Good new Challenger Cities episode today. And it's one of what will be quite a few very transport heavy ones coming up. We're talking about why is it so hard to do innovation in public transport, and how Richard Fisher might solve for that. challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

What if we stopped settling for cities that'll do, and pushed on for ones that are wonderful? Last week I had a couple of captivating afternoons at Utopian Hours in Rotterdam, and it was full of creative inspiration and ammunition. challengercities.substack.com/p/what-if-we...

I will get better a sharing Challenger Cities episodes on here. I will get better a sharing Challenger Cities episodes on here. I will get better a sharing Challenger Cities ... But this one is a good one, because @freewheeling.info is on here. challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

Three groups spent decades fighting the Pickering airport and they won! Now they have to agree on what comes next, which is trickier. Ken Greenberg has spent his career building rooms where that disagreement gets resolved. New Challenger Cities: challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

We celebrate entrepreneurship as a creative act. The willingness to work at the edge of what's permitted, expand mindsets, spot value nobody else has bothered to look for. In cities and infrastructure, we've forgotten this is even allowed.

Maybe Kier can commission a study, into a review, about maybe doing a consultation, that will result in a consulting engagement about trams.

New Challenger Cities episode out today with Gerald Babel-Sutter of Urban Future. One I particularly enjoyed for the mutual shared distrust of the obsession with "best practice". challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

One for the Toronto people into cities and innovation stuff. The first Challenger Cities salon is taking place next Wednesday the 13th May. #toronto #urbanism #innovation luma.com/j8dtoga0

No is the safe answer. It's also why Canada can't build anything. Canada isn't short of money, ideas or expertise. It's short of people allowed to say yes. Jen Angel of Evergreen on the permission problem as it relates to infrastructure. challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

“In Toderian’s view, the dividing line between cities that succeed and those that stagnate isn’t geography, wealth or even size—it’s mindset. Some places embrace experimentation, risk…Others default to caution, delay, and a reflexive belief that change is impossible.” momentummag.com/urban-truth-...

A good reason to remember bluesky exists is to find where @alexbozikovic.bsky.social went from that other place. Because I have a new Challenger Cities out feat. him today, and I must say it's rather a good one of diagnosing a wee bit of Toronto. challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

I need to do a better job of remembering this place exists.

"We built an extraordinarily efficient system for a particular moment in history, and then kept optimising it long after its side effects outweighed its benefits." This is a really good piece on the origins and outcomes of the suburban experiment. challengercities.substack.com/p/escaping-t...

For anyone interested in how cities are changing: I spoke to the Challenger Cities podcast about my memoir of modern Paris, Impossible City. About the good, the bad, and the almighty anarchy that is Parisian cycling challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

Haven't been here in a while, stuck in the darkside of X. But this was such a good Challenger Cities conversation about the importance of culture, that it's worth a return. open.substack.com/pub/challeng...

I knew Metrolinx were fucking useless, but this is a remarkable new low.

I will remember bsky exists. I will remember this place exists.

New Challenger Cities on how North America’s transit isn’t broken because we don’t know what to do. Rather it's because everyone keeps pretending it needs to he reinvented from scratch. @rmtransit.bsky.social on buses, bullshit and building better: 🎧 challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

This piece ended up doing really well, with both classical and 'accidental' urbanists. Now can we start talking about them in ways people actually understand, and do more together, rather than gatekeeping it all. challengercities.substack.com/p/urbanists-...

🚀 Clear the clutter and move forward with confidence. Innovation is littered with abandoned labs, legacy frameworks, and stalled projects. Our 5C’s of Innovation Canvas helps teams refocus and take meaningful action. 🧵👇

Are cities stressing us out without us really knowing? Bus stops triggering fear. 🚏 Cyclists who don't see you. 🚴‍♂️ Station lighting that doesn't illuminate. 🚆 Nick Tyler of UCL PEARL shares how cities mess with our brains and how to fix them. 👇 challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

A recent conversation with Mary Rowe of the Canadian Urban Institute for Challenger Cities was pretty refreshing. If you're having one of those days where everything feels overwhelming, focusing on the local can be a good solace. challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

Cycling can transform cities into happier, healthier places. In his recent appearance on the Challenger Cities Podcast, Chris Bruntlett chats with @iainmonty.bsky.social on how Dutch cycling culture can inspire cities worldwide. CHECK IT OUT: ow.ly/nRhm50UFnsU

Toronto can actually do interesting Challenger City things. Worth checking out what is happening on the old Downsview Airport lands with 10 new neighbourhoods emerging over the coming years. challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

Cycling isn’t just a commute, it’s city transformation. 🚲 @modacitylife.com shares lessons from the Netherlands on bold leadership, cohesive networks, and why bikes + transit are the future. No copying Amsterdam—just building better cities. challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

How did North America go from world-class transit to $30M staircases & sunshades that don’t provide shade? @thetransitguy.com doesn’t hold back, breaking down broken systems, bold ideas & how we can rebuild trust in our cities. challengercities.substack.com/p/challenger...

Why Swiss trains are like playgrounds. Why Oslo sees autonomous vehicles as more than robotaxis. Why Walthamstow should be on the transport tourism circuit. & why bold leaders who back public transit always win. My chat with @freewheeling.info for Challenger Cities. shorturl.at/zMsDa

2025 was supposed to be sci-fi come to life, but all we got was better WiFi. The future didn’t fail from bad ideas; it failed because no one built them. Utopia isn’t perfection—it’s messy progress. challengercities.substack.com/p/will-2025-...

The longer we plan, to more we stay in the riskiest place by maintaining the status quo. Which is weird because the whole point of starting the plan is because the status quo probably isn't working very well, or won't for much longer. innovatorssocialclub.substack.com/p/the-tyrann...