Ben Ross
@benrosstransit.bsky.social
Transit advocate. Environmental scientist. Social Democrat. Author of Dead End: Suburban Sprawl and the Rebirth of American Urbanism.
Reposted by Ben Ross
Why not make anyone who buulds a parking space pay into a fund instead They are the ones imposing costs on taxpayers.
Indeed, it's very odd that "transportation impact" fees for road building are always per apartment or per square foot, not per parking space.
Indeed, it's very odd that "transportation impact" fees for road building are always per apartment or per square foot, not per parking space.
September 29, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Why not make anyone who buulds a parking space pay into a fund instead They are the ones imposing costs on taxpayers.
Indeed, it's very odd that "transportation impact" fees for road building are always per apartment or per square foot, not per parking space.
Indeed, it's very odd that "transportation impact" fees for road building are always per apartment or per square foot, not per parking space.
Reposted by Ben Ross
The US left retreated into a subculture in the late 1940s & entrenched itself in it in the late 60s. The habits acquired as a subculture have been very hard to shake off.
Mike Harrington tried in the 1970s & then gave up.
And now that it has become a mass movement, those habits still weigh it down.
Mike Harrington tried in the 1970s & then gave up.
And now that it has become a mass movement, those habits still weigh it down.
September 26, 2026 at 7:33 PM
The US left retreated into a subculture in the late 1940s & entrenched itself in it in the late 60s. The habits acquired as a subculture have been very hard to shake off.
Mike Harrington tried in the 1970s & then gave up.
And now that it has become a mass movement, those habits still weigh it down.
Mike Harrington tried in the 1970s & then gave up.
And now that it has become a mass movement, those habits still weigh it down.
Reposted by Ben Ross
Truly a classic bit of nimbyism:
I moved to near the Red Line to get away from the Purple Line. So you can't build new apartments near the Red Line!
I moved to near the Red Line to get away from the Purple Line. So you can't build new apartments near the Red Line!
September 26, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Truly a classic bit of nimbyism:
I moved to near the Red Line to get away from the Purple Line. So you can't build new apartments near the Red Line!
I moved to near the Red Line to get away from the Purple Line. So you can't build new apartments near the Red Line!
Truly a classic bit of nimbyism:
I moved to near the Red Line to get away from the Purple Line. So you can't build new apartments near the Red Line!
I moved to near the Red Line to get away from the Purple Line. So you can't build new apartments near the Red Line!
September 26, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Truly a classic bit of nimbyism:
I moved to near the Red Line to get away from the Purple Line. So you can't build new apartments near the Red Line!
I moved to near the Red Line to get away from the Purple Line. So you can't build new apartments near the Red Line!
I knew I'd see it.
It was a long. tough fight, though.
It was a long. tough fight, though.
never thought i'd see the day when purple line trains were running through chevy chase 🥹
September 26, 2026 at 7:41 PM
I knew I'd see it.
It was a long. tough fight, though.
It was a long. tough fight, though.
In today's mail, I got 11 pages of paperwork informing me that my Medicare drug plan paid minus 13 cents on my behalf in August and paid 23 cents in the 8 months from January to August. No further detail, and these numbers cannot be correct.
Somehow I think this system could be made more efficient.
Somehow I think this system could be made more efficient.
September 26, 2026 at 12:25 AM
In today's mail, I got 11 pages of paperwork informing me that my Medicare drug plan paid minus 13 cents on my behalf in August and paid 23 cents in the 8 months from January to August. No further detail, and these numbers cannot be correct.
Somehow I think this system could be made more efficient.
Somehow I think this system could be made more efficient.
A Democratic wave is on the way, even if Cook, Sabato & IE refuse to see it.
All 3 rate the Vermont governor race Safe Republican. The first public poll of that race in 2 months just dropped. It's from an NYT-rated quality pollster.
It shows Democrat 6 points ahead.
scholars.unh.edu/survey_cente...
All 3 rate the Vermont governor race Safe Republican. The first public poll of that race in 2 months just dropped. It's from an NYT-rated quality pollster.
It shows Democrat 6 points ahead.
scholars.unh.edu/survey_cente...
Partisan Headwinds Hamper Scott in Race With Janoo for Governor of Vermont 9/24/2026
Democratic nominee for governor Amanda Janoo has increased her support significantly since winning the Democratic Primary last month and is now in a statistical tie with Republican incumbent Phil Scot...
scholars.unh.edu
September 24, 2026 at 8:20 PM
A Democratic wave is on the way, even if Cook, Sabato & IE refuse to see it.
