More housing, bikes, and transit. https://youtube.com/@ohtheurbanity 📍 Montreal, Quebec
I went from assuming high-speed rail would never happen in Canada to actually getting half excited. That excitement’s starting to fade.
David ReevelyThe likeliest next premier of Quebec is against Alto because it’s a big federal project and the current premier of Ontario might be against it out of spite. Rail lines, like pipelines and airports, are federal jurisdiction. They’re a lot easier with provincial cooperation, but they don’t *need* it.
Turns out people are a lot more fond of European-style mid-rises when they’re opposing high-rises — than when it’s actually time to broadly legalize mid-rises.
Justin McElroy 🇨🇦For as long as I’ve been a reporter in this city the complaint has been that we build too many giant luxury condos in a few places and not enough medium density housing across neighbourhoods. But this week reaffirmed why that approach is so baked into the DNA and political culture of Vancouver.
Credit to @lucymaloney.bsky.social for being the only Vancouver city councillor (!?!?) to vote in favour of the Villages Plan to legalize medium-sized apartments in a large number of neighbourhoods across the city. Otherwise a major disappointment for the city.
Peter Waldkirch 華彼德The Vancouver Villages plan was defeated. This is a huge blow to housing policy in the city. This was the easiest part of the Vancouver Plan to implement; Ken Sim directed staff to prioritize it. If we can't pass this, what's the point of any of it? All housing policy work here is in limbo.
Blocking housing for not being affordable enough does not make housing more affordable.
Peter Waldkirch 華彼德Orr: supports affordable housing, supports 6 storey apartments and corner stores, mixed use communities. But Villages Plan could result in significant tenant displacement. Not enough affordability requirements. "Unfettered growth has real consequences." TAKE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE & IMMIGRANTS!
“As a U.S. counterpart told me during the U.S.M.C.A. negotiations in 2018, we are 10 times bigger than you, so we should get our way 10 times more than you do.” - Chrystia Freeland
Jacob T. Levywww.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/o... new from Chrystia Freeland. Reminds me why I wanted her to replace Trudeau as PM, but maybe it's even better for her to be free to speak her mind like this.
I wrote about the history of downzoning in San Diego and how it shaped the city’s growth and development. www.kpbs.org/news/local/2...
How 'downzoning' shaped San Diego — and pushed growth into the suburbsThroughout the 1960s, '70s and '80s, San Diego adopted stricter zoning laws that effectively banned apartments in many of the city's most walkable neighborhoods.www.kpbs.org
There's a video from @paige.canadiancivil.com showing him magnet fishing with Frédérick Hardy in the Lachine Canal⤵️
Un-Stealing Bikes With MagnetsYouTube video by Paige Saundersyoutu.beCTV News MontrealA 3D-printed firearm was found in a body of water near Montreal by two magnet fishing enthusiasts, Frédérick Hardy and Julie Tessier, who spend their days searching for forgotten treasure.
Someone thought I was portraying the Montreal Metro negatively because I used some footage of the older trains. No, I just took the Yellow Line recently. It’s great to be proud of your city, but it’s funny how reflexively defensive people can get.
Oh The Urbanity!How Quebec became North America’s urban outlier (with @adammongrain.bsky.social and @jfrheault.bsky.social)