Transportation planner and economist. Founder, Siegman & Associates. Formerly Principal & Shareholder at Nelson\Nygaard. LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/5cekhrjhhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.bizhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mu3my5d4fs2eParking spaces are worth a quarter million apiece (or more) but cities give them away for free. It’s no wonder curb parking is overcrowded. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/nyregion/private-parking-spots-new-york-city.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8lA.4jvR.6kqQe-3y8Zvt&smid=url-share27 Aug 2026 19:56 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3my5d4fs2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mu3dfpqpa222America needs elevator reform. In the US, elevators cost at least three times more to install and three to six times as much to maintain as in other high-income nations. As a result, we have far fewer elevators. Those we do have are likely older & break more often, leaving many people stranded. [contains quote post or other embedded content]27 Aug 2026 17:05 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3dfpqpa222https://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mu3bof6grk2iI keep telling young people: parking reform can be your ticket to higher office. California Governor @gavinnewsom.bsky.social launched his political career by landing a seat on SF's parking and traffic commission. How can it be a good launchpad for higher office? https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/02/09/gavin-newsom-profile27 Aug 2026 16:34 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3bof6grk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mu3a24cais2iThe legislature of the world's 4th largest economy just passed a bill to legalize balcony solar.🌞 Many thanks to my State Senator @scottwiener.bsky.social for assembling a big bipartisan coalition to pass it – over the opposition of powerful investor-owned utilities. The guy gets good things done. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/business/energy-environment/california-legislature-plugin-solar.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8lA.HxB7.Yuk-Pa3DR7xu&smid=url-share27 Aug 2026 16:05 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3a24cais2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtytrxeths23There's often little daylight between Trump's transportation chief, who works to block transit, bike, & pedestrian projects, and SF's own Connie Chan. "Chan was a leading critic of the city’s 2022 decision to permanently ban cars on a key stretch of Golden Gate Park’s John F. Kennedy Drive." 🎁link: https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/connie-chan-scott-wiener-congress-nancy-pelosi-22384371.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL3NmL2FydGljbGUvY29ubmllLWNoYW4tc2NvdHQtd2llbmVyLWNvbmdyZXNzLW5hbmN5LXBlbG9zaS0yMjM4NDM3MS5waHA%3D&time=MTc4Nzc2Mjg2NTEwNg%3D%3D&rid=NWY5MTBmN2QtYTI5Ni00YTA2LThlMjYtYjVhNzk3MjFmMTRm&sharecount=OA%3D%3D26 Aug 2026 17:20 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtytrxeths23https://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtxafrchx22uI have a different question. Should the United States, or at least California, copy New Zealand‘s 83-page building code? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-15/andrew-bragg-building-code-modern-methods-of-construction/10702828226 Aug 2026 02:01 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtxafrchx22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtwvozrd4c24Why do elected officials adopt costly local building code amendments that are stricter than the state code? Sometimes, they do it at the urging of UA Local 38, the Plumbers & Pipefitters union, because "will open up employment opportunities to fulfill the new requirements..." [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 Aug 2026 22:49 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtwvozrd4c24https://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtutmw3ews2r‘When he first heard that a data center was being built in El Paso, he was hopeful that it would be the start of a meaningful investment in the city and its residents. His feelings shifted when he learned of the 80% property-tax break that Meta received...” Americans like a level playing field. [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 Aug 2026 03:07 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtutmw3ews2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtus23gikk2dPaul charts the journey of a single block from underpriced & overcrowded, to permits & physical meters, to permits & pay-by-phone, to permits & pay-by-app. California cities are still stuck in the era of underpriced & overcrowded, or of physical meters. It’s embarrassing that we are so backwards. [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 Aug 2026 02:38 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtus23gikk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtuj4e7ick2kMo writes, "it is worth saying out loud that the codes are driven by longstanding commercial interests who navigate the process to get their products in. This is not the image that these orgs like to project." Is Mo right? Discuss. [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Aug 2026 23:58 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtuj4e7ick2khttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtugyqjpvs2rCities should regularly evaluate their real estate portfolio. For each piece of land, ask, "What is the highest and best use of this parcel?" Oftentimes, the highest and best use is NOT automobile storage. https://boulderreportinglab.org/2026/08/23/boulder-city-council-approves-5-8-million-sale-of-downtown-parking-lot-for-110-room-hotel/24 Aug 2026 23:21 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtugyqjpvs2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtsdhpztns2fThanks to state housing and parking reform laws, the City of San Mateo, a wealthy suburb south of San Francisco, is once again going to build car-free apartments. [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Aug 2026 03:12 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtsdhpztns2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtsaywt5v22fFive years ago, did San Francisco supervisors really vote to block the conversion of a parking lot into 495 homes because it might have “environmental impacts”, like casting shadows? Why yes, it’s true. [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Aug 2026 02:28 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtsaywt5v22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtrpneyzj226This week, the decline and fall of minimum parking mandates continued. #Columbus, #Ohio, released a draft code covering over 40% of the city’s land area. If adopted, it will abolish minimum parking mandates in all of these areas. https://columbusunderground.com/new-zoning-changes-covering-nearly-half-of-city-unveiled-bw1/23 Aug 2026 21:17 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtrpneyzj226https://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtrda7qs7k2cThe alternative to legalizing single-stair apartment buildings is not that people build just as many dual-stair apartment buildings. Instead, our scarce affordable housing dollars fund fewer affordable homes. We leave more people living on the street, which inevitably means more encampment fires. [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Aug 2026 17:35 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtrda7qs7k2chttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtra755xq223The median home price in La Mesa has soared to $897K, more than twice than national average. City officials have responded by calling for more homes – for cars. Thankfully, state lawmakers realize homes for people matter more than homes for cars. They won’t let homeowners block downtown apartments. