Nicole Flatow
@nicflatow.bsky.social
Managing Editor at Bloomberg CityLab.
Stories and justice for all.
Views are my own.
Stories and justice for all.
Views are my own.
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
NEW: After a White Town Rejected a Data Center, Developers Targeted a Black Area
Four million Americans live within 1 mile of a data center. The communities closest to them are “overwhelmingly” non-white.
capitalbnews.org/data-center-...
Four million Americans live within 1 mile of a data center. The communities closest to them are “overwhelmingly” non-white.
capitalbnews.org/data-center-...
After a White Town Rejected a Data Center, Developers Targeted a Black Area
Four million Americans live within 1 mile of a data center. The communities closest to them are “overwhelmingly” non-white.
capitalbnews.org
January 6, 2026 at 4:06 PM
NEW: After a White Town Rejected a Data Center, Developers Targeted a Black Area
Four million Americans live within 1 mile of a data center. The communities closest to them are “overwhelmingly” non-white.
capitalbnews.org/data-center-...
Four million Americans live within 1 mile of a data center. The communities closest to them are “overwhelmingly” non-white.
capitalbnews.org/data-center-...
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
Sorry, but triumphant claims about autonomous vehicle safety are wildly exaggerated.
It's an open question whether today’s self-driving cars are any safer than those driven by humans.
And if reducing crashes is the goal, that isn’t even the right question.
My deep dive, in Bloomberg 🧵
It's an open question whether today’s self-driving cars are any safer than those driven by humans.
And if reducing crashes is the goal, that isn’t even the right question.
My deep dive, in Bloomberg 🧵
We Still Don’t Know if Robotaxis Are Safer Than Human Drivers
And even if self-driving technology proves to be less dangerous, there are many better ways to improve traffic safety and prevent fatal crashes.
www.bloomberg.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Sorry, but triumphant claims about autonomous vehicle safety are wildly exaggerated.
It's an open question whether today’s self-driving cars are any safer than those driven by humans.
And if reducing crashes is the goal, that isn’t even the right question.
My deep dive, in Bloomberg 🧵
It's an open question whether today’s self-driving cars are any safer than those driven by humans.
And if reducing crashes is the goal, that isn’t even the right question.
My deep dive, in Bloomberg 🧵
If you've been compelled by any of the recent effusive safety assessments of self-driving cars, read this definitive reality check from @davidzipper.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
We Still Don’t Know if Robotaxis Are Safer Than Human Drivers
And even if self-driving technology proves to be less dangerous, there are many better ways to improve traffic safety and prevent fatal crashes.
www.bloomberg.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:52 PM
If you've been compelled by any of the recent effusive safety assessments of self-driving cars, read this definitive reality check from @davidzipper.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
One thing I wrote about here is how technology has made buses *way* more convenient while techno-futurists were obsessed with flying taxis and self-driving cars.
January 2, 2026 at 2:17 PM
One thing I wrote about here is how technology has made buses *way* more convenient while techno-futurists were obsessed with flying taxis and self-driving cars.
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
I wrote about how surprised I still am a candidate for NYC mayor won in large part by talking incessantly about buses, and also about how making them fast as promised will be an immense challenge. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
With Mamdani, the Humble Bus Gets Its Due
Enthusiasm for NYC’s mayor-elect may reflect a little-understood reality about the essential role of buses. Still, making them faster won’t be easy.
www.bloomberg.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:29 PM
I wrote about how surprised I still am a candidate for NYC mayor won in large part by talking incessantly about buses, and also about how making them fast as promised will be an immense challenge. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
When DCist was shut down, it had 70,000+ subscribers.
The 51st is proud to carry forward the spirit with which DCist served our city.
But we can’t stop thinking about how most of those subscribers — our neighbors and friends — are just no longer receiving the kind of local news they signed up for.
The 51st is proud to carry forward the spirit with which DCist served our city.
But we can’t stop thinking about how most of those subscribers — our neighbors and friends — are just no longer receiving the kind of local news they signed up for.
November 25, 2025 at 10:45 PM
When DCist was shut down, it had 70,000+ subscribers.
The 51st is proud to carry forward the spirit with which DCist served our city.
But we can’t stop thinking about how most of those subscribers — our neighbors and friends — are just no longer receiving the kind of local news they signed up for.
The 51st is proud to carry forward the spirit with which DCist served our city.
But we can’t stop thinking about how most of those subscribers — our neighbors and friends — are just no longer receiving the kind of local news they signed up for.
