Alessandro Rigolon
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alerigolon.bsky.social
Alessandro Rigolon
@alerigolon.bsky.social

Associate prof of urban planning. Research on green space equity, green gentrification, climate adaptation, and health equity. Love SLC, my family, and the great outdoors. Opinions (good or bad) are my own 🇮🇹🇺🇸 🌩️👀 rJgnW3igNgz7 .. more

Environmental science 45%
Geography 11%
Pinned
My older daughter learned to ride a bike today. She was so happy. As she was riding, she said, “I feel free.” My heart is full.

It’s white pepper

Mostly use the white one. I add some black one on top when I serve it

Cacio e pepe

I'm not saying I "trust" it. It's something to watch, and it makes sense that robotaxis could be safer in normal driving conditions

This is a peer-reviewed study in a reputable journal, but the authors all work for Waymo. Still, better than data presented in a NYT op-ed because it undergoes more vetting
Comparison of Waymo Rider-Only crash rates by crash type to human benchmarks at 56.7 million miles
SAE Level 4 Automated Driving Systems (ADSs) are deployed on public roads, including Waymo’s Rider-Only (RO) ride-hailing service (without a driver behind the steering wheel). The objective of this...
www.tandfonline.com

I said "from Waymo" in my first post. Seemed pretty clear, but OK

Just to clarify, I fully support traffic calming, bike/ped infra, transit, etc. I don't particularly care about self-driving vehicles. I just found the results interesting, and cars aren't going away anytime soon, at least in the US

They have done all of that, but what I should have written is that they probably respect traffic rules, especially speed limits, much more often than human drivers. Speed is key

Fair point. The article lists several limitations. The link above is a gift link if you want to read it

It's a good question. I don't know. I think if robotaxis are starting to drive aggressively, public acceptance of those things will decline, and they might lose licenses

Of course, it's data by Waymo about Waymo, so we need independent studies about this. And as the article says, the technology Waymo uses is still very expensive ($100k per car). Maybe the takeaway is that we should put systems in place for drivers to respect traffic laws, like speed limiters

Interesting data (from Waymo) showing that robotaxis are significantly safer than the average human driver. This is likely because they respect traffic rules. An NYT op-ed by a neurosurgeon calls for a broader adoption as a public health measure. Thoughts? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/o...

How likely is it that Jason Beck joins Whitt at Michigan? Would be a huge loss

There's no private equity firm that will soften the blow of losing Coach Whitt to Michigan

Thanks to my coauthors Katie Brown, Piper Zdrodowski, and Amber Pearson at Michigan State

When new green spaces are built in underserved communities, most mental health impacts for longtime renters are negative. But some studies also found positive effects, especially among residents with secure housing. Which means that the answer must be to pair park investments with housing policy

Excited to share our new paper titled "A systematic review of green gentrification and mental health" in Health and Place. We identified several pathways through which green gentrification affects negative and positive mental health outcomes. Full text: authors.elsevier.com/c/1mK-D4pqpk...

Utah welcoming me back with a classic inversion. Buddy, thank you, but you really didn’t have to

Frozen Dead Guy land, lol

My wife is from Boulder and I went to school there. We visit often

We had a beautiful Christmas vacation in Boulder

And I forgot we can’t have traffic cameras (for speeding, red lights) because it’s a privacy infringement.
But scanning one’s ID anytime they buy alcohol is definitely not. Got it

I still remember when Utah’s GOP was saying that “we’re not a nanny state” to justify limited COVID safety laws and enforcement. But when it’s booze, nanny knows best

Reposted by Alessandro Rigolon

New alcohol laws in Utah will require all customers to present ID for verification. 100% ID will be enforced starting January 1, 2026.
New Utah law requires ID verification for all alcohol purchases
New alcohol laws in Utah will require all customers to present ID for verification. 100% ID will be enforced starting January 1, 2026.
www.abc4.com

One more lane, bro, trust me, just one more lane

Mile High will be electric in January! Can’t wait.
The Broncos are AFC West champions.

Their first division title since 2015. They clinch their first playoff home game since January 2016. And they will be seeded no lower than No. 3 in the AFC postseason.

Reposted by Alessandro Rigolon

The Broncos are AFC West champions.

Their first division title since 2015. They clinch their first playoff home game since January 2016. And they will be seeded no lower than No. 3 in the AFC postseason.

Heard at my family’s holiday party: “Hacen la salsa que no pica. Eso es gentrificación.”