All posts by Kristen Jeffers

Kristen Jeffers has always been interested in how cities work. She’s also always loved writing things. She went off to a major state university, got a communication degree and then started a more professional Blogger site. Then, in her graduate seminar on urban politics, along with browsing the urbanist blogosphere, she realized that her ideas should have a stronger, clearer voice, one that reflects her identity as a Black southern woman. And with that The Black Urbanist blog was born. Seven years, one Twitter account, one self-published book, two podcasts and a litany of speeches and urban planning projects later, here we are.
Cities, Cityreads, Links

Placebook: The Streets Dream On

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However you spent yesterday, I hope it was a great day of service, reflection and gratitude to how far we have come and have to go in human relations and civil rights. Not only did the front page of yesterday’s News and Record address the issue of the MLK Drive dream deferred, but Colorlines has a nice analysis of cities nationwide where roads named after MLK are marginalized. I do want to shout out Chapel Hill, for having what appears to be a prosperous MLK Drive. Also, two major black organizations released statements on energy policy and environmental justice for the King holiday.

Before we get into the rest of the news, a couple of announcements. Greensboro City Council meets tonight at 5:30. Here’s a brief agenda, which entails the spending related items/ordinances. Also, the new citizens advisory board for the police will be presented to the council. You can watch live and get a full agenda by going here.

Also,fellow North Carolinians, make your voice heard about what our transportation investments should be by Wednesday, February 12. Especially if you live in Union County and are for or against this measure.

And now the news:

Next City analyzes the president’s recent visit to North Carolina.

Portland builds the multimodal bridge of the future. Also, how autonomous cars could become a linchpin of public transit.

In other measures of slightly untraditional land and transit management, parts of Staten Island are taking buyouts to allow their continuously flooding neighborhoods to become wetlands and Kansas City is crowdfunding each of their bikeshare stations.

More on how Detroit is branding itself now that it’s bankrupt.  and how Toronto is battling over bike infrastructure.

Check out this old stove on a vintage Toronto railcar. Meanwhile, abandoned space in the NYC subway has been given over to pop-up stores and a photographer documents the changes in Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn.

Today in bad ideas and attitudes: juveniles are still receiving stronger sentences even after the laws have changed to reduce them, an elderly man in NYC was beaten by police for jaywalking, a French politician calls London an uglier dangerous suburb of Paris, the US may be weakening environmental protections, and some kids went to school yesterday and only a few actually took time to learn about the significance of the holiday while they were there.

Not quite so bad, but still of note, Chuck Marohn reminds us how some of our beloved chain restaurants don’t really add money back in the community, even if they are franchises.

Scott Bernstein of the CNT comes to Placemakers with a nice longread on how counties similar to Doña Ana County in New Mexico can reduce transportation costs and boost transportation services.

Why farming is not just a 9-5 job and how it needs more women.

And finally, one last reflection on Dr. King and his impact.

Cityreads, Links

Placebook: More Than a Street Name

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Today, as we observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I hope that many of you also consider how to continuously improve the street that may adorn his name in your city. Mine has lots of ups and downs, from the New Urbanist redevelopment end I live on, to the rougher abandoned homes, to the fast food suburbia that punctuates its turn into a major US highway. Whatever the state yours is in, let’s be mindful of helping it become or remain something that is honorable of his spirit and memory.

And now, the news:

Good news out of Cleveland, first, the city’s commitment to add more bikeways. Secondly, Lakewood, a town considered a suburb of
Cleveland, has made a commitment for safe walking to school.

Also in the Midwest, Flint, Michigan has been named to a federal commission to receive more help rebuilding.

Explore James Baldwin’s Paris.

The Asheville Arts Council is growing and the director of Arts Greensboro has been named to a national board. The new Arts Council COO in Winston-Salem built the modern arts scene in Winston-Salem.

Seriously, it’s expensive to be poor. Also, the mascots of the poor Appalachians would like to NOT be the mascots for poor Appalachians or poor people in general.

Why we love public-private partnerships here in Greensboro. To make way for a major one, the demolition of the Greensboro Inn starts today. Meanwhile, opposition is building for both the UNCG Rec Center and the potential Trader Joes at Friendly Center.

The latest in the MoMA Folk Art Museum building saga, the architects who built the building and the ones who recommended tearing it down are BFFs.

Color photographs of a segregated America.

The largest metro areas, over the entire history of the United States.

And finally, according to the Brookings Institution, innovation comes in cafes, bike lanes and 3D printers.

