City toilet in Boston by Hiro licensed under Creative Commons.

The pandemic made clear that the “public” restrooms we relied on in the US weren’t so public after all. Researchers measure transportation insecurity. Would you drink ultra-filtered waste water?

Our vanishing public restrooms: Pandemic shutdowns reminded us that what many considered public bathrooms, those in department stores, bars, or restaurants, are not public and shouldn’t be counted as such. Elizabeth Yuko takes a look at the history of public restrooms in the United States and wonders what is keeping us from providing something so basic for all. (Elizabeth Yuko | Bloomberg CityLab)

A transportation insecurity index: Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a transportation insecurity checklist similar to one used for food insecurity. Transport insecurity, an inability to move freely because of a lack of resources, is not something a lot of policymakers pay attention to because while we have data on journeys to work, we don’t have data on how many people experience challenges like being fired because they lack transportation access. (Amanda Merck | Salud America)

Water gets the recycling treatment Around the American West, water is getting more scarce due to drought. To get more water from less, San Diego’s pure water program is looking to get 40% of its water from local sources by 2035. In one program, wastewater is treated to the point where it’s so pure you can’t drink it until it’s pumped back up with minerals. (Matt Simon | Mother Jones)

It didn’t start or end with redlining: Spatial racism is more than a set of older redlining maps; it’s been embeded in institutions for a long time. As such, the history of discrimination must be understood in greater detail before new practices are further embedded in digital systems. As an example, block busting — not redlining — is tied to reduced food access today in Baltimore, while subprime mortgage loans in Detroit are tied to reverse redlining practices of banks during the Great Recession. (Alex Hill | Metropolitics)

Artificial intelligence and city design: New use cases for artificial intelligence are popping up in the urban design and planning world. As more programs are developed to reduce the time it takes design different scenarios, there is a question about whether they are biased or fair. While they might be beneficial in pure calculations of performance criteria, researchers believe they are likely to be lacking in areas where value judgements represent community agreement. (Stephen Cousins | Engineering and Technology)

Quote of the week:

“One thing I would want to make clear is that inclusionary zoning is not adequate. Inclusionary zoning is a policy designed exclusively for new construction. And it really is limited in terms of its applicability because the vast majority of housing is not new construction. There has to be a mechanism to encourage municipalities to address the citywide housing situation, not just new construction.”

Yonah Freemark in Shelterforce discussing his research on France’s Urban Solidarity and Renewal law that supports social housing.

This week on the podcast we’re joined by Kenneth O’Reilly to talk about his book “Asphalt: A History.”