alex block
@alexblock.bsky.social
cities, transportation, transit, and other intermittent discussion.
The bus loop (green) is trying to make bus-rail transfers as easy as possible.
The actual kiss and ride facility there (yellow) is tiny by comparison.
The actual kiss and ride facility there (yellow) is tiny by comparison.
November 7, 2025 at 5:23 PM
The bus loop (green) is trying to make bus-rail transfers as easy as possible.
The actual kiss and ride facility there (yellow) is tiny by comparison.
The actual kiss and ride facility there (yellow) is tiny by comparison.
Reminds me of the water usage in Edmonton during big hockey games
November 4, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Reminds me of the water usage in Edmonton during big hockey games
Hamilton is going to be enrolled in Middle School next year.
November 2, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Hamilton is going to be enrolled in Middle School next year.
And finally, on style: maybe the gilt can be stripped off. That’s irrelevant to the main issue here, which is scale and proportion. This ballroom is enormous! Completely overwhelming the site and the main house.
The scale of the program is the issue. No change in style or ornament can fix that.
The scale of the program is the issue. No change in style or ornament can fix that.
October 25, 2025 at 2:28 PM
And finally, on style: maybe the gilt can be stripped off. That’s irrelevant to the main issue here, which is scale and proportion. This ballroom is enormous! Completely overwhelming the site and the main house.
The scale of the program is the issue. No change in style or ornament can fix that.
The scale of the program is the issue. No change in style or ornament can fix that.
No, it’s much more dense than DC; not just in the center but for the entire region.
and it’s not the width of the roadways but the rights of way. It’s got a medieval city center; we’ve got the L’Enfant plan.
and it’s not the width of the roadways but the rights of way. It’s got a medieval city center; we’ve got the L’Enfant plan.
October 24, 2025 at 2:57 PM
No, it’s much more dense than DC; not just in the center but for the entire region.
and it’s not the width of the roadways but the rights of way. It’s got a medieval city center; we’ve got the L’Enfant plan.
and it’s not the width of the roadways but the rights of way. It’s got a medieval city center; we’ve got the L’Enfant plan.
Airports are always fascinating, given how much many of them have evolved over the decades. Still it’s wild to see 1960s pictures of LAX:
crankyflier.com/2025/10/21/t...
s6331.pcdn.co/wp-content/u...
crankyflier.com/2025/10/21/t...
s6331.pcdn.co/wp-content/u...
October 22, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Airports are always fascinating, given how much many of them have evolved over the decades. Still it’s wild to see 1960s pictures of LAX:
crankyflier.com/2025/10/21/t...
s6331.pcdn.co/wp-content/u...
crankyflier.com/2025/10/21/t...
s6331.pcdn.co/wp-content/u...
Never mind that the rendering magically erases the adjacent McDonalds drive thru; the success of this seems almost entirely dependent on how you control the flow of cars through the space.
It wants to be a cobbled town square; as if there are no cars, just horses and buggies
It wants to be a cobbled town square; as if there are no cars, just horses and buggies
October 10, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Never mind that the rendering magically erases the adjacent McDonalds drive thru; the success of this seems almost entirely dependent on how you control the flow of cars through the space.
It wants to be a cobbled town square; as if there are no cars, just horses and buggies
It wants to be a cobbled town square; as if there are no cars, just horses and buggies
Lots of replies and QTs want to see more cut and cover here.
But that’s not the reason this station is so deep - it needs to duck under the tunnel beyond (in red) and needs to keep some separation between the new tunnel and old.
But that’s not the reason this station is so deep - it needs to duck under the tunnel beyond (in red) and needs to keep some separation between the new tunnel and old.
October 9, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Lots of replies and QTs want to see more cut and cover here.
But that’s not the reason this station is so deep - it needs to duck under the tunnel beyond (in red) and needs to keep some separation between the new tunnel and old.
But that’s not the reason this station is so deep - it needs to duck under the tunnel beyond (in red) and needs to keep some separation between the new tunnel and old.
oh man that was fun. Remembering this box score:
October 5, 2025 at 1:34 AM
oh man that was fun. Remembering this box score:
Wikipedia has a very cool map showing the scope Utrecht’s historic trams (none of which survived past 1939) concentrated in the centrum vs the Fast Tram connecting suburban areas outside the old city with Centraal Station
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
September 27, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Wikipedia has a very cool map showing the scope Utrecht’s historic trams (none of which survived past 1939) concentrated in the centrum vs the Fast Tram connecting suburban areas outside the old city with Centraal Station
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
That planning discipline to keep a rail line in a clear role is easier when you have other networks available to fill other roles, like the faster, longer distance NS services.