Cities, Cityreads, DC, Government, Greensboro, Jobs, Links, Rail, Transportation

Placebook: What Is the State of Greensboro in 2014?

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This week, the annual State of Our City Report is out and it’s no surprise to anyone who pays attention and tries to change any of these things. In light of this information, I have a few questions. First, how do we bring jobs and money back on a consistent basis? How do we nurture what we have? And finally how do we keep from being discouraged, resentful, bitter or inadequate in our quest and in light of other cities and industries? Check out the News and Record article here. The full report is here and look for a longer analysis from me in the coming days.

Speaking of city leaders, here’s a really great long form article from Eric Ginsburg in Yes! Weekly on our departing city manager and a nice article from the News and Record on what’s next for Action Greensboro.

And with that, here are a few more news links to get your weekend started:

New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio launching VisionZero plan to eliminate all pedestrian fatalities, which could set a national standard in how we handle this issue.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx addresses the Transportation Review Board this week with a pledge to make bike/ped safety a priority.

Yes, most of the fried chicken restaurant signs in Britain are made by the same man and yes, they all want to look somewhat alike.

Pre-summit thoughts on sustainable cities from the Transforming Transportation Institute, held this week in DC along with the TRB and Transportation Camp.

The Durham Police, in their own words.

Another instance of free speech/congregating turned into trespassing and loitering.

The 11 dollar DC minimum wage is real.

The African American Atllier, one of the city supported art galleries here in Greensboro, celebrates itself in its new exhibit. Uptown Artworks, another emerging gallery, hosts its first major show.Or jet off to this island, which boasts 100 museums.

Next Wednesday: Community Forum on the future of the Renaissance Community Co-op.

If you are running in the city, run in a city park.

I understand why parking isn’t really free, but still, can we not give a break to disabled drivers.

So yeah, this house isn’t real, but what is inside is vital to Raleigh. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt’s “Make It Right” homes in New Orleans need to be made right.

The case for a Chicago-based Obama Presidential Library and the end of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

And finally, take a virtual tour of the new DC Metro Silver Line and get ready for the Capital Wheel.

Cities, Cityreads, Links

Placebook: A Bright Future

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I want to take this moment to thank the man who wrote this short, but awesome letter into Yes! Weekly as a result of my winning and having an essay published in the January 1 issue of the alt weekly. One of the things he said was that I have a bright future ahead of me, which is true, hence the title of today’s post. I also want to take a moment and thank everyone who’s been reading either by email, or by blog or by both. I will be returning to regular essays, along with a few more surprises as the year goes on. I wouldn’t have a platform or a need to continue this version of my writing life without you and I am thankful for that.

And now, the news:

These elderly men raise a lot the same issues we witnessed here in Greensboro over the summer (thankfully, nobody fought in Queens). Should businesses that provide amenities that encourage gathering and socializing, but not so much purchasing be surprised when more of the former happens than the later?

Need to walk properly? Ask this UNCG professor.

My alma mater(the first one) will be leading President Obama’s new manufacturing initiative.

Are we shutting out families in our cities?

The last thing you need to do is flat-out say that you don’t want people to come to your state. My governor did that.

More on our unemployment malaise.

Here’s some good old puppy-based placemaking.

Looking forward to seeing Buffalo’s comeback in person later this year.

I can’t keep knocking suburbia when it’s developing more character (and unfortunately the problems) of the inner city a generation ago.

Poor folks unfortunately know too well what it means to be watched and they can help those who are just adjusting to the shock of a surveilled world.

Note to all my elected friends, be careful who you have drive you around.

Where’s the best place for healthy eating? Not the US.

Forbes has dropped their latest edition of the 10 best job seeker cities, featuring Raleigh and Charlotte.

What CDCs in Cleveland are facing in trying to make their city better.

Raleigh’s thinking about making two downtown creeks into rivers and adding amenities.

When your name reads like Dumpy’s, this is probably good. Also, a new name for the Downtown University Campus

Despite what happened to me last year, crime is actually down in Greensboro.

And finally, Yonah Freemark of The Transit Politic‘s transit predictions of the year.

Cities, Cityreads, Links

Placebook: Blue Train’s a Comin’

Charlotte Blue Line Train arrives at the Archdale station. Photo Credit: Kristen Jeffers
Charlotte Blue Line Train arrives at the Archdale station. Photo Credit: Kristen Jeffers

Cue John Coltrane’s Blue Train. The news I’m most excited about today is that construction for the Charlotte light-rail Blue Line extension is set to start in March. As you can already guess, I’m a big believer in the benefits of rail. Yes, it costs, but having all workable modes of transportation operable in your city opens your city up to more investment and allows more people to commute to jobs, visit amenities and visit other places.

