City Planner in Flint • 2018 @mitchellscholar 🇺🇸🇮🇪 • @michiganstateu + @UCDDublin Alum • Urban Planning • Public Policy • Flint ➡️ Dublin ➡️ Philly ➡️ Flint

Flint, MI
Joined May 2011
Joel Arnold retweeted
Michigan is core Midwest, absolutely as Midwest as it gets.
This is a very fair ranking of Midwestern states.
229
106
29
4,233
350,608
Joel Arnold retweeted
The data proves “a point that we’ve been making for a while, which is (that) housing is like other goods,” said Joel Arnold, director of policy for @legalizehomes. “If you have a large increase in supply, that is an excellent way to lower the price of existing homes.”
1
4
208
Joel Arnold retweeted
Airlines are going to remove more seats for the rich while we’re denied high speed rail and reliable other alternatives. A great system we have here!
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The United 787-9 pictured only serves routes that would be impossible to reach via high speed rail simpleflying.com/united-airline…
117
76
26
1,584
215,142
Amtrak and the US DOT have announced $145M in rail investment for MDOT! These investments in our state include reconstructing bridges and improving track conditions on the for the Wolverine on the Michigan Line; and new trains for the Blue Water and Wolverine.
1
15
38
1,369
Joel Arnold retweeted
I've said this before and I'll say it again: leave this alone. It's a pain in the ass for a few days 2x a year and then we all go about with our lives.
Confirmed: Sen. Cotton still opposes the permanent daylight saving time bill and is not alone A source says "Senator Cotton has the same concerns he’s had for years about this proposal, but he is far from alone. Senators Thune, Wicker, Fischer, Moran, Sullivan, Budd, Sheehy, Klobuchar, Peters, Duckworth, Rosen, and Blunt-Rochester all voted against making daylight savings time permanent in the Senate Commerce Committee. This isn’t really a partisan issue, it’s a geographic issue" The late sunrises in the winter are a big concern of opponents and they point to the fact that Congress already tried this once and people didn't like it. Graphic-->
6
4
45
3,617
Joel Arnold retweeted
Congratulations, folks. The most significant federal housing reform in a generation just became law. It’s time to build.
The bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act automatically becomes law tomorrow if Trump doesn't veto it... 🕯 🕯 🕯 please 🕯 don't veto 🕯 the bipartisan 🕯️ housing bill 🕯 mr prez 🕯 🕯 🕯
24
109
5
1,833
171,915
The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward admitting that "free bus" critics were right and quality of service is more important than fares!
For working New Yorkers, every minute matters. But for too long, our buses have been stuck in traffic instead of keeping pace with the city that never sleeps.  Today, I'm proud to unveil Next Step — our roadmap to faster, more reliable bus service across all five boroughs. We'll increase bus speeds by up to 20%, and save riders as much as six minutes on their daily commute. We're also expanding accessible bus stops, adding more shelters and seating, strengthening bus lane enforcement, improving real-time arrival information, and building the next generation of bus corridors with protected bus lanes, greener streets, and faster, more frequent service. Every minute a New Yorker spends waiting for a late bus is time away from family, work, school, or rest. This plan is about giving people that time back, and building a city that works better for the people who keep it running.
54
148
16
2,812
267,784
Even if your local zoning and building codes allowed it, your local fire marshal and traffic engineers would kill it.
Highly illegal to build in the U.S. But that won't stop Americans from spending thousands of dollars to visit.
19
35
1
710
42,581
Joel Arnold retweeted
"more supply is easing competition and slowing price growth"
Housing affordability improved 7% annually in April. Why? Not just lower mortgage rates or higher incomes. More supply is easing competition and slowing price growth: existing-home months’ supply rose from 3.5 to 4.4 months, while nominal price growth slowed from ~6% to near zero.
1
30
365
22,930
Joel Arnold retweeted
Replying to @PureMichigan
C for the obvious reason it includes Flint. torch lake is a nice bonus
1
1
11
2,773
There's a 90% chance this building is illegal in your neighborhood.
41
46
31
950
455,362
Many of the homes, neighborhoods and cities across Michigan were built prior to local zoning laws. That means that many of the houses and multi-family homes scattered across the state would be illegal if you tried to build them, or rebuild them, today. The Mackinac Center takes a tour of Flint, Michigan with Joel Arnold of @legalizehomes to see how this looks in practice. Learn more: mackinac.org/blog/2026/michi…
13
28
6
124
46,275
On tonight's show, Michigan State University is facing backlash after adopting an unprecedented policy to punish elected trustees for publicly disagreeing with the board. Greg Greubel from @TheFIREorg outlines the constitutional concerns. A Michigan court threw a major wrench into Lansing’s billion-dollar earmark system, ruling lawmakers may have sidestepped the constitution to funnel money to politically connected projects. Patrick Wright of the Mackinac Center outlines the lawsuit. We'll also talk with reporter @san_beki of the Detroit Free Press about her recent investigation into how outdated zoning rules and local red tape are worsening Michigan childcare shortage. And @arnoldjoell from @AbundantHousing discusses efforts in Lansing to expand housing supply and lower home prices. Join us tonight on the "Mackinac On Michigan Show" on WJR or listen to the stream anytime at thegreatvoice.com/Shows/mack…
3
7
274
Joel Arnold retweeted
Even though they’re maintenance intensive, we need so many more public water fountains in the North American built environment.
10
13
1
299
12,696
The first English-speaking jurisdiction to abolish the death penalty in the entire world was Michigan, in 1847.
What historical fact sounds fake but is true?
14
130
3
1,962
55,660
Go to them. Clubs, churches, lodges, etc. This stuff all still exists. It's a bunch of old people who will be thrilled you showed up. Bring a friend if you're nervous. You guys have to stop intellectualizing the "loneliness crisis" and go end it by the way you live your life.
Honest question. How do we rebuild this? How do we rebuild our social institutions?
51
297
32
3,089
132,402
Joel Arnold retweeted
Those who pray are aware of their own limitations; they do not kill or threaten with death. Instead, death enslaves those who have turned their backs on the living God, turning themselves and their own power into a mute, blind and deaf idol (Ps 115:4–8), to which they sacrifice every value, demanding that the whole world bend its knee. Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life. #Peace
2,813
17,503
975
102,164
3,342,777
Joel Arnold retweeted
Affordability 🤝 housing 🤝 climate = 💋 zoning reform I wrote about how popular, pro-density land use reforms like legalizing ADUs and duplexes in single-family zones are spreading to the midwest this year... heatmap.news/politics/illino…
4
13
5
87
18,919
Joel Arnold retweeted
There are no parking problems. There are only transportation problems. (And many of them are urban planning problems.)
1
15
105
4,642
Joel Arnold retweeted
Dems had a trifecta for like 41 days and immediately gave tens of millions of Americans healthcare
unavailable
430
1,514
64
28,849
1,184,388