iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 6h

...aesthetically-oriented design requirements & allow single-stair & limit resource to state environmental law litigation to stop infill development, but don't mistake those steps for ones that will take on the costs of money, materials & labor or that will make markets dominated by incumbents...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 6h

...developer to play a counter-cyclical role and/or small, nimble non-incumbent developers to come into the space and make for a more competitive market (where the impact of new development on the financial health of existing holdings is not a consideration). So, by all means, reduce/axe onerous...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 6h

...like Austin and Denver? The reforms obviously worked to a degree. Would more reform keep the engine chugging? Seems doubtful when decreasing rents & high vacancy rates in new developments are at the forefront of developers' minds. That context demands either/both a public sector social housing...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 6h

...was in a low-interest rate, low-tariff environment where immigrant construction workers weren't frightened to leave their homes, are reforms not working OR is the work that they're doing the work of preventing us from falling underwater? And what of the places that have had production booms...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 6h

...is not why existing reforms aren't working. Why? Because, well, the reforms are working (with some obvious unevenness). If permitting is similar in a high-interest rate, high-tariff environment where ICE/CBP are terrorizing immigrants (who disproportionately work in construction) to what it...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 6h

This piece really misses the moment we're in & quite badly at that. Many of the additional land use reforms that could be enacted atop those that are already in place are varying shades of good & we should do them. However, the failure to do ALL of the reforms... www.governing.com/urban/the-st...

governing.com

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I constantly talk with other people on the left with whom I disagree about many things large and small. Seems normal and good!

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Across multiple NYC mayors, most (not all; see Gowanus, Soho/Noho, etc.) efforts to increase production have been basically reverse-targeted viz where it would advance equity. Some resulting housing in low-income communities of color has been salutary, but it is still good to see the winds shift!

abc7ny.com

Mayor Mamdani fast tracks affordable housing in 12 districts, including Upper East Side

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is backing a plan aimed at increasing affordable housing construction in neighborhoods where such development has been limited, including the Upper East Side.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Apropos of earlier thread, co-living can theoretically help with this (I had a younger nursing home resident client once for whom that would have been ideal) but also carries some risks and investments in permanent supportive housing - at scale - are ultimately the most important intervention.

time.com

Nursing Homes Have Become Last-Resort Housing

Finding the right care for older adults facing homelessness could be part of a broader rethinking of long-term care, writes Michele Cohen Marill.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...occasions like holidays when they may have a large amount of family in town at once. I'm not sure what a realistic number of bedrooms nationwide that could be redeployed for co-living is, but I'd wager it is a very small fraction of the total number of unused bedrooms.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...SROs or adult dorms). Many unused bedrooms are rooms that are used for other purposes, such as home offices in the post-COVID era (like where I'm typing right now). & of course some folks, especially but not exclusively more affluent ones, intentionally want to have multiple guest rooms for...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...observing how many "unused" bedrooms are sitting around in private homes that theoretically could be rented, but we shouldn't (not that I think anyone is) treat that number as reflective of anything close to the scalable potential for co-living in existing housing (distinct from purpose-built...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

That is better than homelessness or institutionalization, but, unlike for folks like me 15 years ago who got a lot of having roommates in my mid-20s, having his own home would absolutely be preferable for his individual sense of dignity & autonomy. - Lastly, there's undoubtedly some value in...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...friend, who is on SSI & far from the top of any HCV waiting list, get his basic needs met. In the absence of available public housing, Project-Based Section 8, or a voucher to use in the private market, a room in a shared home has been the only remotely feasible non-institutional option.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...arrangements, too. And, more to the point, we need a hell of a lot more of them (whether because of how they are subsidized or because there is also an infusion of Housing Choice Vouchers) to be affordable to extremely low-income households. I've spent a lot of time over the years helping a...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...narrow victory to a broad one. - I don't think anyone is necessarily suggesting that we treat co-living as "good enough" or an ultimate solution, but it is really important from a narrative perspective that we don't. We need to build a lot more affordable homes that don't require sharing...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...extremist property rights arguments that the likes of PLF & IJ absolutely are advancing in other cases. I'm not saying there's a one-to-one relationship between this case & ones involving rent control, just cause, inclusionary zoning & anti-discrimination laws, but my default is I'd prefer a...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...is advocating for state preemption, there's reason for caution even if not always for opposition. - Similarly, while I would favor SCOTUS abandoning Village of Belle Terre, how they do so matters. It would be important that any such decision not be a stalking horse for a broader set of...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

