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Nicole Flatow

@nicflatow.bsky.social
219 followers 118 following 106 posts

Managing Editor at Bloomberg CityLab. Stories and justice for all. Views are my own.

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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This quote from 1 of a glut of 1st-time candidates running to oppose data centers stuck w/ me. “When you’re trained in pastoral ministry, one thing you get really good at is understanding the existential crisis of a community” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Data Center Opposition Spawns a Surge of First-Time Candidates
Activists who cut their teeth fighting data center projects in their towns are now riding a wave of AI tech pushback to seek office in local elections.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Make Cities Fun Again @linpoonsays.bsky.social has the plan www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Can ‘Fun’ Reforms Help Revive Dying Social Scenes?
Cities looking to breathe life back into their streets are eyeing policies to reenergize local nightlife and bring back outdoor dining.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
My other half @re-ari.bsky.social's first novel under his actual name comes out tomorrow! It's an enchanting magical realist tale set in nearby Berkeley Springs. If you are in DC, come hear him talk about it at Kramers tomorrow kramers.com/events/59108...
kramers.com
Author Talk: Ari Phillips with Michael Don | Kramers
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◥◤Kriston Capps 250 @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
George Lucas built a museum packed with comics, Frank Frazetta, cartoons, Frida Kahlo, manga, Ralph McQuarrie, illustration, Lucas Cranach the Elder, underground art, Norman Rockwell — and no themes or guides or organization. Read @cmonstah.bsky.social on the surreal Lucas Museum of Narrative Art:
bloomberg.com
How the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Lost the Plot
With little in the way of organization or themes, George Lucas’s new museum of graphic illustration in Los Angeles leaves it to the public to decide what it all means.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Why can’t we have nice street pandemic-era dining? It's been “shackled by the whims of joyless NIMBYs" according to London’s mayor. Also, rules www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
Can Cities Save the ‘Streatery’?
Temporary dining sheds that emerged during the pandemic became valuable extra real estate for restaurants facing brutal margins. Now they must survive another challenge: bureaucracy.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
That Time Robert Moses Did a Good Thing, Motives Notwithstanding @langealexandra.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
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Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
BOMBSHELL story by Olivia Carville @bloomberg.com Internal Report Shows TikTok Kept Safety Feature From Millions A confidential document says an algorithm adjustment was kept from many users “by design,” as part of an experiment to measure engagement NO PAYWALL www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
TikTok Withheld a Safety Feature From Millions. One Died by Suicide
A confidential document says an algorithm adjustment was kept from many users “by design,” as part of an experiment to measure engagement.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 16/07/2026
We experienced one of the tournament’s biggest moments side by side. Joy and connection should not be scarce resources. Every New Yorker deserves to have their dignity affirmed.
New Yorkers detained on Rikers Island clap at a World Cup watch party. Mayor Mamdani reaches across a table to grasp the hand of a New Yorker who is detained on Rikers Island.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 16/07/2026
The beautiful game. The people’s game. Throughout this World Cup, we have been reminded of a simple truth: football belongs to everyone. So does the joy and community it creates. Yesterday, I joined New Yorkers on Rikers Island to watch England take on Argentina.
Mayor Mamdani greets detainees in Rikers Island jail for a World Cup watch party. A detainee on Rikers Island is served from a buffet.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Good reference stat for New Yorkers fed up with green sheds: NYC has some 330 miles of scaffolding, enough to encircle Manhattan 10 times www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
New York, City of Scaffolding, Tries a Glow-up
Sidewalk sheds are ubiquitous in NYC. New designs and reformed rules are the latest attempt to minimize their blight, while keeping pedestrians safe.
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Michael Smith @mesmith35673.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Seattle was electric during the World Cup. To support 750,000 visitors, the city pedestrianized streets, activated public spaces, and removed parking. Rather than revert these changes, city leaders should identify what worked and make those changes permanent. seattletransitblog.com/2026/07/09/s...
seattletransitblog.com
Seattle won the World Cup, what did we learn?
Waterfront Park was a popular destination over the past month, especially on July 6. (Michael Smith) Over the past four weeks, Seattle hosted six World Cup matches featuring teams from eight differ…
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
“If you’ve recently asked yourself, ‘How can they kill journalism even deader?’ — this is how.”
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Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
I cannot tell you how often this theme has come up in my work conversations lately. we are now forced to contend with the hard fact that google has decided they don't want to send people to visit websites anymore, very much including ours. all of our peers in news are seeing the same.
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Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
if you want to fight back against these forces in your personal media diet, try as much as you can to visit, share and support your favorite and beloved publishers DIRECTLY (sign up for a newsletter, visit their homepage, etc.) and financially support them if you can
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Rachel Holliday Smith @rachelholliday.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
related, I have sent this @drewmagary.bsky.social column to so many people lately. it really speaks to the moment of what ALL publishers — of any size, content type, funding model — are up against right now
sfgate.com
Google hates you
"The repercussions of Google's pivot to AI will be vast and horrid."
