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Henry Grabar

@henrygrabar.bsky.social
7.9K followers 402 following 907 posts

my next book is about why it's so hard to build. send me your thoughts!

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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Interesting study on how anti-Muslim animus gets laundered through parking gripes, with new mosques earning 16-18 percent more parking complaints than new churches news.ucsc.edu/2026/09/park...
news.ucsc.edu
Parking policy masks anti-Muslim discrimination for communities building new mosques
New research shows that disputes around parking during the urban planning process are disproportionately used to fight the construction of mosques across the country
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
dorothy rabinowitz, i owe you an apology.... www.latimes.com/california/s...
latimes.com
The biggest donor in L.A. mayor's race runs a hedge fund — and wants more bike lanes
Hedge fund manager Aaron Sosnick gave a combined $4 million to two independent expenditure committees backing Nithya Raman's mayoral campaign.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
a classic three-beat dating profile: "He told me that he loves jazz, and onetime Slate staff writer Jamelle Bouie, and that he hated my longform feature about the Creed cruise." slate.com/life/2026/09...
slate.com
Slate’s Commenters Have Been Trolling My Writing for Years. I Finally Asked Why. I’ll Never Look at Them the Same.
A story of love, death, and unlikely friendship.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
le code c'est moi! bsky.app/profile/carl...
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Tom Broderick @trumbullbrod.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The most @parkingreform.org coded headline/lede in journalism history 😂 Let me answer this for Norwalk: no, parking is not as important as heat, electricity, or water!!!!!!! www.nancyonnorwalk.com/is-parking-a...
NORWALK, Conn. - Is a parking spot as essential as heat and electricity? That question is now at the center of a dispute over rent at a downtown apartment building.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Slate is 30! That's pretty cool. slate.com/briefing/202...
slate.com
Here’s How to Celebrate Slate’s 30th Birthday!
Take a trip back to 1996.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
great story. i'm glad that the International Blueberry Organization is on the case www.wsj.com/business/dri...
wsj.com
Driscoll’s Gave China Its Blueberries—Then China Swiped the Secret to Growing Them
The California grower’s expansion into China ignited local competition and widespread intellectual-property theft. Private investigators went undercover at nurseries.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
fascinating new paper on permitting speed -- another hidden barrier to housing abundance t.co/i5hfoCRXsY
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
seriously folks, this is a great read that covers a lot of ground: housing, transportation, governance, public safety and more.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
this is a true delight; neighborhood writing at its best www.curbed.com/article/murr....
curbed.com
In Defense of Murray Hill
Life in a neighborhood that’s become a punch line.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Another cyclist killed on Memorial Drive. There but for the grace of God go I... www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/03/m...
bostonglobe.com
MIT professor hit while riding his bicycle in Cambridge last month has died, university officials say - The Boston Globe
Thomas Rose, 37, joined MIT in January and was set to begin teaching courses this fall.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
you always know when the headline is from the athletic
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
my takeaway: the northeast really needs some interurban-style mass transit investment. there's a non-zero number of people in the NEC who own cars just to go away for the weekend! www.nytimes.com/2026/09/02/t...
nytimes.com
An East Coast Summer Vacation, All by Public Transportation
A self-described transit romantic set out to visit prime summer destinations using only public transportation. Would getting there really be half the fun?
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"The borough of Westminster, home to some of London’s toniest neighborhoods, said in a 2023 report that it sought to collect payment on 13,423 tickets issued to United Arab Emirates vehicles between 2018 and 2022. Only 1% paid." www.wsj.com/world/uk/lon...
wsj.com
Londoners Are Stewing Over Supercar Tourists Who Park Wherever They Want
Tony neighborhoods are clogged with Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens bearing Middle East plates and tickets drivers won’t pay.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
a delight to be on Marketplace this morning, talking about some of history's Unusual Sources of revenue www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0...
marketplace.org
Before chasing quick fixes for the AI tax problem, look at Chicago's parking meters
If AI shrinks the workforce and tax base, a sovereign wealth fund could help make up the difference. But critics warn of unintended risks.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
"It is also exceedingly rare for one governor not to act on a request from another to extradite a criminal defendant, as Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has done." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/u...
nytimes.com
ICE agent Christian Castro Released From Texas Jail After Minnesota Loses Court Fight
The state had sought to have the agent extradited from Texas to answer charges in Minneapolis related to an on-duty shooting that wounded an immigrant.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
helmet discourse... get behind me satan!
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
this whole thing feels like an April Fools Joke specially designed for @jakeanbinder.bsky.social ... how strong is our present wave of nostalgia that this oil company logo is getting this treatment www.bostonyouremyhome.net
bostonyouremyhome.net
Boston You're My Home
Boston You're My Home
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
slate.com/business/202...
slate.com
Read Another Book
The Power Broker leaves us ill-equipped to understand or confront the struggles that face the city today.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
One interesting side effect of rent control that I learned about in Matthew Lasner’s book High Life is that it created most of the apartment homeownership opportunities in New York — 85 percent of the city’s co-ops and condos in 1975 had been created thru conversion
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Lotta funny business going on in this town with bike lanes in the name of ”the community” mass.streetsblog.org/2026/08/20/a...
mass.streetsblog.org
Bucking Opposition From East Boston Residents, Boston Streets Commissioners Unanimously Vote to Eliminate Planned Bikeway Near Day Square - Streetsblog Massachusetts
Among the dozen people who testified at Thursday's hearing, the only people who spoke in favor of removing the proposed bike lane were City Hall employees.
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Patrick Cosmos @veryimportant.lawyer · 20/08/2026
“Naples, Florida-based Chicago radio host” probably the darkest phrase I’ll read all week
