Serena Larkin
@serenalarkin.bsky.social
Comms + messaging for @sightline.org. Here for all our climate, cities, + democracy issues, plus weird fiction, farming, cats, + two-wheeled tootling 🚲 Chicago 🌇 Opinions my own
“There are many differences in construction costs between the U.S. and other countries, but I’m not sure there’s anywhere else where the difference is as large as the elevator.” @stephenjacobsmith.com
Why doesn’t the U.S. have small elevators like Europe and China?
Advocates for smaller, cheaper elevators say it could spur a housing boom.
washingtonpost.com
never been a better time to buy from your local farmers
Michael Andersen@andersem.bsky.social · 2w agoGreat deal on bagged salads right now for some reason
Insane new research. Scientists gave asthma patients free electric stoves to replace their gas stoves, then checked to see if symptoms improved. Not only did symptoms improve, ditching gas was *better than medicine.* Details in today's newsletter: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/electric-s...
Researchers used electric stoves to treat asthma. It worked.
The latest evidence that gas is bad for your health.
climatecoloredgoggles.com
Cool bill from CA: take the $ gas utilities would spend on replacing pipes and give it to customers to electrify. PNW gas utilities are also spending big on new gas pipes. Let's spend that $ instead on heat pumps to give people cooling - Sweating in Seattle earthjustice.org/experts/matt...
Californians Deserve to Choose the Energy Source for their Homes — a New Bill Would Give Them the Freedom and Funds to Do So
The Home Energy Choice Act (AB 2313) is the biggest no-brainer of the state legislative session
earthjustice.org
Wasting all that space in our neighborhoods for pavement is a health hazard (and makes housing more expensive).
Catie Gould@citizen-cate.bsky.social · 2w agoYour annual reminder that urban heat islands are a policy choice. www.sightline.org/2022/01/11/t...
this was such a great convo. saw stephanie pollack at a conference in june, where she ran hands-down the most interesting and dynamic panel of the event. give this a listen, and dream bigger for our transit future! <3
David Roberts@volts.wtf · 2w agoToday on Volts: the US pays more per mile of public transit than almost any country in the world, thanks in part to federal planning, funding, & contracting rules that practically mandate inefficiency. I discuss how to change that with two authors of the "Transit Abundance Playbook."
gas prices should be tied to AQI and gas should be 8 billion a gallon in Chicago rn
"The most engaged adults are the most likely to have negative feelings about the state of the country — but more engaged groups are also more likely to report positive feelings about the state of their *local* community." @niemanlab.org
Mobilizer, connector, spectator, or outsider? New Pew research categorizes how Americans do (or don’t) engage civically
Civic engagement takes many forms. The term describes activities as disparate as voting, volunteering, attending religious services, and following the news. Yet “these behaviors are often studied sepa...
niemanlab.org
spoiler: yes it can. but: please god nooo. book rec: @bethgardiner.bsky.social's *excellent* Plastic Inc.
Bloomberg News@bloomberg.com · 3w agoPolystyrene, commonly known as styrofoam, is a frequent target of anti-pollution laws in the US. The plastic industry says it's been unfairly vilified
do you advocate for a cause, in any form? do yourself a favor and take 10 minutes to watch this excellent @frameworks.bsky.social series:
Fast Frames: Strategic Framing Under Pressure (Ep. 1) – Navigating Mis- and Dis-information
YouTube video by FrameWorks Institute
youtube.com
Reminder that there will be a memorial for CDOT Complete Street Planner Riley O'Neil this evening in Bridgeport. bsky.app/profile/bike... There will be a group ride to Bridgeport leaving from Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St. at 6 PM. bsky.app/profile/acan...
Chicago, Bike Grid Now!@bikegridnow.org · 2mo agoPlease, join us in community as we celebrate the life of Riley O'Neil and Jam in his honor. 📍 Palmisano Park (Fitness Course) - 41.84177, -87.64905 ⏰ Monday, June 8th, 7p Start, 6:30p Meetup
guys, i found the place. it's chicago. not sure why it doesn't just widen its sidewalks and bike lanes and steamroll every city in the US. if it weren't for the batshit drivers this place would be paradise (and yes, i have been here in winter, get a parka you wimps)
with a "super el niño" summer ahead, yikes:
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication@yaleclimatecomm.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW STUDY & TOOL: Most Americans underestimate how dangerous extreme heat is, although extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States. Find out what your area’s risk and worry look like with our new tool:
BUILD fact of the day: Chicagoland apartment vacancy is 4.7% — well below the national average of 8.4% — and new construction is at its lowest level since 2012 the BUILD plan is designed to break that cycle by removing the zoning rules and financing barriers that keep new housing from getting built
jfc this traffic violence. all for next-day shipping of athleisure or poptarts or whatever. hellscape
WBEZ@wbez.org · 3mo agoSome Chicago suburbs have traded their quiet prairie land for sprawling warehouse complexes used by retailers like Amazon and IKEA. But what's it like for the residents who actually live there?
Ahoy housing wonks in Alaska and BC! Sightline is hiring part-time contributors to help advance housing abundance in these two corners of Cascadia. Please spread the word! www.sightline.org/about/careers/
By the way, if somebody tries to tell you climate change is only a concern of "educated and affluent" liberals, you can show them this map. At least half the people in *every* US state, even the deep red ones, worry about it
Chicagoland has seen a steady pace of ICE sighting + abduction alerts all week. After one person was taken in Waukegan yesterday, this morning feds are dispersed broadly across the burbs again. Seen in Round Lake Beach and Joliet so far. A worker was snatched at a Bolingbrook Burger King at 5:30am.
Superb report from @sightline.org: "Apartments Are the Climate Solution Hiding in Plain Sight" Yes. Don't overcomplicate things, just build a bunch of f'ing apartments.
Apartments Are the Climate Solution Hiding in Plain Sight
US climate policy is blocked. Housing isn’t.
sightline.org
Happy birthday to Washington’s parking reform!🎂 @governorferguson.bsky.social signed it into law a year ago today. And even though it won’t officially kick in until the end of 2026, it’s already laying the groundwork for more homes. By @citizen-cate.bsky.social: www.sightline.org/2026/05/07/w...
Building delightful, walkable cities with beautiful apartments is somehow still an overlooked climate solution: www.sightline.org/2026/05/05/c...
Climate Is Stuck, Housing Isn’t | Sightline Institute
Why apartments may be the most powerful domestic climate move of the Trump years.
sightline.org
Ranked choice voting elevates candidates who speak to the broadest swath of voters. In the 2022 contests for AK's US House seat, that was Mary Peltola. In 2024, it was Nick Begich. It really is that simple. New analysis of ballot data from myself and @jayleetx.com for @sightline.org below. ⬇️
Sightline Institute@sightline.org · 3mo ago#RankedChoiceVoting allows voters to express nuanced political opinions and back their favorite candidate without spoiling an election for their number two. From @alvanderklipp.bsky.social & @jayleetx.com: Cross-partisan support on Alaska ballots is a feature, not a fluke.
Big brains, big hearts, big impacts! I’m serious. Get your application in!
Sightline Institute@sightline.org · 3mo agoLast call to be our lead housing researcher—apply by May 8!