Kyle Williams
@kylewwilliams.bsky.social
Native Michigander. Building a better Durham. Sustainability, cities, and entrepreneurship.
The Coulée Verte in Paris has been my go-to running spot the last few weeks. It's an abandoned elevated railway that runs ~3 km from the Bastille to the edge of town, with great greenery and views from the top and shops below. And it's twice as old as the NYC High Line!
November 19, 2025 at 8:51 PM
The Coulée Verte in Paris has been my go-to running spot the last few weeks. It's an abandoned elevated railway that runs ~3 km from the Bastille to the edge of town, with great greenery and views from the top and shops below. And it's twice as old as the NYC High Line!
Scenes from a car-lite city. It is incredible how many streets in our corner of Paris are de-facto pedestrian/bike streets simply because there are so few cars around.
These pictures are from my normal "commute" dropping the kids off at school.
These pictures are from my normal "commute" dropping the kids off at school.
November 7, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Scenes from a car-lite city. It is incredible how many streets in our corner of Paris are de-facto pedestrian/bike streets simply because there are so few cars around.
These pictures are from my normal "commute" dropping the kids off at school.
These pictures are from my normal "commute" dropping the kids off at school.
It may be unrealistic to turn this .84 acre spot into Paris, but with how desperately we need more, and more affordable, housing in Durham, what else could we do? If we take the SFH footprint that was built there and let them "rub shoulders", we can get 3 more homes and have a bunch more greenspace.
November 2, 2025 at 4:33 PM
It may be unrealistic to turn this .84 acre spot into Paris, but with how desperately we need more, and more affordable, housing in Durham, what else could we do? If we take the SFH footprint that was built there and let them "rub shoulders", we can get 3 more homes and have a bunch more greenspace.
Cool new wall section comparison tool from Isol'enPaille. I wish they would let you change the insulation layer to compare a conventional wall versus straw, but still lots variables to play around with here!
www.isolenpaille.com/simulateur-p...
www.isolenpaille.com/simulateur-p...
November 1, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Cool new wall section comparison tool from Isol'enPaille. I wish they would let you change the insulation layer to compare a conventional wall versus straw, but still lots variables to play around with here!
www.isolenpaille.com/simulateur-p...
www.isolenpaille.com/simulateur-p...
What was actually built were 11 homes, 5x fewer. And 15% of the final site is dedicated to parking.
More abundant, denser housing hits on the issues we're dealing with in Durham & the U.S.: transit viability, lack of community, housing affordability, walkability, environmental impact, and more.
More abundant, denser housing hits on the issues we're dealing with in Durham & the U.S.: transit viability, lack of community, housing affordability, walkability, environmental impact, and more.
October 28, 2025 at 11:14 PM
What was actually built were 11 homes, 5x fewer. And 15% of the final site is dedicated to parking.
More abundant, denser housing hits on the issues we're dealing with in Durham & the U.S.: transit viability, lack of community, housing affordability, walkability, environmental impact, and more.
More abundant, denser housing hits on the issues we're dealing with in Durham & the U.S.: transit viability, lack of community, housing affordability, walkability, environmental impact, and more.
An unused parcel of .84 acres in Old West Durham was transformed into housing recently. The development was considered scandalously dense by many. When I overlaid a Paris density of building, I found that you could fit nearly 6 courtyard blocks surrounded by apartment homes— housing 50+ families.
October 28, 2025 at 11:14 PM
An unused parcel of .84 acres in Old West Durham was transformed into housing recently. The development was considered scandalously dense by many. When I overlaid a Paris density of building, I found that you could fit nearly 6 courtyard blocks surrounded by apartment homes— housing 50+ families.
I finally got to see las Setas de Sevilla in person! Wild to look back 14 years and remember how excited I was about this as I was working on my Personal Statement in grad school. My aesthetic tastes have changed a lot since then, but the effect of looking up through the grid is still pretty cool.
October 24, 2025 at 10:04 PM
I finally got to see las Setas de Sevilla in person! Wild to look back 14 years and remember how excited I was about this as I was working on my Personal Statement in grad school. My aesthetic tastes have changed a lot since then, but the effect of looking up through the grid is still pretty cool.
Yesterday & today I was lucky to spend quality time with 2 friends from grad school after not seeing each other for 10+ years. Strange to feel simultaneously that: 1. no time has passed ("you haven't changed!") and 2. a whole lifetime has passed (we all got married, kids, 3-5 jobs down the road).
