Not all edge-growth is car-dependent suburban sprawl. But far too much of it is. It doesn’t need to be. #CarDependency #Sprawl

For modern, love the #architecture of #OttCity; its location is tough tho; poorly connected to the city w/little development around it due to generations of ineptitude and poor thinking; is changing w/some new dev underway but it remains a challenge; montreal is excellent from an urban perspective

A BIG thank you to everyone for all the interest and energy during our official LAUNCH WEEK! Trust us, this is just the beginning, as we continue to “build this plane while we’re flying it.” Please keep helping us spread the word, and stay tuned for more details on how to get involved. #UrbanTruth

What say you, Canadian urbanists?

I’m not a fan of politicians trying to make people angry for votes by claiming there actually IS a “war on cars” (there isn’t — if anything there’s been a war on every OTHER way of getting around since the 1960s). A politician just made the claim on LinkedIn. Here’s the reply I posted. #UrbanTruth

They still want us to think cars equal freedom. But car DEPENDENCY is the opposite of freedom. Mobility freedom comes from mobility choices. #UrbanTruth

"Conspiracy theorist relieved that proposed local amenities have been voted against and will now be a 30 min drive away." @urbantruth.bsky.social

Provincial budget fallout begins... The Province is walking away from funding for the student transit pass program. This is creating a $1.2 million dollar hole in HRM's budget and means the program where students get transit passes may not continue

It's just an endless loop of "drivers are struggling with the number of drivers, we just need to make it easier to drive" forever and ever. The province's own commissioned report was like "you're gonna spend a lot of money on this and traffic will get worse."

“Many cities have also begun re-examining right turns on red (RTOR), a vehicle-prioritizing rule that exists in only two countries in the world. You can probably guess which ones.” — @brentbellamy.bsky.social #Winnipeg

Check this out — Canadian urbanist @brenttoderian.bsky.social (who has launched the @urbantruth.bsky.social with @grantennis.bsky.social & fellow Canadian @tomflood.bsky.social) is the guest on @thewaroncars.bsky.social podcast with @sgoodyear.bsky.social! Discussing Vancouver, & better city-making!

Now THIS looks interesting…The Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social is taking on “the truth about cities in an age of disinformation.” And 2 of the 3 originators are Canadian! Our founding CanU president @brenttoderian.bsky.social, and our friend @tomflood.bsky.social. Worth following!

In the @thestar.com I write about Cumberland Terrace and what it and other such malls tell us about Toronto. 😘

An exciting edition to the study of public life and the literature of urbanism and cultural studies! Black Public Joy, by Jay Pitter, explores Black people’s public joy histories, sacred rituals, movements, and contemporary expressions. /x

As I can take my bicycle on the CTrain in Calgary, at any time of the day now, I use it a lot more! If our bus routes had their own dedicated lanes (not stuck in traffic) I would use them more as well. #yyc #yycbike

This is interesting— The 15 Best Public Transit Cities in North America? Based on rides per-capita, there will always be debate on the data & methodology used, but @nerd4cities.bsky.social nicely fuels an interesting conversation. SPOILER: 5. Calgary 4. Montreal 3. Vancouver 2. Toronto 1. New York

It’s startling how much more urban third-tier Canadian cities are compared to Midwestern cities in the US that once saw their competition as Chicago, or booming Sunbelt cities

Looks like something worth keeping a close eye on, Canadian urbanists! #UrbanTruth

My first job after grad school included working on the design of two Eglinton Crosstown Stations. Very jazzed to ride the line today. And it was fast! #TTC #Toronto

I’ve been thinking about Canada’s intention to become more economically independent from the United States, and to connect more with Europe. We should do the same thing with our city-building. Our city-building has always been too influenced by the U.S, especially with car dependency. Thoughts?

Heritage, housing and sustainability! Featuring pre-fab mass timber panel cores and floors, this is WoodGreen Community Services’ 50-unit affordable rental housing redevelopment of the Danforth Baptist Church by Assembly Corp. and architect McCallum Sather in Toronto's North Riverdale neighbourhood.

This photo is from 2024, but the fact that our (relatively) small community has a successful LRT is just amazing. Fantastic to live with the Ontario folks in Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge actually planning for a better future 🚈

I LOVE that my city, Victoria, BC, Canada, keeps building out its protected bike lane network. This means: 1. We can get around easily, safely, and joyfully, avoiding the burden of car ownership AND 2. We don’t have to spend endless hours begging the city for safe infrastructure. #yyj

Canada not on track to hit net-zero by 2050, or meet any climate targets: study nationalnewswatch.com/2026/02/13/c...

“This would lock the world into a new and hellish “hothouse Earth” climate far worse than the 2-3C temperature rise the world is on track to reach. The climate would also be very different to the benign conditions of the past 11,000 years, during which the whole of human civilisation developed.”