- I haven't delved into the weeds of the state preemption laws and thus can't confirm the extent to which this is a serious concern; however, I do worry that a blunt force approach to state preemption could undermine reasonable safety/habitability regulations viz co-living. Anytime the Koch-verse...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...groups of unrelated, predominantly Latino men sharing homes in areas with rapidly growing immigrant work forces, principally on a disparate impact theory but sometimes with evidence that neutral occupancy limits are being enforced in a way that is targeted based on race or national origin.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...place. Think about no pet policies. Granting a valid RA request to allow a service or support animal, but it is easier for the person in need of an accommodation if there is no restrictive policy to begin with. - There is some, but less, history of applying the Fair Housing Act to protect...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

...from operators of group homes for disabled people. Those challenges don't strike down the laws in their entirety, but they point to the value of repeal: disability inclusion (not that group homes are the epitome of that) is more meaningful if you don't have to make an RA request in the first...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Great piece from @rcobooth.bsky.social. Some aspects of this issue not explored in the article but worthy of attention: - There is a long track record of successful litigation challenges to occupancy limits in the context of rejected reasonable accommodation requests... www.vox.com/the-highligh...

vox.com

America’s empty bedrooms are up for grabs

A 20th-century backlash banned a popular affordable housing option. It’s now seeing a revival.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I'm so torn about which group text to send this to (all of them?).

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

...still cost-burdened, plenty of people are coping with uninhabitable conditions & people are still unhoused. Not great! Reduce regulatory barriers to increase supply and lower costs - yes! But don't leave it at that.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

...extreme housing shortage & soaring rents. But then the slowdown in production happens because it becomes hard to lease up units at rents that justify the cost of production & incumbents risk devaluing their own assets by building more. And it comes at a time when way too many households are...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Exhibit _ for why a robust public sector role in housing provision (ideally via mixed-income social housing) is critical. Market-based solutions can work to moderate rent growth & even to induce modest rent decreases. That's way better than an alternative of... sanantonioreport.org/san-antonio-...

sanantonioreport.org

It's a good time to be a renter in San Antonio. That might not last.

San Antonio rents have fallen as landlords compete for tenants, but slowing development could flip the market around by late 2027.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Lovely to see Mo play against opposition that is just enough slower than in the Premier League that he looks like 2017-2018 vintage (probably won’t every weekend).

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

With that said, my dream resolution for situations like Robbo's is the romantic return to one's roots NOT in the Premier League (here, Celtic). But Robbo also doesn't have to make his major life decisions in line with my bespoke preferences.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I didn't watch the League Cup match this week because David Ellison so this is the first time I'm seeing Robbo in a Spurs kit. I'm torn between it hurting my feelings and jolting me, on the one hand, and it not actually feeling that bracing because it doesn't look miles off of a Scotland kit.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

To the PHAs out there, if you sign up for the "Work & Dignity Coalition" (all of the scare quotes), you are signing up to being used by the most banal, bad faith opponents of our social safety net as cover for draconian - and racist - policies like work requirements.

aei.org

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The continuing violation theory of when injury occurs (across all manner of causes of action) is grounded in unambiguous Supreme Court precedent. HUD has no authority to disregard it when deciding which administrative complaints to exercise jurisdiction over.

