Kirk Westphal

Helps that gasoline here is never more than 50% of EU prices. 🤷🏼‍♂️

The EV proportion of the overall fleet will be in the low single digits for the next decade at least. But that’s not stopping my state (MI) from pausing a mere inflation adjustment on gas taxes because of the “growth” of EVs 🤣🤣🤣 Can’t let that handful of Tesla drivers get away with that!

YIKES did this “organization” form just to oppose this? Or do they NIMBY other stuff? Also: sorry for your neighborhood veto layer. 😬

In August and Sept 2021, a group of anti-sidewalk activists lobbied the city to cancel the construction of a sidewalk on the north side of Sunset Road from Brooks to Newport.

They argued, among other things, that Sunset is "adequately" served by the single sidewalk on the south side. #a2council

I looked Blackstone and Airbnb in the eyes — but the enemy staring back was our own zoning code.

As violent as American drivers already were, we are simply not prepared for the raw carnage of aging suburban boomers behind the wheels of instant-torque, 0-60 in 2.5 seconds EVs.

They're going to slaughter tens of thousands of people and we're doing nothing to prevent it.

“We’re pulling up the ladder for your own good.” This would never happen in other left-leaning cities. 🤣

1. City traffic-deaths pitch hits a wall: Ann Arbor promised in 2021 it would eliminate serious injuries and deaths from traffic accidents by the end of 2025, aka next month, and instead the number of incidents so far this year has hit an eleven-year high. On November 19, Transportation Commission members eagerly awaited a year-end report and some promised new ideas, but transportation engineer Cynthia Redinger failed to impress. Her two big “asks” were for the commission’s support in a budget request to council for a driver-education campaign and to push for legal permission to set up red-light cameras and other “automated enforcement” techniques. Crashes In Ann Arbor author and safety advocate Peter Houk was especially dismayed, telling Redinger, “We have been trying unsuccessfully for a very long time to change driver behavior through driver education and messaging, and what we need to do is change our facilities to encourage drivers to interact in them the way we want them to. … We’re not going to get there by asking them nicely.” Council member Dharma Akmon tells a2view she’s also disappointed; she’s been pushing for quick-build traffic-slowing fixes like the recent redesign of Pauline Ave. Persuading Lansing lawmakers to reverse the current ban on automated enforcement — if it were likely to succeed, which she doubts — is not a fast-moving solution, she says. Watch the key part of the meeting here (https://youtu.be/PLdne7vIK9g?si=D9vQnt4ZupWdYkIA&t=7473)

The @annarborobserver.bsky.social newsletter had a decent summary of the dynamic at the #a2council Transportation Commission meeting last week (mailchi.mp/aaobserver/a... ).

But we need to take some time to talk in detail about why the city's presentation was so damaging and damning... (🧵)

Attention Chicago friends.

The effects of residential zoning in U.S. housing markets I construct a new nationwide dataset to measure the stringency of residential zoning in the United States and examine its effects on housing productio…

Important new research on the impact of zoning on the housing market. Minimum lot size requirements have two main effects: they increase housing costs and contribute to racial segregation. This was somewhat known to housing folks, but this paper matters because it uses advanced methods and data

Photo of a sidewalk that was built with a large bend in it to accommodate a tree that has long since died and been removed.

The “detour” part of this sidewalk catches a bunch of slush in the winter thanks to high-speed snowplows. There is a still a distinct low spot in the turf where the stump was removed decades ago.

So many maps are like this.

America Should Embrace a Parliamentary Democracy To stop a dictator from becoming president, we must give up our right to vote for one, writes Maxwell L. Stearns.

I'd love to see places like #umich and other universities cultivate discussions around how to fix it. Here's one scholar I'd like to hear more from. time.com/6958382/case...

The US and South Korea are the only wealthy democracies still using a full presidential system.

Trump’s abuses aren’t a bug, they’re a feature of a system that incentivizes strongmen — and no way to swap out leaders without a full election.

Maybe it's time we joined the modern world.