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
Here's a really great, clear explanation from @michael-thomas.bsky.social of what we know about why US electricity prices are rising. (No, it's not data centers, except in some very specific local areas.)
Why Are Electricity Prices Rising?
Probably not for the reasons that you think
www.distilled.earth
October 24, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Here's a really great, clear explanation from @michael-thomas.bsky.social of what we know about why US electricity prices are rising. (No, it's not data centers, except in some very specific local areas.)
Amsterdam might never have become a city if not for climate change. But the city's secret sauce is that it turned its greatest challenges into advantages, @feargusosull.bsky.social and Charlotte Hughes-Morgan explain in this great piece.
Europe’s Original Climate-Resilient City Has a Lesson for Us All
On Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, it continues to be a leader in climate adaptation — showing how a city can thrive in overcoming existential challenges.
www.bloomberg.com
October 25, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Amsterdam might never have become a city if not for climate change. But the city's secret sauce is that it turned its greatest challenges into advantages, @feargusosull.bsky.social and Charlotte Hughes-Morgan explain in this great piece.
Placating myself by looking at this pretty chart. www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
The Most Efficient Traveler Isn’t a Bird or a Fish—It’s You on a Bike
A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom
www.scientificamerican.com
October 17, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Placating myself by looking at this pretty chart. www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
Three newly published books argue that cars are destroying society as well as the planet.
Is the world finally ready to rein in the automobile?
My essay, in @bloomberg.com (gift link below)
Is the world finally ready to rein in the automobile?
My essay, in @bloomberg.com (gift link below)
‘Car Brain’ Is Making the US Unhealthy and Dangerous. EVs Won’t Fix It.
A trio of new books argue that we need to confront the full range of costs that car-based living has imposed on our cities, our health and our society.
www.bloomberg.com
October 10, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Three newly published books argue that cars are destroying society as well as the planet.
Is the world finally ready to rein in the automobile?
My essay, in @bloomberg.com (gift link below)
Is the world finally ready to rein in the automobile?
My essay, in @bloomberg.com (gift link below)
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
Thanks, New Yorker
October 7, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Thanks, New Yorker
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
Tom Homan said he was recused from anything to do with government contracts.
Turns out he wasn't. He played a role in the process to move immigration detention contracts through the Defense Department
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
With @racheladhe.bsky.social and @sooophie.bsky.social
Turns out he wasn't. He played a role in the process to move immigration detention contracts through the Defense Department
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
With @racheladhe.bsky.social and @sooophie.bsky.social
Trump’s Border Czar Involved in Detention Contract Talks Despite Recusal
Ethics experts say Tom Homan’s participation could violate rules meant to ensure impartiality. The White House says he has not crossed that line.
www.bloomberg.com
September 24, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Tom Homan said he was recused from anything to do with government contracts.
Turns out he wasn't. He played a role in the process to move immigration detention contracts through the Defense Department
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
With @racheladhe.bsky.social and @sooophie.bsky.social
Turns out he wasn't. He played a role in the process to move immigration detention contracts through the Defense Department
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
With @racheladhe.bsky.social and @sooophie.bsky.social
This school shooting tip line started by the mother of a Sandy Hook victim receives 200 tips a day from KIDS. I can't really imagine what it's like to be on their internet. abc7news.com/post/planned...
Planned shooting stopped at Bay Area high school via Sandy Hook Promise tip line
"What we know is that a student saw a concerning post on a friend's Instagram feed and reported it to our anonymous reporting system manned at our crisis center down in Miami," said Nicole Hockley, co...
abc7news.com
September 23, 2025 at 2:22 PM
This school shooting tip line started by the mother of a Sandy Hook victim receives 200 tips a day from KIDS. I can't really imagine what it's like to be on their internet. abc7news.com/post/planned...
This approach doesn't seem to grasp that even if you prefer to drive, you should still want OTHER people to take alternative modes so you can go faster.
September 23, 2025 at 1:54 PM
This approach doesn't seem to grasp that even if you prefer to drive, you should still want OTHER people to take alternative modes so you can go faster.
Any grant that isn't retaining or expanding roads is apparently vulnerable now.
Trump is rescinding road safety grants all over the country, in blue states and red ones.
The reason: those projects are "hostile" to cars.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The reason: those projects are "hostile" to cars.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Trump Cancels Trail, Bike-Lane Grants Deemed ‘Hostile’ to Cars
The Trump administration canceled grants for street safety measures, pedestrian trails and bike lanes in communities around the country this month, each time offering a simple rationale for yanking ba...
www.bloomberg.com
September 23, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Any grant that isn't retaining or expanding roads is apparently vulnerable now.