And with that, let’s visit some other places with more news:

Big cities matter in the developing world, according to new analysis by Richard Florida. Cities make us all happier.  And these ten cities in Europe are the smartest.

Have you cut back on your transit use with the loss of the federal subsidy?

You can always blame Burnham for all the extra highways in Chicago and Le Corbusier for the ugly modernist building in your city.

This updated report from Smart Growth America gives state DOT’s more strategies for better services for less money. Randy Simes comes over to Strong Towns to talk about how the Cincinnati streetcar illustrates political hypocrisy in infrastructure development.

Turning movie theaters into churches in Lima, Peru. And if you miss your Christmas lights, here are some places with cool year-round light displays.

Five simple qualities of a walkable city and three simple ways to do economic development.

If you ever come visit me in Greensboro, be sure to also scoot over to the fun that is Replacements, Limited.

How the rapper Drake uses Memphis to give himself street cred. In Flint, Michigan, a convicted felon turns his life around and becomes a city-councilman.

A Chicago suburb is planning on privatizing some of its roads. Meanwhile, what Eisenhower wanted the interstate system to look like.

And finally, in this morning’s moment of bike lane aww, Austinites build a bike lane just to make sure kids get to school safely and both a San Fransisco man and a Raleigh man use their bike and the route recording app Strava to propose.

Atlanta, Book Club, Cities, Cityreads, Cleveland, DC, Detroit, Greensboro, New York City, Rail

Placebook: A Few Good Books

This boat gets it right, at least for what's outside my window. Image Credit: Flickr user ChoudHound under Creative Commons.
This boat gets it right, at least for what’s outside my window. Image Credit: Flickr user ChoudHound under Creative Commons.

As the rain trickles down and the fog forms on another Greensboro day, I realized that yesterday I forgot a major shoutout. My friend Dr. Rodney Harrell, who is a senior policy analyst at AARP was quoted in that Washington Post story about rising condo association fees. Thankfully, he’s dug a bit deeper with his analysis at his own site. Be sure to subscribe to him as well, always good insights and keep up with AARP’s policy arm, especially if you are of a certain age.

A couple other nods are in order too. First, for Aaron Renn. Renn was one of the first city bloggers and continues to show why he’s one of the best. Here, he presents a solid analysis on why states should consider their metro areas in their economic development strategies. Governing also has thoughts on how cities can use institutions as drivers of economic development. Oh and Aaron’s snuck a book out on us.

Speaking of books, Kaid Benfield, another titan of city blogging (and Asheville native) has dropped his new book, People Habitat. People Habitat is more than just a new way of referring to the built and un built environment, its bringing our discipline back down to common sense. Catch a teaser here and be sure to purchase the book, namely at an independent bookstore.

And please, stay dry, and read more links:

If you are in Greensboro, take the recycling survey; Winston-Salem, consider entering this year’s small business contest.

When a streetcar is for and not for transit.

On the rails today: What it’s like to be an Amtrak conductor; Amtrak is coming back to Roanoke,VA by 2017 and automated operations are on their way back to the DC Metro.

My friends at Placemakers present a Q&A that tells you all you need to know about boutique hotels and how they fit into a new urban environment. Another good Q&A comes from the New York Times and its Ask Real Estate column.

Detroit’s all ready for its annual auto show(and hoping that it can save some morale), it’s art museum is getting at least 300 million dollars to stay afloat.

Proof that sometimes things on the African continent work just like things here at home, what happens when some factories leave and others stay in Webuye, Kenya.

Not enough bikes in Texas and books at this NYC public school.

More mixed-use development is coming to Atlanta, this time at an old railyard.

It’s truly the best and the worst of times in this tale of two Midwestern cities, both sharing a port and at odds with politics.

And finally, let’s do what we can to prevent street harassment and manage change better in cities.

Uncategorized

Placebook: Paper or Plastic?

Deep Roots Grocery in Greensboro. Image Credit Kristen Jeffers
Deep Roots Grocery in Greensboro. Image Credit Kristen Jeffers

Hey there! I hope you had an excellent weekend. I wrote, watched some of the Panthers loss, finally watched the film Love Actually, and saw all the Amtrak trains come by. Good weekend all around. My daily shoutout goes to a fellow CNU(Congress for New Urbanism) Next Gen-er, Glen Kellogg, who is bringing grocery back to Rochester, NY via his development company. I especially like that the store will have a broader mix of products, not just organic and not just low-end either. Learn more about his new store by watching this interview.