My column today: City of Winnipeg increased housing construction last year by twice the national average. The result of dedicated policy and culture change at City Hall. Reevaluating our Parking and Density policies could help keep the momentum going. www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/anal...

A parent/caregiver having to push a baby stroller in the roadway due to deficient sidewalk design or maintenance is a top tier municipal failure.

🌿 SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCE BY DESIGN We’re excited to invite you to join CanU x OPPI for a hands-on one-day workshop on climate change design for urban and suburban communities. More information & register now: members.ontarioplanners.ca/mpower/event...

We’re pleased to announce the 2026 Board Members for CanU. Our board reflects a diverse range of expertise, regions, and perspectives within Canadian urbanism. Together, they will support CanU’s continued growth and leadership in the year ahead. Stay tuned for upcoming events, announcements!

What happens to winter sports in a warming world, and how can those of us who love snow and ice use our voices to catalyze change? Read more in this Winter Olympics edition of Talking Climate.

The latest edition of the festival, which is set to open on June 20, 2026, will take place on the site of Les Jardins de Métis – Reford Gardens.

Finally got a chance to listen to this really great interview. This is really fantastic. Give it a listen, and if you don’t already follow Brent. The stuff is fantastic. This is the voice of leadership.

Did you know that the snow clearing policies in many Canadian cities unintentionally prioritize men over women through their chosen modes, locations, and methods? ❄️ Learn more in our past blog "Snow Clearance isn't Gender Neutral" at www.WomenInUrbanism.ca/words/snow-clearance-gender.

“The climate scientists we surveyed were unambiguous: current economic models can’t capture what matters most – the cascading failures and compounding shocks that define climate risk in a warmer world – and could undermine the very foundations of economic growth.” This should be THE story everyday.

I'll be talking about why information alone rarely motivates climate engagement; how identity, trust, and social norms shape the interpretation of climate evidence; and what we know about evidence-based approaches to communicating climate risks that do (and don't) catalyze action.

Snow removal does wonders for pedestrians and cyclists. These shots were taken just six hours apart. The sidewalk and bike lane are much clearer. It’s kind of amazing. (Snow removal is different from plowing. It involves collecting snow from city streets and trucking it to snow dumps.)

Beyond privileged to have another major feature for the second weekend in a row. This time in The Walrus, where excerpts from Black Public Joy are summarized—including a snippet of my research & a couple of stories. That kind of editorial engagement is rare for authors, and I’m deeply grateful.

“When families leave, cities lose far more than tax revenue; they lose their highest earners, biggest spenders, and the next generation of workers. Because Gen Z is a smaller generation… they aren’t going to fill the gap left by millennial families.”

“Paris, long known for traffic jams and crowded boulevards, has rapidly transformed into a city defined by bikes. In just five years, cycling’s modal share in the French capital has more than doubled, rising from 5% to 11%…This surge didn’t happen by accident…” via @momentummag.bsky.social

By the way, 10K followers for us here on Bluesky? Thanks very much everyone.

Imagine how much deeper the NO2 reductions would be if we ban gas powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/top...

This book is potentially one of the most important to come out for better cities in a long time, so of course its in the #UrbanismBookClub — “Killed By A Traffic Engineer: Shattering The Delusion That Science Underlies Our Transportation System,” by @wesmars.bsky.social @islandpress.bsky.social. 9/

Three days before Black Public Joy hits shelves, I’m grateful for a full-page Globe and Mail spread featuring my essay on Black laughter. Laughter was the soundtrack of the book—so I started there, and expanded out to how it can light the way for us all amid crumbling civic systems + spaces.

It’s going to be really exciting to watch the buildings of Railside start to rise out of the parking lots at The Forks in downtown Winnipeg. Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect in the first phase of buildings, and a plan showing where they’ll be located. 1/3

#TorontoDanforth lost our fight “Protected bike lanes are proven to reduce collisions, calm traffic and improve air quality. They make it safer not only for people on bikes, but also for children walking, scooting or being pushed in strollers” - Dr Alison Bruni www.torontotoday.ca/local/opinio...

Good night from downtown Kitchener!

With 2025 housing starts data in a quick check where select metro areas are at, and how that fits in historically. Montréal, Calgary, and Vancouver beat out Toronto for 2025 starts. Live version: canviz.mountainmath.ca/plot?v=42127...

Wind and solar power produced more electricity than fossil fuels in the EU for the first time last year, data published on Thursday showed, indicating the bloc's continued shift towards low-carbon energy despite resistance from some governments. www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

"Confused American family visiting European football stadium can’t find parking lot to get drunk in before the game, ends up in a restaurant."

Every neighborhood needs a leafy pedestrian plaza—a place to meet friends, grab a bite, or just relax.