Stephen Lambe

tweets: cities, mobility, infrastructure, defense

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

@lyft I was able to schedule a ride from airport linked to my flight number. When I landed, there was no record of the scheduled ride in the app and no car reserved. Attempts to seek help in your app also failed, as your chat bot kept misdirecting me to past ride feedback.

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

If you're as frustrated as I am about the PG&E debacle of the last 18 hours, this @TheFrisc series is worth reading
https://t.co/rHJyywrmho

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

@footage @mattdorsey @PGE4Me Not pictured: a dozen pg&e employees and contractors standing around talking

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

@kentlind @LauraPowellEsq Same here. No issues. Suspect they had a (poorly executed) fail mode related to losing cellular connectivity.

[Sheel Mohnot @pitdesi]

Wow, everything really is downstream of housing affordability.

This paper (long but very interesting, recommended reading) makes a compelling case that our housing crisis helps explain the rise of the degen economy and the shape of Gen Z culture.

What happens when young people stop believing they’ll ever own a home? They save less, consume more, work less, and take bigger risks. Their rate of consumption jumps 5-7%, work effort drops 1.5-2.5%, and risk-taking spikes 6-10%.

People born in the 1990s will retire with home ownership rates ~10 points lower than their parents. Many of them mentally check out of ever owning housing... and those that do end up with ~30% less wealth at retirement.

When the dream of home-ownership dies, people spend more and look for quick ways to make money... that mechanism explains so much of the last decade:
meme stocks, altcoins, levered bitcoin treasury plays, SPACs- anything with lottery-like upside becomes more appealing once the safe, slow path of home equity disappears.

Expectations drive behavior, and when home ownership stops feeling attainable, people live differently... and those shifts ripple across the whole economy.

so... lets build more housing so we can restore the wealth ladder for the next generation!

[Joey Politano 🏳️‍🌈 @JosephPolitano]

Almost certainly Seattle. Population went from 600k->800k, the city went from no rail system to a top-10 busiest network, region became an absolute economic powerhouse, there’s a total transformation of the waterfront, and so much more

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

👀 pretty please @SFFDPIO

[Jason, @jasonc_nc]

When I become NYC Fire Commissioner I won’t be forgetting my home state of North Carolina, which will become the manufacturing HQ for Rosenbauer’s NFPA-approved Euro style fire engines and ladders.

Currently thinking of the Triad region for its favorable positioning near Volvo Trucks HQ in Greensboro and proximity to Freightliner’s Western NC manufacturing plants.

This will allow faster and cheaper production using commercial chassis that provide superior safety, better maneuverability, cheaper maintenance, and readily available parts. All while improving response capabilities and adding useful features that make the job easier and safer for firefighters.

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

Check out @StreetsblogCal for the full story and history https://t.co/SZTgBu5Rnx

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

.@AirResources decision to cancel the CA e-bike subsidy program is both disappointing and predictable, once they chose an inferior (and conflicted) service provider. What a missed opportunity to help 1000s of Californians get around their communities sustainably and efficiently.

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

Shifting funds into car subsidies is a sad rug pull. Ask your representatives to fix this. Thanks @CalBike for your advocacy https://t.co/F19AIpPNKS

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

Relatedly- @adamlashinsky is my favorite SF journalist as of late. Give his columns in @sfstandard a read. A voice for common sense!

[Adam Lashinsky @adamlashinsky]

Never let a dead cat go to waste https://t.co/7BRDygr5xv via @sfstandard

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

I will take scoring cheap political points for 100, Alex. https://t.co/Fmj3SWGwe4

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

@micsolana superior court judges...

[Chris Elmendorf @CSElmendorf]

California, home of the world's 4th largest economy & several of its top econ departments, has spent 50 years "planning for housing need" w/o availing itself of economic expertise.

The game is up, courtesy of the S.F. city economist. My op-ed in today's @sfchronicle ⤵️.

🧵/22

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

@yerbaenjoyer @stefanoscalia @typesfast It's more nuanced, and that engineering group's findings were disputed. Good discussion https://t.co/oD2bxHYaPE

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

Definitely longer than a block...reminds me of an egregious local example. SMART train to SF Bay Ferry at Larkspur. Half a mile apart... but better than Sonoma Co Airport- 1 mile away! https://t.co/aNQx3Rxwfy

[Noah Smith 🐇🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 @Noahpinion]

Critics of industrial policy often claim that it's difficult to pick winners.

But military necessity often picks winners for us. In the age of the drone, that has happened once again.

We know what we need to build.

https://t.co/PuipvTExho

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

As much as I like seeing their hulking fire engines haphazardly parked during coffee runs, SFFD should be buying these. cc @kane

[Jason, @jasonc_nc]

Nashville update since adding squad trucks to replace large apparatus use.

Turns out fire departments insisting on larger trucks to be Swiss Army knives for every conceivable use was backwards. We need small Swiss Army knives like these, with specialized fire fighting apparatus for when there is an actual fire to fight.

-27,000 calls to date. I estimate annual will hit 35-40k.
-Each call replaced an engine or tiller truck for EMS, car wrecks, elevator rescue, etc.
-$260k squad trucks reduce wear and tear on $1.5-2M larger apparatus by ~50%. This extends lifespans and is explicitly noted as creating significant cost savings.
-Can support fire calls via included foam systems, full SCBAs, ability to access tighter conditions like parking garages for vehicle fires.
-Are a standard Ford chassis on a specialized Rosenbauer body. AKA the opposite of an emphasis on custom everything with high ticket prices that got us into a fire truck monopoly situation.
-Reflects the needed pivot for FDs to view themselves as an all-hazards dept and staff, equip accordingly.

[Stephen Lambe @stephenlambe]

@sdamico The original sin of CA housing…shame we can’t properly reform it.