Just some guy. Housing policy, bikes, mass transit, New York City, local politics, finance, software engineering, not necessarily in that order.
New York, NY
Joined June 2012
- Tweets15.5K
- Following697
- Followers1.9K
- Likes252K
Jake Schmidt retweeted
Your local planning department doesn't need "capacity". They need Ctrl-F+Delete and a paper shredder.
All the best neighborhoods were built before zoning--before the regulatory tools of postwar planning to microregulate the private realm & mandate car use were constitutional
Jake Schmidt retweeted
Like, the problem of high-income households struggling to make ends meet is 100% a problem of high housing costs.
Making it about taxation or groceries or whatever else is just obviously wrong and we're going to end up in the same place pursuing the same brain-dead policies in a few years if we don't solve this.
Jake Schmidt retweeted
I believe most of NYC’s budget issues can be solved with growth, but current discussions seem uninterested in that. Tech and finance should be expanding in NYC , and remote workers should want to move here because NYC is a better place to live than other places
Jake Schmidt retweeted
Reminder that this is how new housing works, as backed up by published research.
Jake Schmidt retweeted
Cities are failing families, and parents are opting out. NYC lost 17% of its under-5 population since 2020. SF has more dogs than kids.
Meanwhile, birthrates plummet. The US won't succeed without fixing this.
Yesterday I published an 8-part "Abundance for Families" agenda: 🧵
Jake Schmidt retweeted
CHPE, the Canadian hydropower link, will end the blackout threat to NYC in 2026
But until it opens, respect the grid emergency texts!
Prematurely shutting Indian Point has risked a blackout for millions & guaranteed filthy air in every heatwave til 2026
teapawt.net/bfurnas/status/1936875…
Jake Schmidt retweeted
Today we’re releasing the first round of grades for our 2025 NYC Mayoral Scorecard — starting with housing. We evaluated the platforms & actions of the top seven candidates to see who’s serious about solving the city’s housing shortage — and who’s falling short.
Jake Schmidt retweeted
This is very well done from @CitizenCodex on an underrated problem in housing policy/analysis. rentmadness.citizencodex.com…
Jake Schmidt retweeted
THREAD: Today, we’re proud to announce our 2025 endorsements for New York City Council.
This slate of 12 housing champions—twice as many as last cycle—will be supported by our grassroots members and over half a million dollars from our IE @AbundantNewYork.
ALT Open New York Endorses: Jess Coleman - 1st City Council District Erik Bottcher - 3rd City Council District Ben Wetzler - 4th City Council District Shaun Abreu - 7th City Council District Elsie Encarnacion - 8th City Council District Shirley Aldebol - 13th City Council District Pierina Sanchez - 14th City Council District Amanda Farias - 18th City Council District Lincoln Restler - 33rd City Council District Crystal Hudson - 35th City Council District Shahana Hanif - 39th City Council District Chi Ossé - 36th City Council District Photos of each candidate are above their names, with a drawn outline of New York City in the background. Open New York's logo is on the bottom right.
Jake Schmidt retweeted
Why are we so fired up about the housing shortage? Because it’s making our friends and family leave New York.
This quoted post is unavailable.
Jake Schmidt retweeted
Housing is subject to the law of supply and demand.
If we want it to be affordable, we need to build a lot more.
This quoted post is unavailable.
Jake Schmidt retweeted
No, they don't.
The property tax is relatively economically efficient, and shifting to any alternative tax would harm economic growth.
This quoted post is unavailable.
Jake Schmidt retweeted
In 2021 we rezoned:
SoHo/NoHo = 3,000 homes
Gowanus = 8,000 homes
Today, we passed something 10x larger than either:
City of Yes = 80,000 homes
But in order to end our housing shortage, we will need reforms 10x larger than today’s.
Jake Schmidt retweeted
A good rule of thumb: if you encounter some bit of viral outrage, it's probably a complicated issue that someone is mischaracterizing in order to get attention or promote their agenda
A caveat: unless it's about Trump, in which case it's probably WORSE than it looks.
Jake Schmidt retweeted
I actually think it’s the opposite takeaway. If she loses despite a pretty good campaign overall it just proves that Biden and inflation were too much to overcome.
Basically every incumbent government in the western world has fallen to inflation + general post-COVID anger.
Jake Schmidt retweeted
If you think people aren't New Yorkers because they weren't born in New York you've missed the whole point of the city and have no business representing it
Jake Schmidt retweeted
New: A @slingshotstrat poll of 900 NYC voters shows that 81% of New Yorkers support City of Yes for Housing Opportunity.
Let's dig into the results:
1/🧵