Ariel Bierbaum
@arielbphd.bsky.social
urban + education researcher | lover of cities + trees + transit | roots in NJ-PHL-OAK | PreOrder #SchoolsforSale https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo268432754.html
would be great for folks in #phl to take a look at this as the current mayor suggests creating a 20-year tax abatement for repurposing closed schools: doubling down on a perverse cycle of starving schools of $$ to then justify closing them to then cut developers a deal to starve schools of $$...
Oh, my oped against extending 25+ year old TIFs/TADs in Atlanta ran in print today. Nothing like irritating the powers-that-be be twice with the same piece.
November 24, 2025 at 3:38 PM
would be great for folks in #phl to take a look at this as the current mayor suggests creating a 20-year tax abatement for repurposing closed schools: doubling down on a perverse cycle of starving schools of $$ to then justify closing them to then cut developers a deal to starve schools of $$...
Great! Now do medical research. and paychecks. and clothing designs (with pockets).
At least we're one step closer to finally getting an officially authorized female crash test dummy. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Read More: www.jalopnik.com/2032752/dot-...
Read More: www.jalopnik.com/2032752/dot-...
DOT Finally Realizes Women Exist, Authorizes Female Crash Test Dummies - Jalopnik
Women have been driving since Bertha Benz took one of Karl's contraptions without his permission on the first real drive of more than 60 miles back in 1888.
www.jalopnik.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Great! Now do medical research. and paychecks. and clothing designs (with pockets).
Reposted by Ariel Bierbaum
Induced demand: Same as it ever was
November 24, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Induced demand: Same as it ever was
I don't remember all the details, but I am old enough to ask the question: is this similar to Enron?
WSJ: “…... a marvel of financial engineering: Meta Platforms is building a $27 billion data center in Louisiana, financed with debt & neither the data center nor the debt will be on its own balance sheet.
Meta wants other people’s money to pay for the data center".
www.wsj.com/tech/meta-ai...
Meta wants other people’s money to pay for the data center".
www.wsj.com/tech/meta-ai...
AI Meets Aggressive Accounting at Meta’s Gigantic New Data Center
Favorable treatment off the balance sheet hinges on some convenient assumptions.
www.wsj.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:20 PM
I don't remember all the details, but I am old enough to ask the question: is this similar to Enron?
Induced Demand FTW! @mcdotnow.bsky.social take note!
The latest evaluation of bike lane projects in Boston continues to show that if you build bike infrastructure, people will use it.
Full report: www.boston.gov/sites/defaul...
Full report: www.boston.gov/sites/defaul...
November 24, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Induced Demand FTW! @mcdotnow.bsky.social take note!
@mcdotnow.bsky.social show us the research on "stop sign fatigue" please.
The entire practice of sprinkling two-way stops into a network of four-way stops is based on a traffic engineer myth that drivers experience so-called "stop sign fatigue," and that reducing the number of stop signs increases compliance.
November 24, 2025 at 2:12 PM
@mcdotnow.bsky.social show us the research on "stop sign fatigue" please.
I hope the editors at @chalkbeat.org take a look at these. I've been surprised at the soft-pedaling and both-side-ism of their coverage of this.
The latest History of Education Quarterly has an incredible forum addressing the dismantling of the US Department of Education.
I'll post non-paywalled versions of all nine contributions here. Huge thanks to the amazing scholars who participated.
I'll post non-paywalled versions of all nine contributions here. Huge thanks to the amazing scholars who participated.
November 21, 2025 at 3:08 PM
I hope the editors at @chalkbeat.org take a look at these. I've been surprised at the soft-pedaling and both-side-ism of their coverage of this.
and when you realize that the 15 books on either side of the one you went looking for are also awesome and relevant!
I'm happy I grew up in the era of card catalogs and the dewey decimal system. Just walking into the library with a stack of index cards, a pen, and an idea.
I keep thinking the *process* of researching is as important as what you discover.
It forces you to consider what impacts and relates to what you are looking for and the context of what you find impacts its meaning.
Knowledge is not a box of cereal that you can just grab a handful of. #KM
It forces you to consider what impacts and relates to what you are looking for and the context of what you find impacts its meaning.
Knowledge is not a box of cereal that you can just grab a handful of. #KM
November 21, 2025 at 2:45 PM
and when you realize that the 15 books on either side of the one you went looking for are also awesome and relevant!
I'm interested to know how many of these crashes are in places where - as @mcdotnow.bsky.social Traffic Chief Michael Paylor says - "the best use of the county’s resources is not to do anything here"? bethesdamagazine.com/2025/11/19/e...
