The Monday Roundup: NIMBY profile, coffee outside, a plastic bike, and more

Welcome to the week.

Here are the most notable items our writers and readers came across in the past seven days…

Behind the NIMBY curtain: A must-read article from a NY Times housing reporter (who moderated a panel at YIMBYtown) that profiles a powerful activist in the no-growth stronghold of Mill Valley, California. This article helps explain why many Boomers who love progressive causes also hate the idea of new condos being built in their own neighborhoods.

Bereaved, not beaten: The New Yorker goes in-depth on the nonprofit Family for Safe Streets and its founder Amy Cohen to reveal how unspeakable tragedy can lead to influential advocacy.

Coffee and community: Learn more about Coffee Outside, a growing movement (with a strong Portland presence) that brings people together by bike to enjoy each other in an inclusive, non-competitive environment.

Plastic bike: Igus has created a bike that’s made entirely out of plastic which comes with a seductive lifetime promise of no maintenance or corrosion.

Toxic tires: “Almost 2,000 times more particle pollution is produced by tyre wear than is pumped out of the exhausts of modern cars,” reports The Guardian in news that we hope makes it to the desk of politicians eager to perpetuate car culture via freeway expansions and battery-powered autos.

Homelessness politics: The political dynamic in the race for California governor reminds me of the race between Rene Gonzalez and Jo Ann Hardesty and this article in The Atlantic does a great job laying out how a more centrist candidate hopes to use frustration with homelessness against a left-leaning incumbent.

Worse than the CRC: Notable to see the VP of conservative think tank Cascade Policy Institute making the case that the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project is headed for such a bad outcome that we’d be better off if the project died again.

Cheap transit, not cheap gas: While U.S. politicians scramble to reduce gas prices and provide relief for car drivers, the German government has created a $9.50 per month transit pass that allows everyone to use local and regional trains, buses and subways.

Read these books: Get to know the work of the late Dervla Murphy, a travel writer who completed many epic trips by bike, in this obituary marking her death at 90 years old.

Video of the Week: ‘Beyond the Binary’ is a new film from Shimano that introduces us to KC Cross, “a black, non-binary, queer athlete who has committed to love and acceptance – loving themselves and welcoming others to do the same.”

Thanks to everyone who sent in links!