July news from Somerville YIMBY

Things will be a little slower this month as City Council goes into its summer recess. We’ve also postponed our monthly social meetup to the week after Independence Day.

However, things are still ramping up for the September preliminary election, neighborhood councils are continuing their work, and both officials and city staff are planning for major work to begin in the fall. Plus, at the state level, Abundant Housing MA is hiring a PAC Operations Manager as they expand their work on Beacon Hill.

In today’s newsletter, we’ve got just a handful of events, plus some fantastic beach reads, including coverage of economic trends from Boston to the Sun Belt, daycare shortages, and bike lane polling.

Upcoming Events

July 7: Gilman Square Neighborhood Council Meeting — online via Zoom, 6:30 pm.

July 9: Somerville YIMBY General Meeting — Topics will include improving our website and our summer outreach plans. Online via Zoom, 6:00 pm.

July 11: Somerville YIMBY social meetup — In person at Remnant Brewing, Bow Market, 6:00 pm. Postponed due to the July 4 holiday.

As always, you can find our Google calendar at somervilleyimby.org/calendar. If you notice we’ve missed an event, feel free to reply to this message and let us know!

Recommended

Three-quarters of Americans support bike lanes in their area — New YouGov polling shows that bike lanes are a lot more popular than loud opponents want you to think.

NYC apparently doesn't have the highest average rent in America — Boston does.

The whole country is starting to look like California — Prices are rising in the once-affordable sun belt. A key reason: “Once you run out of room to sprawl, suddenly your zoning code starts becoming a real limitation.”

How I became a radical DIMBY (Daycares In My BackYard) — Daycare scarcity also drives our exceptionally high cost of living.

Dense places can still build — Analysis of how cities can grow without sprawl.