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
This morning a driver struck and killed Louisa Gag, a biking advocate and transportation planner. Gag had coauthored a Vision Zero Action plan: visionzeronetwork.org/wp-content/u...
bostonglobe.com
Boston transportation planner fatally struck by car near Roxbury Crossing, family says - The Boston Globe
Louisa Gag, 36, "was a dedicated public servant to the City of Boston and passionately advocated for safer streets,” her sister said.
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Akshat Rathi @akshatrathi.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
When even scientists are shocked by extreme weather, the only conclusion to draw: we're in trouble. Must-read story by @eroston.bsky.social 🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
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Amanda Kolson Hurley @amandakhurley.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Amazon and Google just reported emissions jumps of 16% and 18%, respectively, in 2025 compared to 2024. The main driver is not hard to guess: data centers and AI. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Big Tech’s Carbon Emissions Spike With Runaway Growth of AI
Amazon and Google report jumps in their greenhouse gas output as the data center boom gains momentum.
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Alexandra Lange @langealexandra.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
It's easy to be distracted by the disaster on the Mall -- but plenty of other, better celebrations of the 250th are happening outside DC including ***Tall Ships*** www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
and more! www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
To Find the Heart of America’s 250 Celebrations, Get Out of Washington
Just as with the bicentennial in 1976, official events for the 250th anniversary of the US can’t measure up to locally organized exhibits, parades and commemorations.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
@langealexandra.bsky.social did a lovely regular review of the Obama library. But this gem on the 1st presidential playground for @kristoncapps.bsky.social 's design NL is the real star. Did you know: "Progressive presidents have long been invested in child’s play" www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
A First-Ever Presidential Playground Gives Kids a Foothold in US History
Designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the playground at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago will be one of its most accessible features.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Remember Kansas City, the one that was a model for free buses for other cities from NYC to Albuquerque? They've quietly ended their program, just in time to host the World Cup. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
A City That Inspired Mamdani Is Bringing Back Bus Fares
Kansas City was the first major US city to make buses free. Six years later, as World Cup revelers arrived, it ended the fare-free program.
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Gregory Korte @gregorykorte.com · 17/06/2026
The White House is invoking a rarely used legal authority called critical position pay to offer salaries up to $400,000 — the same salary as the president — for Wall Street dealmakers who can help negotiate national security supply chains. w/ @jendlouhy.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
White House to Woo Wall Street Dealmakers With $400,000 DC Jobs
The Trump administration wants 400 dealmakers to help the US bolster its national security supply chains — and it’s offering salaries as high as $400,000 a year for Wall Street recruits.
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Amanda Kolson Hurley @amandakhurley.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
This is an overlooked data point. Yes, the majority prefer a bigger home in sprawl, but 44% don’t and that’s really not nothing
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
“Water and sewer isn’t rocket science. The fact that they failed to look at this basic stuff — what else are they missing?” www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
bloomberg.com
ICE’s Warehouse Jails Could Overwhelm the Towns Forced to Accept Them
Tremont, Pennsylvania, is unprepared, underequipped and largely unwilling to accept an 8,500-bed immigrant detention center. That might not matter.
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Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 11/06/2026
If it gets its way, the US House would drastically reduce funding for transit & rail systems. The House's proposed legislation—supported by GOP & Dems—would cut overall authorized transit funding by 15% compared to the current law, and reduce potential funding for projects like new lines by 45%.
urban.org
Congress’s Transportation Reauthorization Bill Would Drastically Underfund Transit and Rail Projects
As currently drafted, BUILD America 250 would likely reinforce the United States’ car dependence, depriving Americans of affordable travel options and degrad…
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
This, and Platformer's other episodes on AI and jobs, are finally scratching the itch for serious thinking around policy ideas here. And not just UBI.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
What a killer paragraph:
The very fact that this meeting is necessary incriminates the US healthcare system, whose labyrinth of unaffordable bills and unavailable appointments can seem designed to prevent people from getting the treatment they need. Livia Alejo, 37, the woman now whispering “Dios mío” as Flores explains her situation through tears, isn’t a doctor, a nurse, a therapist, a government employee or an insurance representative. As a community health worker, she’s simply trying to make up for the systemic failures of all five.
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◥◤Kriston Capps 250 @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Pope Leo is holding mass at Sagrada Família today, the 100th anniversary of the death of Antoni Gaudí. The architect's genius is debated — in fact he's being considered for sainthood — but imo we don't talk enough about his structural engineers www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
Sagrada Família Is a Miracle of Structural Engineering
Still underway in Barcelona after more than 140 years, Antoni Gaudí’s vision for an otherworldly church was only made possible by modern construction methods.
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Alexandra Lange @langealexandra.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
My thoughts on the mixed messages of the Obamalisk and its campus www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
The Obama Presidential Center Wants to Be Everything But a Library
Aiming for a merger of celebrity and community, the monolithic tower stands as a contradictory, even off-putting symbol of Barack Obama’s presidency.
