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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · 1d

Normalizing good urbanism requires culture change, and culture change requires an advocacy long game that makes space for ideas that seem impossible today.

www.fastcompany.com/91415749/how...

How unthinkable ideas can reshape our cities for the better

Civilizations advance when we ask the big "What If" questions that sometimes fall outside of the mainstream.

www.fastcompany.com

Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · 18d

In the US, local land use regulations are the key to unlocking healthy infrastructure. Zoning forces everything to be sprawled out across creation.

If neighborhoods are allowed to have a variety of land uses, then riding a bike becomes an obvious & practical way to get around.

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · 21d

Doomer advocacy is a losing strategy, but it's common among US bike advocates.

Things can get better in the end. After all, Copenhagen wasn't always Copenhagen.

Organize fun group rides. Make some short trips by bike with a friend. Celebrate new bike lanes. Spread hope.

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · 22d

Road building contractors, truckers, civil engineers, and labor unions—they all funnel substantial sums of money into political campaigns because they want access to decision-makers and key influencers so they can shape legislation to their advantage.

www.fastcompany.com/91402783/gro...

Ground transportation is one of the most lobbied sectors in the United States. Here’s why that matters

Ground transportation lobbyists spent $267 million and won 72% of the bills they sought to authorize in a single year.

www.fastcompany.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · 24d

Zoning broke our brains, and legalizing healthy infrastructure is the first step in the path to recovery.

www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/zoning-bro...

Zoning broke our brains

Legalizing healthy infrastructure is the first step in the path to recovery.

www.urbanismspeakeasy.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Sep 9

Human-scale design outlawed.
People separated from friends & family.
Racial tensions exacerbated.
Housing variety outlawed.
Housing prices jacked up.
Car dependency normalized.

Agree or Disagree:
Zoning created more problems than it solved.

🤔

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Sep 7

Our built environment doesn’t have to be so depressing.

Walk-friendly, bike-friendly, transit-friendly places are good medicine, and they’re not impossible to build.

My latest in @fastcompany.com

www.fastcompany.com/91396643/bui...

Our built environment doesn’t have to be so depressing

America’s built environment does not fit who we are as humans, but we can turn this around with reforming land use planning.

www.fastcompany.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Aug 21

Innovations like this are necessities because so many people suffer from Car Brain.

www.fastcompany.com/91386390/ai-...

AI bus cameras will drive a transit revolution

The technology is already in place in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and elsewhere.

www.fastcompany.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Aug 19

The moment we stop treating the bus as a social program and start treating it like an express sidewalk, we unlock a public good that meets people where they are and moves them forward.

www.fastcompany.com/91386390/ai-... @fastcompany.com

AI bus cameras will drive a transit revolution

The technology is already in place in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and elsewhere.

www.fastcompany.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Aug 15

Asking big Why and What If questions is a missed opportunity for people working on shaping the built environment.

www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/great-idea...

Great ideas start with dumb questions

Asking big Why and What If questions is a missed opportunity in shaping the built environment

www.urbanismspeakeasy.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Aug 8

There are times when the best way to learn something about urbanism is to embrace sheer ignorance.

My latest in @fastcompany.com

www.fastcompany.com/91381078/gre...

Great ideas start with dumb questions

Embracing sheer ignorance can lead to learning about new topics and even improvements in infrastructure.

www.fastcompany.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Aug 3

The pedestrian survival rate when hit at 40 MPH is only 15%. We've got a cultural problem that needs fixing, because…

✅ Driving 40 MPH on city streets is considered to be acceptable.

❌ Punishing people for driving 40 MPH on city streets is considered to be unacceptable.

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jul 31

I share some free tools for ‘amatuerbanists’ who want to plan a city without permission.

www.fastcompany.com/91374198/cit... @fastcompany.com

City planning without permission

Free web tools such as Google Maps and OpenStreetMaps can help amateur urbanists create happy, healthy communities.

www.fastcompany.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jul 21

It’s encouraging to see on-paper enemies form a bond over the YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement. Still, be prepared for the massive ideological fight now that young socialists are growing in prominence in cities across the country.

www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/sound-econ...

Sound economics will open the doors to abundant housing

Beware the feel-good political rhetoric promising homes for everyone.

www.urbanismspeakeasy.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jul 17

How great would it be if kids graduated without the assumption that they must be completely dependent on a personal automobile?

usa.streetsblog.org/2025/07/16/c... @usa.streetsblog.org

Can Colleges Do A Better Job of Fighting Car Dependency? — Streetsblog USA

"How great would it be if kids graduated without the assumption that they must be completely dependent on a personal automobile?"

usa.streetsblog.org

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jul 13

Dear Urbanists,
Families should be able to enjoy city life. They shouldn't have to expect sketchy behavior when walking down the sidewalk or riding the bus. If you truly support transportation systems for "all ages and abilities," don't dodge the difficult conversations about safety & security.

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jul 12

Building cities around people—instead of machines—delivers places people want to be. Here are 3 ways for your city to reclaim its streets.

My latest for @fastcompany.com

www.fastcompany.com/91365929/3-w...

3 ways for your city to reclaim its streets

Building cities around people—instead of machines—delivers places people want to be.

www.fastcompany.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jul 11

"Subways are dangerous."

In 2022, 88 people died on NYC subway tracks. Above ground:

🪦 118 people walking were killed by drivers
🪦 19 people cycling were killed by drivers
🪦 116 people driving were killed by other drivers
🚑 49,450 people were injured by NYC drivers

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jul 9

If you want to understand how even modern American cities became hostile to human life, don’t start with the political conspiracies; look at the way city planners and road engineers calculate success.

www.fastcompany.com/91362348/roa...

The old traffic math that keeps destroying neighborhoods

Level of Service (LOS) has been guiding road design for decades and has never measured what really matters.

www.fastcompany.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jul 4

We need to make good urbanism the path of least resistance.

My latest for @fastcompany.com

www.fastcompany.com/91360743/pub...

The secret to good public policy is simplicity

We need to make good urbanism the path of least resistance.

www.fastcompany.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jun 29

The auto industry spent about $12 BILLION on advertising in 2023. Whatever device you’re using to consume media, car makers and car dealers are paying to keep their products in front of you.

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jun 28

Driving 40 MPH on city streets is like walking through a crowded store swinging nunchucks.

You might leave without hurting someone, but you're putting people in danger. If a person did get hurt, it's what we'd call a preventable injury.

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jun 27

Technology that’s used to change driver behavior comes down to this fundamental issue:
licensed drivers routinely choose not to govern themselves, demonstrating a need to be governed by an outside force.

www.urbanismspeakeasy.com/p/one-simple...

One simple driving trick to outrun Big Brother

There's a path to safer streets without government strings.

www.urbanismspeakeasy.com

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jun 24

Motorists break the law to save time, cyclists break the law to save their life.

Anyone who uses a bicycle for transportation understands this is true.

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Andy Boenau @urbanismspeakeasy.com · Jun 19

Speed governors are going to be forced on us if we don't start governing ourselves.

My latest in @fastcompany.com

www.fastcompany.com/91352729/dri...

Should drivers be forced to go slower?

The technology exists to reduce driving speeds to improve safety. Should we use it?

www.fastcompany.com

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