I have a deep, deep love for well-maintained public spaces. And the Atwater Library is definitely one of them. Tonight, I lingered in the bathroom just to admire the clean tiles, doors, corners, floor. ILOVECLEANPUBLICSPACE

Our kids are invisible on our streets in more than one way

Last fall, I chatted with @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social about my experience of municipal politics in Montréal, how the combination of boroughs and local parties can lead to change, experimentation, cross pollination. This fall, a video came out about all this. Thanks, Patrick!

This is one way or outcome of anchoring urbanism in a child rights framework.

Different ambiances or atmospheres make a space, in this case a park, more playable. Here this is achieved by letting a green zone grow out, looking like a field where some adventures could take place. Totally affordable. Also great for freshness and privacy.

Je suis impressionnée par l'engagement de @mccraywx.bsky.social pour des rues apaisées + sécuritaires dans Sainte-Marie et par sa contribution rigoureuse + réfléchie au CA sur lequel on siège ensemble. C'est donc comme collègue et Montréalaise engagée pour les droits des enfants que j'appuie Chris!

Ma ville du futur a encore des feux d’artifice. Deux jours après la canicule. Comme ça, sans gêne.

Tellement de respect pour celles et ceux qui s’engagent à fond pour leur quartier. Chris en fait partie — après des années de mobilisation locale, sa candidature à l'investiture de Sainte-Marie coule de source. 💚 #polmtl

This is why I won’t use AI in my practice. How can I advocate for sustainable people focussed design if I’m killing the environment doing so.

Love it when the splash pad doesn’t look like one. Makes the freshness more inclusive. Place des Fleurs-de-Macadam, Montréal.

Trump declares war on cities “We must expand efforts to detain & deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as LA, Chicago, & NY, where Millions of Illegal Aliens reside. These, & other Cities, are core of the Dem Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base”

Was at a multilane four-way stop today and gotta say, it was a clusterfuck. The crossing guard was giving « yeah, this is the worst ». No way a child could navigate that intersection alone. We should just call it clusterfuck urbanism. Or antichild urbanism. #ClusterfuckUrbanism #AntiChildUrbanism

Made by my four-year-old. She felt loads of pride to have drawn this road on these tags. This sort of thing makes my heart melt.

Found myself appreciating the city the way my 4 year-old does.

Je trouve ça particulier que la ville ne gère pas ses terrains sportifs extérieurs. Ce sont des assos sportives qui le font. So obvs loads of players and considerations fall out of their purview. ici.radio-canada.ca/sports/21702...

This always makes me wanna channel my inner Beastie Boys to make a clip. I wonder what relationship other neighbours have to this lot, which has been like this for at least two years.

What a four-year-old places on the windowsill.

I wish I had the courage to dance on »circulez ». #BerriUQAM #STM

Le travail dans Sainte-Marie n’est pas fini! Il faut une personne élue qui comprend la complexité de ce territoire. Avec une vraie course à l’investiture, on pourrait tout mettre sur table, en débattre, pousser les idées plus loin - les quick wins et les gros noeuds structurants. 1/2

-Can i have money? -No. -But they wont let us sit in the coffeeshop without buying anything? -Welcome to teen life - loiter where you can 🙌

C’est tu de l’art linéaire sur Bélanger? Je vais demander à mon kid de 10 ans.

1 school for 6000 housing units. Seems like so little. Why not more, creating small catchment areas and neighbourhoods turned towards school? Sometimes it feels like we build schools to be at capacity day 1.

On as-tu ça une définition officielle d’un quartier « central » et d’un quartier « excentré » de Montréal ?

« Montréal est le meilleur élève de la pire classe. En Amérique du Nord, la plupart des villes auraient un F. Montréal a quelque chose comme un D- … » @owenwaygood.bsky.social on Montreal retrofitting our streets for pedestrian safety + comfort, namely children’s. www.lapresse.ca/actualites/g...

I love seeing such a thoughtful observer and writer of architecture, urban life and childhood recognized for her work! Thank you, @langealexandra.bsky.social, for your writing and research.

“This is cruelty. This is not war.” www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/w...

My kid’s friend rang the doorbell and asked to play. They’re in the yard throwing hula hoops. The kid crossed the street to get here. Feels like a victory.

It’s a miracle any non-white, non straight, non-citizen person in America is getting any work done right now— —While the regime is actively trying to purge us from government, workplaces, universities from its websites, and from society in general.

Les enfants de tous les quartiers de Montréal ont le droit de se déplacer en sécurité et avec joie. Pourquoi on se priverait de leur présence dans l’espace public? #REV

Oh yeah, I’m really looking forward to this! Join us for an exciting day of talks and chats about how we move together in cities.

I have been going to the same library for two years, about one to three times a week. And still, my brain has such a hard time reading this. I can’t be the only one. #BibliosMontréal #AffichageMêlant #CestQuelleEtage

Blainville et la CMM refusent de céder à Québec, et c’est tant mieux. Pis j’imagine qu’il serait temps qu’on discute aussi de la—de notre—production de déchets dangereux. www.lapresse.ca/actualites/2...

Yesterday, I saw skateboarders for the first time this year. A sure sign of warmer days and ice-free streets. Or spring.

Thanks, Jared, for the opportunity to chat about one of my favourite topics : cities that support childhoods. We covered loads of ground : mobility, public space, play, public consultations, decision making, language, children's freedom. FREEDOM! #ChildFriendlyCities

Matthew Rankin’s film #UniversalLanguage is deliciously absurd and poetic. The backdrop to this intergenerational story of belonging is made up of a multi-storey parking, highways and, mostly, seemingly endless, informal snowy pathways along large, anonymous brick buildings and the city’s souk.

Just because your personal freedoms are being threatened for the first time, doesn’t mean that this is the first time personal freedoms have been threatened. Behaving in this manner undermines relationships with individuals & groups that have been living with this palpable fear for generations.

Pushing back on car culture to nurture play culture. @tomflood.bsky.social, “the expense” in Montréal.

There’s something a little bit delicious about nighttime play.

More preschool kids riding the bus and metro than usual. Surely cuz their parents aren’t biking or driving in this post-74cm-snowstorm. Love seeing adults offering up their seats to 2 and 3 year olds. #stm #ChildFriendlyCities

A first sidewalk is plowed a couple days after the snowstorm of the century (#74cm). Feeling liberated. #AndTakingStockOfInternalizedAbleism

City calls on children to uncover fire hydrants and on teens to help their neighbours shovel their stoops and entrances. Nice call, @montreal.ca, seeing young people’s contribution. #BlizzardCity #IntergenerationalShoveling #ChildFriendlyCities

Storm walks. #Bellechasse

Being Political : Genealogies of Citizenship, by Engin F. Isin

Accepting invitations. #HumanScale #PlayAsParticipation #PlayAffordances

Great playable spaces aren’t static. I love seeing these temporary additions to alleyways. #Playability

Back to work, back to reading other people’s justified texts. Am forcing my brain to not flee the uncomfortable and unpredictable spacing. #AccessibilityBasics

Some people are enjoying their wood-burning fireplaces. All of us are « enjoying » the ensuing smog. #CozyAirPollution

I love sitting in the snow. Merry Christmas!

On the way. Uncovering the playability of public space. Children are formidable partners in understanding public space.