Welcome to the 77th issue of Urbanism Now, our weekly newsletter curated with brief and insightful urban ideas from around the world to inspire action where you (c)are.
This newsletter is curated by Maria Paula Moreno Vivas and Ray Berger. Learn more on our About page.
Thank you for your interest and support. If you find this newsletter useful, please forward it to a friend!
Big news: our jobs board is officially live! 🎉
We’ve been getting more great roles than we can squeeze into the newsletter, so now you can browse 15+ jobs added just this week, plus plenty more.
We’ll still feature jobs in the newsletter, just a little more selectively.
Let’s get started:
This week I (Ray) am at DWeb Camp in Berlin where there’s been boundless discussions about how to use technology to empower and protect people. That’s where we learned about the great Seattle-based org below.
The Seattle Community Network (SCN), a nonprofit, community-run effort, is tackling digital inequity in Seattle by expanding WiFi access in homeless shelters and providing refurbished internet devices to people who need them most.
New York City’s affordability agenda is now reaching pet owners too, with the Mamdani administration launching the city’s first publicly funded pet food pantry pilot alongside expanded low-cost spay and neuter services.
A survey of 152 young adults in Miami finds that people in car-dependent neighborhoods experience fewer spontaneous romantic encounters and turn more often to online dating than those in walkable areas, revealing a mismatch between dating preferences and the realities of car-centric urban life.
Thousands of Vespa riders converged on Rome to celebrate the scooter’s 80th anniversary. But the Vespa is more than an Italian icon: it helped make postwar urban mobility lighter, cheaper, and better suited to dense city streets.
Videos, podcasts, books, and socials:
Send us what you’ve seen!
Jobs:
See all our new jobs at https://urbanismnow.com/jobs below are a select few.
The Center for Public Enterprise is hiring a deputy director, offsite & modular housing to lead efforts in advancing modular and offsite construction to address housing shortages, focusing on a multi-year working group with Northeast state agencies. $105k - $120k salary.
Portland State University’s Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning is hiring adjunct instructors for the 2026-2027 academic year to teach courses in active transportation planning, visual communications, and urban transportation. $1,445 per credit salary.
Regional Plan Association is hiring an emerging technology & urban futures fellow to launch a new area of inquiry into how technologies like eVTOLs and autonomous systems will shape urban planning, transportation and land use in the New York metropolitan area. $50k - $70k salary. Apply by July 31.
Events and deadlines:
Caltrain’s Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board is seeking a San Mateo County resident to volunteer for its Citizens Advisory Committee, providing input on current and future riders. Apply by Aug. 14.
All Things Urban is hosting an Amsterdam meetup for urban practitioners and enthusiasts to connect, exchange insights, and launch its local chapter. July 15.
The Streetlife Design Competition invites multidisciplinary teams to submit bold, conceptual visions for “lost sites” - urban byproducts of neglect or failed planning, with €10,000 in prizes for winning entries that elevate public space. Apply by Nov. 24.
What did you love? What did we miss? Let us know in the comments below.
As always, please share with a friend!
Seattle Community Network table setup with three people running it. By: Seattle Community Network
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