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Urban Dispatch

@urbandispatch.bsky.social

2.2K followers 820 following 3.8K posts

Safe streets & Transit. People need somewhere to sleep and the sidewalk isn’t it. Believer that better more livable cities are possible. Let's stop letting perfection get in the way of progress. Anon here but happy to chat/meet up IRL Hartford, CT

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · Sep 3

It's officially September and still no word from Governor Lamont about taking action on the festering #CTHousingCrisis

Tell Ned its time to act, sign and send the We Need More Homes petition today!

CTneedshomes.org

CT Needs Homes

Connecticut needs more homes, there is a shortage of housing, email campaign to tell governor Lamont and other elected leaders to pass housing reform

CTneedshomes.org

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 7d

Oldest public art museum in the country (and a ridiculously great collection)!

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 7d

a man wearing glasses and a red shirt is looking at the camera

Alt: a man wearing glasses and a red shirt is looking at the camera

media.tenor.com

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 7d

Sorry, 50th largest, not 30th. Mistyped

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 7d

Portland is the center of a 2.5M metro and 650k inside its borders! that's pretty big!

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 7d

Oh never thought you were, me just laying out the "big small" definition. Lmao

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 7d

Lol, all these definitions are arbitrary. Hartford is just 18 sq miles, 120k people but is the hub of a million man metro (30th largest metro in the country). Portland has half that metro size. Newport is super tiny

Don't get me wrong, Hartford is not perfect but way crazy overlooked & underrated

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 7d

OMG! Hope you enjoyed your visit to our fair city ❤️

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Reposted by Urban Dispatch

William Hazen @williamhazen.bsky.social · 11d

I’ll have more thoughts to share later, but this thing whips

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 7d

I'll fight you over this take

Hartford is the best big small city in the country and it isn't particularly close. The parks are unrivaled, incredible music and cultural institutions, one of the highest walk/transit shares in the country, farms within ~5 miles of city center

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 7d

Would this absolve Ned Lamont of his veto of the Connecticut housing package?

(Narrator: No, no it would not)

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 8d

A bunch of toxic LA NIMBYs are whining about SB 79, the amazing housing bill the CA legislature passed recently.

It's on the governor's desk, and reportedly he's getting cold feet. Hey @gavinnewsom.bsky.social, please have some spine on the most important issue in your state. Just sign it.

Homeowners denounce SB 79 vote - Beverly Press & Park Labrea News

Legislation awaits governor’s signature

beverlypress.com

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 7d

Thompson CT making plans for a redevelopment of a former mill to bring over 100 new homes to town!

hartfordbusiness.com/article/deve...

Developer to outline $25M redevelopment plan for former Thompson mill site

According to a proposed tax incentive agreement, the development would include 116 residential units, 10% of them affordable housing.

hartfordbusiness.com

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Reposted by Urban Dispatch

Jillian Gilchrest @jilchrest.bsky.social · 8d

Help us send a message! #peoplepower #moneyoutofpolitics #politics #yourvoicematters #congress voteforjillian.com

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 8d

2025 Nimby Edition of
Fuck around: Neighbors sue over to overturn the approval of 18 townhomes in Fairfield Connecticut
Find out: 66 home apartment building proposed and approved on same plot

That's the energy I'm here for, people need homes

www.ctinsider.com/news/article...

Fairfield approves affordable housing plan after townhouse proposal challenged in court

Fairfield zoners approved a developer's plans for a 66-unit, building under state statute 8-30g at 430 and 452 Stillson Road.

www.ctinsider.com

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Reposted by Urban Dispatch

Jerald Lentini @jerald.bsky.social · 9d

This is not the time to worry about what poll tests well. It’s a time to be honest.

And if you can’t bring yourself to be out front on fighting against this, then what the fuck are you even doing in office? Stand down and let someone with some moral courage take a turn.

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Reposted by Urban Dispatch

Jerald Lentini @jerald.bsky.social · 9d

…I’m a fucking voter, and it sure as hell resonates with me.

I think ignoring the most pressing threat to our American liberties that we have faced since 1865 is a pretty stupid idea. I don’t trust anyone who can’t start from the premise that this is a uniquely dangerous moment.

If as a voter…

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 9d

Still! North of $300 psf???

Only one I can find in the ballpark is this on Scarborough st

www.zillow.com/homedetails/...

www.zillow.com

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 9d

What do you get for $242 psf?

www.realtor.com/realestatean...

Room with fun wallpaper and french door opening out to ivy covered patio

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 9d

Connecticut stay stunning

Photos of a marshy swamp with leaves changing in CT

Photos of a beautiful pond with leaves changing in CT

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 9d

LMAO, Hartford. What a place. CA is wild

(This is also wildly expensive for Hartford on a PSF basis, I've never seen a house sell for over $250 psf)

Next door in Silicon Valley @nextdoorsv.bsky.social · 11d

Let's be real.

Would you rather have the house in Hartford below?

Or would you rather have the illustration of a house in Cupertino below?

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 10d

Why do I go on so much about onshore wind? Not only is it dirt cheap but it is the part of the day we most need offsetting power generation

Wind blows hardest in the afternoon and early evening, right when power demand kicks up / solar production starts dropping

Graph of NE ISO daily power demand forecast showing increase in demand starting about noon

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 11d

The innovation PURA was working on should absolutely continue, it was that innovation that got the utilities to fight her tooth and nail until she finally had had enough. But don't pretend CT doesn't have all the natural resources it needs

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 11d

Connecticut has decent onshore wind fundamentals in the Southeast and Northwest part of the state. The problem is after three got build about a decade ago we said "never again" and outlawed all future projects via regulation... we can undo that at any time

www.daypitney.com/insights/pub...

Connecticut Lawmakers Approve Wind Regulations

Day Pitney Alert

www.daypitney.com

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 11d

The cheapest form of power now is solar, the second cheapest in onshore wind

bsky.app/profile/urba...

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · Mar 16

This weekend there was an article in the Courant about efforts to get a new gas pipeline to be built. It is an article is based entirely on a lie about “saving thousands per family”

New gas plants (excluding pipe cost) are no longer the cheapest form of power

www.courant.com/2025/03/14/t...

Graph showing cost of new electricity by type of project showing a precipitous fall of solar and onshore wind costs

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 11d

Connecticut is a very sunny state, we could power 80%+ of the state on solar + batteries alone at ~current prices. Connecticut has more sun than DC does

bsky.app/profile/urba...

Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · Jul 18

Turns out, the smart people at Ember (@cleanpowerdave.bsky.social ) ran the numbers and found you could power 81% of Washington DC's power needs from Solar + Battery installations at... $124 per MWh. That's nuts!

ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

Map from Ember showing 81% of power demand could be met in Washington DC at $124 per MW

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Urban Dispatch @urbandispatch.bsky.social · 11d

One line in this piece stood out to me:

"Connecticut’s unlucky location at the end of supply lines and our lack of natural resource"

This is no longer true! We have more energy than we could every conceivably use, we just don't need to dig it out of the ground. Technology has evolved

Kevin Rennie: CT’s colossal embarrassment and months of fruitless trouble

Some months can seem like each headache is interrupted by a worse one in the state’s scramble.

www.courant.com

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