November 21, 2025 at 2:31 PM
I'm interested to know how many of these crashes are in places where - as @mcdotnow.bsky.social Traffic Chief Michael Paylor says - "the best use of the county’s resources is not to do anything here"? bethesdamagazine.com/2025/11/19/e...
Reposted by Ariel Bierbaum
How can local leaders help children and young people access stable #housing and boost upward mobility?
In this Urban Wire article, experts share insights on youth #homelessness and practical #policy solutions using county-level data. Learn more this Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week.
In this Urban Wire article, experts share insights on youth #homelessness and practical #policy solutions using county-level data. Learn more this Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week.
More Affordable and Available Housing Would Mean Fewer Children and Young People Experiencing Homelessness
To reduce the number of students experiencing homelessness and promote upward mobility for children and young people, local leaders should focus on the root …
urbn.is
November 17, 2025 at 5:08 PM
How can local leaders help children and young people access stable #housing and boost upward mobility?
In this Urban Wire article, experts share insights on youth #homelessness and practical #policy solutions using county-level data. Learn more this Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week.
In this Urban Wire article, experts share insights on youth #homelessness and practical #policy solutions using county-level data. Learn more this Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week.
Pretty sure this is not what Jane Jacobs meant by "eyes on the street" (h/t @langealexandra.bsky.social). Although I guess if we were to create late-stage-capitalism-Jane-Jacobs, this is spot on? /sigh
There are blocks I won't go jogging down because it's just a wall of Ring cameras right up against the street with no setback and I do not need everyone and their grandmother recording me struggling at sunrise.
www.theverge.com/podcast/8220...
www.theverge.com/podcast/8220...
November 17, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Pretty sure this is not what Jane Jacobs meant by "eyes on the street" (h/t @langealexandra.bsky.social). Although I guess if we were to create late-stage-capitalism-Jane-Jacobs, this is spot on? /sigh
Taxes get you stuff! Like roads, parks, schools, traffic lights, cross walks.....
You guys realize that taxing people to pay for services isn't socialism, right? This is just how governments work.
November 17, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Taxes get you stuff! Like roads, parks, schools, traffic lights, cross walks.....
Reposted by Ariel Bierbaum
NEW: Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural school district superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
www.propublica.org
November 17, 2025 at 3:00 PM
NEW: Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
yay! now do Sligo Avenue
Hooray! @mcdotnow.bsky.social will add a marked crosswalk and curb cuts across Seneca Meadows Pkwy for people at the bus stops!
November 13, 2025 at 4:14 PM
yay! now do Sligo Avenue
Reposted by Ariel Bierbaum
Very cool article about how our fragmentation of local tax bases allows some suburbs to effectively act as tax havens at the expense of central metro areas.
(The link preview is bad, but it's:
Tax base fragmentation as a dimension of metropolitan inequality
by Manduca, Highsmith, & Waggoner)
(The link preview is bad, but it's:
Tax base fragmentation as a dimension of metropolitan inequality
by Manduca, Highsmith, & Waggoner)
Validate User
academic.oup.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Very cool article about how our fragmentation of local tax bases allows some suburbs to effectively act as tax havens at the expense of central metro areas.
(The link preview is bad, but it's:
Tax base fragmentation as a dimension of metropolitan inequality
by Manduca, Highsmith, & Waggoner)
(The link preview is bad, but it's:
Tax base fragmentation as a dimension of metropolitan inequality
by Manduca, Highsmith, & Waggoner)
Reposted by Ariel Bierbaum
The average MCPS school building is nearly 30 years old — and it shows.
When pipes burst or mold grows, our students and teachers pay the price.
I’ve asked the Board of Education to hold another public hearing on the Capital Improvements Program so more voices can be heard.
When pipes burst or mold grows, our students and teachers pay the price.
I’ve asked the Board of Education to hold another public hearing on the Capital Improvements Program so more voices can be heard.
November 12, 2025 at 7:03 PM
The average MCPS school building is nearly 30 years old — and it shows.
When pipes burst or mold grows, our students and teachers pay the price.
I’ve asked the Board of Education to hold another public hearing on the Capital Improvements Program so more voices can be heard.
When pipes burst or mold grows, our students and teachers pay the price.
I’ve asked the Board of Education to hold another public hearing on the Capital Improvements Program so more voices can be heard.
Reposted by Ariel Bierbaum
👋 I'm Danielle, and I'm on the #econjobmarket this year!
