Hunter Owens
@hunterowens.net
los angeles-area resident, your friendly state transportation policy bureaucrat, architecture, tacos.
rabo de toro / potatoes murcia / cabbage salad (not pictured)
February 1, 2026 at 3:51 AM
rabo de toro / potatoes murcia / cabbage salad (not pictured)
looks like Oceanwide is going to exit bankruptcy www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
LA’s $1.2 Billion ‘Graffiti Tower’ Reaches Bankruptcy Exit Deal
The long-stalled Oceanwide Plaza project in downtown Los Angeles has struck a bankruptcy-exit agreement with creditors, clearing the way for a potential sale after its Chinese developers invested abou...
www.bloomberg.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:11 PM
looks like Oceanwide is going to exit bankruptcy www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
wild how different this is compared to my 2016 visit to shenzhen, which was... very chaotic (in a good way) sammatey.substack.com/p/the-solarp...
The Solarpunk Urbanism of Shenzhen
China Chronicles: Day 9
sammatey.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:51 PM
wild how different this is compared to my 2016 visit to shenzhen, which was... very chaotic (in a good way) sammatey.substack.com/p/the-solarp...
ISO: Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore recs for food, architecture, buildings, and parks to visit
January 29, 2026 at 5:17 PM
ISO: Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore recs for food, architecture, buildings, and parks to visit
really love this point in Tim Wu’s age of extraction and hope we understand two things as policymakers
1) cities greatest strength is the ability to change
2) can online platforms do the same?
1) cities greatest strength is the ability to change
2) can online platforms do the same?
January 27, 2026 at 3:14 PM
really love this point in Tim Wu’s age of extraction and hope we understand two things as policymakers
1) cities greatest strength is the ability to change
2) can online platforms do the same?
1) cities greatest strength is the ability to change
2) can online platforms do the same?
chanterelle/ morel / shiitake risotto
January 27, 2026 at 2:22 AM
chanterelle/ morel / shiitake risotto
let us have faith that right makes might
January 24, 2026 at 3:57 PM
let us have faith that right makes might
coq au vin with pig trotter, homemade bacon, schmaltz toast, mash and chicory salad
January 23, 2026 at 3:11 AM
coq au vin with pig trotter, homemade bacon, schmaltz toast, mash and chicory salad
US Canadian relations at a nadir right now but also we're about to jointly send a US-Canadian mission of 4 astronauts on a slingshot around the moon which will be farther from earth than literally any human has gone before which is uh, cool
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis...
Artemis II - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 20, 2026 at 9:47 PM
US Canadian relations at a nadir right now but also we're about to jointly send a US-Canadian mission of 4 astronauts on a slingshot around the moon which will be farther from earth than literally any human has gone before which is uh, cool
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis...
two wild milestones:
1) The PRD Metro area added an _entire Chicago L_ worth of Metro lines in 2025 alone
2) India will surpass the US in terms of mileage of metro lines
note both of these items basically took 10-15 years to take place
www.thetransportpolitic.com/2026/01/20/t...
1) The PRD Metro area added an _entire Chicago L_ worth of Metro lines in 2025 alone
2) India will surpass the US in terms of mileage of metro lines
note both of these items basically took 10-15 years to take place
www.thetransportpolitic.com/2026/01/20/t...
January 20, 2026 at 8:37 PM
two wild milestones:
1) The PRD Metro area added an _entire Chicago L_ worth of Metro lines in 2025 alone
2) India will surpass the US in terms of mileage of metro lines
note both of these items basically took 10-15 years to take place
www.thetransportpolitic.com/2026/01/20/t...
1) The PRD Metro area added an _entire Chicago L_ worth of Metro lines in 2025 alone
2) India will surpass the US in terms of mileage of metro lines
note both of these items basically took 10-15 years to take place
www.thetransportpolitic.com/2026/01/20/t...
red beans and rice with homemade tasso and andouille
January 20, 2026 at 2:14 AM
red beans and rice with homemade tasso and andouille
fun history of the Beijing subway (and also a good realization that without the Great Recession it probably won’t have become the worlds largest today)
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The New World's Largest Subway System* Part 2
A continuation of my experiences with Beijing Subway openings in late 2024. Oh there is also a massive new high speed railway station thrown in there somewhere...
substack.com
January 19, 2026 at 10:28 PM
fun history of the Beijing subway (and also a good realization that without the Great Recession it probably won’t have become the worlds largest today)
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
fascinating obituary of Singapore’s foremost urban planner www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ar...