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
people think "square" and they imagine: plaza, trees, benches, grand public building, maybe a fountain. in boston, on the other hand, a "square" is when 11 busy streets come together in an intersection where it takes 90 seconds for the light to change.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
love this from Slate's "Party like it's '96" series. excited for the first challenge! slate.com/1996-sign-up...
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The Deep Tunnel!
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
checking in on BOS-NY train fares for Thanksgiving week
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
"In 1990, fewer than 5% of Americans had a passport. Now, more than 50% do..." www.wsj.com/economy/the-...
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
don't want to overstate the power of $2m in a congressional primary but i appreciate the humor of Andy Ogles losing his job bc of Big Wind and Solar money www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/u...
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
have yet to see the town whose appeal was so shaky that $1/hour parking pushed it into abandonment -- and this *certainly* does not seem like such a town www.wsj.com/world/europe...
wsj.com
A Mystery Avenger Escalates a War Against Scotland’s Parking Police
Officials are hunting a vandal defacing meters with super glue and foam, but nobody’s talking in a town that’s fed up with parking enforcers.
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Tony Jordan @tonyjordan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Wasted leg power all over the place. Don’t people know we need that energy for AI?
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
may launch a “raise your bike seat“ awareness campaign. long past time the cycling community turned its attention to this issue.
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M. Nolan Gray 🥑 @mnolangray.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Excited to see the big election news out of Michigan: Joel Arnold, policy director for @abundanthousingmi.bsky.social, is advancing to the general election in his run for Flint city council!
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Apparently *not* a valid way to skirt rent stabilization laws (alleged in a lawsuit filed against the owners of the American Copper buildings in NY)
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nick andersen @nicktheandersen.com · 04/08/2026
everything about this story of abandoned vats of rotting fish sauce in a tiny canadian town is incredible
cbc.ca
How do you get rid of 110 vats of smelly fish sauce? This Newfoundland town is finally getting an answer | CBC Radio
It’ll take about 200 trips with a standard-sized dump truck to put an end to a stinky problem that has plagued the town of St. Mary’s, N.L., for the past 25 years.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
lol bsky.app/profile/west...
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
delightful story about the Costco parking lot, which is apparently quite the scene www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
usatoday.com
Welcome to the Costco parking lot wars. It’s 'Survivor’ with cars
The No. 1 problem with Costco? Parking. Nothing gets hearts racing like hunting for an open spot. You can blame Costco's popularity and each other.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
There’s a “scan and win” sticker on my banana
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Even camels can’t deal with extreme heat. 🐪
bbc.co.uk
Africa's camels are dying from extreme heat as temperatures soar
Herders and experts tell the BBC how Africa's camels are suffering because of extreme heat.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
apparently it was 121 degrees in Tunisia last week www.lapresse.tn/2026/07/18/c...
lapresse.tn
Cette ville tunisienne enregistre la température la plus élevée au monde
La ville de Kairouan a enregistré, vendredi 17 juillet 2026, la température la plus élevée au monde, selon l’Observatoire tunisien de la météo et du
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
“the climate-driven smoke deaths result in economic damages that exceed existing estimates of climate-driven damages from *all other causes combined* in the U.S.A.” heatmap.news/daily/worryi...
heatmap.news
What Worries Me Most About This Wildfire Smoke
We didn’t know days like this could happen. Then we learned how bad they really are.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
from 2013... some looks best left to the pros
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
cool job alert!
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
yesterday i was trying to find pirate world cup streams and i came across an amazing phenomenon: Live YouTube streams that instantly re-broadcast the game as a "simulation," with CGI pitch and players, a little boxy and crude, standing in for the real ones
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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Hell of a photo
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
there‘s no disaster like a heat wave for pure contrast of public fun (jumping in the canal!) and private suffering
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𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂⁠. 𓆩♡𓆪 @dailyrunway.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
for her wimbledon 2026 entrance, naomi osaka wore "evolving ceremony", a design by japanese creator hana yagi that reimagines the traditional kimono through upcycled vintage pieces, a classic shiromuku bridal gown, and a deconstructed wedding dress
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
ICYMI, I wrote about air conditioning in France: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
France Is Too Hot for Shutters and Ceiling Fans
Millions of people are suffering through the hottest days of their lives with few options.
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Bronwyn Hayward @bmhayward.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
How air conditioning has become a flash point for the far right in France A thoughtful reflection by @henrygrabar.bsky.social of the Atlantic - please read www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
France Is Too Hot for Shutters and Ceiling Fans
Millions of people are suffering through the hottest days of their lives with few options.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
In which I settle once and for all the question of: Why doesn’t France have more air conditioning www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
France Is Too Hot For Shutters and Ceiling Fans
Millions of people are suffering through the hottest days of their lives with few options.
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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
this is wild -- it would be great for the city to take back control but deciding in secret to bid $3.3 billion seems to repeat some of the mistakes that led to the initial agreement blockclubchicago.org/2026/06/25/m...
blockclubchicago.org
Mayor's $3 Billion Parking Meter Offer Was $800 Million More Than The Next Highest Bid, Investor Says
The mayor’s office has said a confidentiality agreement prevented them from sharing bid details, but private companies involved said the agreement has been waived “for some period of time.”
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