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Jonathan Salmans

@salmansjonathan.bsky.social
198 followers 83 following 137 posts

Urbanist Blogger. Supports a more walkable, bike friendly Pittsburgh with better transit. connect-pgh.com

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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
Jon Geeting @jongeeting.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Some of us are starting a Pro-Housing Philly grassroots pro-housing advocacy group here, and we're having a kick-off event next week on 6/3 at the Pen & Pencil Club. If you have liked or retweeted 5 pro-housing tweets in the last year, you have to come! actionnetwork.org/events/pro-h...
actionnetwork.org
Pro-Housing Philly Kick-Off Event!
Hi everyone! Thanks for staying up to date with our first event, coming up on Tuesday, June 3 at 6:30pm at the Pen and Pencil Club. Our goal from this first meeting is to give folks a chance to get to...
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
Under Gainey's proposal, a property reassessment would trigger a massive tax cut for wealthy long-time homeowners, which would need to be made up by higher taxes on renters and people who've become homeowners more recently. (1/2)
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
🧵One of the most impactful things Pittsburgh could do to help people afford housing is improve the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. Thousands are currently on the waiting list for vouchers, but it is difficult to find enough landlords who will work with the program. (1/10)
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
James Medlock @jdcmedlock.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Mood
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Good thread comparing PCRG's data with that in Pro-Housing Pittsburgh's IZ paper. The numbers are similar, with PHP's being more accurate overall.
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Question for my followers: What Trump cabinet nominees should I write for my senators to support and which ones to oppose?
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
Pittsburgh New Liberals @pghnewliberals.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
IZ in Pittsburgh is having the opposite of its intended effect. For every 1 affordable unit IZ has created in Lawrenceville, it has killed ~7 market rate units. Killing 7 market rate units kills 2 affordable units. IZ is killing 2 affordable units for every 1 affordable unit it creates.
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
Contrary to Barb's claim, the cost of the affordability mandate she advocates for is not tiny or properly compensated for by the government. Where it has been tried already, it has significantly reduced housing construction. Those harmed are primarily renters, not developers.
static1.squarespace.com
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
If you make it impossible to build housing then no amount of money will let you house the homeless. If housing is plentiful, then it’s cheap to give it to people in need.
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
Filtering does not depend on a closed market to work. If a policy reduces the amount of new housing, then new residents moving to Pittsburgh either displace existing residents (bad), or they don't come (also bad). New housing reduces prices for all income levels and allows new residents.
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
Pittsburgh's Deputy Mayor @jakepawlak.com demonstrates a shocking lack of understanding of both how new residents benefit Pittsburgh and of how the housing market works. It is also myopic parochial nativism to dismiss benefits to people not born in Pittsburgh. 🧵
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
David Vatz @davidvatz.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
Originally a 30-townhome development, now planned as a 19-townhome development in Polish Hill (downsized to avoid IZ). Now the neighborhood is trying to kill it all together with a bad-faith historic designation for this building. Link in 🧵
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Legalize these in Pittsburgh please!
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Ownership IZ units don't appreciate, which can make it hard for owners to sell their units. An example of how IZ can harm even the people who end up with affordable units.
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
Goseg Train Thread @wvistheduck.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Good vandalism
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
Pittsburgh New Liberals @pghnewliberals.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
6 good policies for addressing the Housing Crisis in Pittsburgh 1. Removing parking minimums 2. Getting rid of minimum lot sizes 3. Eliminating setbacks 4. Voluntary Inclusionary Zoning with incentives 5. Land Value Taxes 6. Fair, regular, frequent tax assessments
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Good interview of David Vatz on the Mayor’s "Inclusionary [sic] Zoning" proposal. By requiring developers to sell a portion of new units at a loss, this policy would halt housing construction, worsen affordability, and weaken our tax base.
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
My dad sends me the most adorable investment advice. He should have a column. It always ends with shit like “I know it’s out of style but sleep is the key to health. Assets are there to help you sleep better, not to give you one more thing to worry about.”
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
This is one of my concerns with the proposals to change Colfax into a middleschool. Having an elementary school in Squirrel Hill helps keep it a walkable neighborhood.
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
Sam @samd.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
