"New Gateway building creates dedicated campus hub for AI, computing"

UC Berkeley News | May 13, 2026

The state-of-the-art facility will be the new home of the UC Berkeley College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, promoting cross-collaboration and accelerating AI-driven discovery.

...More

"Washington Passes First Statewide Scissor Stair Reform"

Sightline | May 13, 2026

The measure ushers in more light-filled, infill-suited apartment homes—and sets a model for other states.

...More

"My illegal neighborhood"

City Observatory | May 8, 2026

From May 2017:  For many years I lived in Northwest Portland, Oregon.

It was a part of the city first settled by white pioneers in the 1860s, but development really took off when the streetcar arrived in the first half of the 1900s. (A century later, the old streetcar tracks had to be dug up so they could put down the new streetcar tracks.)

...More

"America’s Driving Mandate: Don’t Call It “Freedom”"

Substack | May 1, 2026

There is a story Americans like to tell about ourselves: that we love our cars, our cul-de-sacs, our three-car garages and two-car commutes. That we “chose” this. That suburban sprawl is the natural expression of an American preference for space, privacy, and the open road, and that anyone who suggests otherwise is a coastal scold trying to force us into a crowded apartment over a noisy bar.

...More