All 3 rate the Vermont governor race Safe Republican. The first public poll of that race in 2 months just dropped. It's from an NYT-rated quality pollster.
It shows Democrat 6 points ahead.
scholars.unh.edu/survey_cente...
All 3 rate the Vermont governor race Safe Republican. The first public poll of that race in 2 months just dropped. It's from an NYT-rated quality pollster.
It shows Democrat 6 points ahead.
scholars.unh.edu/survey_cente...
This is the project where neighbors' lawn signs read "No Apartments. No Compromise."
Baltimore Co Council unanimously endorsed TOD for Lutherville Sta over NIMBY opposition. Enables project to pursue state & local $$ but still needs zoning approval.
The mixed use project has already been shrunk to 325 homes from 600, trying to accommodate NIMBYs
www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/ne...
The mixed use project has already been shrunk to 325 homes from 600, trying to accommodate NIMBYs
www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/ne...
Lutherville Station redevelopment clears major hurdle - Baltimore Business Journal
The project has been in the works for a decade and consists of 325 apartments and about 120,000 square feet of retail and office space.
www.bizjournals.com
September 24, 2026 at 2:54 PM
This is the project where neighbors' lawn signs read "No Apartments. No Compromise."
This @the-downballot.com piece is an important analysis!
Its significance becomes clearer in the light of @gelliottmorris.com's account of how "all polls are models now." substack.com/inbox/post/2...
[Nerd warning] You can describe this in the mathematics of control theory - short thread 1/n
Its significance becomes clearer in the light of @gelliottmorris.com's account of how "all polls are models now." substack.com/inbox/post/2...
[Nerd warning] You can describe this in the mathematics of control theory - short thread 1/n
September 23, 2026 at 7:01 PM
This @the-downballot.com piece is an important analysis!
Its significance becomes clearer in the light of @gelliottmorris.com's account of how "all polls are models now." substack.com/inbox/post/2...
[Nerd warning] You can describe this in the mathematics of control theory - short thread 1/n
Its significance becomes clearer in the light of @gelliottmorris.com's account of how "all polls are models now." substack.com/inbox/post/2...
[Nerd warning] You can describe this in the mathematics of control theory - short thread 1/n
Reposted by Ben Ross
New Public Comment on the persistent fantasy of low-conflict housing policy publiccomment.blog/p/sometimes-...
Sometimes You Just Need to Win
Sometimes you just need to win
publiccomment.blog
September 23, 2026 at 6:02 PM
New Public Comment on the persistent fantasy of low-conflict housing policy publiccomment.blog/p/sometimes-...
If they want to find violations in high- & low-income areas equally, all they need to do is ticket everyone who is storing lawn equipment in their garage in violation of minimum off-street parking requirements.
Ok, so now Dallas is having hidden Flock cameras mounted on their trash trucks sweeping neighborhoods for HOA-style code violations based on whatever anomalies the camera flags, and then issuing tickets and threats accordingly.
www.nbcdfw.com/investigatio...
www.nbcdfw.com/investigatio...
Dallas says code notices aren't warnings, but a homeowner who got one says the wording feels ominous
NBC 5 Investigates found city records confirming the first citations tied to AI code enforcement cameras
www.nbcdfw.com
September 22, 2026 at 5:03 PM
If they want to find violations in high- & low-income areas equally, all they need to do is ticket everyone who is storing lawn equipment in their garage in violation of minimum off-street parking requirements.
Today's bad behavior by @bikeshare.bsky.social users.
Two e-bikes parked with rides completed off-dock, locked together with a chain so that the users are the only ones who can use them next. Have been sitting at least 3 hours aside the Capital Crescent Trail at Bethesda Ave.
Two e-bikes parked with rides completed off-dock, locked together with a chain so that the users are the only ones who can use them next. Have been sitting at least 3 hours aside the Capital Crescent Trail at Bethesda Ave.
September 20, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Today's bad behavior by @bikeshare.bsky.social users.
Two e-bikes parked with rides completed off-dock, locked together with a chain so that the users are the only ones who can use them next. Have been sitting at least 3 hours aside the Capital Crescent Trail at Bethesda Ave.
Two e-bikes parked with rides completed off-dock, locked together with a chain so that the users are the only ones who can use them next. Have been sitting at least 3 hours aside the Capital Crescent Trail at Bethesda Ave.
Reposted by Ben Ross
It's fair to say regulation is yimby's top priority. What's wrong is that "regulatory reform" is a euphemism for deregulation. The yimby program is the opposite of dergulation; it seeks to impose uniform rules on a chaotic system of arbitrary local decisions made by small local interest groups.
