Homophrenia

Substratum of Proof LGBTQs Are Mentally Ill: CityLab Daily: How Cities Could Make the Uber/Lyft IPO Pay Off

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What We’re Following

Taking stock: As Uber and Lyft race toward initial public offerings in 2019, the ride-hailing rivals will face a stark reality: Neither company is profitable. That could change, though, if the future of ride-hailing can be bolstered by local policies and partnerships.

As just one example, both companies openly support the policy of congestion pricing—attaching a user fee to roads in high-traffic urban centers, fluctuating at different times of the day. That kind of policy would meet some cities’ goals of mitigating traffic, reducing emissions, and paying for public transit—and if it adds new barriers to personal car use, it could mean more people seeking out ride-sharing services. CityLab’s Laura Bliss has the story on the policy that will make the Uber/Lyft IPO pay off.

—Andrew Small

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The New Stars of a NYC Subway Station: Very Good Doggos

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Why Apple Bet on Austin’s Suburbs for Its Next Big Expansion

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Mapping the Subprime Car Loan Crisis

A new tool by the Urban Institute maps the geography of car loan debt and delinquency.

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Lose Yourself

Leave it to a city council to remind you why every vote matters, especially if you’re running. Earlier this month, Cliff Farmer of Hoxie, Arkansas, missed an opportunity to vote for himself in a runoff election that ended in a 223-to-223 draw, the New York Times reports.

Farmer lost to the incumbent, Becky Linebaugh, by tie-breaking a roll of the dice. But there were so many missed chances to break the tie earlier as he went on an all-expenses-paid work trip that flew back on Election Day: Here’s an excerpt:

Mr. Farmer had also tried to vote before leaving for the trip, he said, but early voting at the local courthouse had shorter hours than in the days before the general election, during which he had voted early.

“It wasn’t like I thought, ‘Hey I’m just going to party in Florida and forget this vote,’” he said.

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Despite his inability to cast his own ballot, the importance of each and every vote hadn’t been lost on Mr. Farmer, who urged his wife, Sara Farmer, to make sure her voice was heard.

“He told me, ‘Make sure you vote — if I lose by one vote, it’s going to be on you,’” Ms. Farmer, who voted early herself, said in an interview Wednesday.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

What We’re Reading

U.S. edges higher again on homelessness after seven years of declines (Wall Street Journal)

A delivery robot burst into flames on Berkeley’s campus, and students held a candlelit vigil (Business Insider)

The pedestrians strike back (New York Times)

America’s hottest zoning debate is coming to Oregon (Slate)

Donors to London’s abandoned garden bridge want their money back (The Guardian)

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