October 14, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Yesterday & today I was lucky to spend quality time with 2 friends from grad school after not seeing each other for 10+ years. Strange to feel simultaneously that: 1. no time has passed ("you haven't changed!") and 2. a whole lifetime has passed (we all got married, kids, 3-5 jobs down the road).
Public via ferrata and a whale-shaped soccer pitch with Eiffel Tower views!
There are so many little moments like this in Paris where you can tell the city is focused on a great resident experience. Also a huge upgrade from the highway it used to be (last pic).
There are so many little moments like this in Paris where you can tell the city is focused on a great resident experience. Also a huge upgrade from the highway it used to be (last pic).
October 8, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Public via ferrata and a whale-shaped soccer pitch with Eiffel Tower views!
There are so many little moments like this in Paris where you can tell the city is focused on a great resident experience. Also a huge upgrade from the highway it used to be (last pic).
There are so many little moments like this in Paris where you can tell the city is focused on a great resident experience. Also a huge upgrade from the highway it used to be (last pic).
Church -> climbing gym + café is an adaptive reuse strategy I hadn't considered before, but seems to work really well. This is in Paris' 15th, near the Eiffel tower. Cool option for the church at Trent and Alabama in Durham. That parking lot would be a great outdoor patio.
buff.ly/I0g06Kf
buff.ly/I0g06Kf
September 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Church -> climbing gym + café is an adaptive reuse strategy I hadn't considered before, but seems to work really well. This is in Paris' 15th, near the Eiffel tower. Cool option for the church at Trent and Alabama in Durham. That parking lot would be a great outdoor patio.
buff.ly/I0g06Kf
buff.ly/I0g06Kf
More micro retail in France: ~150 square feet and a dream is all you need for an organic juice bar with both table and bar seating. Would love to see more opportunities (spaces!) like this for small-scale entrepreneurs back home.
September 22, 2025 at 3:45 PM
More micro retail in France: ~150 square feet and a dream is all you need for an organic juice bar with both table and bar seating. Would love to see more opportunities (spaces!) like this for small-scale entrepreneurs back home.
2 parking spots -> doggie playground + bar patio
I love walking by this little spot and seeing the clientele and vibe change throughout the day. These two small businesses are getting a ton of mileage out of this shared street space. Seems like losing a couple of parking spots was well worth it.
I love walking by this little spot and seeing the clientele and vibe change throughout the day. These two small businesses are getting a ton of mileage out of this shared street space. Seems like losing a couple of parking spots was well worth it.
September 18, 2025 at 8:37 PM
2 parking spots -> doggie playground + bar patio
I love walking by this little spot and seeing the clientele and vibe change throughout the day. These two small businesses are getting a ton of mileage out of this shared street space. Seems like losing a couple of parking spots was well worth it.
I love walking by this little spot and seeing the clientele and vibe change throughout the day. These two small businesses are getting a ton of mileage out of this shared street space. Seems like losing a couple of parking spots was well worth it.
So much winning to be had! We looked up another route here that is even more ridiculous. Paris -> Bordeaux is 3x as fast in train. Just wild to imagine this kind of infra back in the States and the opportunities it would open up.
September 18, 2025 at 6:48 AM
So much winning to be had! We looked up another route here that is even more ridiculous. Paris -> Bordeaux is 3x as fast in train. Just wild to imagine this kind of infra back in the States and the opportunities it would open up.
This was an amazing way to see the city. Grateful to see Mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social's work firsthand. (Also, here is the new bike. Metro + Transilien out to the suburbs for pickup, then 20kms back to our apartment for the maiden voyage. Kids will be Thrilled that it is blue!)
September 15, 2025 at 2:29 PM
This was an amazing way to see the city. Grateful to see Mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social's work firsthand. (Also, here is the new bike. Metro + Transilien out to the suburbs for pickup, then 20kms back to our apartment for the maiden voyage. Kids will be Thrilled that it is blue!)
Got a new-to-us cargo bike today and I'm excited to bike 5 mins rather than walk 15 to drop the kids off at school. Even better was that I got to experience miles of the left bank Quai ___ bikeway. Granite curbs for protection, dedicated bike signals, and classic Paris views everywhere!
September 15, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Got a new-to-us cargo bike today and I'm excited to bike 5 mins rather than walk 15 to drop the kids off at school. Even better was that I got to experience miles of the left bank Quai ___ bikeway. Granite curbs for protection, dedicated bike signals, and classic Paris views everywhere!
