Otis White

I write about cities and neighborhoods and civic leadership at otiswhite.com.

Website: http://otiswhite.com

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Last Notes

2026-07-31 15:12:47 CEST

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Dunno. There are ways of measuring congestion (NYC has transponders on taxis so it can see how long trips take.) Others use cellphone data. So it's knowable, but I don't think the impact on congestion by Waymos is yet known.

2026-07-24 15:13:15 CEST

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The Atlanta Urbanist Book Group will discuss “Key to the City" in two weeks. https://www.atlantaurbanist.com/book/key-to-the-city/ And it will discuss “Fixer-Upper" in October. https://www.atlantaurbanist.com/book/fixer-upper/ Both are important books, but “Key to the City" was surprising as well as important.

2026-07-24 14:35:20 CEST

#Solar power flips the business model of utility companies on its head. Fossil fuels are expensive to extract and transport but the power they generate travels over long-amortized infrastructure. So, fixed costs small, variable costs high. Solar has big upfront costs for homeowners, but from that point on, energy is essentially free. This terrifies #utilities. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/upshot/solar-panels-prices-batteries.html

2026-07-24 14:34:31 CEST

“Fixer-Upper,” a book about America’s dysfunctional #housing market, urges state legislatures to rewrite the rules of zoning so we can build more housing. Reason: Local gov’ts are the problem, the author says. PA’s legislature seems ready to allow ADUs everywhere. Sure enough, local gov’ts stand in the way. https://whyy.org/articles/pennsylvania-accessory-dwelling-units-legislation/

2026-07-07 16:58:35 CEST

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The undamming project I’m most familiar with is the one in Columbus GA ... a years-long project that resulted in the longest urban whitewater park in the U.S. ... and a major recreational and tourist asset to a reviving downtown. It was such an extraordinary project that a documentary was made about it. It's on YouTube at https://youtu.be/rHpSuRpsg4k?si=85TxkccCQUdkdipR.

2026-07-07 15:06:05 CEST

Most cities are located on rivers, and if they are inland cities, those rivers probably have dams. They were built to power mills in the days before electricity. Bottom line: They aren’t needed today. Now cities like Mpls are considering … should we remove these dams and restore the river to its natural flow? https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/07/02/what-would-removing-twin-cities-locks-and-dams-mean-for-the-mississippi-river

2026-07-06 14:27:45 CEST

A decade ago, a British think tank produced a study of how people meet and do enjoyable things together … like play bingo or join amateur rugby clubs. (It was titled “Clubbing Together.”) Why should we care about such things? Because urbanism is about connecting people. And casual connections can lead to civic involvement. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/nyregion/nyc-lonely-making-friends.html

2026-07-02 14:37:00 CEST

Cars cause many problems in cities, one of which is their voracious appetite for #parking, which raises costs for all. But here’s something you haven’t considered: Vehicles are getting so big that they almost cannot fit into conventional parking spaces. Typical space: 18 ft deep, 7.5 to 9 ft wide. Ford F-150: 19 ft long, 8 ft wide. https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/06/are-cars-getting-too-big-for-atlantas-parking-lots/

2026-06-23 14:35:39 CEST

S.F.’s #transit systems saw a huge exodus of riders during Covid. Just as officials despaired this was permanent, something odd happened: Riders are returning. Why? Two theories: It’s regular commuters trying to beat the price of gas OR it’s the #WFH folks, sick of being lonely and eager to rejoin the crowd. https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/bart-station-muni-caltrain-transit-22310378.php

2026-06-22 14:14:17 CEST

“Aquatic Beltline”: 20 years ago, Atlanta began what would become a transformative project … turning 22 miles of abandoned rail lines into a circle of trails that pedestrians and cyclists have embraced. So, what’s next? A writer suggests it might be the city’s river, on which you can canoe rather than bike through the city. https://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/for-decades-the-chattahoochee-river-was-too-filthy-for-recreation-now-things-have-changed/

2026-06-18 16:00:23 CEST

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If we depended on the 21st century equivalent of ticker tapes, they'd throw smartphones out of tall buildings. Ouch. So it's confetti now.

