M. Nolan Gray 🥑
@mnolangray.bsky.social
the once and future city planner // senior legislative director for california YIMBY // proud kentuckian // #BBN // buy my book ❤
Pinned
M. Nolan Gray 🥑
@mnolangray.bsky.social
· Oct 10
Ladies and gentlemen, we did it. SB 79 has been signed.
Let's call it the True Turing Test: when will customers start preferring AI customer support over a human customer support? I don't think we're more than a year or two year off.
November 27, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Let's call it the True Turing Test: when will customers start preferring AI customer support over a human customer support? I don't think we're more than a year or two year off.
Reposted by M. Nolan Gray 🥑
This is how San Francisco and Silicon Valley's Economy actually works:
November 26, 2025 at 6:31 PM
This is how San Francisco and Silicon Valley's Economy actually works:
The full time job of the modal person with the title of "city planner" in the US is to be a steward of segregation.
November 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM
The full time job of the modal person with the title of "city planner" in the US is to be a steward of segregation.
Thrilled to be receiving this first print edition of Works in Progress! @worksinprogress.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Thrilled to be receiving this first print edition of Works in Progress! @worksinprogress.bsky.social
How did it come to be the case that the State of California designates neighborhoods of 1.5 to 10 million dollar homes as lower opportunity than neighborhoods of rent controlled 75 year old dingbats?
November 25, 2025 at 12:32 AM
How did it come to be the case that the State of California designates neighborhoods of 1.5 to 10 million dollar homes as lower opportunity than neighborhoods of rent controlled 75 year old dingbats?
Eight townhouses on a 18,400 square foot lot in Auckland—roughly one unit per 2,300 square feet. This is the sort of infill homeownership opportunity SB 684-1123 aims to encourage in California.
November 24, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Eight townhouses on a 18,400 square foot lot in Auckland—roughly one unit per 2,300 square feet. This is the sort of infill homeownership opportunity SB 684-1123 aims to encourage in California.
Learning that Annemarie Gray (no relation) of Open New York, NYC's YIMBY group, has been appointed to Mayor-elect Mamdani's housing transition team. This is FANTASTIC news!
November 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Learning that Annemarie Gray (no relation) of Open New York, NYC's YIMBY group, has been appointed to Mayor-elect Mamdani's housing transition team. This is FANTASTIC news!
Television Circle? Wait, do you mean Mint Chip Lane? Or actually, do mean Chinatown Alley?
November 24, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Television Circle? Wait, do you mean Mint Chip Lane? Or actually, do mean Chinatown Alley?
Fallen leaves reveal a desire boulevard.
November 23, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Fallen leaves reveal a desire boulevard.
I'm baffled by what I was led to believe is the "smart" treatment on UFOs. At least 25% of the way in, it's a series of anecdotes about various con men, credulously reported without an ounce of honest, critical engagement, and none of the promised religious studies context. DNF.
November 23, 2025 at 2:21 AM
I'm baffled by what I was led to believe is the "smart" treatment on UFOs. At least 25% of the way in, it's a series of anecdotes about various con men, credulously reported without an ounce of honest, critical engagement, and none of the promised religious studies context. DNF.
What needs to be fixed/improved with SB 330?
November 21, 2025 at 5:47 PM
What needs to be fixed/improved with SB 330?
It's so funny watching local California candidates take credit for housing made possible by state housing laws that they opposed. Not the first time this has happened!
This is rich. Connie Chan says she “built real affordable housing, not the Sacramento version that destroys our neighborhoods.”
She points to new affordable housing on Geary: housing that she didn’t build but that *was* built using “Sacramento version” housing laws & $52M in state funds. 🧵
She points to new affordable housing on Geary: housing that she didn’t build but that *was* built using “Sacramento version” housing laws & $52M in state funds. 🧵
November 20, 2025 at 7:39 PM
It's so funny watching local California candidates take credit for housing made possible by state housing laws that they opposed. Not the first time this has happened!