I've had two different #umich hospital call center interactions recently where I was deceived into thinking I was reaching a generic voice mail menu — and it turned out to be a live person. Beyond just great articulation, actual voiceover quality! Wished I had taken down the names to share.

In Ann Arbor, we had a practice years ago of handing out a piece of paper to planning commissioners showing everyone's attendance for the last quarter. It helped encourage people to step up or step out. In a paid position, paying per meeting has been a good option for some munis.

Exhibit A: if you don’t like the direction, attack the process.
Exhibit B: split the opponent’s base.
Exhibit C: exploit the BS asymmetry principle (Brandolini’s Law) and flood the zone with misinformation.
Exhibit D: keep moving the goalposts.

Some folks have not read the playbook.

New construction makes homes more affordable—even for those who can't afford the new units New market-rate housing can lower housing costs in neighborhoods across a metro area

“Faced with such requirements, developers may choose not to build, or to build fewer projects, limiting housing supply and driving up rents.” www.upjohn.org/research-hig...

Reminded of: “building 100 new market-rate units opens up… 70 units in neighborhoods earning below the area’s median income. In the poorest neighborhoods, it opens up… 40 units. That’s far more than the…affordable units policymakers often require new developments include… [in] inclusionary zoning.”

I'm inclusive, just not here! #annarbor bursts into the pantheon of lawn-sign contradictions as a draft of our new comprehensive plan moves toward the public comment period. #a2council #YIMBY

So this is better than having left turns, but my guess is that it is still significantly more dangerous overall than a roundabout. The writer exposes the typical speed-first, traffic engineer mindset by criticizing roundabouts for their potential to get gridlocked.

Mind you, city council already made the political decision to preemptively limit single-family areas to 35' — which of course did nothing to appease the bad-faith actors behind the "Pause the Plan" movement.

YouTube video by Tom Stulberg Ann Arbor Neighbors for Responsible Development

Remember, kids: apartment buildings are "viruses."

youtu.be/rXyXkPtLMU4?...

The map should have been changed but wasn't. There are lots of higher-density townhouse and multifamily complexes (R3-R4) that are now proposed to be downzoned to Residential. They should be Transition. (E.g., most/all the brown areas on the left, my map, should be Transition on the right.)

#Annarbor friends! ❤️THANK YOU❤️ to everyone who signed the SafetyforStadium.org petition! We're delivering it to City Council on Monday. If you haven't, this is your last chance to tell #a2council to narrow the road and install safe bike lanes and crossings! 🚴‍♀️🚶‍♀️👩‍🦽

New construction makes homes more affordable—even for those who can't afford the new units New market-rate housing can lower housing costs in neighborhoods across a metro area

“That’s far more than the five to 15 affordable units policymakers often require new developments include as a condition of approval, a practice called inclusionary zoning. Faced with such requirements, developers may choose not to build…” www.upjohn.org/research-hig...

Also excellent to build just at market rate. “Building 100 new market-rate units opens up the equivalent of 70 units in neighborhoods earning below the area’s median income. In the poorest neighborhoods, it opens up the equivalent of 40 units.”

Opinion: Ann Arbor has failed its Vision Zero goal. Now what? A coalition of residents and advocates are calling upon City Council to take a bold step and commit to a level of action and urgency tha...

Ann Arbor didn't just miss its #VisionZero deadline of 2025, we've had a record-breaking number of deaths & injuries recently. And this is with a City Council that is on board with traffic calming. Sharing this analysis as a cautionary tale. #a2council

www.damnarbor.com/2025/03/opin...

Density is Fun! Density is fun! More neighbors bring vibrant streets, thriving businesses, and strong community bonds. Let’s explore how density benefits Ann Arbor.

Check out my latest blog post on Density as Ann Arbor considers enabling more housing types city-wide. It's going to be a web series called, Density is Fun! I'd love to do a video walking tour of how missing middle housing can help transform Ann Arbor. #a2council

thewychefamily.com/density-in-f...

This is great! I'm proud that our current City Council has recognized that we have so little vacant land (and historic districts that will never change) that we need to welcome new residents *everywhere* we can! All the cities that people love to visit and walk around in have evolved over time.