So yeah, this happened yesterday. 

If you read the blog before noon, you’ll note that I had a note about the State of the Union last night. However, that speech would never be able to capture my shock at what has happened in Atlanta and Birmingham thanks to the storm. The Atlantic has a great analysis of the politics of the situation, from an Atlanta-area resident. Gawker started out making fun of the situation, but now has pictures of people taking shelter in drug stores and other 24 hour establishments. Kids are stuck in schools. I’ve had a number of people on my Facebook timeline with stories of either being stuck at work, abandoning cars or it taking them hours to get home, if they are home. If you want to follow what’s going on down there, here are direct links to WSB-TV and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Oh, and there’s snow in Myrtle Beach. Please be safe as you get home, go to work, or do whatever you absolutely need to do today in areas where the snow has driven you crazy.

I have more thoughts on this,  but for now, news of note on NC and the rest of the nation.

NC News Round-up

The Governor has declared a state of emergency due to the winter weather we saw yesterday.

Our jobless rate is going down, and those who file unemployment will now be required to go into an office to claim benefits for the first time.

A new hotel could be coming to Downtown Raleigh.

Charlotte is on this list of the most affordable cities in the world. 

Durham and Greensboro, followed by Raleigh, Charlotte and Winston-Salem have the highest Walk-Scores in the state. none of these are anywhere near not being car-dependent. 

National Roundup

Chicago wants to turn an entire neighborhood into a national park.

Cleveland wants to turn vacant lots into pop-up libraries, but using the settings of different books as themes for the spaces.

NYC is going after jaywalkers more aggressively.

Famous metro maps as Super Mario Brothers games. 

What’s possible if you commit to turning a strip mall into a real neighborhood.

How to see wildlife in an urban setting in the snow.

Detroit’s new downtown apartments are pricing out everyone but the rich.

This is Placebook. Here you will find the news you need every weekday to create and maintain awesome cities, towns, neighborhoods, farms and everything in between. Subscribe on the left to get this information in a daily email and share using the social buttons below.

So the USDA has declared parts of Greensboro a food desert. Honestly, when I wrote about the city as a food oasis, I acknowledged that this was only the case for those folks who had a car or could cart food on a bus or a bike or foot even. However, not everyone is able-bodied and a licensed driver and they shouldn’t have to be to get a basic meal. Also, once again, s/o to my city councilman, the mayor and the many other community leaders and members working to get more grocery options in East Greensboro. Now, for the round-up.

NC News Roundup

Here in Greensboro,a new children’s health clinic is opening, with the promise of another adult clinic in the future… Pyramids Village is just a mile away from the Renaissance Co-op and has managed to attract a few national chain stores, including three that just opened…the cold is weakening our waterlines…economic development leaders defend their record…annual count of homeless is expected to be lower…elsewhere around the Triad, High Point University’s plans for Oak Hollow Mall are on hold.

In Charlotte, city council leaders voted to invest in streetcar development, with the hopes they will receive federal funds next year for the remainder of the line.

Raleigh’s housing authority director has a new contract and a Durham coffee-house operated by a veteran, whose struggles were profiled twice by NPR, is now open.

In Asheville, a new hotel is set to be built…abandoned buildings torn down…Aldi opens and why there are not as many chain stores in Asheville, despite consumer demand.

In Wilmington, the mayor gives his state of the city address…zoning changes allow for smaller child care centers to open…the city is ranked as a good destination for young artists by PolicyMic…an editorial calls for more rec centers…and a long time restaurateur is hanging up her hat, but not closing the restaurant chain.

Nation and World Round-up

The New York/New Jersey based Super Bowl is expected to lose money.

The farm bill is set to cut food stamp funding by 1%.

The Guardian Cities launches with multiple good stories, including this outsiders perspective of what’s happened in New Orléans since Katrina.

Greater Greater Washington argues that Baltimore should get rid of their downtown jail…a young boy tells the story of a unique community in Baltimore, a rebel dirt bike gang.

The Atlantic Cities argues if streetcars are really transit outside of New Orleans…and Debra Fallows continues The Atlantic‘s coverage of the Greenville-Spartanburg area of South Carolina, this time with a focus on accents.

And finally, the role of black barbers from slavery to now in the community…how Greenwood,OK rebuilt after the riot that destroyed it in 1921 and how it’s coping now.

This is Placebook. Here you will find the news you need every weekday to know more about how to create and maintain awesome cities, towns, neighborhoods, farms and everything in between. Subscribe on the left to get this information in a daily email and share using the social buttons below.

Last night those of us in Greensboro  got our first honest dusting of the year.  It caused some accidents, including one that some folks’ s power blink and others go out for several hours. It’s also very cold again, but that’s not really news since it’s the middle of winter. What follows is news:

First, around the Triad area:

Greensboro has a new city manager already…Everything else that happened at council and going on in Greensboro politics this week via the #gsopol hashtag…What happened at  Winston-Salem  council last night.  PTI Airport will get more flights to New York…several prominent names are no longer on the Downtown Greensboro, Inc. board… A short profile of the two newest businesses in downtown Greensboro and a new development in downtown Winston-Salem…parents a Greensboro school are concerned with its namesake…and finally for the Triad roundup, Rockingham County officials pull the polls out of their schools, citing safety issues.

Elsewhere around the nation and world:

Check out the photo gallery of the DC Streetcar, as it makes its official arrival. Also, MinnPost details why buses can make too many stops.

Could Spartanburg, SC be your next business opportunity?

MLK Memorial in DC already a place for current protests, this time, postal workers using their day off to protest wage and safety issues.

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.

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.

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.