Kaid Benfield
@kaidindc.bsky.social
Environmental lawyer and longtime advocate of sustainable cities, towns, and rural areas. Author, People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think About Greener, Healthier Cities. Widely diverging interests, resident of Washington, DC. For more, see peoplehabitat.com.
Wow! Congratulations to @smartgrowthusa.bsky.social for hiring @bethosborne.bsky.social as its new president and CEO. What a wonderful choice! Godspeed, Beth! www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hu...
Press release: Beth Osborne announced as President and CEO of Smart Growth America - Smart Growth America
www.smartgrowthamerica.org
October 22, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Wow! Congratulations to @smartgrowthusa.bsky.social for hiring @bethosborne.bsky.social as its new president and CEO. What a wonderful choice! Godspeed, Beth! www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hu...
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
Apparently, no one seems particularly bothered, but for the past few days, Trump has been talking repeatedly about being a dictator.
If Americans don’t want that, the window to stop him is closing quickly.
If Americans don’t want that, the window to stop him is closing quickly.
August 26, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Apparently, no one seems particularly bothered, but for the past few days, Trump has been talking repeatedly about being a dictator.
If Americans don’t want that, the window to stop him is closing quickly.
If Americans don’t want that, the window to stop him is closing quickly.
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
This is just so self-defeating for our country. Creating complete unpredictability for an infant industry
Killing an infant in its cradle…really people??
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/c...
Killing an infant in its cradle…really people??
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/c...
Trump Administration Orders Work Halted on Wind Farm That Is Nearly Built
www.nytimes.com
August 23, 2025 at 12:03 AM
This is just so self-defeating for our country. Creating complete unpredictability for an infant industry
Killing an infant in its cradle…really people??
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/c...
Killing an infant in its cradle…really people??
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/c...
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
Looking at some of the replies to this post, it's notable how different the approach is in cycling+walking-friendly countries like the Netherlands + Sweden to that in most countries that face these weather conditions.
“Many Swedish cities, including #Stockholm, prioritize snow clearance very differently. They now clear walkways & bike paths first, especially those near bus stops & primary schools. Next, they clear local roads, & then, finally, highways.”
usa.streetsblog.org/2018/01/24/w...
usa.streetsblog.org/2018/01/24/w...
Why Sweden Clears Snow-Covered Walkways Before Roads — Streetsblog USA
It's part of "gender-balanced" policy that reflects the fact that women walk more than men.
usa.streetsblog.org
August 24, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Looking at some of the replies to this post, it's notable how different the approach is in cycling+walking-friendly countries like the Netherlands + Sweden to that in most countries that face these weather conditions.
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
JFC what are we even doing? This neighborhood park is treeless and desolate so it can be a parking lot once a year?
Who’s ready to play “Park or Parking Lot: Seafair Edition”?
August 25, 2025 at 2:33 PM
JFC what are we even doing? This neighborhood park is treeless and desolate so it can be a parking lot once a year?
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
As our kids go #BackToSchool, never forget that we ARE the traffic that we’re afraid of. If more kids walked, biked or rode transit to school, it would erase a massive number of car trips each day, and our kids would be safer, healthier and better at school. HT Ian Lockwood.
Spread the word.
Spread the word.
August 19, 2025 at 4:26 PM
As our kids go #BackToSchool, never forget that we ARE the traffic that we’re afraid of. If more kids walked, biked or rode transit to school, it would erase a massive number of car trips each day, and our kids would be safer, healthier and better at school. HT Ian Lockwood.
Spread the word.
Spread the word.
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
Apparently getting disaster aid has become a privilege in the US
SCOOP: FEMA is now requiring disaster survivors to sign up to receive aid using an email address - a move that is already putting some of the country’s most vulnerable people at risk of missing out on federal help, employees told me:
FEMA Now Requires Disaster Victims to Have an Email Address
Workers at FEMA worry that demanding disaster survivors access services using email could shut out people without internet connectivity from receiving government aid.
www.wired.com
August 20, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Apparently getting disaster aid has become a privilege in the US
This is an important piece of evidence. US drivers need to slow TF down, especially on streets and roads where people live:
Next time someone rails against 20 mph speed limits, share these stats with them and ask if three extra dead children is a price worth paying for a few seconds off their journey.
London's mayor in the @theguardian.com:
"The number of people killed or seriously injured on London borough roads reduced by 34% following the implementation of 20mph speed limits, with the number of children killed falling by 75% (from four to one)."
"The number of people killed or seriously injured on London borough roads reduced by 34% following the implementation of 20mph speed limits, with the number of children killed falling by 75% (from four to one)."
