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Robin

@jesusurbanist.bsky.social
188 followers 57 following 380 posts

jesusurbanist.substack.com | benches, buses, South Nashville, etc. | Lutheran pastor

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Reposted by Robin
Councilmember Sandra Sepúlveda @sandrafornash.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I’m frustrated, sad, and angry about what happened last night. We had Kim take the bus and show up in her wheelchair to speak on the importance of NROR. The same night we are debating this bill, CM Vo’s constituent was hit by a car earlier in the day by a car turning ROR. We have to do better.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Also, the original history of this neighborhood was as a plantation. Nearly all the homes in this neighborhood, except the original plantation house (Peach Blossom) were themselves ruining the "historic quality" of the area. This is just a dog whistle, plain and simple.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Some people have too much money.
wkrn.com
Historic neighborhood sues Metro Nashville to block 54-foot residential development
A historic Tennessee neighborhood is suing to protect its skyline from a towering new development along a scenic highway.
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Katherine McDonell @kemcdonell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
If you're wondering where we are in Nashville, we're at the point where an incredible advocate who has been hit and severely injured by a car driver is showing up to council *in her wheelchair* to demand change. That's where we are right now.
A straight up badass at Metro council
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Hey there's a bench build Saturday 9-12 at Riverside Commons and we need your help delivering and placing approximately 1,000 benches from about 10a-1p.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
My regional ELCA body is the one who filed the suit, on behalf of the churches like the one I pastored here in Nashville, which serve immigrants as part of our religious observance.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I'm going without driving for the next week. It's a good way to learn about your community, and even more importantly, an important spiritual practice and way to love your neighbor. 1/3 of Americans are nondrivers, but we don't build for them.
jesusurbanist.substack.com
A Week Without Driving is a Spiritual Practice
Opting out of driving for a week can make us more faithful and more loving neighbors.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Being mean doesn't actually make you radical or your politics good.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Driving hack: if you hate going over speed bumps, you can easily get around them by riding a bike.
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manaen @themanaen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Hmm is @haydensears.bsky.social gatekeeping his awesomeness?!? Go see him tonight!
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
We literally had this exact exchange at VZAC recently, after it contributed to *****people dying******
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
You know her, you love her. Kim Unertl was hit by a car at BNA and seriously broke her leg. Here's a meal train to help the family get by while she faces multiple surgeries and a big recovery ahead!
mealtrain.com
Meal Train for Kim Unertl
Kim Unertl, a beloved bike and pedestrian advocate in Nashville, was hit by a driver at the Nashville International Airport while walking to a WeGo Bus Stop. She suffered a major break of her leg whic...
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
alright, i do think this is my best solution to not dying on my way home. then take Recovery Road up to Wallace and go straight onto Edmondson. I've already doubled the distance of my commute to be safe, what's another couple miles?
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Katherine McDonell @kemcdonell.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Man this is bleak. The "bikes may use full lane" sign really tops it off. This is what Metro legal should be worrying about getting sued for, not some wooden benches.
A screenshot of a really awful intersection
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Alright, hive mind, help me figure this out. When I bike home from work, I have a portion of Nolensville I need to go south on and I need to pass through the Harding/Nolensville intersection.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The Nolensville All Access Corridor Community Advisory Board is having its first meeting this Thursday from 2-4p at Coleman Park Community Center.
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Chris Bowe @cbowe34.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
🚨 🚨 EMERGENCY STREETS PILOT PROGRAM 🚨 🚨 Nashville’s Vision Zero Advisory Committee has been pushing for a similar approach for years, falling on deaf ears at NDOT. Maybe a positive example will give them the push to commit to rapid response like the City of Spokane!
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
For your Wednesday morning reading. "Mobility is never just about getting to the destination. Whether a person is eight years old or eighty, the ability to move through the world safely and freely is about honoring the inherent dignity of a human being."
jesusurbanist.substack.com
Baby’s First Direct Action
Bike buses, kidical mass, and the importance of children riding on the street
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Nashville pedestrians deaths are up 130% year over year.
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water567891011.bsky.social @water567891011.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
We have so many plans, I know this is not even close to all of them 😭 drive.google.com/drive/folder...
drive.google.com
Metro Nashville Plan Archive - Google Drive
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Genuinely so happy for bus stop upgrades along Nolensville Pike, but also concerned about how we handle closed sidewalks and bike lanes. This is at Edmondson & Nolensville. The nearest signalized crossing southbound from here is half a mile away.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Writing this took three years off my life (I had to read Aristotle and Aquinas) and I'm begging you to read it. Housing policy, homelessness, sin, Martin Luther insults, etc.
jesusurbanist.substack.com
Is Usury Still a Sin?
What Martin Luther’s war on usury has to do with your mortgage
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I told my toddler tomorrow we'd ride bikes and eat ice cream and he smiled SO BIG. So if you wanna see that cheeky lil smile, you should join us tomorrow!
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Nashville Scene @nashvillescene.com · 27/08/2026
