Serena Larkin

quietly lamenting that there will never be another meetcute on transit bc everyone is glued to their stupid phones

It’s not an #AMA, it’s an #AAA: Ask Al Anything!

Our new-to-bsky researcher @alvanderklipp.bsky.social is on deck until 3PT today to answer any Qs you might have on proportional representation.

No such thing as a dumb question. DM and we’ll pass it along anonymously.

This is big! As goes #PDX metro, so goes the world 🌎

Proud of this one! We developed an explainer not to describe the mechanics of PR, but to help folks bridge a common gap in understanding between “what is” and “what could be.”

Study: LA Could Get Rid of Almost Half its Pavement Researchers say nearly half of the county’s paved surfaces could be redesigned to cool neighborhoods, manage stormwater, and improve public health.

Recent data gives us an excuse to shout it again: parking reform is a key tool for turning over-paved cities into thriving, resilient communities. 🌳

Timely reading given this winter’s record snow drought. ⬇️

Israel is responsible for two in three journalist killings across the globe in 2024 and 2025. The Israeli military has committed more targeted killings of journalists than any other government’s military since CPJ began documentation in 1992.

Read more in CPJ’s #2025KilledReport: cpj.org?p=553549

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

ooh, anyone know if some of our chicago outlets do things like this?? 👀

Missing in the middle of WA's middle housing: Elevators A bill still in play in the Washington Legislature would make elevators easier and less expensive to install in "middle housing" developments.

"Overkill in elevator code kills elevators." –Cecilia Black, of Disability Rights Washington

The US Had a Big Battery Boom Last Year Despite Donald Trump's unrelenting attacks on renewable energy, there's a quiet revolution happening on US grids.

Despite Donald Trump's unrelenting attacks on renewable energy, there's a quiet revolution happening on US grids. www.wired.com/story/the-us...

What’s behind your sky-high power bill: A region-by-region breakdown Geography, wildfires, natural gas, wind energy, regulatory free-for-alls — these are some of the factors that determine your electric bills.

"The Midwest and Great Plains states saw only modest changes.... This stability is largely a renewable energy success story: Many Midwestern states are now deeply reliant on wind power." @canarymedia.com

so you can rebuild jillion-dollar homes wherever, but...

jjjjj fffff cccc

Nearly half of L.A County’s pavement may be unnecessary, new map finds Researchers have released the first parcel-level analysis to map all paved surfaces across L.A. County. In particular, large parking lots are ripe for change, they say.

“#Parking lots, Bucknum said, are one of the clearest examples of how excess pavement has become accepted, even as it makes everyday life worse for residents.”

www.latimes.com/environment/...

lol. its abbrev is SUE??

yes, yes it is

Why Other Democracies Don’t Gerrymander Like the U.S.

"America often views itself as a model of democracy for the rest of the world. But other democracies have tried to put in more safeguards in place to prevent the kind of redistricting fever taking hold in the United States." (gift link)

Painting of a scene, taken from above, of bicycle racers riding around a hairpin turn among deciduous trees. The colors are yellow, green, orange, and blue. Everything is those colors, plus black and white.

Bicycle Race
🎨Sam Brewster

That is a true statement

I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is

🛢️ NEW 🛢️ The US fossil fuel industry produces a trillion gallons of toxic drilling wastewater a year — and gets rid of most of it by injecting it underground. What could go wrong? (A lot.) buff.ly/t96dPPI

a poster for wuthering heights shows a man riding a horse on a hill Alt: a poster for wuthering heights shows a man riding a horse on a hill

every english major heading to the movies tonight

Seattle’s No-Cost Emissions Cut | Sightline Institute The climate benefits of urban neighborhoods, all for the low price of letting people live where they want.

Cities that want to grow more sustainably can watch what’s been going on in Seattle. While other metros sprawled hard, Seattle grew upward and inward.

Illustration of people in an art gallery with many different kinds of bicycles displayed from the ceiling.

The Great Hall of All City Bikes
🎨Ovadia Benishu

While I anxiously refresh various government websites because the EPA hasn't actually posted its formal repeal of the endangerment finding yet, here's what we know and don't know...

Honestly, I love this.

who wants a bawdy, hilarious, spicy night out? 10/10 here, chicago:

When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency | Sightline Institute Book Talk: When Driving Is Not an Option A discussion on accessible transportation and city planning with author and advocate Anna Zivarts. Thursday, February 19th, 6:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m, Missoula, MT.  ...

Montana! Come see my book talk in Missoula next week! Feb 19 at Free Cycles Streetside Learning Center.

This bill could let you downsize your way to home ownership in Washington Washington state legislators want to let people live in tiny homes and RVs in backyards and driveways year round. If their bill passes, it could unlock the least expensive path to homeownership availa...

KUOW story includes a quote that explains why @sightline.org has been working on HB 1443 to allow mobile dwellings on house lots:

"It is absolutely by far the least expensive, the easiest, the cheapest, and the quickest form of housing possible in the United States."

www.kuow.org/stories/prop...

Seattle: A Model for Low-Sprawl Urban Growth | Sightline Institute As the housing shortage stretches into every corner of the United States, it’s clear that some cities and states have more abundant housing than others. But it’s harder to tease out which fast-growing...

New report: Which booming cities are growing their existing neighborhoods—and which are just paving over farms?

@jayleetx.com found that no US metro has done a better job of adding residents to already populated neighborhoods than Seattle.