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mattstephenskc

@mattstephens.bsky.social
369 followers 482 following 634 posts

comms pro | advocate for urban livability, sustainability & election reform | do good; live well 🟢 mattstephenscreative.com

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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The amount of money humans waste on damage to cars and damage by cars is incomprehensible.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In my latest Substack post, I share my critique of Midtown Kansas City, my vision for what it could be, some suggestions for fulfilling that vision, and the obstacles that stand in the way. mattstephenskc.substack.com/p/toward-a-t... #kansascity
mattstephenskc.substack.com
Toward a Thriving Midtown Kansas City
Thoughts from an Ordinary Resident
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Informal poll: when city leaders boast about positive numbers during their tenure despite persistent problems, does it inspire hope (things are improving) or induce frustration (leaders are tone deaf to remaining concerns)?
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Following up to my Westport thread, there’s an idea I want to explore here. The idea is, basically, that lasting change requires relatively large investments by people with a common vision. Not necessarily by one large entity, but perhaps a large coalition of smaller investors. [1/…]
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Dear school district: what if, instead of us downloading 12 different apps, we all just learned how to use email and didn’t abuse it?
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Westport KC could be like downtown Aspen. Instead, it remains a steadily-deteriorating playground for 20-somethings. Westport’s more mature neighbors deserve better than the trashy entertainment district it remains. It will only improve if they decidedly shift its focus.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Westport KC and surrounds have so much potential. Imagine all of the vacant parcels developed, the vacant storefronts filled, the smoke/vape/CBD shops replaced by classier establishments, and the sidewalks fixed (including relocation of the light poles). [1/3]
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Just a reminder: some folks were born on 9/11, so it’s not completely devoid of goodness. 🙂
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Day 11 of this god-awful respiratory virus. When will it end? My wife succumbed a few days after I did. We’re a sorry mess at present.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Anyone know who furnishes and installs vintage-styled stair runners in the KC area? We’re looking to make our main staircase more safe and comfortable.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Good sidewalks: one of the most underestimated pieces of infrastructure and quality of life contributors in cities.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
One irony of building great cities is that the amount of space dedicated to automobiles must decrease in proportion to the population increase. This fundamental reality is lost on so many city dwellers in the US that it majorly stalls progress.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Phineas knows how to make me feel better. Make those biscuits, buddy.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Spending one’s “weekend” sick is the worst.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Today's market-rate housing becomes tomorrow's "affordable" housing. Change my mind.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Interesting approach to traffic calming along high-capacity corridors: www.kshb.com/business/aut...
kshb.com
Green lights for good drivers: A new approach to traffic safety
Cities are testing “rest in red” traffic systems that slow speeding drivers and improve safety on dangerous roads.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
New Alabama Shakes album is decidedly not a rock album. Soul, maybe? Not digging it.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
KC bike riders and aspiring riders, come see me at Erik’s in Leawood for bikes, gear, and service! 😎
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Double eagle
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Anyone else find it strange and a mite confusing that Tom Pidcock wears a Redbull-branded helmet even though he isn’t on the Redbull BH team?
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
—Haig, The Life Impossible, 203.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
“That is one great thing about having someone by your side. They are a shock absorber to the madness of experience” (Haig, The Life Impossible, 163).
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The gall of someone stealing my identity and buying a new car in my name is astounding.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
On political courage and transformational change (from Flax, Live to Ride, 2024):
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Survived my first bat 🦇 intrusion last night. Was fortunate to be able to remove it without professional help! I was definitely spooked!
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Did everyone else’s retirement accounts double over the past year? This is nuts. Feels like a bubble that’s bound to burst any day.
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Reposted by mattstephenskc
Peter Norton @norton.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
“Everybody depends on street cars – a large percentage directly, as the above figures show; the balance indirectly.”
