jonjon.jpeg

The City of Portland failed its own audit when it examined code enforcement.

Complaint-based code enforcement is often necessary because the standards we enforce for yards are often subjective to begin with. But when enforcement depends on complaints, it creates outcomes that consistently fall hardest on low-income residents and communities of color.

Part of my fight for the right to manage my yard differently is helping people see who gets caught in the crosshairs of these rules. Behind many code violations are not bad neighbors, but people facing financial hardship, aging in place, disability, or other challenges that make compliance difficult.

There are lots of things that are contributing to the housing crisis, and so there will be lots of things contribute to the housing solution.

Tom’s house is an example of a small part of the solution.

This park used to be a parking lot.

Considering a single parking space can cost $5,000 to build, a parking garage space can cost $25,000 to $50,000, and underground parking can top $100,000, it’s worth asking: what’s the best use of land in the middle of a city?

Shoutout to Fayetteville Strong for the great example and pop up!

Inattentional blindness is what happens when you see something but don’t actually perceive it.

When the brain is overloaded or focused on higher-priority demands, important details can go unnoticed simply because they aren’t being processed as relevant in that moment.

This phenomenon is one reason many pedestrian crashes occur, including front-over incidents. Last week, I was involved in a pedestrian collision where the driver left the scene.

I’m okay, but I don’t believe the driver was being malicious. In fact, I don’t think they saw me at all.
I think they were startled by what happened and reacted without fully understanding it.

When there’s not a lot of outside capital available to make changes, the people who step up are often the ones who love a place enough to give it what it needs, not just what will generate the biggest return down the road.

Make no mistake, The Dainty Maid and The Grand Leader are both businesses. Their success creates profits for employees, local companies, and the building owners themselves.

What makes this different is that those profits are tied to the community winning. That’s what sits at the heart of small-scale and incremental development.

Kristina and Ben are town makers, and they’re a small part of the larger comeback story unfolding in South Bend, Indiana.

The National Gathering is a place where people who sometimes feel like outsiders find a place where other people love the built environment as much as them.

It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year and I’m both full and exhausted.

Shoutout:

I have an update on my yard to Wright, a presentation to finish before a 10 Hour Dr. this weekend, I need to learn how to use a professional paint sprayer before Saturday, and in the meantime, I’m just trying to stay afloat on all my little chores!

Sorry, I’ve been posted a significant video, it’s been busy!

On May 16, you can volunteer to help implement traffic calming for a Safe Pathway to School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Using privately raised funds and working with city approval, we’ll be creating natural traffic calming to help make intersections safer for kids, neighbors, and everyone moving through the area.