Ben Vaught
@benvaught.bsky.social
Carly Rae Jepsen nano-influencer. Plutophobic.
Nashville
Nashville
Couldn’t get it into road gear today. Drove 3.5 miles home (on a safer road) at 7.4 miles an hour. Got a little nervous on this one ngl
November 30, 2025 at 5:10 AM
Couldn’t get it into road gear today. Drove 3.5 miles home (on a safer road) at 7.4 miles an hour. Got a little nervous on this one ngl
We should follow the lead of NYC’s new neoliberal mayor and cut red tape to encourage the construction of more homes
Why are many U.S. cities building less? Why have they insisted on a "thicket" of regulations that make housing hard to build?
In a new #EconJMP with Beau Bressler (beaubressler.github.io), we study how much of the answer lies with a forgotten federal program that taught cities to restrict growth
In a new #EconJMP with Beau Bressler (beaubressler.github.io), we study how much of the answer lies with a forgotten federal program that taught cities to restrict growth
November 30, 2025 at 4:56 AM
We should follow the lead of NYC’s new neoliberal mayor and cut red tape to encourage the construction of more homes
Area neolib pushes deregulation? 👀
November 30, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Area neolib pushes deregulation? 👀
Reposted by Ben Vaught
I feel like the two dimensional political compass for local elected democrats are:
1. Mod or Prog
2. Interested in solving any local problems whatsoever vs deferring to local gatekeeper assholes.
1. Mod or Prog
2. Interested in solving any local problems whatsoever vs deferring to local gatekeeper assholes.
It’s incredibly funny people flipped out about a guy running the most standard ass municipal government policy playbook imaginable.
Soon small businesses won’t have to wait for Small Business Saturday to get attention from their Mayor.
Some changes that they can look forward to:
Some changes that they can look forward to:
November 29, 2025 at 11:46 PM
I feel like the two dimensional political compass for local elected democrats are:
1. Mod or Prog
2. Interested in solving any local problems whatsoever vs deferring to local gatekeeper assholes.
1. Mod or Prog
2. Interested in solving any local problems whatsoever vs deferring to local gatekeeper assholes.
Oh word? We should try that
Interesting new working paper that studies chains of movers after the construction of a new apartment building in Honolulu.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
uhero.hawaii.edu
November 28, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Oh word? We should try that
Periodic reminder that NDOT removed a brand new bike lane to install a loading zone at a concert venue at the request of (among other people) a Waymo lobbyist
Waymo privatized another public street:
Chanel approaching 4th, San Francisco
Possibly queued for a Billie Eilish show at Chase Center ~half mile away.
The light rail train on 4th seen passing in front of this roboherd has more passenger capacity than all of them combined.
OP: .tiktok.renaspam18
Chanel approaching 4th, San Francisco
Possibly queued for a Billie Eilish show at Chase Center ~half mile away.
The light rail train on 4th seen passing in front of this roboherd has more passenger capacity than all of them combined.
OP: .tiktok.renaspam18
November 28, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Periodic reminder that NDOT removed a brand new bike lane to install a loading zone at a concert venue at the request of (among other people) a Waymo lobbyist
Reposted by Ben Vaught
Trumpism and Trumpists are incompatible with American culture and traditions and should be purged.
November 28, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Trumpism and Trumpists are incompatible with American culture and traditions and should be purged.
in case anyone was wondering what Broadway looked like at 11PM on thanksgiving night
(I’m baking a cheesecake and ran out of sugar and the downtown DGX was the only thing open) (but it wasn’t actually open)
(I’m baking a cheesecake and ran out of sugar and the downtown DGX was the only thing open) (but it wasn’t actually open)
November 28, 2025 at 5:26 AM
in case anyone was wondering what Broadway looked like at 11PM on thanksgiving night
(I’m baking a cheesecake and ran out of sugar and the downtown DGX was the only thing open) (but it wasn’t actually open)
(I’m baking a cheesecake and ran out of sugar and the downtown DGX was the only thing open) (but it wasn’t actually open)
Got to herd this lumbering pig down what has to be a top 5 most dangerous road in Rutherford county today. Two lanes, no shoulders. I can’t escape this stuff
November 26, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Got to herd this lumbering pig down what has to be a top 5 most dangerous road in Rutherford county today. Two lanes, no shoulders. I can’t escape this stuff
I think we can safely assume we’re not getting state-level leadership like this to address the housing shortage in TN, and certainly not in a shape we’d like. It has to be us. Nashvillians or nobody.