One of the best “white-gentrifier in Detroit” stories, in which you feel like the subject actually cares about his house, his actual neighbors and even admits that he was once naive in his intentions.
Winston-Salem is putting poems on buses and you can submit yours for consideration. San Francisco is charging the Google commuter buses to stop at its city bus stops. However, could this start a bad trend of pay-to-play (err, park) at bus stops nationwide?
  
 This article about creatives leaving New York is beating a now dead horse, but this Washington Monthly article, along with the teaser from The Atlantic Cities place a gentle reminder on folks that people always follow the money and wealth, no matter where it is, unless costs just can’t be made up by moving.
 
Uber can be great and Uber can be bad. No surprises to anyone who’s used the car-sharing service before.
 A year on the DC Metro in photographs. DCist talks to  Politico Pro‘s defense editor Philip Ewing, the man behind the lens.
 
If you are in this these cities, then you can complain about being cold.
Free house, as long as if you pay to move it.
No subways for you, row house neighborhoods in DC. However, there are plenty of higher homeowners association fees for DC metro residents.
The full Governing article on the little blue walking dots, with more analysis on who walks and why.
Starbucks embraces local design motifs in Mexico City, New Orleans and other future stores.
12% of mortgages in the Greensboro-High Point metro area “seriously underwater.”
Airlines are finally buying new planes and replacing older, less stable ones.
And finally, the latest in the Richmond, CA eminent domain saga.
Atlanta, Brooklyn, Cities, Cityreads, Cleveland, creative placemaking, DC, Durham, Government, Greensboro, Housing, Links, miami, Rail, Raleigh

Placebook: The Little Blue Walking Dot

U.S. Cities that walk the most. Image via Governing and Fast Company.

Hey Hey, it’s Friday! And with that, I’m looking forward to a quiet evening of sewing at home with my mom and a Saturday and Sunday filled with who knows what else? In the meantime, I know at least one day of this weekend I’ll be a part of Greensboro’s blue dot from the map above. But before that, here are some articles to take you through the weekend:

The polar vortex is not keeping folks from riding bike share bikes, at least not in DC. Meanwhile, Downtown Miami will finally see the DecoBike stations that have been operating in Miami Beach.

More affordable housing struggles, also in DC. Evictions are still hurting communities of color and poverty nationwide.

The Project for Public Spaces has great thoughts on how folk art influences placemaking. I saw this first hand while I was on the trip that made me a placeist back in 2012.

The fallacy of having too many municipalities in a small land area, illustrated by Cincinnati and surrounding Hamilton County, Ohio. Meanwhile, Cleveland is touting itself as the next Brooklyn.

It’s always sad when a beautiful building falls into disrepair and is then threatened with demolition, this time in the Bronx. More modern buildings in good shape that have won awards are also not safe from demo in NYC.

The RTP region is growing period. Greensboro has potential growth in HondaJet, a new microbrewery,plus a new ordinance that could allow more microbreweries.

New BART cars in the Bay Area and a slew of new transportation projects in DC.  2.7 million trips were taken on transit in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2013.

Get to know the Metro Atlanta Equity Atlas, the first equity-based data-cruncher and map maker in the Southeast that’s user-friendly and free and open to the public.

And finally, a post-mortem on Bridgegate and why calling the police is not always the best step when dealing with mentally ill family and friends.

And because it’s the weekend, sit back and enjoy DC-based short fiction from the Washington City Paper‘s 2nd annual fiction issue.

Cities, Cityreads, Links, Transportation

Placebook: We’re On the Move

Amtrak's Piedmont Arrives from Raleigh, one example of how people are on the move.
Amtrak’s Piedmont Arrives from Raleigh, one example of how people are on the move.

Hello everybody! Had a really good time at both SynerG on Tap at Natty Greenes and Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann’s office hours at Scuppernong Books  last night, as well as playing bar trivia and coming in second place, which at Grey’s Tavern buys the table a round of drinks.

My shoutout of today goes to Cecelia Thompson, who will be assuming the lead position at Action Greensboro after five years of serving as director of projects, namely SynerG. SynerG was what helped me reconnect with my hometown as a civic-minded adult, and it continues to be a major part of my activities here in the area. Looking forward to what’s next and where the organization is going. And like my friends from The Foreign Exchange, Greensboro, and folks around Greensboro, are on the move. (Sidenote: Who can name all the Raleigh spots featured in the video?)

