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Happy Wednesday, Shit Givers.
Quinn is booked and busy today recording an exciting new project you’ll be hearing all about in the next few weeks, so I’m hopping on with your weekly Action Steps.
Last week we asked for anyone working in policy (as an actual policymaker or at a policy shop) at the US national, state, or local level to test out a new tool we have in beta. The offer still stands, so please reply to this email and introduce yourself if interested!
If any of the below actions resonate with you, remember you can save them for later in your very own WCID To Do List (free for 30 days 🤝 ).
Here we go!
— Willow
Make housing more affordable
Donate to the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board.
Their National division partners with local organizations and city agencies across the US to expand affordable homeownership through strong tenant associations and lasting affordable co-ops. Housing works best when residents are in charge. (go)
Volunteer with your local YIMBY Action group.
Get access to training, tools, and a community of other people passionate about housing and livable communities. (go)
An one stop shop for housing solutions.
Get comprehensive, balanced, and equitable local housing strategies you can use to empower yourself and your community. (go)
Transit is for everybody
Be Heard about legalizing more homes near transit.
People should be able to live within walking distance of transit that can reliably (key word) get them where they need to go. Lower costs, less traffic, cleaner air. It’s not that complicated. Californians: tell Governor Newsom to sign SB 79 and make it happen! (go)
Donate or volunteer with People For Bikes.
Cars cause traffic, bad moods, and dirty air. Bikes lessen traffic, get more people outside, and keep us healthy. Get involved in projects working towards better bike access and better infrastructure for everyone! (go)
Be Heard about lifting parking mandates in NYC.
Zoning rules in NYC require developers to include parking spaces, regardless if they are wanted or needed. It’s making the city less livable and walkable and perpetuating a cycle of car-centric street design. (go)
Find a more accessible neighborhood with Close City.
Close City has the data you need to understand how accessible your neighborhood is. Share it with your local officials to push for better public transportation planning. (go)
Together With Bookshop
Want to read what the people working on the frontlines of the future are reading?
Every week, I ask our podcast guest, "What’s a book you’ve read this year that’s opened your mind to a topic you haven’t considered before, or that’s changed your thinking in some way?"
And every week, we add their picks to a list on Bookshop, where every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores.
Want an ad-free experience? Become a Member!
Build communities that actually work
Donate to Grid Alternatives.
They’re the largest nonprofit solar installer in the nation, getting everyone on the grid and building community-powered solutions to climate change. (go)
Take action globally and volunteer with Engineers Without Borders.
Put your skills to use all over the world and help build infrastructure where it’s needed most to address the climate crisis and social injustice. (go)
Invest in projects with real impact.
IDB Invest partners with the private sector to accelerate economic and social development projects across Latin America and the Caribbean. They publish transparent financial and impact data so you can be sure your money is going where it should be. (go)
Get nerdy about urbanism
Parking Reform is sexy.
The Parking Reform Network has all the resources you need to accelerate parking reform in your community, because despite the myth that there’s never enough parking, the data shows that too much parking is actually harmful to neighborhood prosperity. (go)
An Atlas of Sustainable City Transport.
Use these indicators of what sustainable and inclusive urban transport means to people, to help your policymakers set goals for the expansion of sustainable infrastructure. (go)
Change starts in how we build our communities!
Busy as hell? Us too! You can save actions for later with an WCID To Do List!
Thank you — as always — for giving a shit.
— Willow
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