Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 22hIt seems a notable comparison that the Met Council’s vanpool program has a budget of something like $50m (federally funded, not sure what %), and that number is going UP in order to cover increasing fuel costs. 100
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 22hIt seems a notable comparison that the Met Council’s vanpool program has a budget of something like $50m (federally funded, not sure what %), and that number is going UP in order to cover increasing fuel costs. 010
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 10/10/2026🎵We learned the strongest bonds are bonds of neighborhood 🎵 andrewowen.bandcamp.com/track/first-...andrewowen.bandcamp.comFirst Minnesota, by Andrew Owentrack by Andrew Owen 000
Reposted by Andrew OwenBΔTBΔRΔ @marteani.bsky.social · 08/10/2026This gap is less than it cost the mayor to put a bounce house in the warehouse district for a summer. This is 1/33 the cost of MPS's surprise overtime. They renovated Target Center in part by making us, the citizens, pay $74 million via a sales tax. WE. HAVE. MONEY. We can spend it in better places 47040
Reposted by Andrew OwenJohn Levin @jlstp.bsky.social · 08/10/2026This is an absolute travesty. The leadership of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and the Met Council should be SCREAMING! Services like Hourcar and Evie are ESSENTIAL to their vision for our region. 55815
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Your magical future is here today, as long as you don’t mind reading on a tablet. 010
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Missing parenthesis lying on the ground somewhere, right next to a toothpick. 130
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 02/10/2026I assume she’ll of course also demonstrate some other great ways to get around Minneapolis, like biking, transit, and walking. Maybe with some representatives to answer questions. Right? 000
Reposted by Andrew OwenBill Lindeke @blindeke.bsky.social · 30/09/2026This is the big story beneath the surface of a lot of other ones. 3215
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Serious question: if MPS thinks “we will continue to have challenges as long as public education is underfunded” why would they not communicate loudly that there is an upcoming statewide vote to increase public education funding? 021
Reposted by Andrew OwenLaura G Mitchell @lauragmitchell.com · 29/09/2026Holy shit. Friend of a friend encountered a driver on Sabo Bridge today. Driver apparently seemed very confused and lost. Howwww did they get past the concrete barricades on both ends? (For non Mpls folks: this bridge is bike/ped only & paths up are narrow w/ bollards on both ends.) 3221227
Reposted by Andrew OwenDoug Mack @douglasmack.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Salted Nut Rolls are delicious but also have an interesting story to tell, and same goes for lots of other Minnesota snacks. A pleasure to contribute some thoughts and history to this excellent piece by @stribrooks.bsky.social Gift link! 🍫 🍬startribune.comUnwrapping Minnesota’s greatest contributions to the candy aisleAs the Pearson’s plant in St. Paul produces its last Salted Nut Roll, a look back at some sweet Minnesota history. 14011
Reposted by Andrew OwenVince Mpls @vincempls.bsky.social · 28/09/2026This the American Way: Deliberately make transit confusing and difficult to use, then the powers that be can say “see, people don’t take transit.” Minneapolis is playing this exact game with the Nicollet Mall, so it can become a permanent corporate events space tailored to suburban tastes. 26017
Reposted by Andrew OwenJarrett Walker @humantransit.bsky.social · 16/09/2026This post may be the most effective argument right now for letting public transit wither. It may not make sense to you, but it feels right to many, many people. So in a short new post, I talk through what's going on here, and how to engage with it. humantransit.org/2026/09/the-... 128527
Reposted by Andrew OwenVince Mpls @vincempls.bsky.social · 25/08/2026The city's first roundabout was built in 1942 in front of Victory Hospital, today's North Memorial Medical Center, at the intersection of Victory Drive, Lowry Avenue, and West Broadway. This fantastical creation had at least seven entrances/exits and a streetcar line running through the middle. 2/8 1171
Reposted by Andrew OwenVince Mpls @vincempls.bsky.social · 25/08/2026I replied to this excellent observation by @komradiron.bsky.social in a thread over on the other place and recreate it here for your enjoyment 🧵 1305
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 19/08/2026🎵We learned our strongest bonds are bonds of neighborhood andrewowen.bandcamp.com/track/first-...andrewowen.bandcamp.comFirst Minnesota, by Andrew Owentrack by Andrew Owen 020
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Can attest that test folks are already excellent neighbors! 020
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 17/08/2026This is sharp! “The fruits of victory are tumbling into our mouths too quickly” == “Tired of so much winnning” Also: bsky.app/profile/mich... 010
Reposted by Andrew OwenJarrett Walker @humantransit.bsky.social · 15/08/2026Before you envy elected officials and senior government bureaucrats, remember: They have been getting this email since the dawn of time. Everybody's problems are entirely their fault. 0382