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Reposted by Thomas Silverstein

Fair Share Housing Center @fairsharehousing.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

States across the country are exploring new ways to set housing targets and hold local governments accountable. What can they learn from New Jersey — and from one another? Join us Oct. 22 for a national conversation on the fair share model. Register: bit.ly/4dj59yE

This event will bring together housing policy leaders and advocates from across the country to examine a growing question: Can states set meaningful affordable housing targets — and hold local governments accountable for meeting them?

This question is gaining new urgency as states across the country are increasingly incorporating elements of New Jersey’s groundbreaking “fair share” affordable housing framework. Speakers will explore how these approaches are evolving, what states are learning from one another, and how statewide requirements can increase housing production, counter exclusionary zoning, and advance more equitable growth.

We will hear from the following speakers:

- Zoe Baldwin, Vice President of State Programs, Regional Plan Association
- Melinda Coy, Housing Accountability Chief, California Department of Housing and Community Development
- Adam Gordon, Executive Director, Fair Share Housing Center (moderator)
- Cashauna Hill, Executive Director, The Redress Movement
- Rep. Jason Rojas, Connecticut House Majority Leader

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Reposted by Thomas Silverstein

Poverty & Race Research Action Council @prrac.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Check out this helpful new guidance from progressive state AGs addressing how their state anti-discrimination laws protect against practices that cause unjustified disparate impacts, regardless of the status of the Trump Administration's attacks on civil rights! www.mass.gov/doc/multista...

mass.gov

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Feeling attacked by my own trivia teammate. What will this do to our sense of cohesion? Vespertine is really, really good (I voted for it in this match-up, and it was a close call in the semis), but re-listening to the Strokes left me lukewarm.

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Poverty & Race Research Action Council @prrac.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

PRRAC is proud to support @vanhollen.senate.gov & Senator Young's Family Stability & Opportunity Vouchers Act. Investing in rental assistance & mobility counseling that helps families move to well-resourced neighborhoods breaks down entrenched segregation. www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-r...

vanhollen.senate.gov

Van Hollen, Young Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Boost Housing Mobility Vouchers, Increase Families’ Access to Affordable Housing | U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) reintroduced their bipartisan Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act,...

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Wilco, Stripes, Bjork, and - hardest (only hard) choice - leaning Wilco but may change my mind.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

This is maybe the easiest semifinal to final seamless rooting interest pivot in the history of competitive sports. Also, the other guy is obviously extremely good but he’s not Alcaraz-Sinner levels of intimidating. It can be done!

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Reposted by Thomas Silverstein

David Brody @dbrody.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Really insightful thread from @nexusproject.bsky.social about the parallels between anti-trans hate and antisemitism. The same propagandists use the same playbook for both forms of hate.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I’m not watching the match because of both work and (justified) bitterness towards David Ellison causing me to have canceled Paramount Plus, but it is objectively hilarious that Llorente scored against us (because of course he did). I hope his dog (Anfield) is happy.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

As KBJ has written: “This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist. Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this Administration always wins.”

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Really nice to see Loris Karius play well for a historic club in one of the big five leagues.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Missy / Wilco / Bjork / Drive-By Truckers / The White Stripes

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

The point here is that it is disingenuous to frame an inclusionary set-aside in the latter scenario as doing any work. If those “set-aside” units are just going for what the market would bear anyway, they aren’t a concession (beyond a deed restriction to provide for enforceability).

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Anyhow, this is a fantastic site for dense, mixed-income, mixed-use development.

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Thomas Silverstein @tsilverstein.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

This - from nearby - is an interesting hodgepodge of the most nonsense pretexts for opposing development & as strong of a basis for claiming an affordable component is inadequate as I can imagine. Why? Because 90% of AMI IS market rate for new construction. streetcarsuburbs.news/63127/colleg...

streetcarsuburbs.news

Residents raise concerns over Aviation Landing plans

Residents expressed concerns over the proximity of a proposed multi-phase project to the College Park Airport during an Aug. 27 community meeting about the residential and commercial development. Afte...

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