A few things to know this week: June 18, 2021
This week’s things to know:
The Semantics of a Community (Daily Yonder)
The word "community" is tossed around a lot these days, sometimes without purpose. This is a great short piece that presses us all to think about what community truly means, and distinguishes between three types - while making the point that our words affect how we and others think about concepts. In this case, without even realizing it, we've essentially "created the illusion that each of their competing claims is equally important". -AJ
Ferndale, Michigan Opens Bike Room At The Dot (Ferndale)
Great Lakes Green Streets Guidebook (SEMCOG)
One side of my family is from Oakland County, Michigan, so I'm always keeping an eye out for cool projects and resources from that part of the U.S. This week, I came across two items that I think are notable. The first is a 'end of trip' facility in downtown Ferndale that allows bicyclists to store their bikes along with repair facilities. There is a monthly or yearly fee that is pennies on the dollar compared to a parking garage and helps make biking easier and more convenient. The second resource is from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments about using Green Infrastructure in street projects. If you're interested, this is a great resource to learn how to do these projects, the materials used, and the benefits and challenges of making environmentally sensitive infrastructure. -Tim
3 takeaways from NLC's 'State of the Cities' report (Smart Cities Dive)
This piece discusses three takeaways from the "State of the Cities" report put out by the National League of Cities. Unsurprisingly, 2 of the 3 are infrastructure needs and budget/management issues. However, there is hope for so many cities - especially those who take the time to use data to understand their resource gap, learn what development patterns reap the most benefits, and align their budget with their goals, plans, and policies. Using this common language throughout all facets of city management can go a long way towards addressing these two issues. Also unsurprising? NLC reports property taxes in cities around the nation were most consistent - bolstering our frequent assertions that property tax reliance is the most stable approach. -AJ
Asset Recycling and the Infrastructure Bank (Kevin DeGood via Twitter)
This Twitter Thread was authored by Kevin DeGood, the Director of Infrastructure Policy at the Center for American Progress. I've heard bits and pieces about the infrastructure bank idea, as well as innovative funding mechanisms for infrastructure that involve some measure of private funding. Kevin does a great job of giving a high-level view of what this means for cities, why private investors may still shy away from this, and how it may only be useful for cities that are already growing and can afford to finance infrastructure because they will have future revenue to support it. -Tim
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