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 15/08/2026I’m fascinated by trying to figure out what real cars it was “thinking” of… feels to me like Triumph TR4 mixed with 1960s Mercedes SL? 020
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 08/08/2026I guess it’s an implicit argument that I-94 has become a more significant barrier than the Mississippi River 010
Reposted by Andrew OwenDavid Roberts @volts.wtf · 08/08/2026A good reminder that cities aren't loud. Cars are loud. 762689
Reposted by Andrew OwenCarl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 21/07/202613. Hence our dismal conclusion: rather than finding that LLMs free us to do a better job of what we were doing before they came along, they shift scientific incentives (and the playing field of academic competition) in ways that compel us to do more and more, faster and faster, less and less well. 251005309
Reposted by Andrew OwenBill Lindeke @blindeke.bsky.social · 01/08/2026I like this time-spent breakdown comparing airplanes v. trains b/w Portland and Seattle. Very similar end-to-end, but vastly superior quality of time via train trips. www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1G1... 1725554
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Sort of like how you can spot “morning again in America” in any chart covering the latter half of the 20th century 010
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 27/07/2026And Herbie Rides Again (1974) has a surprisingly enduring amount to say about both AVs and land use regulation in the bay area! 210
Reposted by Andrew OwenDavid King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 27/07/2026I’m in a Waymo and just drove by Herbie and I wonder is Herbie gets feelings about Waymos just running around everywhere, never having won a car race. 141
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 24/07/2026I read someone point out that ADHD is both hereditary AND a factor in selecting friendships due to mutual acceptance/comfort, even absent any diagnoses. So if you find one ADHD brain, you’ve probably found five. 120
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Lots of parents getting hit with secondary diagnosis! 120
Reposted by Andrew Owenbag of moons 🏳️🌈 @bagofmoons.bsky.social · 22/07/2026the visual here (it is a whole-ass brown bear sort of draped over the T of a utility pole against a perfect blue sky with little white clouds) is amazing but it's the audio that really makes it, imo. 174
Reposted by Andrew OwenWes Burdine @wesburdine.bsky.social · 22/07/2026100% agree. A lack of universal healthcare is a massive restraint on the economy 010417
Reposted by Andrew OwenDavid King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 21/07/2026We tolerate a lot more failure from private actors than we do the state. Waymo, SpaceX, scooters, etc, get to make mistakes that would (and have) shut down public attempts as such things. How much failure we should tolerate from public or private actors is a political question, not an empirical one.inc.comFirefighters Had to Move a Waymo Themselves After It Blocked an Emergency CallThe robotaxi company is facing a number of safety-related concerns in California. 0103
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 20/07/2026Happy Aquatennial! Pay no attention to the class war behind the curtain… 011
Reposted by Andrew OwenDavid Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Take note, urban dwellers: San Francisco has more robotaxi experience than any city in the country, and its mayor—a tech booster!— is warning that AVs make the transportation network vulnerable to collapse. 37228
Reposted by Andrew OwenAlex Schieferdecker @alexschief.bsky.social · 15/07/2026Some recent photos of the under-construction Franklin Avenue that show how Minneapolis and partners (Hennepin County in this case!) work to preserve mature trees in design and construction, without compromising the transportation function of future road. 417934
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Gotta read the context, but this is a super important distinction. One of the reasons that they "look similar" is that that transit is often portrayed on a map using *lines*, while its most important features are *points* — stops & stations. 100
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 12/07/2026(googling) gift ideas for emperor with lots of countries already 010
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 11/07/2026Oh, you might mean an antonym on the “depth” axis rather than on “defense”… in which case 🤷♂️ 020
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 11/07/2026I think “Deep battle” or “infiltration tactics” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_op... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiltr...en.wikipedia.orgDeep operation - Wikipedia 100
Reposted by Andrew OwenTodd Graham @metrogram.bsky.social · 10/07/2026not long ago, coworkers and I wrote this big picture summary of #MplsStPaul #regionaldevelopment over the last 60+ years metrocouncil.org/News-Events/... Main pts: 1. starting ~1960 #InterstateHighways TRIPLED #MplsStPaul metro's accessible (~30 mins) land supply (🧵1/4) 121
Andrew Owen @owenam.bsky.social · 10/07/2026I think that’s a thread of truth though all this — Lyndale businesses *have been* feeling hurt during Hennepin construction b/c of increased Lyndale congestion. But to me that just highlights the value and urgency of having safe *non-car* ways to access Lyndale businesses! 070