Thinking more about this show, I think it does a good job of illustrating how the slow accretion of special interest and process/decorum fetishization gradually decouple politics from the material interests of a citizens, making some sort of violent revolutionary action essentially inevitable.
"Mussolini: Son of the Century" is really good. The series does a great job of unpacking the strange combination the dark glamour of early fascism with its origins in a gaggle of highly mockable low-status men, and the function of chaos as a ladder.
November 20, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Thinking more about this show, I think it does a good job of illustrating how the slow accretion of special interest and process/decorum fetishization gradually decouple politics from the material interests of a citizens, making some sort of violent revolutionary action essentially inevitable.
One house turns into 10 homes in Palms, Los Angeles. (2018➡️2022)
November 19, 2025 at 10:03 PM
One house turns into 10 homes in Palms, Los Angeles. (2018➡️2022)
Love this inspiring quote from @abundanthousingla.bsky.social.
November 19, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Love this inspiring quote from @abundanthousingla.bsky.social.
Abolish minimum parking requirements: citywide, all uses.
parking mandates are ridiculous, incl. in Chicago
assume a "-3" zoning district, and ignore transit-related rules that eliminate parking requirements:
- theater with 149 seats: no parking required
- indoor pickleball w/space for 149 people: 15 spaces
do infinitely more people drive to pickleball?
assume a "-3" zoning district, and ignore transit-related rules that eliminate parking requirements:
- theater with 149 seats: no parking required
- indoor pickleball w/space for 149 people: 15 spaces
do infinitely more people drive to pickleball?
November 19, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Abolish minimum parking requirements: citywide, all uses.
Reposted by M. Nolan Gray 🥑
🚨 FRIDAY 11/21, 9 AM: San Diego City Council decides whether College Area gets 17,750 new homes over 30 years—or stays stuck at 8,500.
SDSU students squeeze 10 per house.
Health workers at UCSD East Campus can't afford local rent.
Time to fix this! 1/7 🧵
SDSU students squeeze 10 per house.
Health workers at UCSD East Campus can't afford local rent.
Time to fix this! 1/7 🧵
November 18, 2025 at 11:55 PM
🚨 FRIDAY 11/21, 9 AM: San Diego City Council decides whether College Area gets 17,750 new homes over 30 years—or stays stuck at 8,500.
SDSU students squeeze 10 per house.
Health workers at UCSD East Campus can't afford local rent.
Time to fix this! 1/7 🧵
SDSU students squeeze 10 per house.
Health workers at UCSD East Campus can't afford local rent.
Time to fix this! 1/7 🧵
Reposted by M. Nolan Gray 🥑
parking mandates are ridiculous, incl. in Chicago
assume a "-3" zoning district, and ignore transit-related rules that eliminate parking requirements:
- theater with 149 seats: no parking required
- indoor pickleball w/space for 149 people: 15 spaces
do infinitely more people drive to pickleball?
assume a "-3" zoning district, and ignore transit-related rules that eliminate parking requirements:
- theater with 149 seats: no parking required
- indoor pickleball w/space for 149 people: 15 spaces
do infinitely more people drive to pickleball?
November 18, 2025 at 11:48 PM
parking mandates are ridiculous, incl. in Chicago
assume a "-3" zoning district, and ignore transit-related rules that eliminate parking requirements:
- theater with 149 seats: no parking required
- indoor pickleball w/space for 149 people: 15 spaces
do infinitely more people drive to pickleball?
assume a "-3" zoning district, and ignore transit-related rules that eliminate parking requirements:
- theater with 149 seats: no parking required
- indoor pickleball w/space for 149 people: 15 spaces
do infinitely more people drive to pickleball?
My Canadian YIMBY t-shirt collection keeps growing...
November 18, 2025 at 5:27 AM
My Canadian YIMBY t-shirt collection keeps growing...