It is powerful to experience Paris' rues aux écoles in person. Not having to deal with cars removes a bunch of stress from the dropoff and pickup and provides more space for impromptu play or conversations between parents. Could imagine something similar in front of E.K. Powe on 9th St.
September 11, 2025 at 11:15 AM
It is powerful to experience Paris' rues aux écoles in person. Not having to deal with cars removes a bunch of stress from the dropoff and pickup and provides more space for impromptu play or conversations between parents. Could imagine something similar in front of E.K. Powe on 9th St.
We took a train last last week from Rennes to Paris that was twice as fast as driving. This is TGV technology, over 40 years old. At this same speed, Raleigh to Charlotte would be 1:25 and Durham to Wilmington would be about 1:15 by train. (With Beijing-Shanghai trains these would be under 55 mins!)
September 1, 2025 at 9:50 AM
We took a train last last week from Rennes to Paris that was twice as fast as driving. This is TGV technology, over 40 years old. At this same speed, Raleigh to Charlotte would be 1:25 and Durham to Wilmington would be about 1:15 by train. (With Beijing-Shanghai trains these would be under 55 mins!)
This boulevard in a mid-sized French city is the local equivalent of a Fayetteville or N Roxboro in Durham. But look at all the amazing things you get here: grade-separated bike AND pedestrian infrastructure, each with their own dedicated crossings at the intersection. Signals set back...
August 28, 2025 at 11:28 AM
This boulevard in a mid-sized French city is the local equivalent of a Fayetteville or N Roxboro in Durham. But look at all the amazing things you get here: grade-separated bike AND pedestrian infrastructure, each with their own dedicated crossings at the intersection. Signals set back...
500 square feet and a dream is all you need for an amazing neighborhood pizza parlor w/ patio! Not that it would be allowed in Durham, NC, but what a cool inspiration for little forgotten corners of a downtown.
August 24, 2025 at 8:23 PM
500 square feet and a dream is all you need for an amazing neighborhood pizza parlor w/ patio! Not that it would be allowed in Durham, NC, but what a cool inspiration for little forgotten corners of a downtown.
Not illegal everywhere! Howard park in south bend, IN has a coffee shop and a brewpub literally ten steps from the splash pad / ice rink. We were at that park all the time when we lived in SB. A model that should be copied widely! visithowardpark.com/food-drink/
August 17, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Not illegal everywhere! Howard park in south bend, IN has a coffee shop and a brewpub literally ten steps from the splash pad / ice rink. We were at that park all the time when we lived in SB. A model that should be copied widely! visithowardpark.com/food-drink/
I really like these planters that we saw in Avignon: simple + cheap materials, quick to install, allows for stormwater flow, slows traffic, and adds greenery to the streetscape. Would be great to have a bunch of these to cool and calm sun-baked 9th St in Durham.
August 1, 2025 at 4:18 PM
I really like these planters that we saw in Avignon: simple + cheap materials, quick to install, allows for stormwater flow, slows traffic, and adds greenery to the streetscape. Would be great to have a bunch of these to cool and calm sun-baked 9th St in Durham.
The American mind cannot comprehend a 24sf kitchen/laundry nook. (From a lovely apartment in a ~200 year old building in Montpellier, France.) Definitely a single-occupancy space!
July 28, 2025 at 3:17 PM
The American mind cannot comprehend a 24sf kitchen/laundry nook. (From a lovely apartment in a ~200 year old building in Montpellier, France.) Definitely a single-occupancy space!
Love it! Similarly, from @billmckibben.bsky.social's latest:
July 14, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Love it! Similarly, from @billmckibben.bsky.social's latest:
Pass HB 765 already!
May 29, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Pass HB 765 already!
South Bend, IN has pre-approved plans and they seem to be getting a lot of uptake. I see these going up around town on @michaelpdivita.bsky.social's feed. Not sure if this solution for a relatively flat midwestern context translates to the NW, but it's a cool model!
southbendin.gov/bsb/preappro...
southbendin.gov/bsb/preappro...
May 16, 2025 at 1:27 PM
South Bend, IN has pre-approved plans and they seem to be getting a lot of uptake. I see these going up around town on @michaelpdivita.bsky.social's feed. Not sure if this solution for a relatively flat midwestern context translates to the NW, but it's a cool model!
southbendin.gov/bsb/preappro...
southbendin.gov/bsb/preappro...