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Jake Blumgart

@jblumgart

Mar 14

My bearishness on transit’s future in America, reinforced

Quote Tweet

Mar 14

It's clearer every day that cities' 2010s-era ambitions are crashing against the rocks of 2020s-era cost increases and behavior shifts. In Atlanta, MARTA says it can only move ahead on about half the projects in a voter-approved expansion plan. governing.com/community/atla

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Doug Shipman, Atlanta City Council President

@DougShipmanATL

Mar 14

“There’s a concern of that crowding out capital projects,” Shipman says. “There’s also a question about just their ability to deliver…. in an inflationary environment, you have even more incentive to move quickly”

Atlanta’s Incredible Shrinking Transit Plan

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority recently scaled back a voter-approved plan to add new transit lines, citing cost increases. Leaders worry that delays could further erode support for...

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5 key takeaways from the February US jobs report

Jake Blumgart

@jblumgart

Mar 11

“In terms of sheer jobs created, 2021 and 2022 were the best years for hiring in government records going back to 1940”

abcnews.go.com

The American job market has once again confounded expectations

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City Transit Systems Begin to Peer Over the Fiscal Cliff

Feb 28

“The value of transit is increased the more people are using it. We need to keep our eye on the ball of getting more riders, because that is where 100% of the climate benefits come from.”

🚇

BART and other transit agencies are budgeting the last of their pandemic-era federal relief and looking ahead to big, ongoing deficits. Solutions are still hard to find.

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Brian F. Kelcey

@stateofthecity

Feb 7

"Neighborhoodism is a familiar tactic in mayoral campaigns..." - from

via the mighty Alan Ehrenhalt

The Tricky Challenge of Trying to Be a ‘Neighborhood Mayor’

It’s easy to run against the downtown establishment, but neighborhood revival is a difficult process. Only a few mayors have been able to achieve success as both downtown promoters and neighborhood...

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#MeninoSurvey governing.com/community/few-

Great work by

on the opportunity for cities to incorporate zoning reform as part of their toolkit in addressing homelessness. Proud that

@BUonCities

can support this work w/

@cmtysolutions

Few Mayors Connect the Dots Between Zoning and Homelessness

Restrictive codes can severely limit housing development, but a new survey of mayors finds that few take them into account in their plans to address homelessness.

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Bedrooms Are For People

@BoulderBedrooms

Jan 23

"If you’ve been in a nearby coffeehouse lately, you’ve probably noticed that something has changed. There aren’t as many places to sit — at least not as many comfortable places." via

Coffee, Community and the COVID Aftermath

Over the past couple of decades, coffeehouses became centers of sociability and community life. In the wake of the virus, many of them are switching to a grab-and-go model. Can anything replace these...

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Tod Newcombe

@tnewcombe

Jan 20

#AI is here. How will state and local government use it -- and regulate it? #ArtificialIntelligence

AI Is Here. How Will Government Use It — and Regulate It?

It’s hailed as the next wave of transformative technology, but artificial intelligence’s market growth and rapid deployment raise a host of issues, from safety to privacy to equity.

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Jerome Alexander Horne

@jahorne

Dec 27, 2022

It's not enough to just revive the Baltimore Red Line LRT. We also need to change the governance structure of transit so that Baltimore and it's surrounding counties have greater local control of transit decisions independent of the State of Maryland.

Reviving a Rail Project, Baltimore Advocates Seek Broader Reforms

The city's Red Line project was canceled by Gov. Larry Hogan in 2015 after 12 years of planning. As Hogan leaves office, the project may be back. But advocates still want to change the way transit...

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Eric S-z

@plowair

Dec 11, 2022

The first good article I have seen on the Austin mayoral runoff.

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Dec 9, 2022

Austin, still growing like gangbusters, is going through a big political shakeup, and the mayor's race that concludes next week is just a small part of it. governing.com/now/austin-wil @ConnollyJoao @AndrewRHairston @juliogatx @MayorAdler @ALTERforATX @iamstevenpedigo @BillFultonVta

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Gold-Certified

was a trailblazer for eliminating all transit fares in 2020, but how's it going today? 🚏🚎

@Governing

has the update:

What Can Cities Learn from Kansas City’s Fare-Free Transit Program?

It became the biggest city in the U.S. to eliminate fares system-wide in 2020. But Kansas City’s experience has some unique local factors that don’t necessarily point the way for other cities to...

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Yonah Freemark

@yfreemark

Dec 4, 2022

Good article on fare-free transit in Kansas City from

. “[Fare-free transit] is something that can be really beneficial,” says

@mattcasale_PIRG

, “But if it’s a net loss of operating dollars and results in no improvement, it just doesn’t help anybody.”

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Dec 4, 2022

“Fare elimination dramatically reduces the friction of using transit. More than 85% of Kansas City residents said free fares had made them feel that local leaders were concerned about their needs.” @kclightrail @KCRTA

@jaredbrey @GOVERNING governing.com/community/what

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What Can Cities Learn from Kansas City’s Fare-Free Transit Program?

Dec 4, 2022

“Fare elimination dramatically reduces the friction of using transit. More than 85% of Kansas City residents said free fares had made them feel that local leaders were concerned about their needs.”