September 20, 2026 at 5:34 PM
It's fair to say regulation is yimby's top priority. What's wrong is that "regulatory reform" is a euphemism for deregulation. The yimby program is the opposite of dergulation; it seeks to impose uniform rules on a chaotic system of arbitrary local decisions made by small local interest groups.
This🧵 is correct. For structural reasons (eg life of buildings > financing time horizon) markets won't build enough housing on their own.
BUT right now many cities have extreme shortages. Zoning & nimbys are the main constraint. Added public finance will do little without removing those constraints.
BUT right now many cities have extreme shortages. Zoning & nimbys are the main constraint. Added public finance will do little without removing those constraints.
Exhibit _ for why a robust public sector role in housing provision (ideally via mixed-income social housing) is critical. Market-based solutions can work to moderate rent growth & even to induce modest rent decreases. That's way better than an alternative of...
sanantonioreport.org/san-antonio-...
sanantonioreport.org/san-antonio-...
It's a good time to be a renter in San Antonio. That might not last.
San Antonio rents have fallen as landlords compete for tenants, but slowing development could flip the market around by late 2027.
sanantonioreport.org
September 19, 2026 at 8:23 PM
This🧵 is correct. For structural reasons (eg life of buildings > financing time horizon) markets won't build enough housing on their own.
BUT right now many cities have extreme shortages. Zoning & nimbys are the main constraint. Added public finance will do little without removing those constraints.
BUT right now many cities have extreme shortages. Zoning & nimbys are the main constraint. Added public finance will do little without removing those constraints.
Reposted by Ben Ross
THIS ‼️⬇️
The people on the sidewalk:
a) significantly outnumber the drivers in cars and
b) are here to spend time and money in this neighbourhood.
The drivers in these mostly empty cars are:
a) trying to drive AWAY from this neighbourhood as quickly as possible, and yet
b) are given most of the road space
a) significantly outnumber the drivers in cars and
b) are here to spend time and money in this neighbourhood.
The drivers in these mostly empty cars are:
a) trying to drive AWAY from this neighbourhood as quickly as possible, and yet
b) are given most of the road space
September 19, 2026 at 6:31 PM
THIS ‼️⬇️
Reposted by Ben Ross
Should the Kennedy Center be torn down? Obviously not. But you know what should?
September 19, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Should the Kennedy Center be torn down? Obviously not. But you know what should?
This poll calls itself a likely voter poll, but isn't. Its "likely voter" population is based purely on past voting behavior. In the near-certain case that the D/R turnout ratio is higher than in the average of recent elections, it underestimates the D margin.
www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/sur...
www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/sur...
New Battleground District Poll Shows Democrats Up, Voters Eager for Sweeping Change
A new Battleground District Project poll of the most competitive House districts in the country finds Democrats in a strong position to flip control of the chamber this fall. It also finds an electora...
www.cookpolitical.com
September 19, 2026 at 10:59 AM
This poll calls itself a likely voter poll, but isn't. Its "likely voter" population is based purely on past voting behavior. In the near-certain case that the D/R turnout ratio is higher than in the average of recent elections, it underestimates the D margin.
www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/sur...
www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/sur...
MoCo police charge Empower rideshare driver with raping 17-year-old last Monday night.
He was able to drive for Empower after being charged in New York last June with first-degree sexual abuse of a child under 17.
www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
He was able to drive for Empower after being charged in New York last June with first-degree sexual abuse of a child under 17.
www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
Rideshare driver charged in rape and kidnapping
Rideshare driver Abdoulaye Dia, of Lanham, was arrested Wednesday in an alleged rape and kidnapping of a teen girl, Montgomery County Police said.
www.thebanner.com
September 18, 2026 at 3:24 PM
MoCo police charge Empower rideshare driver with raping 17-year-old last Monday night.
He was able to drive for Empower after being charged in New York last June with first-degree sexual abuse of a child under 17.
www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
He was able to drive for Empower after being charged in New York last June with first-degree sexual abuse of a child under 17.
www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
Reposted by Ben Ross
This is a valuable academic study. Racism certainly needs to be understood. But I think locating the exact boundary of antisemitism is relatively unimportant outside a strictly legal context.
Punishing people for political opinions, such as Zionism, is very bad, as is punishing them for ancestry.
Punishing people for political opinions, such as Zionism, is very bad, as is punishing them for ancestry.
September 17, 2026 at 1:34 PM
This is a valuable academic study. Racism certainly needs to be understood. But I think locating the exact boundary of antisemitism is relatively unimportant outside a strictly legal context.
Punishing people for political opinions, such as Zionism, is very bad, as is punishing them for ancestry.
