A few things to know this week: October 23, 2020
Happy Friday, friends! Every week we collect some of the best things that members of our Verdunity team read, watched, or listened to over the course of the week—plus anything new from us.
Keep up with us on the Go Cultivate! podcast
Miss an Episode or Want to Start Listening?
What better time to learn, grow, and challenge yourself through the Go Cultivate! series than now?!
This week’s things to know:
As Dallas nears final vote to kill Reverchon ballpark plan, here's how we avoid the next parks debacle (Dallas Morning News)
Dallas has few large green spaces worth thinking about, and city officials are putting one of the larger spaces in the heart of uptown Dallas on the back in the eyes of those reading the news. There is a century old baseball field that is desperate for revitalization, but the fact of the matter is that public-private projects in the city’s park department are tough to collaborate effectively on. There is work to be done, but looks like there is not going to be development there soon. What do you think could be best for this area? -Ryan
Episode 53: From Migrant to Job Creator — The Story of Rodrigo Mondragon and Ki' Mexico (Part 1) (Rational Middle Podcast)
How about something a little different today! One of my good friends, Chris Lyon, helps to host the Rational Middle podcast - which aims to get to the root of modern day issues with a unique approach. This episode not only explores the journey of an immigrant, but provides some unique perspective on growing a local entrepreneurial community. Rodrigo helped to start Ki Mexico, one of Shreveport's most popular new restaurants, growing from the farmers market just five years ago. His story is fascinating and I hope you'll give it a listen! -Tim
Best Practices: How Seville Became a City of Cyclists (StreetsBlog)
Cycling has been something that has been a personal escape both in this time as well as before. The more that I have been riding around the city of Dallas, I have been thinking of what a more ‘bikeable’ city would look like if developed incrementally. Seville looks to be that gem of a city; an example to look at, learn from, and challenge to innovate for the future of multi-modal transportation. -Ryan
What is decision fatigue? Tips amid the pandemic (USA Today)
There are so many things that we have learned from the pandemic, and as many spikes as we are seeing in the Midwest this week, not knowing when it might end is one of those things. As city leaders brace to guide their communities forward, there is one very real issue that all decision makers must face: decision fatigue. Specifically, "It's fatigue with making decisions that have consequences we’ve never had to deal with before...". We talk so much about ways to make cities run more efficiently, how to get down to decision making that is fiscally sustainable. I think it's critical that we also spend time talking about the importance of self-care and mental health. This is a short read that does a nice job of offering tips to avoid decision fatigue. -AJ
Americans Are Driving Less Than Before Pandemic, and It’s Permanent (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Driving started as a luxury when the Model T Ford was brought into the picture. Our development patterns throughout the country turned it into a seemingly necessary action because certain resources like offices, grocery stores, and retail are zoned and developed in areas that are not accessible from residences in any other way. In a recent study, the national number of driving miles in the most recent months with data available showed a traffic volume of only 90% of that of the previous year. While the initial decline in driving miles was because of people working from home, this sustained decline could be a sign of things to come. Could the national opinion on driving, highly-divisive infrastructure, and car-centric development shift in the direction that lends itself to a multi-modal development pattern. -Ryan
Do you enjoy these weekly roundups? (Why wouldn’t you?) You can get them sent straight to your email inbox every Friday, if you’re into that.
Here's the standard disclaimer: We always encourage our team members to freely share their thoughts and opinions, both in these newsletters and elsewhere. Given that, opinions expressed by any one member do not necessarily represent the views of the company as a whole.
Don’t miss out on our upcoming (virtual) event!
Texas Downtown Association Conference (November 9–12)
Kevin will be presenting on "Bridging the Resource Gap: Cultivating Strong Communities with the Resources You Have."
Want to learn more about how fiscal analysis can help you make your city stronger financially?
We created a new sister website showcasing how we use math, maps, and money to help cities communicate your resource gap and explore ways to increase tax revenue and improve service efficiency without necessarily raising taxes.
Hey, friends in local government:
Hey, friends who love cities! If you're looking for a place to discuss these topics (and more) with like-minded peers who want to help create a more resilient community, check out our Community Cultivators Network. It's free to join, and we are currently working to build new features for our 2021 relaunch, so stay tuned! We'll arm you with the content, ideas, and support to take small impactful steps to cultivate change.
