Serena Larkin
@serenalarkin.bsky.social
Comms + messaging for @sightline.org. Here for all our climate, cities, + democracy issues, plus weird fiction, farming, cats, + two-wheeled tootling 🚲 Chicago 🌇 Opinions my own
Reposted by Serena Larkin
'We talk endlessly about the “missing middle.” But the real catastrophe was the “banished bottom”'
Good piece! I wish it mentioned that SROs are re-legalized in all multifamily zones in OR & WA
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Good piece! I wish it mentioned that SROs are re-legalized in all multifamily zones in OR & WA
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The Banished Bottom of the Housing Market
How America Destroyed Its Cheapest Homes
substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:54 PM
'We talk endlessly about the “missing middle.” But the real catastrophe was the “banished bottom”'
Good piece! I wish it mentioned that SROs are re-legalized in all multifamily zones in OR & WA
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Good piece! I wish it mentioned that SROs are re-legalized in all multifamily zones in OR & WA
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Reposted by Serena Larkin
Donate money to a food bank or food pantry, then give your extra cans and boxes to a mutual aid org, love fridge, free pantry, etc. in your neighborhood.
Money in formal channels takes advantage of scale, and whatever you can spare in informal channels reaches more neighbors.
Money in formal channels takes advantage of scale, and whatever you can spare in informal channels reaches more neighbors.
spoke with the executive director of my local food bank today and got this really incredible line: "if you donate 1 can of green beans, we can give away 1 can of green beans. but if you donate a dollar, we can give away 6 cans of green beans"
November 11, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Donate money to a food bank or food pantry, then give your extra cans and boxes to a mutual aid org, love fridge, free pantry, etc. in your neighborhood.
Money in formal channels takes advantage of scale, and whatever you can spare in informal channels reaches more neighbors.
Money in formal channels takes advantage of scale, and whatever you can spare in informal channels reaches more neighbors.
i deeply love coworking at my local library
a table away, a man in a suit tie etc. is enjoying occasional handfuls from a large ziploc of potato chips
a toddler, tailed by dad, marvels volubly at the floor-to-ceiling blinds
and my fresh holds await me downstairs
a table away, a man in a suit tie etc. is enjoying occasional handfuls from a large ziploc of potato chips
a toddler, tailed by dad, marvels volubly at the floor-to-ceiling blinds
and my fresh holds await me downstairs
November 11, 2025 at 4:29 PM
i deeply love coworking at my local library
a table away, a man in a suit tie etc. is enjoying occasional handfuls from a large ziploc of potato chips
a toddler, tailed by dad, marvels volubly at the floor-to-ceiling blinds
and my fresh holds await me downstairs
a table away, a man in a suit tie etc. is enjoying occasional handfuls from a large ziploc of potato chips
a toddler, tailed by dad, marvels volubly at the floor-to-ceiling blinds
and my fresh holds await me downstairs
Reposted by Serena Larkin
Notably, again, 1.18 million is the most number of households that have ever lived in Chicago--above 1.15 million, which was the previous peak in 1960. We bottomed out at 1.025 million in 2000.
A lot of interesting stuff here from @housingstudies.bsky.social, but here's an [eyes emoji] one: Chicago has gained 176,000 households between 2012 and 2023, growing from almost exactly 1 million to 1.18 million housingstudies.org/blog/rental-...
Understanding Chicago’s Rental Affordability Challenges: A Review of Data, Trends, and Solutions
In advance of our upcoming State of Rental in Chicago report, this blog presents the newest data on changes in the rental housing stock and the demographic and socioeconomic makeup of renters, offerin...
housingstudies.org
October 29, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Notably, again, 1.18 million is the most number of households that have ever lived in Chicago--above 1.15 million, which was the previous peak in 1960. We bottomed out at 1.025 million in 2000.
oooh, 'bout to knock out half my holiday shopping...
📢 BIG NEWS! Island Press is holding a #SimplyEverything sale! ALL our books are 50% off for ONE WEEK only! Find your next great read and save big! Use code HALF at checkout! 🌍📚 Islandpress.org/half
November 10, 2025 at 4:15 PM
oooh, 'bout to knock out half my holiday shopping...
next-level unhinged
Border Patrol agents posed at "The Bean" for an apparent photo op after a weekend of clashes in Little Village. blockclubchi.co/4oUHKae
November 10, 2025 at 4:09 PM
next-level unhinged
Reposted by Serena Larkin
I don’t know how many times I’ve watched this video.
I don’t know how we’ve gotten to the point where men in full balaclavas can abduct daycare teachers while they’re watching children.
But I do know that this isn’t sustainable. Abolish ICE. There is no way to reform this.
I don’t know how we’ve gotten to the point where men in full balaclavas can abduct daycare teachers while they’re watching children.
But I do know that this isn’t sustainable. Abolish ICE. There is no way to reform this.
Federal agents pulling a woman out of Rayito Del Sol, a daycare by Lane Tech high school
November 5, 2025 at 9:42 PM
I don’t know how many times I’ve watched this video.