August 20, 2025 at 3:39 PM
This is an important piece of evidence. US drivers need to slow TF down, especially on streets and roads where people live:
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
It was awesome collaborating with @tomflood.bsky.social on this project. So cool to see this up!
August 20, 2025 at 3:23 PM
It was awesome collaborating with @tomflood.bsky.social on this project. So cool to see this up!
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
White sands New Mexico
August 20, 2025 at 12:44 AM
White sands New Mexico
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
NEW: For years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pushed discredited theories linking vaccines to autism.
Now, scientists studying the condition fear he has preconceived notions that will harm the field and taint new funding for research.
propub.li/41JYl7o
Now, scientists studying the condition fear he has preconceived notions that will harm the field and taint new funding for research.
propub.li/41JYl7o
RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism. Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.
While touting a $50 million initiative to identify the causes of autism, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is helping lead an administration that is rolling back protections against pollution and toxic chemicals,...
propub.li
August 20, 2025 at 10:10 AM
NEW: For years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pushed discredited theories linking vaccines to autism.
Now, scientists studying the condition fear he has preconceived notions that will harm the field and taint new funding for research.
propub.li/41JYl7o
Now, scientists studying the condition fear he has preconceived notions that will harm the field and taint new funding for research.
propub.li/41JYl7o
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
This suggests that not just personal preferences, but the “built environment” (i.e. the layout and planning of a city), plays a considerable role in the walking habits of a given individual.
#MobilityIsEquity
www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adve...
#MobilityIsEquity
www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adve...
Want to Stay Healthy? Move to a Walkable City.
A new study illustrates how a city’s specific infrastructure contributes to its inhabitants’ overall health and wellbeing
www.outsideonline.com
August 20, 2025 at 10:33 AM
This suggests that not just personal preferences, but the “built environment” (i.e. the layout and planning of a city), plays a considerable role in the walking habits of a given individual.
#MobilityIsEquity
www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adve...
#MobilityIsEquity
www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adve...
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
The Trump administration is intent on destroying U.S. higher education, which has for more than half a century been a beacon to the world.
US State Department has revoked more than 6,000 student visas, official says: cnn.it/45v8wxC
US State Department has revoked more than 6,000 student visas, official says | CNN Politics
The State Department has revoked more than 6,000 student visas this year, a State Department official said Monday, as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on some international students it...
cnn.it
August 18, 2025 at 7:46 PM
The Trump administration is intent on destroying U.S. higher education, which has for more than half a century been a beacon to the world.
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
New study: 60% of the world’s land area is in a precarious state, putting at risk the ability of the plant world to acquire enough energy through photosynthesis to maintain the material flows of carbon, water and nitrogen that support the ecosystems.
www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...
www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...
60 percent of the world’s land area is in a precarious state
15.08.2025 – A new study maps the planetary boundary of “functional biosphere integrity” in spatial detail and over centuries. It finds that 60 percent of global land areas are now already outside the...
www.pik-potsdam.de
August 18, 2025 at 8:31 PM
New study: 60% of the world’s land area is in a precarious state, putting at risk the ability of the plant world to acquire enough energy through photosynthesis to maintain the material flows of carbon, water and nitrogen that support the ecosystems.
www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...
www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...
This, too, is America:
Far too often we're sharing news on preventable tragedies on Oregon's roads. Our thoughts are with the pedestrians and families impacted by this terrible accident in the Lloyd Center. We won't stop fighting for safety investments for our streets.
The driver didn't stop. So one witness tailed the tractor-trailer for miles until officers pulled it over, police say.
August 18, 2025 at 8:41 PM
This, too, is America:
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
Terrible public transit forces people into car ownership whether they can afford it or not.
Owning a car costs $16,000 a year of which $3-4,000 is insurance. Now hundreds of Ottawa drivers are citing the high cost of living as reason for not renewing their insurance.
www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...
Owning a car costs $16,000 a year of which $3-4,000 is insurance. Now hundreds of Ottawa drivers are citing the high cost of living as reason for not renewing their insurance.
www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...
More Ottawa drivers taking the chance to drive without insurance, OPP say
Ontario Provincial Police say since Jan. 1, officers in Ottawa have issued 336 charges to drivers for operating a vehicle without insurance. Twenty-five charges were issued to drivers without insuranc...
www.ctvnews.ca
August 18, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Terrible public transit forces people into car ownership whether they can afford it or not.
Owning a car costs $16,000 a year of which $3-4,000 is insurance. Now hundreds of Ottawa drivers are citing the high cost of living as reason for not renewing their insurance.
www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...
Owning a car costs $16,000 a year of which $3-4,000 is insurance. Now hundreds of Ottawa drivers are citing the high cost of living as reason for not renewing their insurance.
www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...
