Urbanism Speakeasy #37

Catch up on recent Urbanism Speakeasy posts:

1. A new exercise for more productive public forums.
2. Sometimes productivity shouldn't matter.
3. Copy the peacemakers so we can all just get along!

Here's an idea to improve public meetings.

Infrastructure professionals are expected to facilitate meetings with human beings, but most of us weren’t taught the squirrely nature of human beings. Understanding a smidge of psychology can be incredibly useful. At a minimum, it can lessen your frustration when someone wants to philosophically die on a hill that you think is moronic.

Attaching dollar values to "productivity" is costly.

The "time is money" mantra has driven much of the conversation around traffic congestion and sprawl, but it’s a terrible starting point for planning and designing infrastructure.

Shared interests, or commonalities, abound when you look for them.

It’s exciting to see the YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement pick up steam over the last several months. Talking about the ways in which local land use regulations limits or prohibits housing is becoming mainstream and bipartisan.

The internet is amazing.

It's such a mistake to write off huge groups of people because of your cartoonish view of their beliefs. People from all walks of life need good neighborhood design.