I don’t know how we’ve gotten to the point where men in full balaclavas can abduct daycare teachers while they’re watching children.
But I do know that this isn’t sustainable. Abolish ICE. There is no way to reform this.
I don’t know how we’ve gotten to the point where men in full balaclavas can abduct daycare teachers while they’re watching children.
But I do know that this isn’t sustainable. Abolish ICE. There is no way to reform this.
Reposted by Serena Larkin
@dannyoleksiuk.bsky.social writes for @sightline.org about the potential to bring back small lot apartment buildings.
#singlestair code changes can unlock this option for the first time in a century. Let’s go!
www.sightline.org/2025/10/28/t...
#singlestair code changes can unlock this option for the first time in a century. Let’s go!
www.sightline.org/2025/10/28/t...
To Build Fast, Think Small | Sightline Institute
How re-legalizing small apartment buildings would spur the homes city dwellers need now.
www.sightline.org
October 28, 2025 at 4:31 PM
@dannyoleksiuk.bsky.social writes for @sightline.org about the potential to bring back small lot apartment buildings.
#singlestair code changes can unlock this option for the first time in a century. Let’s go!
www.sightline.org/2025/10/28/t...
#singlestair code changes can unlock this option for the first time in a century. Let’s go!
www.sightline.org/2025/10/28/t...
Reposted by Serena Larkin
"The officers at the Coast Guard station did not appear to wear any agency or personal identification. They did not speak when asked to identify themselves, while one officer moved behind a bush as a Block Club reporter took photos and videos."
Not at all concerning!
Not at all concerning!
Unmarked officers at Calumet Park station aren't immigration agents, Coast Guard officials said. blockclubchi.co/3KT4TLv
October 17, 2025 at 7:06 PM
"The officers at the Coast Guard station did not appear to wear any agency or personal identification. They did not speak when asked to identify themselves, while one officer moved behind a bush as a Block Club reporter took photos and videos."
Not at all concerning!
Not at all concerning!
Reposted by Serena Larkin
I'm hearing more & more about backyard homes on wheels
legal in Portland, but probably not in your town
mobile, lightning fast, dirt cheap
www.msn.com/en-ca/money/...
legal in Portland, but probably not in your town
mobile, lightning fast, dirt cheap
www.msn.com/en-ca/money/...
October 13, 2025 at 4:43 PM
I'm hearing more & more about backyard homes on wheels
legal in Portland, but probably not in your town
mobile, lightning fast, dirt cheap
www.msn.com/en-ca/money/...
legal in Portland, but probably not in your town
mobile, lightning fast, dirt cheap
www.msn.com/en-ca/money/...
Reposted by Serena Larkin
We've said it before and we'll say it again: It’s not about the size of the apartment, but how you use it.
@alexhrwtz.bsky.social analyzed the connection bw disappearing micro-apartments (SROs) and soaring homelessness @pewresearch.org
@alexhrwtz.bsky.social analyzed the connection bw disappearing micro-apartments (SROs) and soaring homelessness @pewresearch.org
How States and Cities Decimated Americans’ Lowest-Cost Housing Option
Low-cost micro-units, often called single-room occupancies, or SROs, were once a reliable form of housing for the United States’ poorest residents of, and newcomers to, New York, Chicago, San Francisc...
www.pew.org
October 17, 2025 at 6:35 PM
We've said it before and we'll say it again: It’s not about the size of the apartment, but how you use it.
@alexhrwtz.bsky.social analyzed the connection bw disappearing micro-apartments (SROs) and soaring homelessness @pewresearch.org
@alexhrwtz.bsky.social analyzed the connection bw disappearing micro-apartments (SROs) and soaring homelessness @pewresearch.org
Reposted by Serena Larkin
We used @sciam.bsky.social's 180th anniversary as an excuse to revisit an old favorite. Familiar with the efficiency of locomotion chart from the March 1973 issue? Here it is again, reimagined for 2025 by DTAN Studio, w/text by @parshallison.bsky.social 📊 🧪 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 15, 2025 at 3:54 PM
We used @sciam.bsky.social's 180th anniversary as an excuse to revisit an old favorite. Familiar with the efficiency of locomotion chart from the March 1973 issue? Here it is again, reimagined for 2025 by DTAN Studio, w/text by @parshallison.bsky.social 📊 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
Reposted by Serena Larkin
As a tenuous ceasefire takes hold in the Gaza Strip, an analysis of satellite imagery reveals 95 percent of cropland has been damaged in the course of the war.
In Gaza, 95 Percent of Farmland Is in Ruins
e360.yale.edu
October 16, 2025 at 12:54 PM
As a tenuous ceasefire takes hold in the Gaza Strip, an analysis of satellite imagery reveals 95 percent of cropland has been damaged in the course of the war.
Reposted by Serena Larkin
Ald. Jessie Fuentes: “We have constitutional rights.”