2026-05-18 13:34:11 CEST

“Oh yeah. We won”: Here’s a measure of progress for urbanists. All of the major Democratic candidates for governor of CA support efforts to encourage or demand that localities allow more #housing. The YIMBY movement is less than 20 years old. It’s a sign of how, with the right ideas and methods, you CAN change minds. https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/05/california-governor-housing-2026-yimby/

2026-04-13 14:49:26 CEST

For many Americans, an introduction to #walkable cities comes with a trip to Europe. But there are cities in the U.S. where walking and transit are all you need. NYC, of course. Also S.F. and Boston. But where else? An article lists some smaller walkable cities: Portland MA, Key West FL and Savannah GA. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2026/04/08/best-walkable-american-cities/

2025-12-08 15:22:44 CET

WHY do we want #transit systems to reduce farebeating? 1. This is money systems need ($1 billion a year in NYC). 2. Giving thieves free rides makes transit less safe. 3. It’s not fair to the honest riders who paid for their rides. But HOW can farebeating be reduced? By design. NYC shows the ways. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/nyregion/nyc-subway-fare-evasion-mta.html

2025-05-16 14:55:10 CEST

The new mayor of Portland OR gave a speech recently with a startling line: “Leave the cars at home,” he urged citizens, “take the income and invest it in our communities.” Actually, Portland is ahead of most places in building a car-light city (thereby saving its residents a lot of money). But even there, the pro-car forces are strong … and relentless. https://cityobservatory.org/leave-the-car-at-home-take-the-income/

2025-04-15 14:35:56 CEST

Reporters at nonpartisan news organizations are taught not to leap to conclusions. Find something suspicious? That’s when you start asking questions. What you may find is very different from how things appeared at first … and may even be a better story. Citizens, too, could benefit from asking questions before reaching conclusions. So could Elon Musk. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/12/upshot/musk-doge-fraud-claims.html

2025-04-15 14:35:00 CEST

In competing with long-haul trucks, railroad companies have touted time and price as advantages. Now one rail company has added a third advantage … sustainability. Shipping by rail, it says, reduces carbon emissions by 70% to 90%. Some companies, it seems, do care about such things. Shouldn’t urban commuters? Transit systems, let’s talk up carbon savings for trains and buses over cars. https://www.ajc.com/news/business/norfolk-southern-launches-first-freight-rail-carbon-insetting-service/ZDTUNMCQ5ZACJBQTWJ6PPP6UTU/

2025-03-10 13:03:36 CET

Denver Mayor Johnston says he is committed to reducing the impact of cars on his city and increasing the share of trips made on foot, by bike and on #transit. So, why does it feel to some like the city is backsliding? Maybe because they depend too much on gov’t for leadership. Shouldn’t there be a role here for BIDs and neighborhood groups to advocate for #walkable streets and organize car-free events? https://denverite.com/2025/03/04/denver-transit-bikes-pedestrians-vision-zero-amy-ford-2025/

2024-12-02 14:20:05 CET

If you want to make big changes in cities, start with big assets. And what is a city’s biggest asset? Its streets and roads, which take up a quarter or more of cities. In most places, we give this huge asset over to a single use: motor vehicles. What else could streets be used for? Let’s start a conversation on this, a radio host in S.F. writes. https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/sfstreets-economy-culture-19936717.php #mobility

2024-11-27 15:10:35 CET

What does success look like? It looks like a large and famous city park that’s so filled with people on foot, jogging, cycling, in pedicabs … but not in cars … that it needs some traffic engineering to keep everyone safe. That’s NYC’s Central Park today, where officials say new ways are needed to keep cyclists and pedestrians happy, moving … and apart. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/nyregion/central-park-drives-redesign.html