Friday Faves - Your Weekly Strong Towns Roundup
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Comment of the Week:
This comment came from the article “Texas DOT Doubles Down on Urban Highway Expansions” Check it out here to join in on the discussion!
Here’s what Strong Towns staff were up to this week:
Seth Zeren, long-time contributor to Strong Towns.
Chuck: There are a few people that I’ve met through Strong Towns where I got to know them—and really appreciate them—virtually before we ever met in person. Seth Zeren is one of those people. In the very early days, he was a frequent commenter, pushing me to consider things outside of my limited perspective, gently pushing and, in the spirit of true discovery, being pushed by the unfolding conversations. I’ll always associate him and a handful of others with heavily influencing the thought genesis that has become Strong Towns. Seth has started a substack now and it’s, of course, deeply insightful.
Travis Norwell, the “Pedaling Pastor.” (Twitter: @pedalingpastor.)
Jay: In hundreds of public meetings I’ve attended as an active transportation advocate, I’ve heard one public comment about bicycle and walking safety and awareness repeated time and again: People always suggest adding questions about biking and walking safety on state driving license tests. The idea is that by having people think about walkers and bicycles in their written and road tests, there will be a lingering increase in awareness that will improve the culture of safety for walkers and bicyclists. I think road design will go a lot further to keep non-motorized travelers safe, but the driving test commenters are right in another way. We will need to change the culture before we change the infrastructure for non-motorized travelers. We need to normalize travel that doesn’t happen in a car. And here is a story of the Pedaling Pastor, one man who did just that.
(Source: Unsplash.)
Rachel: I spent 2018-2021 in Boston, a city where oysters are sold in the same way as chicken wings elsewhere in the country. You encounter them at bars and happy hours—”50 cents a piece till 7 p.m.,” that sort of thing. Oysters aren’t as much an elite food in New England as they are in other parts of the country. And that goes back to their roots. A hundred years ago, oysters used to be a cheap protein, sold like street food to regular people. Today, there’s much to be celebrated about this little sea creature. For example, this article in Next City talks about how oysters actively clean the water they’re in, and can even help prevent coastal flooding. Now, I only started eating oysters a few years ago (peer pressure in Boston), and I know it’s an acquired taste. But even if you never plan to consume one, you can still celebrate their proliferation for the many benefits they provide to our waters and coastlines. Also, seriously, from a newly minted oyster evangelist: You should try them!
John: Last week in this space I shared the story of a photographer who creates composite images that reveal the mesmerizing patterns of birds in flight. This week I’m back with another article about wildlife photography that’s too interesting not to share. Photographer Dmitry Kokh stumbled upon a group of about 20 polar bears that had taken up residence in an abandoned weather station in the remote, northeastern tip of the Russian Federation. Kokh shared several images in a recent photo essay for The Guardian, including surreal images of polar bears with their heads sticking out of windows, sitting in doorways, and lazing in a deserted village. Kokh says the photographs remind that human stuff—buildings, cars, computers, and even civilizations—come and go, but life is eternal.
Lauren: CNBC’s Carlos Waters produced this video about the origin and negative effects of the suburban development pattern. Pieces of the Strong Towns conversation are present here—in recognition that good city building pre-dates restrictive zoning, in showing how the post-WWII development pattern has saddled cities with massive unfunded maintenance liabilities. It’s just one part of an ongoing series that’s worth keeping an eye on.
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Finally, from all of us, a warm welcome to the newest members of the Strong Towns movement: Melissa Bloom, Ethan Bold, Sally Dale, Kaitlyn Dhanaliwala, Marcia Eidel, Blair Houtz, Steve King, Paul Knight, John Lowery, Carla Markwart, Alexander Marquis, Liston Mehserle, Lawrence Miller, Jessica Mix Barrington, Kisha Moore, Todd Morse, Hunter Nordyke, Rachael Rezek, Kathleen Speed, Jackson Stewart, Rob Sullivan, and Jessica Williams.
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What stories got you thinking this week? Please share them in the comments!