Ray Atkinson, AICP (he/him)

Car-free #ebike, #blogger, foodie in #KeyWest. #CLT born. Raised @Kannapolis. BS in #Geography from #UNCC. Master of Urban & #Regional Planning @Portland_State.

[Ray Atkinson, AICP (he/him) @RayPlans]

Learn a language with me for free! #Duolingo is fun, and proven to work. Here’s my invite link: https://t.co/2rrAb4x6HJ

[Ray Atkinson, AICP (he/him) @RayPlans]

I completed the May challenge faster than 96.1% of all learners on #Duolingo!

[Qasim Rashid, Esq. @QasimRashid]

This SCOTUS rulings so far
•Universities using race criteria to counter historical racism in admissions is unconstitutional, BUT
•ICE fascists using race criteria to target people of color is constitutional, BUT
•State legislatures using race criteria to counter historical voter suppression is unconstitutional, BUT
•Trump using race criteria to enact travel bans is constitutional
In short—race criteria that centers white people is constitutional, but race criteria otherwise is unconstitutional😐

[Ray Atkinson, AICP (he/him) @RayPlans]

Happy World Public Transport Day!

[Roger Parloff @rparloff]

Haitians in the US will keep, for now, their Temporary Protected Status (TPS), despite Secy Noem’s attempt to end it. Last night, a split panel of the DC Cir denied a stay of Judge Reyes’s 2/2 order, which blocked Noem’s action as arbitrary & capricious. ...
1/3
https://t.co/v9hYrrCcXt

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. But right now, they’re under attack.

Several Republican-controlled states have redrawn their congressional maps to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterm elections.

Now Virginia has a chance to help level the playing field. If you live in the Commonwealth, early voting begins March 6, and Election Day is on April 21. Vote YES.

[Ray Atkinson, AICP (he/him) @RayPlans]

Happy birthday to #Oregon and Valentine's Day!

[Andy Boenau @Boenau]

Carmel, IN replaced 120 stop lights with roundabouts and this happened:

🚨 90% drop in fatal crashes
🚨 40% drop in total crashes
🚨 $21.6 million saved in long-term maintenance

And that $21.6m isn't even counting the enormous financial savings of preventing crashes. 🤯

[Mark R. Brown, AICP, CNU @CompletedStreet]

North America's auto-centrism is an anomaly.

The rest of the world understands the value of multimodalism.

[Sam Bowman @s8mb]

America has too many bus stops. Removing excess bus stops speeds up bus services, makes them more reliable, and reduces transit costs, all of which boosts ridership.

For example: San Francisco has an average of eight stops per mile, whereas European cities tend to have only four stops per mile. Moving to a European model only adds 1–3 mins of extra walking to get to a stop.

Portland saw a six percent increase in bus speeds from a project which increased average stop spacing by just 90 feet. SF boosted ridership by 14% by removing some stops. Other cities have used limited stop services to boost ridership by 25–33%!

New at Works in Progress, @nithin_vejendla on a rare example of a transit reform that is at once fast, cheap, and effective.

https://t.co/JH8A47xdqo

[United Nations @UN]

1.3 billion people live with a significant disability.

To achieve a better future, the unique needs of people with disabilities must be addressed in all aspects of societies.

Wednesday is the International Day of People with Disabilities.

https://t.co/YlhJoE0z2h

[World Sustainable Transport Day @WSTD_official]

🌍 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆!

Let’s commit to transport that’s safe, fair & low carbon.

✅ Share your story
✅ Tag your city to inspire local action

#TransportDay #SustainableTransport #MobilityForAll

https://t.co/EHIwEQnfSN

[GIS Day @gisday]

Did you host a #GISDay2025 event? We want to celebrate you! 🥳🌏

Post about your event + upload photos in our worldwide forum. Plus, you'll earn this cool badge when you post! Get started: https://t.co/zbqtPcMIjz

[Jonathan Berk @berkie1]

90% of Gen Z and millennial survey respondents said they’d pay more for a home in a walkable community; with 1/3 saying they’d "pay a lot more."

"Walkability has become one of the most valuable amenities in today’s housing market."

[GIS Day @gisday]

Happy GIS Day! 🥳🎉

Take a minute to hear from Esri President and Founder Jack Dangermond, who attended the very first #GISDay event in 1999.

Let’s share and learn from each other to better understand the value and impact of GIS 🌎

#GISDay2025 #GeographyAwarenessWeek

[Flavia Z S Musisi @FlaviaZabali]

🌍 Day 2 of Geography Week 2025: The Power of “Where” 🌎

Did you know that 80% of all data created by humans has a location component?
Your phone knows where you took that photo. Your favorite delivery app knows the fastest route. Emergency services know exactly which building is on fire. Cities know where floods are most likely to hit next.
That’s the magic of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
GIS isn’t just pretty maps. It’s the invisible technology that:
- Helped contain outbreaks by mapping disease spread in real time
- Saves endangered species by showing exactly where habitat is disappearing

Every time someone asks “Where should we build this?” “Where are people most at risk?” or “Where did this problem start?”, someone, somewhere, opens a GIS.

Geography isn’t about memorizing capitals anymore.
It’s about understanding patterns, solving real problems, and literally seeing the world differently.

Drop a 🗺️ if you’ve ever used Google Maps, Strava, Pokémon GO, Uber, or even checked the weather today… congratulations, you’ve used Geographic thinking.
#GeographyWeek2025 #GISDay #GeographyMatters #WhereItHappens #MapsChangeTheWorld #GIS

[Waymo @Waymo]

Get ready ✨We’re going fully autonomous in Miami—meaning an empty driver’s seat, and the Waymo Driver in complete control🤖🚗. Up next: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando.

[GIS Day @gisday]

It’s #geographyawarenessweek! Test your geo skills with a favorite story—

Misconceptions by @John_M_Nelson 🌐https://t.co/LYrRBfSYDz

[Ray Atkinson, AICP (he/him) @RayPlans]

Happy National #Immigrants Day! This day honors the contributions and achievements of immigrants in the US. It was proclaimed by President #Reagan in 1987, on the 101st anniversary of the Statue of Liberty's unveiling, to reflect on our diverse heritage as a nation of immigrants.

[Ray Atkinson, AICP (he/him) @RayPlans]

It's awesome that protesters in Key West are discussing the amazing efforts by Portland protesters! Portland is over 3,000 miles away! #NoKingsDay #KeyWest #PDX