🚊

It became the biggest city in the U.S. to eliminate fares system-wide in 2020. But Kansas City’s experience has some unique local factors that don’t necessarily point the way for other cities to...

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Nov 29, 2022

Eliminating fares has improved KC bus operations and reduced costs, like a $10M farebox upgrade. But most still can't rely on the service. “Kansas City used to have not-very-good transit that charged $1.50. Now it has not-very-good transit that’s free."

What Can Cities Learn from Kansas City’s Fare-Free Transit Program?

It became the biggest city in the U.S. to eliminate fares system-wide in 2020. But Kansas City’s experience has some unique local factors that don’t necessarily point the way for other cities to...

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CTAA

@OfficialCTAA

Nov 1, 2022

Why Are U.S. Transit Projects So Costly? This Group Is on the Case.

Why Are U.S. Transit Projects So Costly? This Group Is on the Case.

The U.S. is one of the most expensive countries in the world for building transit, according to the Transit Costs Project. A research group at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management is working...

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Nov 1, 2022

"Delaying something that you’re going to do, after you said you’re going to do it, comes at a cost."

@ericgoldwyn

spoke with

about the big investigation into global transit costs they're building at

@NYUMarron

Why Are U.S. Transit Projects So Costly? This Group Is on the Case.

The U.S. is one of the most expensive countries in the world for building transit, according to the Transit Costs Project. A research group at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management is working...

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Jerome Alexander Horne

@jahorne

Oct 31, 2022

"Not only do bus operators need better pay, but they need to be treated with dignity and respect, and they need flexibility in their work along with opportunities for advancement."

A Bus Driver Shortage Threatens Transit. Here’s What to Do About It.

Not only do bus operators need better pay, but they need to be treated with dignity and respect, and they need flexibility in their work along with opportunities for advancement.

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The Elusive Deal to Restore Amtrak Service on the Gulf Coast

Oct 28, 2022

A negotiation deadline in Amtrak’s Gulf coast service case expired this week. Amtrak is asserting a right to run passenger trains between New Orleans and Mobile, but freight owners are stalling. governing.com/community/the-

Twice-daily service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., would boost travel alternatives, help the economy and attract tourism dollars. But finalizing a deal with the freight operators that own the...

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Dr. Natasha Stavros (she/her)

@DrWKID

Oct 24, 2022

So thrilled that some reporters really do their job to communicate accurate information: governing.com/next/are-wildf. this article corrects the misinformation spread by

@sfchronicle

@TheEconomist

& others who took the bait on fatalism framing for a catchy & inaccurate soundbite

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Dr. Natasha Stavros (she/her)

@DrWKID

Oct 20, 2022

1/

: I'm going to follow up on my opinions about this latest soundbite being circulated in the media about a recent article that came out "Up in smoke: California's greenhouse gas reductions could be wiped out by 2020 wildfires" sciencedirect.com/science/articl

Show this thread

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Ray Barishansky

@rbarishansky

Oct 21, 2022

"We are actively making a choice to go backward. We’ve conquered these childhood diseases and now it’s like we missed them and are inviting them back.” Great quote from

@BrianCCastrucci

in this

piece. #polio #measles #COVID #publichealth

Vaccine Skepticism Spreads from COVID to Other Diseases

Growing distrust of vaccines and public health in general is keeping more people from protecting their kids against polio, measles and other killers. Some lawmakers are encouraging this trend.

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Three Transportation Measures to Watch This November

Oct 21, 2022

“Communities understand public transportation as an on-ramp to a better, more thriving community. This is a moment for public transit and for infrastructure in general.”

🚍🚏🚊

The ballot proposals include a tax on millionaires in Massachusetts, bus system improvements in the Detroit region and a penny sales tax in Orange County, Fla.

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Oct 21, 2022

Taxes on mansions and vacant homes, rent control, and record-setting bond proposals: Local ballot measures show shape of California housing crisis

Local Ballot Measures Underscore California’s Housing Crisis

Taxes on mansions and vacant properties, rent control policies, and record-breaking housing bonds: Californians are throwing everything at the wall this November.

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Tod Newcombe

@tnewcombe

Oct 20, 2022

Governing Columnist Aaron Renn's take on the #YIMBY agenda:

The YIMBY Agenda We Aren’t Talking About

No one disputes that we need more housing. But the YIMBY movement has a broader set of goals that would threaten the tradition of local land use decisions in America.

Oct 19, 2022

Three Transportation Measures to Watch This November

Three Transportation Measures to Watch This November

The ballot proposals include a tax on millionaires in Massachusetts, bus system improvements in the Detroit region and a penny sales tax in Orange County, Fla.

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GOVERNING

Oct 17, 2022

The state wants to quickly rebuild the #Sanibel Causeway, heavily damaged by Ian, and the only road onto a barrier island. But researchers say the focus should be on building more resilient infrastructure for a changing climate.

@MyFDOT

@sme_engineering

Post-Hurricane, Should Florida Rebuild Bridges Faster or Better?

