Kneeling Bus | Drew Austin

What is Kneeling Bus?

Kneeling Bus is a weekly newsletter about how the internet has transformed our relationship to physical space, one another, and our own selves. I’m an urban planner and lapsed tech guy who is constantly scanning the landscape for examples of those two domains colliding in fascinating ways. No matter how online we get, we still have to live in physical space—usually that means cities—and learning how to inhabit both domains simultaneously is more important than ever.

Most tech criticism is either too positive or too negative about technology, which I think makes it less interesting. Kneeling Bus operates in the ambiguous middle, the zone where most of the topics I discuss rightfully belong.

Every Friday afternoon, you’ll receive a shimmering diamond of an essay in your inbox that you can read in less than 5 minutes so as to launch yourself thoughtfully into the weekend.

If you are a human being who enjoys good writing, I’m certain you’ll enjoy Kneeling Bus. If your work involves cities, technology, or both—or if you just find those topics interesting—you’ll like it even more.

Why Subscribe?

In addition to the Friday emails that are always free, paid subscribers receive an additional email earlier in the week.

Something I hear frequently from my subscribers is that my newsletter is the one they always read, and never a waste of time. We all have more than enough to read on the internet. I won’t publish something unless I think it’s excellent, worth reading, and no longer than it needs to be—the kind of newsletter I would be happy to find in my own inbox.

Most importantly, this newsletter is incredibly fun for me to write, and I think that makes it just as fun for you to read.

About Drew Austin

I’m a writer and urban planner based in New York City.

You can find me at @kneelingbus and kneelingbus.net.

🅐🅩🅛 @aaronzlewis

Kneeling Bus is the 👑 of the cities/technology/culture venn diagram and he just launched a paid tier of his weekly dispatch all the homies support indiependent writers who are cutting through the chaos that is 2k20

Drew Austin @kneelingbus

I'm launching a subscribers-only expansion of my newsletter for deep dives into cities & urbanism. Sign up if you'd like to better understand the urban environment, if your work involves cities, if you live in a city, or recently escaped from one! https://t.co/5K9ngQ2RNT

Venkatesh Rao @vgr

Damn, @kneelingbus really leveled up the urban transformation conversation in this one, and connected it neatly to home and retail transformation (paywall — worth subscribing)

Unbundling the CityThis year, we’ve spent more time than ever in our homes. Not surprisingly, our relationship to them has intensified. As the only bubbles of private space that most of us fully control (along with cars, for those of us who have one), the pandemic has proportionally elevated the residential space’s ro…kneelingbus.substack.com

Kpaxs @Kpaxs

If you are interested in urbanism and technology, I highly recommend "Kneeling Bus" newsletter. A delightful short read each week. I will share some highlights while reading through the archives. All credit goes to @kneelingbus.

Drew Austin @kneelingbus

Periodic reminder that I send a weekly newsletter. Subscribe here: https://t.co/PV3KSXvg1V