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/07/29/la-mesa-leaders-ok-114-unit-housing-development-in-downtown-village-despite-parking-objections/23 Aug 2026 16:41 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtra755xq223https://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtpj5dcwnc2p9/10, 12-1 PM PDT: Discover the tools, policies, and insights behind Latin America's successful parking reforms. I'm going to guess that winning the Latino vote is key.😀 https://luma.com/parking-ghg623 Aug 2026 00:16 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtpj5dcwnc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtpdiyo36k2i"the most pressing reason California can’t move the needle on housing production is that our lawmakers keep saddling legislation with cumbersome and counterproductive provisions." 🎁link: https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/housing-home-law-state-california-22395626.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL29waW5pb24vb3BlbmZvcnVtL2FydGljbGUvaG91c2luZy1ob21lLWxhdy1zdGF0ZS1jYWxpZm9ybmlhLTIyMzk1NjI2LnBocA%3D%3D&time=MTc4NzQzNzk1NzcyMw%3D%3D&rid=NWY5MTBmN2QtYTI5Ni00YTA2LThlMjYtYjVhNzk3MjFmMTRm&sharecount=Nw%3D%3D22 Aug 2026 22:35 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtpdiyo36k2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtpcsvnwjk2wI very much enjoyed learning how Uruguay cut its electricity costs in half by massively increasing wind & solar. ~43% of cars sold are now EVs: "I charge my car from midnight to 7:00 AM, and so the cost in order to charge fully my car is only $4. And with $4 I made 500 kilometers, 300 miles. Okay?" https://www.volts.wtf/p/he-helped-uruguay-decarbonize-can22 Aug 2026 22:22 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtpcsvnwjk2whttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtndese6p22xFor local elected officials, the politics of installing speed cameras are often excellent. Your constituents are safer, their neighborhoods are nicer, and the scofflaws who complain mostly can’t vote against you. [contains quote post or other embedded content]22 Aug 2026 03:27 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtndese6p22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtnaxman5c2v“Palmer accumulated nearly $10,000 in parking tickets on his red 2001 BMW convertible…and represented himself as homeless to qualify for a city program that forgave most of his fines, even though he lived in an apartment.” Chronic parking crimes are often the tip of a nasty iceberg. https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/william-palmer-san-francisco-sheriff-22395646.php22 Aug 2026 02:44 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtnaxman5c2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtn655pib22v”Experts say the massive surge in housing costs stemmed from a major slowdown in residential development around the 1970s. In coastal cities across the U.S., opposition to development had reached a boiling point…” True. When I was a kid, housing in the San Francisco Bay Area was cheap.22 Aug 2026 01:53 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtn655pib22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtmlfmiwts23After wildfire embers reached Le Porge, a village in France's Gironde, most homes didn't burn. When homes did ignite, noncombustible walls were often left standing. How much, if at all, do such building practices: 1️⃣Reduce property losses (rebuilding costs, etc.) 2️⃣Reduce fire spread to nearby homes?21 Aug 2026 20:18 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtmlfmiwts23https://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtksqtlbak2xIt’s not too late to join CNU‘s latest single-stair design competition. Get your entry in by Aug. 28! [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Aug 2026 03:24 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtksqtlbak2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mthk246bo222To avoid a big hit to your pocketbook, support strict Zone Zero rules for homes built in wildfire hazard zones. When tinderbox designs like this one burn, those of us in safer places get our premiums jacked up by billions to bail out the state‘s insurance plan for homes built in dangerous places. [contains quote post or other embedded content]19 Aug 2026 20:10 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mthk246bo222https://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mthi526jxs2kShare this podcast with your friends in the social justice movement, ask them what they think of it, and ask whether we should preserve exclusionary single-family zoning laws. [contains quote post or other embedded content]19 Aug 2026 19:36 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mthi526jxs2khttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtepnhbbsc25When I led the downtown parking & TDM plan, Berkeley's planning chief (now retired) refused to support removing parking minimums. He seemed unable to see the benefits (lower rents, less traffic, etc.) of letting students live in campus-adjacent car-free apartments like these. Nice to see progress! [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Aug 2026 17:13 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtepnhbbsc25https://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mteocv75ws2l#Vancouver abolished minimum parking mandates two years ago. Some developers are now proposing, and winning approval for, car-free towers. https://vancouversun.com/business/real-estate/33-storey-rental-tower-vancouver-broadway-no-parking18 Aug 2026 16:49 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mteocv75ws2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/siegman.biz/post/3mtckoo3gok2eWe need an American left that builds a housing project in the way they feel it should done (regarding wages, building, quality, etc.). If they thrive, they’d prove the people they criticize could do better. If they fail, despite not needing to earn a profit, they’ll learn a lot. [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Aug 2026 20:39 +0000at://did:plc:qcrpdkcfapeoom7d7d4adht2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtckoo3gok2e