Friday News Digest (tweet version)
I got back from CNU on Sunday, was home for two cold and wet days, and then headed to the (cold and wet) Niagara Region of Ontario for a couple of days. I'm now back in cold and wet Minnesota. No complaints, though, as my two girls are now done with school and so I've got them back for Fridays again. This summer we decided to do "Daddy Science Friday" (their request) and so we just finished today's lesson about forests. (Dad, we already know about trees. Lesson 1: It is one thing to know how about trees, quite another to understand a forest.) Needless to say, the late night last night combined with the busy morning has crimped my News Digest schedule. My apologies.
I'm going to pound this one out in 140 character bites -- nice and tweetable -- in deference to time constraints. Two girls have indicated they would like lunch.
Enjoyed the news.
- How did Minnesota get so lucky? Open Streets national training here in August -- save the date. openstreetsproject.org/blog/2013/05/3…
- Nate Hood, my Strong Towns colleague with the pink shorts, justifies his fashion faux pas by citing @andres_duany. nathanielhood.com/2013/06/03/pin…
- Norman Wright with a thoughtful dissection of Carl Schramm's critique of the planning profession. Worth reading. planetizen.com/node/63284
- The site plan for this "pedestrian friendly" "entertainment district" proves that English is a malleable language. m.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/new…
- People seem to like red light cameras. I guess I prefer a new scratch off game if we need another revenue gimmick. washingtonpost.com/local/traffica…
- Overlooking the disastrous safety implications, somehow it's not entrapment to design for high speeds & mark for low. stroadtoboulevard.tumblr.com/post/517524586…
- Illegal assessment we wrote about last year (strongtowns.org/journal/2012/1…) was settled before a judgement. $17k - too bad. startribune.com/local/south/19…
- If you cheer for the market downgrading toll road company for lack of drivers, consider the implications for cities. kvue.com/news/local/Cre…
- Star Trib in classic Infrastructure Cult mistake not realizing that equations have two sides. startribune.com/opinion/editor… "Data Driven" Really?
- Hey Memphis. You know I love you, but Bass Pro? This dude needs none of your limited $. bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-0…
- A new dog park in my hometown -- awesome! I can't wait to walk my dog there...oh wait, I have to drive to get there? brainerddogpark.com
- America's reserve currency status in fatal decline as we transition to entire new world economic order. Yawn... cnbc.com/id/100461159
and finally....
- Someone special in my life is always excited when I branch out into new music (she is constantly trying). OK Go. npr.org/event/music/18…
Enjoy your weekend, everyone. Next week I have a four or five day series planned on a topic I've been dancing around (Supply side Keynes, economics, the American economy and how it all relates to housing and cities). See you then.
You can get more of Chuck Marohn's insights by reading his book, Thoughts on Building Strong Towns (Volume 1). It is a primer on the Strong Towns movement and an essential read for those wanting to get up to speed quickly.
You can also chat with Chuck, Nate Hood, Andrew Burleson, Justin Burslie and many others over at the Strong Towns Network. Join the ongoing conversation on how to make yours a strong town.