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Reposted by Ben S

Max Dubler 🏳️‍🌈 @maxdubler.com · 10h

More people should understand that this is standard practice in American urban planning. The zoning on paper is not a real plan for growth, it's the opening bid in a highly politicized negotiation between home builders, elected officials, and activists with the power to kill projects.

timmy @timczerwienski.bsky.social · 12h

The “clean” way to do this is to intentionally downzone the by-right option and make the actually economic option only available via special permit. That’s the skeleton key to all manner of shenanigans.

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 10h

This is why I think the Airport should run an express bus from PATCO

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 14h

It's also very possible that had a thing been proposed, NYC would have gotten congestion pricing approved a lot earlier without ridiculous lawsuits for a stable source of funding

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Reposted by Ben S

Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 14h

The stop/start stuff is bad, but both of these projects had/have core planning faults (failure to embrace through-running and efficient crewing) that have significantly weakened the benefits of the spending, depriving proponents of a strong story to tell about their benefits

Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 16h

Why do US infrastructure projects cost so much & take so long?

Consider the Hudson rail tunnel:
1995—Studies
2009—Construction
2010—NJ Gov Christie kills it
2011—Project relaunch
2015—Fed support
2017—GOP Congress kills funding
2021/22—Biden funds it
2023—Construction
2025—Trump claims to cancel it

Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 1d

Trump announced today, seemingly at random, that he is cancelling fed funding for Gateway Tunnel, a tunnel for intercity & commuter trains under the Hudson River.

The motivation for the cancellation—which is likely to be contested—appears to be purely the president’s hatred of Sen Schumer.

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 14h

Yes but that land consists of ex-industrial properties needing environmental remediation without active service.

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 14h

They have a neighbor to the south that's been executing ground-lease agreements for years now. I think SEPTA has been deferring to local zoning as a good faith effort so far because many municipalities aren't sold on the idea
wwww.septa.org/wp-content/u...

wwww.septa.org

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 14h

If they were serious and not just trying to speculate, we would have seen a Rivermark-like plan

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 1d

Great news. Partnering with Joe Schweiterman at DePaul?

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 1d

Unfortunately DVRPC just approved its long range plan with I-95 widening fully in scope

Thomas Bamonte @thomasbamonte.bsky.social · 1d

Here's an example of a metropolitan planning organization that views its role as including critical evaluation of projects proposed by project sponsors, in this case a state DOT. www.alxnow.com/2025/10/15/t...

Transportation board unanimously defers I-495 express lanes project, directs VDOT to report back in 2026 | ALXnow

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board unanimously voted Wednesday to defer including Virginia's controversial I-495 Southside Express Lanes project in its long-range transportation...

www.alxnow.com

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 1d

Caption straight out of the 1910s

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Reposted by Ben S

Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 1d

Fossilized Northeast Democratic machines running sclerotic candidates is going to be the death of America

City Nolan @ndhapple.bsky.social · 1d

"NJ Governor's Race: Sherrill 50%, Ciattarelli 44%, Quinnipiac University New Jersey Poll Finds; Ciattarelli Holds Edge On Enthusiasm" -- poll.qu.edu/poll-release...

NJ Governor's Race: Sherrill 50%, Ciattarelli 44%, Quinnipiac University New Jersey Poll Finds; Ciattarelli Holds Edge On Enthusiasm | Quinnipiac University Poll

"While Jack Ciattarelli holds a fairly solid eleven percentage point lead among male voters, Mikie Sherrill has nearly double that lead with female voters," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analys...

poll.qu.edu

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Progress & Poverty @pandpinst.bsky.social · 1d

We’re thrilled to share that the Progress and Poverty Institute is now an official partner of YIMBY Action!

Both organizations share a deep commitment to building thriving, affordable, and inclusive communities — and now we’re joining forces to make that vision a reality.

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 1d

You cannot capital-invest your way to meaningfully more efficient operations if it's already best in the nation. Yet another distraction from sustainable operating funding

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 1d

You can always count on our City Hall to ruin nice things that already existed

Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 1d

The OP post is overtly sarcastic and playing dumb

Reposted by Ben S

Avi Wolfman-Arent @avi-wa.bsky.social · 1d

The New York Times has a new deep dive on Philly's original Love Park...a skateboarding mecca that was demolished in 2016 and recently reopened in...Sweden

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/m...

The Ultimate Pilgrimage for the Middle-Aged Skateboarder

www.nytimes.com

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 1d

A good day when it was not blocked by municipal vehicles

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 1d

Love to undermine the financial stability of transit agencies and sow distrust with decisionmakers to advocate for my position

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 1d

Scrapping the lights was the worst crime

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 2d

China and Eastern Europe use plastic tokens with RFID capability to tap on the same reader. At the end of the distance-based single trip, the token is deposited into the turnstile to exit. Same functionality as the paper ticket without the waste

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 2d

Philly tied for 4th is practically unbelievable but something seems to be working for the region

Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 2d

As US job growth slows, 11 major metro areas have lost jobs over the last year

Fastest growth: Charlotte (2.5%), San Juan (2.3%), Richmond (2.2%), San Antonio (1.9%), Philadelphia (1.9%)

Largest decline: Milwaukee (-.7%), St. Louis (-.6%), SF (-.5%), DC (-.3%), Denver (-.2%)

A graph of year-on-year change in nonfarm payrolls among the 50 largest metro areas by population

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Reposted by Ben S

Joseph N DiStefano @phillyjoed.bsky.social · 2d

China cuts off Philly Shipyard supplies to punish Korea's Hanwha for siding with U.S. in trade war. My story: www.inquirer.com/business/han...

China cuts off Philly Shipyard supplies to punish Hanwha for partnership with U.S. amid trade fight

The Korean shipbuilder is getting squeezed between Chinese suppliers and U.S. customers as President Donald Trump prepares to meet with China's leader Xi Jinping,

www.inquirer.com

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 2d

We get priced-out New Yorkers, they get ambitious Philly graduates. So brain drain is still happening

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Ben S @bensh3.bsky.social · 2d

We still don't know where the actual terminal will be right? Hopefully close enough to the Navy Yard to give it some more activity

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Reposted by Ben S

Andy Randles @andyrandles.bsky.social · 3d

What is even the purpose of SEPA if a 594-stall parking garage is able to receive a "determination of non-significance"
www.djc.com/news/ae/1217...

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