This week’s cover story: Roadway deaths are regular tragedies in Nashville. Here’s how the city is addressing death and design on its streets. www.nashvillescene.com/news/coverst…
 Cover of the Nashville Scene, 8/26/26: A pedestrian crosswalk light with title "Blindspot" and text "How Nashville is addressing death and design on city roads, by Eli Motycka"
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Reposted by Robin
Holly McCall @jhollymc.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly was internationally beloved but her death hits Tennesseans differently: she was one of us. I will be wearing black and sitting redneck shiva the rest of the week. Good night, sweet Queen.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Nothing has ever affirmed my pro-choice stance so much as 1. being a hospital chaplain and bearing witness to women as they suffered pregnancy losses and 2. being pregnant and giving birth.
tennesseelookout.com
Abortion could return to Supreme Court, this time with a focus on women's health • Tennessee Lookout
A federal court ruling from Idaho has implications for exceptions in abortion bans nationwide and could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Hi a reminder! Not this weekend but the next! Share with your friends!
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I feel compelled to add that Thompson is state owned but crossings are determined locally @nashville.gov. Currently there are no safe ways to cross Thompson on the east side, but there could be.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
It's a beautiful morning for a bike commute! My commute includes two high stress areas: a portion of Nolensville Pike, and crossing Thompson Lane.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Transit justice and housing justice are the same conversation.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
In tomorrow's Gospel reading, we'll hear about a foreign woman being called a dog and people calling to send her away. Not very different than what happens to many strangers in our land today. Except, she becomes the hero of the story.
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Pete @pete-nash.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Or, why did I move to this stupid city?
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Talkin No Right on Red & Pedestrianizing Broadway - two separate initiatives, both with a hope of ending serious injuries and deaths on Nashville roads.
jesusurbanist.substack.com
Two Fights for a Safer Nashville
No Right on Red, pedestrianized Broadway, and the question of who our streets are for
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Also this road is currently named after an enslaver, but I think we should rededicate it to William Edmondson, a native Nashvillian and first black artist to have a solo show at MOMA.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
A long time ago I wrote a blog post for the Civic Design Center on Edmondson Pike! And I forgot to post it! Edmondson Pike could be a beautiful, safe street for all users. Instead, it is a dangerous and stressful place for all of us.
civicdesigncenter.org
Central Artery for Nippers Corner Community — Civic Design Center
By Robin Lovett-Owen, Community Leader 6 min read When a stroad serves as a central artery for community activities and resources, it’s hard not to see the potential that it has to become a gre...
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
South Nashville: yes no? fundraiser for Cosecha?
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Reposted by Robin
Charlie Weingartner @charlieweingartner.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Bikes in Nashville are allowed to be on sidewalks outside of Business Improvement Districts. You can read all about the current laws vita @walkbikenashville.bsky.social
walkbikenashville.org
Laws
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Kinda feel like wasting $12 for a teeny little flower vase I can attach to my bike
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Rode with my toddler to Mariposa Park, which is the newest park in Nashville and in my neighborhood. It was great. On a random Wednesday afternoon, there were 2-3 dozen people there, including a family picnicking on these tables, a group of teenagers walking, lots of kids on the playgrounds
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Strong Towns republished (with permission, obvs) my latest Substack.
strongtowns.org
Can We Feel Bad for the Drivers Who Kill Pedestrians? | Strong Towns
Every fatal crash leaves two lives permanently altered: the person who died, and the person who now has to live with having taken another person’s life.
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Sean Parker @seanforfive.com · 04/08/2026
CM Welsch reports that the condemnation process has begun for residents of D16. Their homes are being taken to widen the interstate by adding toll lanes.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I get a little tired with all the "houses used to be beautiful with intricate architectural details!" posts online, because you know what's even better than every house having bespoke details? Every human having a place to live.
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Charlie Weingartner @charlieweingartner.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Of these individuals, 3 were pedestrians, 2 motorcyclists, and 3 were in vehicles when they died last month. Additionally, 24 pedestrians, and 9 cyclists suffered non-fatal crashes with vehicles in July 2026.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
One year ago I put a bench up on KVB, which I thought would be a funny little protest but has been a surprisingly life changing event. Grateful for the best group of people who work hard on it and all the excellent people I've met through the bench parties
open.substack.com
How to Win Friends & Irritate Local Government
One year of building benches in Nashville
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Cycling with your child is dangerous. Putting my toddler on the back of my bike has resulted in a new obsession with fire hydrants, and now I have to talk about them 12 hours a day.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Can confirm, @nashville.gov lost their collective mind when we started placing benches. I still don't really understand why
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
wow!!!
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Nashville's problems are not caused by Texans and Californians.
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
@kjgarner.bsky.social gave me this sticker for my birthday, but my spouse, a Homophobe, refused to let me put it on my car
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Robin @jesusurbanist.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
The most densely populated part of Nashville (and Tennessee) is not downtown, or East, or near the universities - it's South Nashville.
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