The state wants to quickly rebuild the Sanibel Causeway, heavily damaged by Ian, and the only road onto a barrier island. But researchers say the focus should be on building more resilient infrastr...

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Rice University News

@RiceUNews

Oct 14, 2022

"I hope that we stop the cycle of waiting for the damage to think through how we’re going to improve our existing #infrastructure," Jamie Padgett, chair of

@RiceCEVE

, tells

. "That needs to be a continual, ongoing process." governing.com/community/post #Florida #climate

Post-Hurricane, Should Florida Rebuild Bridges Faster or Better?

The state wants to quickly rebuild the Sanibel Causeway, heavily damaged by Ian, and the only road onto a barrier island. But researchers say the focus should be on building more resilient infrastr...

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What Boston Learned About Transit Planning from a Subway Shutdown

Oct 4, 2022

“Maybe there’s a bit more delay for a few drivers during peak time, but we’re perfectly happy to accept a bit of delay for private cars if it means that 10,000 people who ride the bus have a few more minutes back in the day.”

🚍

For 30 days, the city made dozens of changes to its streets and saw bike-share use soar. For Boston’s chief of streets, it was a reminder that “there’s no substitute for trying something and learning...

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Oct 4, 2022

Boston is keeping some of the temporary street changes it made while one of its busiest train lines was shut down. And the reason seems to be … because they worked pretty well. governing.com/community/what

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Daniel Trubman, MPP

@dmtrubman

Jan 31, 2022

The rise of suburbs and auto-centric development are often conflated, but they're not the same phenomena. In fact dependence on cars ruined a lot of what early suburbanites were looking for! "The Fascinating Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Streetcar Suburbs" governing.com/context/the-fa

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Urban Institute

@urbaninstitute

Nov 30, 2021

~80% of mayors responding to a new survey said American Rescue Plan Act funding would help their cities accomplish goals related to homelessness, infrastructure, & other areas, reports

@bill_lucia

. urbn.is/3Da1SN4

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Dan Moulthrop

@danmoulthrop

Nov 22, 2021

Seems Governing is fast becoming one of my fave publications. twitter.com/jblumgart/stat

This Tweet is unavailable.

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Alan Greenblatt

@AlanGreenblatt

Nov 3, 2021

Four years ago, New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney survived a $25 million fight with the teachers union, the most expensive legislative race in American history. On Tuesday, he lost his seat to a truck driver who spent $153 on his challenge

It's Not That Democrats Lost. It's That They Lost Everywhere

In an early vote of no-confidence in the Biden presidency, Republicans made inroads among suburban and Hispanic voters, while expanding their already long reach into rural precincts.

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Samantha Heckel

@SamanthaRHeckel

Oct 29, 2021

Beautiful story about Treasury's vault by

@GoverningPhotog

David Kidd. So much history in these military decorations.

@PATreasurer

Pennsylvania Might Have Something That Belongs to You

The state's Treasury is on a mission to return $4 billion in unclaimed property to its rightful owners. For safekeeping, the valuables sit inside the largest working vault in the United States.

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Alan Greenblatt

@AlanGreenblatt

Sep 30, 2021

Tax cuts, LGBTQ rights, energy, health -- Republican attorneys general have already sued Biden more than a dozen times. Every president can expect legal opposition from state AGs of the other party governing.com/now/how-state- @ProfNolette

How State AGs Became a Check on the President

Republican attorneys general have already filed more than a dozen joint lawsuits against the Biden administration. All presidents should expect to be challenged by AGs from the other party.

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Brandon del Pozo, PhD, MPA, MA

@BrandondelPozo

Sep 9, 2021

Thinking back to 9/11 brings back so many memories, but also reminds us how much has, and hasn't changed since that terrible day. It was great to talk to

writer

@AlanGreenblatt

about what followed 9/11 and what it all might mean for governance. governing.com/security/since

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Cities Struggle With the Dark Side of Community Engagement

Katharine Lusk

@KathLusk

Sep 9, 2021

Important interview with

@katherineeinst

on the challenges of community-engaged planning processes - and the consequences. Also cites research with

. Nice piece by

Transportation and housing advocates are becoming fed up with the review process, which can easily delay or kill a project. They say it puts too much power in the hands of a few privileged citizens.

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The great

on a problem that was already toxic, and which is now piling on the poison. "Cities Struggle With the Dark Side of Community Engagement..."

Cities Struggle With the Dark Side of Community Engagement

Transportation and housing advocates are becoming fed up with the review process, which can easily delay or kill a project. They say it puts too much power in the hands of a few privileged citizens.

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.

: "Some systems are going back to the services they once provided, but this is clearly an all-out effort from the Metro Board to say that building ridership is important to us. It’s a model for other parts of the country." (via

@jblumgart

)

Big Changes Coming to D.C.’s Transit to Boost Ridership

Increased bus and train frequency coupled with fare cuts will take place next month in a bold move by the transit system to woo back old riders and attract new ones. It could be a model for other...

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Nice piece by

on efforts to abolish civil service protections: “The evidence for the benefits of at-will employment in the states is decidedly mixed.” bit.ly/3CK6Zov

@Governing

@napawash