Chris Wyczalkowski
@urbantransit.bsky.social
Urbanist, transit advocate, researcher. Saving the world through occasional posts in support of dense and accessible cities.
Space for cars on the beach. Why, why, why?
November 27, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Space for cars on the beach. Why, why, why?
Reposted by Chris Wyczalkowski
This is one of the reasons congestion pricing works.
i wonder how much of Americans' views on driving vs. transit would change if they had to pay for gas/insurance/etc every time they turned on the engine
"i'm not paying $5 to take the train to work twice a day when i can just drive" is a genuine opinion held by so many people
"i'm not paying $5 to take the train to work twice a day when i can just drive" is a genuine opinion held by so many people
November 24, 2025 at 1:17 AM
This is one of the reasons congestion pricing works.
Streetcar suburbs rule!
The streetcar was invented in Richmond, VA, and so was the streetcar suburb — a distinct phenomenon of walkable density and mixed-use greater metropolitan area living.
They're a perfect blend of urban accessibility and breathable green space. And some of them are still somewhat affordable.
They're a perfect blend of urban accessibility and breathable green space. And some of them are still somewhat affordable.
November 23, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Streetcar suburbs rule!
Yesterday afternoon I made it from Lindbergh to Edgewood on MARTA (Atlanta) in 21 minutes (while scrolling on my phone), driving at that time takes at least 45 minutes (in mind numbing traffic). More people should know …
October 1, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Yesterday afternoon I made it from Lindbergh to Edgewood on MARTA (Atlanta) in 21 minutes (while scrolling on my phone), driving at that time takes at least 45 minutes (in mind numbing traffic). More people should know …
Reposted by Chris Wyczalkowski
"...automobile travel has about ten times the death rate as public transit, and transit vehicles also impose less risk on non-occupants like cyclists, pedestrians and other road users. Cars should come with warnings: 'Driving causes painful injuries, disabilities and death.'"
We Need a Reality Check on Crime, Safety and Transit
Despite common assumptions, traveling by bus, subway or train is far safer than driving. How can transit agencies correct misinformation about the real risks?
www.bloomberg.com
August 21, 2025 at 6:30 PM
"...automobile travel has about ten times the death rate as public transit, and transit vehicles also impose less risk on non-occupants like cyclists, pedestrians and other road users. Cars should come with warnings: 'Driving causes painful injuries, disabilities and death.'"
Reposted by Chris Wyczalkowski
A new study published in Nature provides more evidence that urban design affects our health. People who moved from a less walkable city to a more walkable one increased their walking by 1,100 steps a day on average. #walkability #urbanism
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Countrywide natural experiment links built environment to physical activity - Nature
By analysing the smartphone data of 2,112,288 participants, in particular observing and comparing the activity of the same individual in two different environments, we find that increases in the walka...
www.nature.com
August 20, 2025 at 1:55 PM
A new study published in Nature provides more evidence that urban design affects our health. People who moved from a less walkable city to a more walkable one increased their walking by 1,100 steps a day on average. #walkability #urbanism
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Chris Wyczalkowski
"We have a homelessness problem"
Finland: Let's give them housing and assistance.
MAGA: Let's take over the city's police.
Finland: Let's give them housing and assistance.
MAGA: Let's take over the city's police.
“In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back into a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.”
It costs a lot less to house people.
It costs a lot less to house people.
Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need - scoop.me
In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Why? The country applies the "Housing First" concept agains homelessness.
thebetter.news
August 13, 2025 at 10:27 PM
"We have a homelessness problem"
Finland: Let's give them housing and assistance.
MAGA: Let's take over the city's police.
Finland: Let's give them housing and assistance.
MAGA: Let's take over the city's police.
Hard to imagine that this and all that prison building aren’t related.
Trump puts DC police department under federal control, deploys National Guard
President Trump holds news conference Monday to discuss crime in Washington, D.C., after days of railing about the nation’s capital being “out of control.”
abcnews.go.com
August 11, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Hard to imagine that this and all that prison building aren’t related.
Reposted by Chris Wyczalkowski
Scoop: The U.S. billion-dollar disaster database is set to return this fall over at @climatecentral.org. They've hired the former NOAA scientist who ran the project for 10+ years www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Researchers Are Resurrecting Billion-Dollar Disaster Tool Trump Killed
Nonprofit Climate Central has hired the scientist behind a key database of costly weather disasters to rebuild it.
www.bloomberg.com
August 5, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Scoop: The U.S. billion-dollar disaster database is set to return this fall over at @climatecentral.org. They've hired the former NOAA scientist who ran the project for 10+ years www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Chris Wyczalkowski
GDOT wants your 2 cents about potential Atlanta-to-Savannah train
GDOT wants your 2 cents about potential Atlanta-to-Savannah train
New survey seeks info on Atlantans’ travel patterns to Hostess City, other parts of Georgia
atlanta.urbanize.city
August 5, 2025 at 3:33 PM
GDOT wants your 2 cents about potential Atlanta-to-Savannah train
More of this please!