Unidentified federal agent, whose badge is not visible: "No." @wttw.bsky.social
Unidentified federal agent, whose badge is not visible: "No." @wttw.bsky.social
Chicago Ald. Jessie Fuentes Handcuffed by Federal Agents While Asking About Patient’s ICE Warrant at Hospital
Chicago Ald. Jessie Fuentes was detained by federal agents inside Humboldt Park Health, as tensions continue to rise between local residents and officials and immigration agents conducting enforcement...
news.wttw.com
October 3, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Ald. Jessie Fuentes: “We have constitutional rights.”
Unidentified federal agent, whose badge is not visible: "No." @wttw.bsky.social
Unidentified federal agent, whose badge is not visible: "No." @wttw.bsky.social
all my chicago bike friends... let's? :))) www.axios.com/local/portla...
Naked bike protest planned as troops loom
Portlanders are planning a nude bike ride to protest the National Guard's expected arrival.
www.axios.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:21 PM
all my chicago bike friends... let's? :))) www.axios.com/local/portla...
can you imagine if HUD were doing this instead of its website clownery?
Australia has a $1 solution for the global housing crisis: a pattern book of architecturally designed homes
The NSW Housing Pattern Book is part of a broader push to densify cities without resorting to high-rise towers – and it has struck a chord well beyond Australia
www.theguardian.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:03 PM
can you imagine if HUD were doing this instead of its website clownery?
they're coming for us at our bus stops, our homeless shelters, our school dropoffs and pickups
if you're a neighbor who feels safe documenting these abductions, guidance courtesy of NW Side Rapid Response:
if you're a neighbor who feels safe documenting these abductions, guidance courtesy of NW Side Rapid Response:
October 1, 2025 at 10:09 PM
they're coming for us at our bus stops, our homeless shelters, our school dropoffs and pickups
if you're a neighbor who feels safe documenting these abductions, guidance courtesy of NW Side Rapid Response:
if you're a neighbor who feels safe documenting these abductions, guidance courtesy of NW Side Rapid Response:
this guy continues to break my brain on food/ag questions, and i'm into it
My latest effort to be super-popular in @nytimes.com: “Spraying Roundup on Crops Is Fine. Really.” Yes, the world’s most hated herbicide is way less toxic than caffeine. Here’s a gift link where you can leave all your supportive comments: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/o...
Opinion | Spraying Roundup on Crops Is Fine. Really.
www.nytimes.com
October 1, 2025 at 2:23 PM
this guy continues to break my brain on food/ag questions, and i'm into it
about to max out my library holds
It’s October (!!), which means our reading list is resetting for fall. Here are 12 new-ish book recommendations to inspire you, inform you, and get you off the hellscape of the internet.
12 New(ish) Reading Recommendations - Orion Magazine
Orion approved books to kick off your fall reading plans
orionmagazine.org
October 1, 2025 at 2:07 PM
about to max out my library holds
Reposted by Serena Larkin
This is the first day that NPR and public media will function without federal funding in fifty years.
I never do stuff like this but what the heck ... it's the start of a new era in public media ..
October 1, 2025 at 1:55 PM
This is the first day that NPR and public media will function without federal funding in fifty years.
i still can't get over the HUD website rn
October 1, 2025 at 1:55 PM
i still can't get over the HUD website rn
Reposted by Serena Larkin
We’re proud to sign on to the commonsense principles from @pewresearch.org to support housing affordability… and we’ll take the opportunity to brag about some recent Cascadian wins 😎 🔽
State Legislatures Make Bipartisan Breakthroughs on Policies That Promote Housing
In 2025, state legislatures enacted unprecedented reforms to improve the availability and affordability of housing, with lawmakers in Texas, Washington, and Montana leading the way with major successe...
www.pew.org
September 17, 2025 at 4:58 PM
We’re proud to sign on to the commonsense principles from @pewresearch.org to support housing affordability… and we’ll take the opportunity to brag about some recent Cascadian wins 😎 🔽
i'm SO excited for this housing option, esp in some of our most expensive and exclusive cities!
my colleague catie w 3 stories of housing hope:
my colleague catie w 3 stories of housing hope:
TIMELINE CLEANSE
Residential dwellings <$100k are not just possible, they are being installed *right now* in Portland, Oregon, thanks to the 2021 legalization of homes-on-wheels.
www.sightline.org/2025/09/11/h...
Residential dwellings <$100k are not just possible, they are being installed *right now* in Portland, Oregon, thanks to the 2021 legalization of homes-on-wheels.
www.sightline.org/2025/09/11/h...
Homes on Wheels Are Filling a Big Gap in Portland | Sightline Institute
Three personal stories show how these small, affordable, flexible homes provide big solutions for families.
www.sightline.org
September 17, 2025 at 2:46 PM
i'm SO excited for this housing option, esp in some of our most expensive and exclusive cities!
my colleague catie w 3 stories of housing hope:
my colleague catie w 3 stories of housing hope:
Today TODAY!
More road-tested tips from @trufahey.bsky.social via @parkingreform.org this Thurs!
August 28, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Today TODAY!
Reposted by Serena Larkin
congratulations Chicago
August 26, 2025 at 4:32 AM
congratulations Chicago