Anthony V
theavclub.bsky.social
Anthony V
@theavclub.bsky.social
Working at the intersection of technology and cities in my research and teaching at Columbia (fmr. UMich + MIT). Centering people + inspiring magic 🔬 🪄
Well, this seems all quaint now, doesn't it?

In the meantime, cancel Disney+ and Paramount+.
This was just last year!

9-0 Supreme Court ruling: A “government official cannot coerce a private party to punish or suppress disfavored speech on her behalf.” Moreover, "a government official cannot do indirectly what she is barred from doing directly."

www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23p...
www.supremecourt.gov
September 19, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Reposted by Anthony V
JUST FILED: our new suit challenging the Trump administration's policy of deporting faculty and students for engaging in pro-Palestinian speech.

Filed on behalf of @aaup.bsky.social, @mesa1966.bsky.social, and AAUP's NYU, Harvard, and Mass. chapters.

knightcolumbia.org/content/aaup...
AAUP, Middle East Studies Association, Knight Institute Sue Over Trump Policy of Arresting and Threatening to Deport Students and Faculty for Lawful Speech
knightcolumbia.org
March 25, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Reposted by Anthony V
As Trump Admin attempts a massive cut to HUD, note that “Between 1978–83, HUD's budget authority was slashed by 72%… As HUD's programs & staff were cut to the bone, critically important housing protections disappeared... It is not a coincidence that homelessness exploded precisely during this era.”
Our Leaders Have Slashed HUD Before | Opinion
The federal civil servants at HUD have a job to do, and it's a vital one for our nation and our communities. We need to let them do their jobs.
www.newsweek.com
March 25, 2025 at 5:33 PM
This gif sums things up pretty well...

What's the point of hiring world-class constitutionalists, a war chest of resources, and well connected politicos on faculty if you're not going to use them in defense of freedom?

A lot of campus marketing materials will now ring hollow.
a man wearing glasses and a hat is saying what ?
ALT: a man wearing glasses and a hat is saying what ?
media.tenor.com
March 22, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Reposted by Anthony V
I am so appreciative of the email sent by @geographers.bsky.social to AAG conference attendees to help prep for potential border travel issues, but the fact they had to do it, incl providing an emergency email contact, and *had to make abstracts only visible to participants* is shocking and scary.
March 21, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Reposted by Anthony V
The Trump admin cut $400 million from Columbia under the guise of “protecting Jews.”

Now they’re freezing $175 million in Penn funds under the guise of “protecting women.”

It’s not about protecting any of us. It’s about gutting our institutions and our democracy.

www.thedp.com/article/2025...
Trump administration freezes $175 million in federal funding to Penn
According to a White House tweet, Wednesday's decision is a result of Penn's
www.thedp.com
March 19, 2025 at 3:16 PM
The arbitrary actions and disregard for due process of the US administration should send a child down everyone's spine.

So proud that Ranjani is speaking out after the malicious smear campaign coming from Washington, and the failures of Low Library.

youtu.be/VNkmYvIhkkU?...
Columbia University student who had visa suddenly revoked breaks her silence
YouTube video by CBS Mornings
youtu.be
March 19, 2025 at 1:36 PM
While I'm really glad Americans are aware of and following Mahmoud Khalil's deportation, I wanted to remind folks that many more people are in a similar situation at @columbiauniversity.bsky.social w/o the media's spotlight. 1/?
March 12, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Happy Mardi Gras, y'all! 🎭

My happy moment of the day was making a king cake.

What brought you joy today? Really, I want to know because not everyday can/has to be a dumpster fire, am I right??
March 4, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by Anthony V
2. The #2030Census advisory committee meeting cancellations come more than a week after President Trump issued an executive order that calls for a list of "Federal Advisory Committees that should be terminated on grounds that they are unnecessary"
www.federalregister.gov/d/2025-03133...
February 28, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Bragging moment... I love that some of my students are hardcore fake organizing for a mock committee hearing happening tomorrow in my Urban Tech & Planning Institutions class. / cc @columbiagsapp.bsky.social
February 26, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Halting the congestion pricing is definitely bad for MTA's finances and planned improvements, and for residents who may have to deal with pollution, noise, and gridlock...

But I'm also very surprised that not more people find a president calling themselves a king very problematic.
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul’s response:

“We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. The MTA has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program. We’ll see you in court.”
February 19, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Reposted by Anthony V
I want to live in the USA represented in all these uplifting Super Bowl commercials.
February 10, 2025 at 12:54 AM
My controversial take: The Super Bowl halftime was more "LA" than the Paris 2024-LA2028 handover presentation during the closing ceremonies.
February 10, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Super Bowl logo is stunning, and culturally relevant to the city. Having lived in NOLA for 5 years, I saw and appreciated the Mardi Gras Indian reference. (1/2)

abcnews.go.com/living/story...
26-year-old becomes 1st artist to create NFL logo, theme art
The NFL logo and theme art for Super Bowl LIX features beadwork from Tahj Williams, a queen of the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indian tribe.
abcnews.go.com
February 10, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Reposted by Anthony V
Dear Parking Reform Community,

It is with a very heavy heart that I share with you the news that Professor Donald C. Shoup, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Urban Planning at UCLA passed away at age 86 this Thursday evening. He was with his wife at home and passed peacefully. (2/6)
February 8, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Incredible work!

Planner colleagues, are you finding anything missing? I've found, at the very least, the SVI, EJ Screen and Justice40 data.
February 8, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by Anthony V
Authoritarian regimes abroad envy publicly funded US university research. They know it’s one of our strategic advantages over them. De-funding that critical infrastructure is incredibly dumb and self-defeating for anyone committed to national standing and international competitiveness.
February 8, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Reposted by Anthony V
Excellent 🧵 on this evening's NIH announcement of a dramatic reduction in indirect rates for research institutions, which amounts to a generational restructuring of the US research and development ecosystem. These cuts are effective immediately, not just for new grants but for existing ones.
6. The policy does not just affect funding going forward. All existing NIH grants will have their indirect rates cut to 15% as of today, the date of issuance.

For a large university, this creates a sudden and catastrophic shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars against already budgeted funds.
February 8, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Reposted by Anthony V
White House budget proposal may slash NSF funding from 9 billion to 3 billion a year.
White House budget proposal could shatter the National Science Foundation
“This kind of cut would kill American science and boost China.”…
arstechnica.com
February 7, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Reposted by Anthony V
One of the hardest realignment's for advocates/activists right now is how precious people's time and capacity to deal with all the Bad Things are. Truly we are being overloaded and it's going to be tough to balance the need to do something against the dangers of burning people out.
February 4, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Anthony V
The administration is threatening to fire 25-50% of NSF staff. Could be a bluff, but if it's not, what a national self-own.
Science funding agency threatened with mass layoffs
National Science Foundation staff heard the plans at a meeting Tuesday.
www.eenews.net
February 5, 2025 at 1:54 AM
This part of Orwell's 1984 seems apt.
February 4, 2025 at 8:25 PM