ArchiveNovember 2016

Is your house a parasite, sucking the very lifeblood out of your city? It might be. On this episode, Luke and Matt conduct an interview with Nathanael Lauster, professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia and author of the new book The Life and Death of the Single-Family House: Lessons from Vancouver on Building a Livable City. Nathan tells us how the detached, single-family home...

John Tory announced his plan for road tolls at a time when the city is looking for new sources of revenue for the budget and specific infrastructure projects. Mayor John Tory’s surprise move last week to support highway tolls on the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway is bold. It’s brave. It’s visionary. It’s also a half-measure. I write that with some hesitation. I don’t want to detract...

A view of the Roncesvalles neighbourhood in Toronto. It’s a monumental reunion as all three of your hosts are once again in the same room. After some quick catching up and a timely Captain Planet reference, Luke tells Vass and Matt all about his recent reporting on gentle density. Can building small residential additions on top of retail stores help cities deal with their housing issues? And will...

Luke and Matt deal existential angst and crushing despair in the wake of the United States presidential election. In an attempt at catharsis, they compartmentalize and discuss two smaller city-related aspects of the Donald Trump presidency. First, the urban vs. rural divide. Is there reason to still believe society will get more progressive-minded as people move to cities? And what’s the...

Enforcing speed limits in school zones and community safety zones are the focus of the Ontario government's plans to reintroduce photo radar. Welcome back, photo radar. You’ve been gone too long. The Ontario government announced last week that they will introduce legislation allowing municipalities to use automated cameras to enforce speed limits in school zones and community safety zones...