so true
ATTENTION PATRIOTS
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THERE IS A GLOBAL CONSPIRACY TO DIVIDE OUR CITIES INTO CENTRALLY-PLANNED "ZONES" TAKE AWAY OUR PROPERTY RIGHTS, AND MAKE US DEPENDENT ON "WOKE" CAR MANUFACTURERS AND GLOBALIST OIL BARONS.
THEY ARE FORCING US INTO ISOLATED PODS IN ISOLATED ZONES SO WE ARE TOO FAR FROM GROCERIES, SCHOOLS, AND JOBS TO WALK THERE FOR FREE.
NOW THEY SELL US OVERPRICED CARS AND FOREIGN OIL JUST TO ACCESS THESE SAME THINGS WE USED TO ACCESS FOR FREE.
THEY HAVE MANUFACTURED A PROBLEM SO THEY CAN SELL US THE SOLUTION.
JOIN OUR PATRIOTIC CAUSE TO TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY AND ERADICATE COMMUNIST
"ZONING"
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
Mitchell @mryannagy.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
While I certainly appreciate studies, statistics, etc regarding housing policy, I think there's room for anecdotes to demonstrate the potential benefits and pitfalls of different policy. Inclusionary zoning in Pittsburgh is a hot topic right now and we have a recent example of what can go wrong!
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Pro-Housing Pittsburgh has done some really impressive work evaluating the impact of the IZ program that was implemented in Lawrenceville in 2019. The program significantly reduced housing construction and worsened affordability. 1/2
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
This is just not true. The academic research overwhelmingly shows that new supply lowers prices. A good overview of the literature can be found here: www.noahpinion.blog/p/luxury-con...
noahpinion.blog
"Luxury" construction causes high rents like umbrellas cause rain
The NIMBY mindset persists in the face of evidence.
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Great list of state level pro housing legislation that is being considered in Pennsylvania.
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
Ricky Sayer @rickyreports.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
County Controller Corey O'Connor, the son of late Mayor Bob O'Connor, will formally announce he's running for Pittsburgh mayor in the next three weeks, sources told KDKA-TV. www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/n...
cbsnews.com
Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor continues to mull over possible mayoral campaign
A big local election is looming on the horizon, and a well-known political figure and son of a former mayor is lining up as a potential challenger to Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey.
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Bus shelters are one of the most cost-effective ways to increase transit ridership. Pittsburgh should build more of them.
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Excellent article by Noah Smith about the problems that falling birthrates are going to cause and how challenging it will be to reverse the trend. www.noahpinion.blog/p/nobody-kno...
noahpinion.blog
Nobody knows how to stop humanity from shrinking
The big looming problem that almost no one is talking about.
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
David Vatz @davidvatz.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
City-wide IZ will make your rent higher by depressing already anemic housing construction in our city. "A CoStar report from March put Pittsburgh 'at the lowest level recorded' for apartment construction over the past decade" www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/n...
bizjournals.com
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Good post by Matt Yglesias today. I would love to see more intellectual energy put into how to make urban spaces more accessible for children. Cities have so many opportunities for children, but they often lack appropriate residential spaces. 🧵
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
Good thread.
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Reposted by Jonathan Salmans
"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
Just a reminder that the Department of Defense is an organization of just shy of 3m people with a budget of about $850bn. Not quite a turnkey operation. But I'm sure he'll have the respect of his subordinates, men who were last field-grade officers in ::checks notes:: the first Obama term.
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 31/10/2024
I wrote a blog post on the Mayor’s misguided proposal to add affordability mandates to the zoning code, sometimes mischaracterized as inclusionary [sic] Zoning. connect-pgh.com/mayor-gainey...
connect-pgh.com
Mayor Gainey’s Exclusionary Zoning Proposal
Mayor Gainey’s misguided attempt at an affordable housing program will raise rents and drive displacement.
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 07/11/2023
@innamo.bsky.social is right to call for a countywide tax reassessment and therefore has my vote. However, the Longtime Owner Occupants Program (LOOP) program she supports would make taxes less fair and less efficient. 1/3 connect-pgh.com/a-tax-loopho...
connect-pgh.com
A Tax LOOPhole Allegheny County Could do Without
A proposal known as LOOP would give property tax breaks to many long-time homeowners. This would make property taxes less fair and less efficient.
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 12/10/2023
Hero.
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Jonathan Salmans @salmansjonathan.bsky.social · 06/10/2023
School buses are a valuable public service that not enough children in Pittsburgh have access to. Expanding service would improve attendance and safety, reduce congestion, and make life easier for parents. connect-pgh.com/pittsburgh-s...
connect-pgh.com
Pittsburgh Should Expand School Bus Service
Providing more Pittsburgh Students with bus service would improve education, reduce traffic, and support parents.
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