Announcements

Subscriber chat, and next month's roundtable with Pedestrian Space

Readers who’ve downloaded the Substack app might have noticed the new chat feature. Since I don’t have any other social media accounts (I almost went back on Twitter last summer but now am kind of glad I couldn’t bring myself to follow through), I’m curious if the chat option for On the Commons can help us all connect in more casual ways. I enabled it this week and started with—of course—asking what people are reading (I finally started Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy).

I have a feeling I might be using the chat to talk more about walking and walkability, as well as private property, the commons, and trespassing. A lot of the photos I take but don’t get around to using on the newsletter are related to walking infrastructure and car-centric culture. It’s something I could write a lot more about, but since I wrote a whole book about it—which, you know, I think is actually pretty good if you feel like reading something on that subject!—it feels like I’m repeating myself a lot of the time. And without social media, there’s not really a way to share short observations of things like missing crosswalks or sidewalks closed for construction (there is always a sidewalk closed for construction).

Anyway, it’s there if you want to join! You’ll need to download the Substack app (messages are sent via the app, not email). From what Substack has said, this feature is in beta, so you might not see it yet on all the newsletters you subscribe to. Annoyingly, it looks like the chat function is only for iOS (Apple devices). I think all of you who’ve commented that Apple-centric apps are like a walled garden are probably right.

Here’s Substack’s explanation of how to get started:

---

How to get started

1. Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Chat is only on iOS for now, but chat is coming to the Android app soon.

2. Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for the chat inside.

3. That’s it! If you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.

---

And . . .

On December 9th, I’ll be joining Pedestrian Space for a roundtable conversation about walking and walkability. To join, you can tell me and I’ll send your email to the organizer, Annika Lundkvist.

These roundtables are very small and probably tend toward the more policy-wonky or granular end of advocacy. But I wanted to mention it because Pedestrian Space is well worth following even if you’re not interested in the roundtable. It’s a very cool organization headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, that advocates for pedestrians worldwide—especially through its Global Walkability Correspondents Network—and is supported by the Schumacher Institute. If you’re despairing of the world, connecting with walkability advocates is a great way to give yourself some hope.

That’s all! I’m hoping to give some book progress updates soon. I’ve been waiting on an interview that I think is necessary for one of the stories in there, and for a visit to the ranch that my mother grew up on, which might take a few months to organize.