June 21, 2025 at 5:02 PM
More of this please!
Reposted by Chris Wyczalkowski
Survey asks: Would you use it, ATL?
GDOT flirts with idea of Atlanta-to-Savannah intercity rail
Survey asks: Would you use it, ATL?
atlanta.urbanize.city
March 19, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Survey asks: Would you use it, ATL?
Reposted by Chris Wyczalkowski
“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath
50 reasons to want more walkable streets.
50 reasons to want more walkable streets.
50 Reasons Why Everyone Should Want More Walkable Streets
From making you live longer to making cities more resilient: If you want a reason to make your city more walkable, it's in here.
www.fastcompany.com
March 9, 2025 at 3:09 AM
“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath
50 reasons to want more walkable streets.
50 reasons to want more walkable streets.
Of all things, why would you gut NOAA? Hurricane warnings are political now?
March 1, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Of all things, why would you gut NOAA? Hurricane warnings are political now?
Reposted by Chris Wyczalkowski
The U.S. has two tsunami warning centers, both operated by NOAA. Employees were terminated from these centers today. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center covers Hawaiʻi, and now it is less safe to be near the beach.
www.tsunami.gov
www.tsunami.gov
February 28, 2025 at 12:07 AM
The U.S. has two tsunami warning centers, both operated by NOAA. Employees were terminated from these centers today. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center covers Hawaiʻi, and now it is less safe to be near the beach.
www.tsunami.gov
www.tsunami.gov
Hey Atlanta, if you see these conditions in the morning, don’t drive. Temps will be in the mid-teens in the morning, untreated roads will remain a sheet of ice. You will crash, possibly into another person who doesn’t understand friction #Atlanta
January 22, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Hey Atlanta, if you see these conditions in the morning, don’t drive. Temps will be in the mid-teens in the morning, untreated roads will remain a sheet of ice. You will crash, possibly into another person who doesn’t understand friction #Atlanta
Solution is more population density, more transit.
And tire dust from cars makes up 78% of these micro plastics according to a Yale School of Environment study... electric cars, being heavier, wear out their tires 2x faster than a gas car.
e360.yale.edu/features/tir...
e360.yale.edu/features/tir...
December 23, 2024 at 1:15 AM
Solution is more population density, more transit.
Urban densification in the streetcar suburbs. Also a blue sky
December 18, 2024 at 11:25 PM
Urban densification in the streetcar suburbs. Also a blue sky
The future of transportation is sidewalks in dense cities not robocars
December 17, 2024 at 12:53 AM
The future of transportation is sidewalks in dense cities not robocars
Happy Monday!
December 16, 2024 at 1:03 PM
Happy Monday!
Equity in public transit is prioritizing the limited public funding in the service of where the most people will use it for critical needs, and not where it will best be capitalized in land value.
December 7, 2024 at 1:52 AM
Equity in public transit is prioritizing the limited public funding in the service of where the most people will use it for critical needs, and not where it will best be capitalized in land value.
Reposted by Chris Wyczalkowski
NEW: Formaldehyde poses a threat to public health that’s unlikely to be managed any time soon.
In a new analysis, ProPublica found that no matter where you live, you’re exposed to levels of the chemical that put you at elevated risk of developing cancer.
propub.li/4gjHPA5
In a new analysis, ProPublica found that no matter where you live, you’re exposed to levels of the chemical that put you at elevated risk of developing cancer.
propub.li/4gjHPA5
Formaldehyde Causes More Cancer Than Any Other Toxic Air Pollutant. Little Is Being Done to Curb the Risk.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to reckon with formaldehyde have been repeatedly thwarted by the companies that rely on it. If the past is any guide, even modest steps toward reform are all but guaranteed to hit a dead end under Trump.
propub.li
December 3, 2024 at 12:00 PM
NEW: Formaldehyde poses a threat to public health that’s unlikely to be managed any time soon.
In a new analysis, ProPublica found that no matter where you live, you’re exposed to levels of the chemical that put you at elevated risk of developing cancer.
propub.li/4gjHPA5
In a new analysis, ProPublica found that no matter where you live, you’re exposed to levels of the chemical that put you at elevated risk of developing cancer.
propub.li/4gjHPA5
The tight street grid and narrow land lots give Tybee Island, GA a wonderfully walkable and bike friendly atmosphere. It feels like an urban neighborhood surrounded by the sea.
November 30, 2024 at 12:17 AM
The tight street grid and narrow land lots give Tybee Island, GA a wonderfully walkable and bike friendly atmosphere. It feels like an urban neighborhood surrounded by the sea.
Blue sky over a very walkable and bike friendly Tybee Island, GA.
November 26, 2024 at 2:31 PM
Blue sky over a very walkable and bike friendly Tybee Island, GA.