Reposted by M. Nolan Gray 🥑
the @chicagogrowthproj.bsky.social is hosting a candidates forum on Wednesday night, 11/19/25, at Beermiscuous, 6-8 PM
confirmed to attend:
Jessica Vasquez (running for Cook County 8th District)
Rev. John Harrell (IL House, 8th)
Ridge Knapp (IL House, 13th)
Sunjay Kumar (ibid)
Demi Palecek (ibid)
confirmed to attend:
Jessica Vasquez (running for Cook County 8th District)
Rev. John Harrell (IL House, 8th)
Ridge Knapp (IL House, 13th)
Sunjay Kumar (ibid)
Demi Palecek (ibid)
November 18, 2025 at 12:12 AM
the @chicagogrowthproj.bsky.social is hosting a candidates forum on Wednesday night, 11/19/25, at Beermiscuous, 6-8 PM
confirmed to attend:
Jessica Vasquez (running for Cook County 8th District)
Rev. John Harrell (IL House, 8th)
Ridge Knapp (IL House, 13th)
Sunjay Kumar (ibid)
Demi Palecek (ibid)
confirmed to attend:
Jessica Vasquez (running for Cook County 8th District)
Rev. John Harrell (IL House, 8th)
Ridge Knapp (IL House, 13th)
Sunjay Kumar (ibid)
Demi Palecek (ibid)
"Mussolini: Son of the Century" is really good. The series does a great job of unpacking the strange combination the dark glamour of early fascism with its origins in a gaggle of highly mockable low-status men, and the function of chaos as a ladder.
November 18, 2025 at 2:20 AM
"Mussolini: Son of the Century" is really good. The series does a great job of unpacking the strange combination the dark glamour of early fascism with its origins in a gaggle of highly mockable low-status men, and the function of chaos as a ladder.
Reposted by M. Nolan Gray 🥑
New home deposits could move the homeownership market in California more than construction defect reform.
Learn more here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Learn more here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: New Home Deposits: Financing the Next Wave of Homeownership. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
Join California YIMBY and LAI for the “New Home Deposits: Financing the Next Wave of Homeownership” webinar. California needs more for-sale homes in walkable, job-rich areas. With limited land for sin...
us02web.zoom.us
November 17, 2025 at 7:23 PM
New home deposits could move the homeownership market in California more than construction defect reform.
Learn more here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Learn more here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
An unsettling number of men my age make sports consumption the exclusive focus of all of their discretionary mental capacity.
November 17, 2025 at 12:33 AM
An unsettling number of men my age make sports consumption the exclusive focus of all of their discretionary mental capacity.
This is such a perfectly complete Los Angeles governance failure story.
Green bins clog L.A. curbs as city's organic waste program goes into overdrive
Green bins clog L.A. curbs as city’s organic waste program goes into overdrive
L.A. residents are seeing a glut of green bins invading their neighborhoods. The city says they're vital to keep up with laws on diverting organic waste.
www.latimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:18 PM
This is such a perfectly complete Los Angeles governance failure story.
Reposted by M. Nolan Gray 🥑
‼️It’s official — HB 8002, CT’s housing bill in the special session, has passed the Senate! It’s now headed to the governor’s desk for signature…this time, we do expect him to sign✍️
Regional Planning Association & DesegregateCT’s full statement:
rpa.org/news/news-re...
Regional Planning Association & DesegregateCT’s full statement:
rpa.org/news/news-re...
Regional Plan Association and Desegregate CT Support the Passage of…
Regional Plan Association works toward a better future for the tri-state region
rpa.org
November 14, 2025 at 4:37 PM
‼️It’s official — HB 8002, CT’s housing bill in the special session, has passed the Senate! It’s now headed to the governor’s desk for signature…this time, we do expect him to sign✍️
Regional Planning Association & DesegregateCT’s full statement:
rpa.org/news/news-re...
Regional Planning Association & DesegregateCT’s full statement:
rpa.org/news/news-re...