Kevin Shepherd

💯👇 the former is expensive to live in and maintain. The latter produces more tax base, more housing and mobility choices, and is more healthy and sustainable. We've got to make the shift.

@musharbash_b @VERDUNITY Always happy to support cities and local change agents looking to build places that are more financially productive, resilient, and equitable. #GoCultivate

Step 2: talk to the good folks @VERDUNITY about writing a new zoning and development ordinance

WATCH & SHARE: We’d all be a lot more effective in explaining how badly we need less stupid transportation if we were even close to this funny. But it’s only funny because it’s true. Via @adamconover (this is why he’s in my “changing minds” starter pack)

People think engineers somehow decided to build wider and wider arterials and highways as if they thus create all the traffic. It is actually our bad planning made into law that limits multimodality by effectively mandating cars though low density and use separation by legal design. Some states like MA are stepping in take back some control wrongfully given to locals. We have the power to change bad historical decisions and build much more multimodal places that rely much less on the automobile but the lack of demand caused by low density is at the very heart of the problem in many if not most places here.

@ChrisVannini And all those teams that lost would beat Indiana 9/10 times.

SEC Media spent two full weeks bashing Indiana only to see three top-15 SEC teams lose to 5-5 Florida, 5-5 Oklahoma and 4-6 Auburn. Winning is hard!

With Milton barreling toward Tampa, I'm resharing this graphic I made after Helene. Nowhere is safe from climate change, but there are many cities located in relatively resilient places with the existing infrastructure to accommodate a LOT more people than they currently do.

Enjoyed being a part of this and a few other events around DFW last week discussing housing challenges with @clmarohn. If you haven't read Chuck's book Escaping the Housing Trap yet, watch this presentation and then give it a read to fill in the details. Important stuff.

The Director of City Planning in Minneapolis said, "No single legislative action did more to contribute to housing creation than the elimination of parking minimums.”nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/10/02/op-…

When you think about it, can you really say this sounds wrong? On car culture, featuring @adamconover.

There is no such thing as unlimited growth. We have natural resource and fiscal constraints. Texas will either figure this out soon and adjust, or continue to put their head in the sand and watch the Texas Miracle implode when water, money for infrastructure, or both run out.

This is a huge step in the right direction — and long overdue. The Federal Motor Safety Standards have real teeth. If this rule comes into effect, carmakers will finally have to address how car bloat endangers pedestrians. apnews.com/article/us-ped…

@clmarohn @StrongTowns Kudos Chuck. It's so cool to see the movement growing the way it is. But, and I know you know this, there's still so much education and change needed. Keep doing your thing.

It gives me great joy that the @StrongTowns message is way bigger than me. We've come a long way, friends.

What happens when you can't do the extreme building setbacks mandated by the fire code? You get smaller vehicles.

"The streets of my hometown were basically designed to evacuate Downtown... Cars were going by so quickly it was hostile to pedestrians, you wouldn't want to walk on that sidewalk & by changing that we created a different, more vibrant downtown." @PeteButtigieg 📍South Bend, IN

"Kids aren’t dying because their parents were circling the block looking for parking, or they had to leave the house slightly earlier for art class. Those are inconveniences, not dangers. They die when drivers’ convenience is prioritized over their lives." ggwash.org/view/96246/car…

@carywesterbeck @aliciainedmonds @cityofedmonds @VERDUNITY @UrbanThree @carywesterbeck I'm going to be doing an extended session on our @VERDUNITY work at the Washington Planners Directors conference in Chelan on Sept 5. Not sure who's invited or how to register. Contact Anne Henning in Othello if you/others are interested. 👍

I submitted a public records request based of Mayor Rosen’s statement last week about the hiring “chill”. I was curious to see what roles were laid off and/or not being filled in the foreseeable future. #Edmonds

This is so important. If your community truly values safety of residents, then update design standards and fix your streets to have 9 or 10' lanes. And no, residents that choose to drive huge trucks and SUVs don't have the right to dominate this conversation.

The traditional budget process in many #localgov can take the form of an exercise in balancing revenues and expenses. During this new webinar on Aug. 29, speakers will help you come up with a plan for designing a better budget decision-making environment. gfoa.org/events/int0829…

URBANISM = Love thy neighbor. SUBURBANISM = Fear thy neighbor.

Well duh.. when you remove trees and shade structures in favor of more concrete for roads and parking, things get a little hotter. But hey, everybody's huge trucks and SUVs have awesome AC so we're good! 🙄