023
Matt Stephens Photography
mattstephens.zenfolio.com
October 9, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Been working through my photo editing backlog. Here's a gallery documenting PorchFest KC in October of 2023: mattstephens.zenfolio.com/porchfestkc2... #porchfestkc
Housing advocates / YIMBYs and map geeks, the National Zoning Atlas is a promising project with growing influence around the country. Check out this article and interview with its founder: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
#housing #YIMBY #zoning
#housing #YIMBY #zoning
Mapping a Way Out of the US Housing Affordability Crisis
Sara Bronin, founder of the National Zoning Atlas, has won the Heinz Award for her ongoing project to map the land-use rules that restrict housing production.
www.bloomberg.com
October 9, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Housing advocates / YIMBYs and map geeks, the National Zoning Atlas is a promising project with growing influence around the country. Check out this article and interview with its founder: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
#housing #YIMBY #zoning
#housing #YIMBY #zoning
Don't miss KC Library's next installment in the Making a Great City lecture series, to be hosted at the Plaza Branch at 6pm, Tues, Sep 30. Chuck Marohn, founder of Strong Towns, will address the US’s housing affordability crisis. RSVP at kclibrary.org/events/housi....
September 29, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Don't miss KC Library's next installment in the Making a Great City lecture series, to be hosted at the Plaza Branch at 6pm, Tues, Sep 30. Chuck Marohn, founder of Strong Towns, will address the US’s housing affordability crisis. RSVP at kclibrary.org/events/housi....