Architect Liu Thai Ker, Singapore’s first master planner, dies at 87
Dr. Liu Thai Ker, Singapore's first master planner and a key figure in shaping its modern landscape, has died at 87. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.
www.straitstimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 11:36 PM
fascinating obituary of Singapore’s foremost urban planner www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ar...
California January backyard >>> everywhere else
January 18, 2026 at 10:46 PM
California January backyard >>> everywhere else
celebrating this new era of Chinese-Canadian relations by reading about Dorise Nielsen, the first communist elected to the Canadian parliament who later spent the 60s and 70s living in the PRC en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorise_...
January 18, 2026 at 5:18 AM
celebrating this new era of Chinese-Canadian relations by reading about Dorise Nielsen, the first communist elected to the Canadian parliament who later spent the 60s and 70s living in the PRC en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorise_...
my kingdom for the Honda Super-N EV
January 18, 2026 at 3:06 AM
my kingdom for the Honda Super-N EV
some personal news*
* (“new” bike day)
* (“new” bike day)
January 17, 2026 at 11:08 PM
some personal news*
* (“new” bike day)
* (“new” bike day)
ISO: a good book on the independence of India and partition
January 16, 2026 at 11:30 PM
ISO: a good book on the independence of India and partition
going to really commit to this this year but here's 2026 book thread
1) Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu / James Robinson. Given my pro pro-democratic institutions bias, this was good. the title's a bit misleading but a very compelling book and avoid a lot of traps that similar books fall into
1) Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu / James Robinson. Given my pro pro-democratic institutions bias, this was good. the title's a bit misleading but a very compelling book and avoid a lot of traps that similar books fall into
January 15, 2026 at 3:15 AM
going to really commit to this this year but here's 2026 book thread
1) Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu / James Robinson. Given my pro pro-democratic institutions bias, this was good. the title's a bit misleading but a very compelling book and avoid a lot of traps that similar books fall into
1) Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu / James Robinson. Given my pro pro-democratic institutions bias, this was good. the title's a bit misleading but a very compelling book and avoid a lot of traps that similar books fall into
1922 Utopian Socialist farmer or current day man about to serve you a matcha latte
January 13, 2026 at 3:05 AM
1922 Utopian Socialist farmer or current day man about to serve you a matcha latte
My grandfather lived in a world without Korean Fried Chicken, I eat it frequently. modernity rocks
the man widely regarded as creator of Korean fried chicken has died www.koreaherald.com/article/1065...
Man who built Korea's fried chicken industry dies at 74
Yoon Jong-gye, the founder of Mexican Chicken and widely regarded as the creator of Korea’s signature sweet-and-spicy fried chicken, has died after a long illne
www.koreaherald.com
January 9, 2026 at 12:50 AM
My grandfather lived in a world without Korean Fried Chicken, I eat it frequently. modernity rocks
who says you can't grow coffee in CA sprudge.com/a-california...
A California Gesha Makes Its International Auction Debut | Sprudge Coffee
Frinj Coffee's California Gesha will be part of the Dubai Coffee Auction.
sprudge.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:16 PM
who says you can't grow coffee in CA sprudge.com/a-california...
I feel like the infrastructure changes that Mexico is undertaking under AMLO and now Sheinbaum are super underreported on, and this piece did a great job on showing how the political economy of mexico is changing and building lasting support for her
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/the...
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/the...
The Fourth Transformation | David Adler, Vanessa Romero Rocha, and Michael Galant
The political economy of Claudia Sheinbaum’s popularity
www.phenomenalworld.org
January 8, 2026 at 5:43 PM
I feel like the infrastructure changes that Mexico is undertaking under AMLO and now Sheinbaum are super underreported on, and this piece did a great job on showing how the political economy of mexico is changing and building lasting support for her
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/the...
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/the...