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◥◤Kriston Capps 250 @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
This is the greatest chart in history.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Architects are now doing more work on adapting existing structures than on building new ones! Sure it might be the poor economic outlook ... but it also reflects changing green norms www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Architecture Firms Do More Work Adapting Old Buildings Than Designing New Ones
Surveyed US architecture firms say that building retrofits account for more than half of their billings.
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Zoe Tillman @zoetillman.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
ICYMI: DOJ is seeking the names, addresses, and banking information of Reddit and X users, issuing grand jury subpoenas to the companies as it escalates efforts to identify critics of the Trump administration's deportation efforts buff.ly/xNSIF16 (gift link)
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
No reason blue skyers shouldn’t get in on the #boatmaxxing fun www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
bloomberg.com
Ahoy, Boatmaxxers! The 9-year-old NYC Ferry system is basking in social media attention as it tries to lure new riders
The city-run fleet of ferryboats is seeing a surge of riders — and social media fame — as it tries to navigate New York’s challenging transit landscape.
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
New from me, in Bloomberg's CityLab: how cycling and walking routes are doing more with less, and helping wildlife, too. Also, an honourable mention to the sub(s) who came up with one of the most joyful headlines to an article, ever www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 18/05/2026
US House GOP & Dems have compromised on 5-year transportation bill. Draft bill includes a $150 annual fee on electric vehicles ($35 for plugins). No fee on gas-powered cars. Though not huge, this is another disincentive to shift to EVs in a country where the EV market share is low & declining.
transportation.house.gov
Press Releases | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
I am shocked this came to pass even in Berkeley
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
100% This is wild: "They rejected the idea of a homeowner association, but the state established one anyway."
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Multistory warehouses. Industrial neighborhoods next to freight rail. It's time for transit-oriented manufacturing. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
A Bold Plan to Bring Back Manufacturing in Cleveland
Also today: A Brutalist housing relic is reborn, and drought spurs a new generation of dams.
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Dan Vock @danvock.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Texas Banned Rainbow Crosswalks. San Antonio Found a Workaround. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/u...
nytimes.com
Texas Banned Rainbow Crosswalks. San Antonio Found a Workaround.
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◥◤Kriston Capps 250 @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Cleveland is launching an effort called the Midline — an effort to assemble 350 acres former industrial land, all rail adjacent, and make them shovel-ready for new factories and manufacturers. Super-compelling, very novel pro-business pitch: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
With the ‘Midline,’ Cleveland Plots an Industrial Comeback
Long-vacant factories and polluted former manufacturing sites on the city’s East Side are the focus of a redevelopment initiative that aims to lure new companies.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Now that my kids are past the baby phase, I’ve realized bowling is a perfect intergenerational activity. I’ve also realized there are no regular alleys in my city anymore (WH doesn’t count). Take it from @davedudley.bsky.social: Most people aren't bowling alone www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Bowling Doesn’t Have to Be a Lonely Pastime
Also today: The high costs of urban sprawl, quantified.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
The most memorable thing I read last year
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Josh Adams @joshadams.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
So proud to see comics like this winning the Pulitzer Prize. When we won it for Illustrated Reporting back in 2022, we had no idea that this would lead to a shift (and renaming of the category) in what would be recognized by the Pulitzers. Well deserved for everyone involved. Congratulations!
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Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 27/03/2026
Happy birthday to the Washington Metro, which opened 50 years ago today with service on 4.6 mi of Red Line between Rhode Is. Ave & Farragut N. System now serves 130 mi. The DC Metro shows that, with good planning & enough investment, the public sector can succeed & build something extraordinary.
The DC Metro
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Entire apartment buildings are being evicted in central Mexico City as landlords seek to upgrade to luxe accommodations and enforcement is scant www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
Mexico City Evictions Make Way for Pricier Housing
Evictions of whole buildings are one cause of anger as locals are priced out of more neighborhoods. Tensions are only rising as the World Cup approaches.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
The spate of policies passed under Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo seems fantastical: banned some cars on major streets, enacted 19mph speed limits, added 340 miles of bike lanes, tripled parking charges for polluting cars, replaced thousands of parking spots w/ trees. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
Welcome to Paris, the City That Said No to Cars
Outgoing Mayor Anne Hidalgo leaves the city more walkable, bikable, greener and cleaner.
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Nicole Flatow @nicflatow.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
More of this is coming with Gregoire's win today for Paris mayor www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
Welcome to Paris, the City That Said No to Cars
Outgoing Mayor Anne Hidalgo leaves the city more walkable, bikable, greener and cleaner.
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Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 20/03/2026
For example: —The national govt authorized the creation of SGP, which is a national govt entity building the metro lines —Despite being run by the right, the regional government has been supportive of transit expansion —Many, many suburbs have made their own major bike & ped improvements
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Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 20/03/2026
French cities, including Paris, will vote on Sunday for their city councils & mayors. Transformations in Paris over the past decades are astonishing (see @bloomberg.com article below!) & are the product of years of transit & bike investment, changing how people move: www.urban.org/urban-wire/h...
In Paris, car use is increasingly uncommon for typical households.The Paris region has invested heavily in expanding public transportation, especially in the suburbsParis substantially expanded cycling routes
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