September 27, 2025 at 2:38 PM
That planning discipline to keep a rail line in a clear role is easier when you have other networks available to fill other roles, like the faster, longer distance NS services.
FWIW, they say they expect another 15-20 years for the lounges.
They recently put out a timeline showing why:
The “terminal AB connector” will mean A/B international arrivals will walk to a new FIS, and a tunnel connecting new United gates only in 2041…
www.mwaa.com/sites/mwaa.c...
They recently put out a timeline showing why:
The “terminal AB connector” will mean A/B international arrivals will walk to a new FIS, and a tunnel connecting new United gates only in 2041…
www.mwaa.com/sites/mwaa.c...
September 23, 2025 at 2:28 AM
FWIW, they say they expect another 15-20 years for the lounges.
They recently put out a timeline showing why:
The “terminal AB connector” will mean A/B international arrivals will walk to a new FIS, and a tunnel connecting new United gates only in 2041…
www.mwaa.com/sites/mwaa.c...
They recently put out a timeline showing why:
The “terminal AB connector” will mean A/B international arrivals will walk to a new FIS, and a tunnel connecting new United gates only in 2041…
www.mwaa.com/sites/mwaa.c...
Kingman island (owned by DC) has zoning; the RFK site (owned by the Feds) does not.
September 23, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Kingman island (owned by DC) has zoning; the RFK site (owned by the Feds) does not.
The delay isn’t the usual “see if the proposal meets the zoning requirements for the site,” it’s instead a case where the Zoning Commission needs to create zoning for the site
September 23, 2025 at 12:57 AM
The delay isn’t the usual “see if the proposal meets the zoning requirements for the site,” it’s instead a case where the Zoning Commission needs to create zoning for the site
I’ve imagined a similar layout when strolling through alleys, seeing lots of the vacant interior lots.
Floor plan:
Floor plan:
September 20, 2025 at 12:39 PM
I’ve imagined a similar layout when strolling through alleys, seeing lots of the vacant interior lots.
Floor plan:
Floor plan:
Domes clearly fit into one of the longstanding exemptions to the Height Act:
September 16, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Domes clearly fit into one of the longstanding exemptions to the Height Act:
NCPC is “expected to play a role” in vertical construction.
Previous modifications to heighten the WH fence had months and months of review; multiple meetings and submissions.
Previous modifications to heighten the WH fence had months and months of review; multiple meetings and submissions.
September 16, 2025 at 12:38 PM
NCPC is “expected to play a role” in vertical construction.
Previous modifications to heighten the WH fence had months and months of review; multiple meetings and submissions.
Previous modifications to heighten the WH fence had months and months of review; multiple meetings and submissions.
Let’s take a closer look at the neighborhood…
September 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Let’s take a closer look at the neighborhood…
See if they inverted the order of the quarters, I’d feel a lot better
September 6, 2025 at 11:12 PM
See if they inverted the order of the quarters, I’d feel a lot better
A classic of the Genre. I want a NoVA map of subscribers to Martha Stewart Living!
imgs.xkcd.com/comics/heatm...
imgs.xkcd.com/comics/heatm...
September 5, 2025 at 2:09 AM
A classic of the Genre. I want a NoVA map of subscribers to Martha Stewart Living!
imgs.xkcd.com/comics/heatm...
imgs.xkcd.com/comics/heatm...
I can see the argument for simplifying scope, but not sure I follow the “bad for bikes” thinking.
Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis is great! And yes, has some fairly steep access ramps, but they’re worth it.
Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis is great! And yes, has some fairly steep access ramps, but they’re worth it.
August 31, 2025 at 2:35 PM
I can see the argument for simplifying scope, but not sure I follow the “bad for bikes” thinking.
Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis is great! And yes, has some fairly steep access ramps, but they’re worth it.
Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis is great! And yes, has some fairly steep access ramps, but they’re worth it.
Was there a reason to not just adopt the old tree flag?
August 29, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Was there a reason to not just adopt the old tree flag?