Punishing people for political opinions, such as Zionism, is very bad, as is punishing them for ancestry.
Reposted by Ben Ross
I started my testimony tonight on MoCo's new Friendship Heights Master Plan by saying that the plan still reflects the 1920s attitude that owners of detached 1-family houses are superior to other people. This, like the boy pointing out the emperor's lack of clothes, drew gasps from the audience.
September 15, 2026 at 12:23 AM
I started my testimony tonight on MoCo's new Friendship Heights Master Plan by saying that the plan still reflects the 1920s attitude that owners of detached 1-family houses are superior to other people. This, like the boy pointing out the emperor's lack of clothes, drew gasps from the audience.
I started my testimony tonight on MoCo's new Friendship Heights Master Plan by saying that the plan still reflects the 1920s attitude that owners of detached 1-family houses are superior to other people. This, like the boy pointing out the emperor's lack of clothes, drew gasps from the audience.
September 15, 2026 at 12:23 AM
I started my testimony tonight on MoCo's new Friendship Heights Master Plan by saying that the plan still reflects the 1920s attitude that owners of detached 1-family houses are superior to other people. This, like the boy pointing out the emperor's lack of clothes, drew gasps from the audience.
Hard to believe that the timing of the sudden Bluesky spurt of "don't vote for Talarico because he wants to kill trans people" is purely coincidental. Posters can be sincere yet triggered or boosted by malign actors.
This massive Republican ad campaign is going all-in on transphobia to attack Democrat James Talarico. One spot attacks Talarico twice with a clip of him saying, "Defending trans Texans is something we have to do every day."
September 14, 2026 at 12:29 PM
Hard to believe that the timing of the sudden Bluesky spurt of "don't vote for Talarico because he wants to kill trans people" is purely coincidental. Posters can be sincere yet triggered or boosted by malign actors.
Post-holiday repost for my shomer shabbos followers.
Proposed change in building codes for apartments would require device that turns off stoves when smoke detector beeps. It appears that this device gives frequent false positives, requiring someone to turn stove back on. Go upthread for details.
Proposed change in building codes for apartments would require device that turns off stoves when smoke detector beeps. It appears that this device gives frequent false positives, requiring someone to turn stove back on. Go upthread for details.
Exactly. Hostile to immigrants with traditional recipes & apartment residents as well. Especially hostile to Orthodox Jews who can't turn the heat back on under the cholent even if they're at home.
And you did not misread my point.
And you did not misread my point.
September 14, 2026 at 12:17 PM
Post-holiday repost for my shomer shabbos followers.
Proposed change in building codes for apartments would require device that turns off stoves when smoke detector beeps. It appears that this device gives frequent false positives, requiring someone to turn stove back on. Go upthread for details.
Proposed change in building codes for apartments would require device that turns off stoves when smoke detector beeps. It appears that this device gives frequent false positives, requiring someone to turn stove back on. Go upthread for details.
Follow polls? Read this.
Polls now rely on models of the voting population rather than random samples. So conceptual error in the model is a bigger source of uncertainty than sampling error. Polls with the same conceptual error will all be wrong the same way.
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/2026-09-15...
Polls now rely on models of the voting population rather than random samples. So conceptual error in the model is a bigger source of uncertainty than sampling error. Polls with the same conceptual error will all be wrong the same way.
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/2026-09-15...
All polls are models now
Traditional polling is dead. A new paradigm of public opinion research has high uncertainty, and pollsters need to do a better job communicating about error.
www.gelliottmorris.com
September 14, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Follow polls? Read this.
Polls now rely on models of the voting population rather than random samples. So conceptual error in the model is a bigger source of uncertainty than sampling error. Polls with the same conceptual error will all be wrong the same way.
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/2026-09-15...
Polls now rely on models of the voting population rather than random samples. So conceptual error in the model is a bigger source of uncertainty than sampling error. Polls with the same conceptual error will all be wrong the same way.
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/2026-09-15...
My most un-Bluesky habit:
Before I write "Why don't the Democrats/Media/Left/anybody ever say/do such-and-such?" I run some online searches and try to find out whether they ever do.
Before I write "Why don't the Democrats/Media/Left/anybody ever say/do such-and-such?" I run some online searches and try to find out whether they ever do.
September 13, 2026 at 8:42 PM
My most un-Bluesky habit:
Before I write "Why don't the Democrats/Media/Left/anybody ever say/do such-and-such?" I run some online searches and try to find out whether they ever do.
Before I write "Why don't the Democrats/Media/Left/anybody ever say/do such-and-such?" I run some online searches and try to find out whether they ever do.