So sad and, frankly, outrageous that someone with these violations on his record is allowed to drive:
Much harder to get a license, much harder to keep a license, and much easier to take it away, along with supporting other transit options so that people don't NEED to drive.
August 18, 2025 at 8:35 PM
So sad and, frankly, outrageous that someone with these violations on his record is allowed to drive:
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
23.1% of principle residences in Paris are social housing. Keeping homes affordable for everyone that works here is what makes a city great. Here is a newly renovated project near my apartment.
#paris #15minutecity #urbanism #housing #socialhousing
www.apur.org/en/housing-d...
#paris #15minutecity #urbanism #housing #socialhousing
www.apur.org/en/housing-d...
August 16, 2025 at 7:32 PM
23.1% of principle residences in Paris are social housing. Keeping homes affordable for everyone that works here is what makes a city great. Here is a newly renovated project near my apartment.
#paris #15minutecity #urbanism #housing #socialhousing
www.apur.org/en/housing-d...
#paris #15minutecity #urbanism #housing #socialhousing
www.apur.org/en/housing-d...
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
If it fits, I sits.
If drivers have such a hard time understanding that the sidewalk can’t be parked on, maybe we need to remove more driveways that intersect sidewalks.
This driver’s choice pushes pedestrians into one of the city’s highest injury streets (Nicollet).
If drivers have such a hard time understanding that the sidewalk can’t be parked on, maybe we need to remove more driveways that intersect sidewalks.
This driver’s choice pushes pedestrians into one of the city’s highest injury streets (Nicollet).
August 16, 2025 at 1:36 AM
If it fits, I sits.
If drivers have such a hard time understanding that the sidewalk can’t be parked on, maybe we need to remove more driveways that intersect sidewalks.
This driver’s choice pushes pedestrians into one of the city’s highest injury streets (Nicollet).
If drivers have such a hard time understanding that the sidewalk can’t be parked on, maybe we need to remove more driveways that intersect sidewalks.
This driver’s choice pushes pedestrians into one of the city’s highest injury streets (Nicollet).
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
“Walkable cities allow you to access more amenities on foot for daily life, like going to school or work, buying ingredients for dinner…But that's not available to everyone, given many cities and suburbs in Canada and the U.S. have been designed to emphasize transport by car, urban planners say.”
Moving to a more walkable city pays off for health, scientists find | CBC News
People who moved to a walking friendly city walked more, and at the brisk pace favoured to improve health and prevent disease, a new natural experiment shows.
www.cbc.ca
August 16, 2025 at 2:34 AM
“Walkable cities allow you to access more amenities on foot for daily life, like going to school or work, buying ingredients for dinner…But that's not available to everyone, given many cities and suburbs in Canada and the U.S. have been designed to emphasize transport by car, urban planners say.”
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
So agree with this! The kind on the right -- there are a zillion in Seattle -- look like they were designed by committee, or rather, by a group of subcommittees that only fitfully communicated with one another.
Simple Boxes with Ornamentation are better than One Box Pretending To Be Lots of Boxes
August 16, 2025 at 6:45 AM
So agree with this! The kind on the right -- there are a zillion in Seattle -- look like they were designed by committee, or rather, by a group of subcommittees that only fitfully communicated with one another.
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
Remember all of the “food prices are too high” social media posts from 2024?
Grocery price inflation is higher now than it was then
Grocery price inflation is higher now than it was then
Today's U.S. CPI shows grocery price inflation rising and above 2% year-on-year since March 2025, after the period of low grocery price rises in 2023-24.
This FRED chart shows rise in grocery inflation (green) vs restaurant meals (red) and the overall CPI (blue):
fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1LgBF
This FRED chart shows rise in grocery inflation (green) vs restaurant meals (red) and the overall CPI (blue):
fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1LgBF
FRED Graph
FRED Graph
fred.stlouisfed.org
August 16, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Remember all of the “food prices are too high” social media posts from 2024?
Grocery price inflation is higher now than it was then
Grocery price inflation is higher now than it was then
Reposted by Kaid Benfield
Starter condos are starter homes. Period. Why incentivize starter homes that are single family when they’re much more expensive than condos? Let the market build what people can actually afford. I’m glad this conversation is evolving in Utah.
Will starter condos soon be for sale in Utah? What's happening with the state's starter home program
Starter condos in addition to affordable single family homes? See Utah's latest plan to get more affordable housing built.
www.deseret.com
August 14, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Starter condos are starter homes. Period. Why incentivize starter homes that are single family when they’re much more expensive than condos? Let the market build what people can actually afford. I’m glad this conversation is evolving in Utah.