A few things to know this week: April 1st, 2022
5 Practical Zoning Hacks for Missing Middle Housing
We always talk about the issue of the missing middle but not enough is shared about how to fix the problem. This article detailed tips that help accomplish the goal of adding the missing middle with changes to the requirements such as minimum lot sizes and parking. The most important one to me was the bonus tip of framing the conversation. Change the perspective and change people’s minds. – Karina
Bothell Preserves Main Street Pilot, Discarding Arguments About Hurting Transit | The Urbanist
This article exemplifies many of the arguments we hear when proposing street closure projects as a way to create safe spaces for pedestrians. The most frustrating part of these discussions for me personally is that staff engineers are often the ones fighting the hardest to keep autocentric design in our cities, and not listening to the citizens. Engineers continually default to data showing it will cause congestion (yes, it might, but that's a good thing) and give credence to people harping on parking concerns that just aren't real. We need city engineers to think more broadly about what's best for our communities and those in them, and continuing to cater to fall back on outdated autocentric design policies is not the answer.
In this case, the council refuted staff's arguments for ending their Main St closure effort and sided with what the residents said they wanted and their own research proved, which was keeping one block of Main Street closed to cars. We need more councils (and fewer engineers) like those in Botham. (Sidenote: highly recommend following Botham's mayor Mason Thompson on Twitter.) – Kevin
Ok, fine – I mean it is April Fool’s day. But a boy can dream. Also, how often do you get to start your Friday morning with our friend Rick Astley. Let me share with you a couple of super great things I learned about while I was at CNU last week. First PLACE Initiative has been working on something called the Climate Receiver Places Project – which is a sobering look at the places that are poised to be where we flee to as the effects of climate change become more severe.
I’d also like to point you toward my friend Howard Blackson’s discussion of Vertical Transects. Now, I will admit that my favorite part of CNU is when things get a little spicy, and this session got spicy (and a little off track, but that was also fun). Now you might love this idea, you might hate it. I think there is a meaningful discussion to be had about equity and fairness around these ideas, and Howard is the kind of guy you can tweet at and have a substantive and interesting back and forth about this kind of stuff. And one I love more than spicy CNU sessions is the real progress toward solutions we make by discussing bold new ideas. – Marshall
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