‼️ Gov. Lamont has signed HB8002! This bill represents a big step in the right direction for facing CT’s housing shortage. Congrats to Gov. Lamont and his team, our legislative champions, municipal leaders, and advocates who are creating a new pro-homes consensus in CT!
November 26, 2025 at 7:33 PM
I think we can safely assume we’re not getting state-level leadership like this to address the housing shortage in TN, and certainly not in a shape we’d like. It has to be us. Nashvillians or nobody.
Our Byzantine zoning code and CM deference encourages (subsidizes?) large developments from large developers, because they’re the only ones that can afford to navigate the process and weather arbitrary delays. This is what we said we wanted.
November 26, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Our Byzantine zoning code and CM deference encourages (subsidizes?) large developments from large developers, because they’re the only ones that can afford to navigate the process and weather arbitrary delays. This is what we said we wanted.
Bleak shit, man. This is how you kill people
November 26, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Bleak shit, man. This is how you kill people
Reposted by Ben Vaught
If we use tax money to give Steve Smith an armored vehicle before we get a single linear foot of bus or bike lane from Connect Downtown istg
Why do they always try to do the stuff around the holidays?
To the #MetroCouncilNash: our concerns about oversight of surveillance programs actually are not allayed by putting it into the hands of a third party. Please do not let this happen.
readrichtext.substack.com?utm_source=s...
To the #MetroCouncilNash: our concerns about oversight of surveillance programs actually are not allayed by putting it into the hands of a third party. Please do not let this happen.
readrichtext.substack.com?utm_source=s...
{Rich Text} | Mike Lacy | Substack
Nashville politics, metamodern philosophy, nonboring data science musings, and an unhealthy interest in Tom Cruise. Best of Nashville 2025 "Best Metro Watchdog".
Contact me securely on Signal:
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readrichtext.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:02 AM
If we use tax money to give Steve Smith an armored vehicle before we get a single linear foot of bus or bike lane from Connect Downtown istg
Let’s play a game: How many homes does this person own, and how many are multifamily?
November 25, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Let’s play a game: How many homes does this person own, and how many are multifamily?
Just saw one of these in a yard in exurban Rutherford county and idk man I just think Nashville should make it easier for people to leave places with this sort of political environment if they want to
November 25, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Just saw one of these in a yard in exurban Rutherford county and idk man I just think Nashville should make it easier for people to leave places with this sort of political environment if they want to
embarrassing time to be a Tennessean
November 25, 2025 at 7:01 PM
embarrassing time to be a Tennessean
Reposted by Ben Vaught
The lesson: mandatory inclusionary zoning really has to be funded for it to work.
From 2017 - 2024, #PortlandOR’s inclusionary zoning program wasn’t working.
“The city had ordered that at least 10% of new apartments be affordable,” writes @andersem.bsky.social, “but it turned out that 10% of a small number was also a small number.”
“The city had ordered that at least 10% of new apartments be affordable,” writes @andersem.bsky.social, “but it turned out that 10% of a small number was also a small number.”
Portland’s Inclusionary Zoning Program Is Finally Performing, New Data Suggests | Sightline Institute
Because for the first time, the city fully funded it.
www.sightline.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:57 PM
The lesson: mandatory inclusionary zoning really has to be funded for it to work.
always go to the second location
November 25, 2025 at 5:49 PM
always go to the second location
Thankful to live in a progressive city like Nashville that would never weaponize historic preservation to make neighborhoods more expensive and suburban
This is a phenomenal example of how people advocating for the "character of the neighborhood" are often actually advocating to *change* the character to be less dense and more suburban. Which, if you go play with the city's n'hood GIS explorer, is what has happened all over Boston!
November 25, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Thankful to live in a progressive city like Nashville that would never weaponize historic preservation to make neighborhoods more expensive and suburban
November 25, 2025 at 4:48 AM
nothing will radicalize you against zoning quite like engaging with zoning
November 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM
nothing will radicalize you against zoning quite like engaging with zoning
Reposted by Ben Vaught
Time to make The Rent Is Too Damn High a serious third party contender in these elections.
November 23, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Time to make The Rent Is Too Damn High a serious third party contender in these elections.
Nashville’s RN and RL zones try to give the NIMBYs their pound of flesh before they ever asked for it, and the result is yesterday’s solutions tomorrow (maybe!). And the NIMBYs are still mad!
November 23, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Nashville’s RN and RL zones try to give the NIMBYs their pound of flesh before they ever asked for it, and the result is yesterday’s solutions tomorrow (maybe!). And the NIMBYs are still mad!
Reposted by Ben Vaught
November 23, 2025 at 7:17 PM