Sandy Johnston

@sandypsj
961 Followers
191 Following
692 Posts
Regional transportation planner in Boston. UAlbany/Columbia/JTS alum. Chicago & New Haven expat. Transit, housing, cats, Cubs. Opinions mine, facts are facts.

RT @newhavenindy
New Haven tenants are squeezed by too high rents, too little pay, too dangerous living conditions, and too few apartments.

A panel of housing experts probed how the city got to this predicament — and how the state can act so renters can find some relief. https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/why_is_rent_so_unaffordable

Housing Q: Why's The Rent So Damn High?

New Haven tenants are squeezed by too high rents, too little pay, too dangerous living conditions, and too few apartments. A panel of housing experts probed how the city got to this predicament — and…

New Haven Independent
What there is demand for is public action far bolder than any IZ plan. A basically symbolic # of IZ units aren't going to make a difference to many in a city where many renters can't afford for their rent to go from $500 to $800. It's just a different world from bigger places.
Applying big city solutions to places with very different demand profiles is bad! And the thing about denying development in a place that needs investment is that it accelerates the opposite kind of displacement, displacement through neglect and disinvestment.
I think it's very likely that the mayor is correct here and the Council's IZ plan is far too aggressive for Albany's situation.
---
RT @therealjsolo
Searching for answers to the housing crisis, Albany Common Council members want to ensure more units when built would be earmarked as affordable. The mayor said she would veto, pointing to concerns that’ll push development away to neighboring communities.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/…
https://twitter.com/therealjsolo/status/1632414591870222339
Blocking an end-to-end merger really isn't it. Part of why we're stuck in this doom loop is that DC electeds just want to harp on their pet issues instead of doing actually smart policy stuff. There's plenty of actual problems for Liz Warren to go after in the railroad industry!
---
RT @ReutersPolitics
Senator Warren urges transport regulator to block U.S. railroad deal http://reut.rs/3IO4t4r
https://twitter.com/ReutersPolitics/status/1631726190233886722
Senator Warren urges transport regulator to block U.S. railroad deal

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren has urged a U.S. regulator to reject Canadian Pacific's <a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/CP.TO" target="_blank">(CP.TO)</a> $31 billion deal to take control of U.S. railroad Kansas City Southern, saying it would hurt competition, prompt job losses and disrupt service, a letter seen by Reuters showed.

Reuters
I'm not sure it's getting enough attention that Rhode Island is moving, with at least some bipartisan support, what appears to be a truly excellent housing package.
---
RT @Eli_Sherman
.@JoeShekarchi this week unveiled a legislative package he argues would help bolster much-needed housing development across the state without circumventing local control over zoning and planning. (w/@TedNesi) https://www.wpri.com/target-12/a-critical-iss…
https://twitter.com/Eli_Sherman/status/1631752119945494544
RT @CavasShips
Discovery by NOAA researchers of the 1894 wreck of the schooner barge IRONTON in Lake Huron has revealed one of the most intact shipwrecks ever found. All 3 of the 190-foot vessel's masts are still up, anchor stowed, ship's boat still tied to the stern https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/mar23/ironton-discovery.html
Frozen in Time: National Marine Sanctuary Researchers Discover Lost Shipwreck Ironton

Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust have discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Magnificently preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes for over a century, the 191-foot Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing.

I'm serious about this btw. We need to give civil servants real power in decision-making because otherwise we're by and large only allowing extroverts to make decisions.
Becoming a civil servant is how introverts get to participate in government.
---
RT @danielkayhertz
"run for something" but for becoming a public sector bureaucrat. you'll make as much of a difference but cause yourself less trouble!
https://twitter.com/DanielKayHertz/status/1631493053285277696
Daniel Kay Hertz on Twitter

“"run for something" but for becoming a public sector bureaucrat. you'll make as much of a difference but cause yourself less trouble!”

Twitter
RT @a320lga
A good way to think about the LIRR service complaints beyond load imbalances is this. The new schedules
-add some svc
-rationalize stopping patterns
but, bc there's now
-2 major western terminals vs 1 major/1 minor
-no timed xfers
the 'effective' frequency of svc seems lower