Let's start with a student describing her segregated school:
"The school felt temporary. Built like a warehouse with aluminum siding . . . I had a slipshod education"
The twist? The student is white, and her school is private.
A JMP 🧵 -->
Let's start with a student describing her segregated school:
"The school felt temporary. Built like a warehouse with aluminum siding . . . I had a slipshod education"
The twist? The student is white, and her school is private.
A JMP 🧵 -->
November 12, 2025 at 3:57 PM
👋 I'm Danielle, and I'm on the #econjobmarket this year!
Let's start with a student describing her segregated school:
"The school felt temporary. Built like a warehouse with aluminum siding . . . I had a slipshod education"
The twist? The student is white, and her school is private.
A JMP 🧵 -->
Let's start with a student describing her segregated school:
"The school felt temporary. Built like a warehouse with aluminum siding . . . I had a slipshod education"
The twist? The student is white, and her school is private.
A JMP 🧵 -->
ok, now do MoCo! :)
pretty darn cool that seattle is about to elect the head of the local grassroots transit riders union, community organizer, and daily bus rider as mayor.
a good sign of someone who understands and cares about the city they live in ☺️
a good sign of someone who understands and cares about the city they live in ☺️
November 12, 2025 at 2:42 AM
ok, now do MoCo! :)
We have some ideas in our forthcoming book #SchoolsforSale, based on what happened over the past 10+ years in PHL. Book drops in June 2026 + available for pre-order now. We are open to talk to folks organizing, in school districts, and cities about our recs.
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
November 11, 2025 at 4:19 PM
We have some ideas in our forthcoming book #SchoolsforSale, based on what happened over the past 10+ years in PHL. Book drops in June 2026 + available for pre-order now. We are open to talk to folks organizing, in school districts, and cities about our recs.
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Reposted by Ariel Bierbaum
We ask everyone outside of the car to be safe so that drivers can be dangerous.
November 8, 2025 at 11:21 PM
We ask everyone outside of the car to be safe so that drivers can be dangerous.
Color me surprised. Or not.
Yet another study showing the federal Opportunity Zone is flowing predominantly to neighborhoods already showing signs of gentrification & probably subsidizing continued gentrification rather than fostering responsible reinvestment.
By
@urbaninstitute.bsky.social at
www.urban.org/sites/defaul...
By
@urbaninstitute.bsky.social at
www.urban.org/sites/defaul...
October 30, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Color me surprised. Or not.
Reposted by Ariel Bierbaum
The ghost of William Whyte hates this trend. You should, too.
October 21, 2025 at 8:21 PM
The ghost of William Whyte hates this trend. You should, too.
Reposted by Ariel Bierbaum
#Cities across the United States need additional #housing to support their growing populations and address increasing housing costs. Aging #libraries could provide a solution.
Explore more in this new Urban Wire article.
Explore more in this new Urban Wire article.
Aging Libraries Could Offer Cities a Unique Opportunity to Build New Housing While Improving Public Services
Since 2000, more than 1,800 apartment units have been built in combined library-housing developments. These projects not only address local housing needs but…
urbn.is
October 21, 2025 at 7:13 PM
#Cities across the United States need additional #housing to support their growing populations and address increasing housing costs. Aging #libraries could provide a solution.
Explore more in this new Urban Wire article.
Explore more in this new Urban Wire article.
Drivers have killed or injured at least 3 children/youth in as many months in Montgomery County. When will @montgomerycountymd.bsky.social and its DOT step up to make evidence-based infrastructure changes that we know work to save lives?! @evanmglass.bsky.social
13-year-old struck by car in Silver Spring in critical condition www.thebanner.com/community/lo...
Girl, 13, struck by car in Silver Spring
A car struck a 13-year-old at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Evans Drive in Silver Spring. She is at the hospital in critical but stable condition, police said.
www.thebanner.com
October 20, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Drivers have killed or injured at least 3 children/youth in as many months in Montgomery County. When will @montgomerycountymd.bsky.social and its DOT step up to make evidence-based infrastructure changes that we know work to save lives?! @evanmglass.bsky.social
When we talk about safe routes to school, we need to think about the various definition of safety and what mobility justice actually looks like for all students/families.
Horrifying, heartbreaking, and something everyone who counts themselves as a member of the Safe Routes to School movement should absolutely be speaking out about.
October 16, 2025 at 3:11 PM
When we talk about safe routes to school, we need to think about the various definition of safety and what mobility justice actually looks like for all students/families.