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
I have a major piece in Bloomberg Citylab today. Should the US let transit fail, as Pennsylvania is already doing? And if not, what are the arguments we need to let it succeed?
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Should We Let Public Transit Die?
Urban-rural hostility is fueling a public transportation crisis in US cities. But demands to abandon bus and train riders ignore the economic and social costs of cutting service.
www.bloomberg.com
September 19, 2025 at 7:38 PM
I have a major piece in Bloomberg Citylab today. Should the US let transit fail, as Pennsylvania is already doing? And if not, what are the arguments we need to let it succeed?
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Florida man calls out Trump legal action as rant dressed in lawsuit's clothing
"Improper" "impermissible" "repetitive" "superfluous" "florid" "protracted"
A US judge in Florida tossed, for now, Trump's $15B defamation suit against the New York Times, finding it "unmistakably and inexcusably" ran afoul of court rules. Trump's lawyers get 28 days to try again.
buff.ly/FKQnQqx
A US judge in Florida tossed, for now, Trump's $15B defamation suit against the New York Times, finding it "unmistakably and inexcusably" ran afoul of court rules. Trump's lawyers get 28 days to try again.
buff.ly/FKQnQqx
September 19, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Florida man calls out Trump legal action as rant dressed in lawsuit's clothing
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
Well well well
Bessent, Like Fed Governor, Made Contradictory Mortgage Pledges
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent once agreed to occupy two different houses as his “principal residence” at the same time, mortgage documents show — the same kind of contradictory pledges that Pres...
www.bloomberg.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Well well well
When we talk about housing crises and other such resource strains we don’t always take the long view. And the long view is that the world is urbanizing FAST. Before population decline comes rapid population growth, especially in some cities. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
September 17, 2025 at 1:40 PM
When we talk about housing crises and other such resource strains we don’t always take the long view. And the long view is that the world is urbanizing FAST. Before population decline comes rapid population growth, especially in some cities. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Every word and picture.
September 5, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Every word and picture.
Impressive and rare kind of judicial reporting here
This is an absolute must read by Lawrence Hurley @lawrencehurley.bsky.social - federal judges spoke to him about their frustrations with the Supreme Court (how it's enabling Trump's attacks on them, how it's making a hash of the law on the shadow docket, etc.)
www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...
In rare interviews, federal judges criticize Supreme Court's handling of Trump cases
Ten judges tell NBC News the Supreme Court needs to explain its rulings better, with some urging Chief Justice John Roberts to do more to defend the judiciary against external criticism.
www.nbcnews.com
September 5, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Impressive and rare kind of judicial reporting here
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
Something rare—maybe unprecedented—is unfolding in D.C.: Grand juries are refusing to indict Trump opponents whose minor acts of defiance have been inflated into felony charges.
Washingtonians have few tools to resist the occupation of their city. This is one of them.
slate.com/news-and-pol...
Washingtonians have few tools to resist the occupation of their city. This is one of them.
slate.com/news-and-pol...
September 4, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Something rare—maybe unprecedented—is unfolding in D.C.: Grand juries are refusing to indict Trump opponents whose minor acts of defiance have been inflated into felony charges.
Washingtonians have few tools to resist the occupation of their city. This is one of them.
slate.com/news-and-pol...
Washingtonians have few tools to resist the occupation of their city. This is one of them.
slate.com/news-and-pol...
"People don’t even know what the government does until it’s not doing it. HUD is one of the perfect examples of that.”
Housing Secretary Scott Turner wants to build-baby-build. But so far his tenure at HUD has looked more like slash-slash-slash — with plunging numbers for staff, grants and proposed funding.
@sarahholder.bsky.social and I profiled Turner and his unorthodox agenda: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
@sarahholder.bsky.social and I profiled Turner and his unorthodox agenda: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Trump’s Housing Chief Wants to Build, But With What?
HUD Secretary Scott Turner says it’s time to put millions more Americans in homes. He’s also standing by while his agency’s staff and funding disappear.
www.bloomberg.com
September 4, 2025 at 3:52 PM
"People don’t even know what the government does until it’s not doing it. HUD is one of the perfect examples of that.”
Reposted by Nicole Flatow
Federal housing agenda looks a bit different under Turner: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
September 4, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Federal housing agenda looks a bit different under Turner: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...