And like my friends from The Foreign Exchange, Greensboro, and folks around Greensboro, are on the move. (Sidenote: Who can name all the Raleigh spots featured in the video?)

So people have been asking, how can I get this information via email. If you are reading this version of the links and want to subscribe to email, email theblackurbanist@gmail.com and I will add you to the list.

And it’s links time:

The NC to DC High Speed rail compact met in DC on Tuesday. Could it have been about this bold move by the Japanese to fund a maglev train between DC and Baltimore?
Congrats to both Urban Cincy and Greater Greater Washington,  sister Streetsblog Network blogs on a stellar 2013. Hear Streetsblog Network founder Aaron Naparstek talk about why we do what we do and the impact of city blogs on cities across the nation and the world.
 Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s next gig: Co-Chair of Building America’s Futures.
 A new study out of the University of California-Berkley states that dense development unfortunately does not cancel out the carbon footprint of sprawl. Also, all the salt getting dumped on roads this winter is doing more harm than good, now that more roads exist.
Awesome buildings that are actually made from ice and snow and not just covered in it.
Art and ecosystems as economic development.
Downtown Raleigh getting more bike facilities, which could be lanes, sharrows or both.
Greensboro City Council is leery of paying incentive funds for a parking deck.
How Madison, Wisconsin’s new mayor is building on already strong urbanist elements in the city. Two mayors named Nancy, one on the record, the other not quite on the record.
Today in neighborhood friendliness fails. A front-yard veggie garden deemed inappropriate and a twelve-house quest to get extra vegetable oil for cookie baking. 
No more National Book Festival on the National Mall.
 
Cities, Cityreads, DC, Greensboro, Links, New York City, Rail, Transportation, Uncategorized

Placebook: Shelter Please, Because It’s Too Cold for the Polar Bears Too

Batman and well, nanas waiting at a bus stop. H/T to one of my Facebook friends for posting a version of this image.

Good Wednesday morning folks. For those of you in Greensboro, I’m looking forward to seeing you at either Nancy Hoffmann‘s office hours at Scuppermong Books or at SynerG on Tap at Natty Greene’s. Office hours start at 6 and the happy hour starts at 5:30.

In addition, before I get into the rest of the news links, I want to commend the efforts of our mayor, our shelters, the churches, the GPD and others who have worked diligently to make sure no one has to sleep in  a home with no heat or on the streets on these frigid nights. Here’s a Time Warner Cable News video about efforts at the Interactive Resource Center specifically to keep people warm.

I also want to congratulate our outgoing city manager Denise Turner-Roth, appointed by President Obama as the deputy administrator of the General Services Administration, which is responsible for all maintenance of federal buildings,  preservation of historic properties and government purchasing. I only wish I’d gotten to know Denise better during her time here in the city and greatly admired her work as assistant, acting, and full city manager for the City of Greensboro. I wish her well and will miss her. I also hope the city finds someone just as skilled and worthy to keep us moving in the right direction. The city council at their meeting last evening appointed Assistant City Manager Jim Westmoreland as acting city manager, effective February 1.

Final shoutout of the morning goes to my friend Tony Reames for co-authoring his first journal article :
Social Capital and Longitudinal Change in Sustainability Plans and Policies: U.S. Cities from 2000 to 2010

And with that, here’s the rest of the news I think is fit to read this morning:

Everything else that happened at the Greensboro City Council meeting last night.

As I mentioned in the title, it’s too cold for the polar bear at the Chicago Zoo.

Portland allowed homes just outside their growth boundary, but failed to provide necessary public services to said homes.

People in the East Village of Manhattan are trying to keep a beloved newsstand alive, despite pressure from gentrification and higher fees that may push the operator out of business.

The public transit tax cut hurts all commuters. 

The New York MetroCard is 20. 

Londoners have nicknamed their new skyscrapers after foods, kitchen tools and a stealth bomber.
Mayor DeBlasio had an open house and this is what it was like. He is also called upon to continue the growth of Silicon Alley, which although smaller, is more diverse in terms of people and locations throughout the region.
Troubles continue with the California high-speed train.

A new study highlights how urban poor, namely black poor often inherit their poverty and the feeling of being stuck in place. In Vancouver, the feeling that mixed neighborhoods cause more trouble than their worth.

Jay-Z at his show  in Greensboro on Sunday night gave a 12-year-old a chance to spit some bars.
And finally, be a part of a new storefront art installation, run by the Open Arts Society in Downtown Greensboro.