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Walking in my Midtown KC neighborhood after a good rain is the best. ADA all the way, baby.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Any self-employed folks have health insurance you're happy with (not on a spouse's policy)? My wife and I are starting to shop for plans, and have heard mixed things about ACA options. We need a plan that has generous coverage of routine medications.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Hot take: One Battle After Another was boring and protracted, and DiCaprio’s character was a moron with dumb lines.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
The impact of institutional acquisition of real property in my neighborhood (Valentine, KCMO) and neighboring Hyde Park from 1950–2020: 🔻68% drop in population 🔻40% reduction in housing units Thanks to the UMKC Planning students and @frischplan.bsky.social for putting this study together.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Candidate for dumbest tagline of 2026. Who has a better one? #branding
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Attending the Greater KC Regional Housing Partnership’s debut event at Habitat HQ. Looking forward to learning about innovative ways to promote the construction of more housing in Kansas City!
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
open.substack.com/pub/clmarohn...
open.substack.com
We’ve Been Fighting the Wrong Transportation Fight
It’s time to close the interstate construction era and redefine the federal role in transportation.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Intersection of Armour and Broadway, northbound: 90% of drivers turning right use the bus/bike lane as a turn lane and will continue doing so until it’s protected. Why didn’t they protect it when they built it?
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Spoiler: If you're watching The Night Manager and haven't finished it, don't waste your time and emotional energy.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Snow *removal,* friends 😍
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Very cool opportunity with @bikeleague.org for local, county, or regional government leaders and staff. My KC peeps, who here locally needs to hear about this (assuming they haven't already)? bikeleague.org/applications...
bikeleague.org
Applications now open for the first-ever Active Mobility Leadership Lab | League of American Bicyclists
The League of American Bicyclists is pleased to announce that applications are now open for a new training program for emerging and aspiring Bicycle Friendly Communities: the Active Mobility Leadershi...
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Ahem, Kansas City Life Insurance Co. open.substack.com/pub/llmckinn...
open.substack.com
Land Speculators vs. Developers: Why Communities Must Stop Rewarding Extraction & Start Enabling Those Who Actually Build
Because Housing Matters.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
(Just about) every bike in a bike lane is one less car on the road. Bike lanes ease congestion, even when their addition entails the removal of a car lane.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Haters of terms like “cyclist” and “bicyclist,” how about “people who pedal”? 🤔
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
My retirement account is up 46% since April 2024. Is this typical? How y’all doing? #investing #retirement
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Idea for KCMO public works: give notice to residents of when their specific streets will be plowed, and require that their vehicles be removed from said streets during said timeframe. Chicago does this, and it works brilliantly.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
So, I started a Substack blog recently. Would love to have you as a loyal reader. See my latest here: open.substack.com/pub/mattstep...
open.substack.com
Capacity and leadership: a digital marketing burnout story, with lessons learned.
An analogy
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
So, we’re allowing—and subsidizing—the construction and operation of data centers, which exist to power technology that makes humans obsolete while expanding our carbon footprint and raising everyone’s electric bills. Makes perfect sense.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Watched One Battle After Another last night after a couple of folks recommended it. It wasn’t very good. The dialogue (esp. DiCaprio’s) was belabored, the storyline moved too slowly and was disjointed, and parts were superfluous. Overall, it ran too long. The acting was decent, though.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Imagine if the Jackson Co, MO assessor’s office was competent enough to sync their payment records with their bill-issuing program. Would be wonderful not to receive bills in the mail that I paid weeks ago.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
AI companies should subsidize energy for households, since they’re responsible for driving prices up.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
To all the neurodivergents, the HSPs out there, muddling through the chaos, complexities, and hurry of the winter holidays, I see you. May the good moments and the enduring loves outweigh the discouraging and the stressful. May you find solace, comfort, and joy.
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mattstephenskc @mattstephens.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Thought-provoking read from @clmarohn.bsky.social: www.panoptica.ai/the-gutenber...
panoptica.ai
The Gutenberg Moment
Every communication revolution births chaos before it births order. Gutenberg's press collapsed the gatekeepers of knowledge in the fifteenth century—and it took centuries of war, displacement, and in...
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