Without fanfare, the BC Ministry of Transportation released a report that makes a strong case for a Westshore to Victoria rail line, writes Sam Holland

open.substack.com/pub/theshado... The best thing I’ve read in a long time about the psychology of connection and companionship. Not a long read, but a vital one.

Everyone is hope scrolling now

Yes, our attention is being collectively neutered in the enshittified omnibucket. This is the first essay I've read that stands up a hopeful, plausible little trellis for us to climb out without quitting the mess we birthed and raised. www.noemamag.com/the-last-day...

this 72-page book, The ABCs of Media Literacy, is given to every grade nine student in Finland media literacy is a core component of the national curriculum. everyone has the toolbox and training needed for practicing responsible citizenship its CIVICS (a bullshit detector) abcsofmedia.com

1/ Well, this is upsetting! Canada Post is closing the postal outlet at Westside Village in Vic West. The nearest other locations are downtown and in Esquimalt, which are both around 2 km away. The article claims this was not a cost or performance issue. #yyj www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/va...

"If you want to drive in a city that's growing in population & cars, the best thing you can hope for is your neighbour on one side takes public transit & the one on the other side is walking on some of the short trips & now the neighbour in the back is riding their bike or #ebike now." #BikeLanes

It’s the fear of change, and as understandable as that fear is, there is no placating it and we should not try to. ggwash.org/view/97890/2...

Whew this is spectacular. ✨

Following Victoria OCP hearings with interest... thoughtful contributions from many angles. Found this literature review on Vacancy Chains helpful - rigorous explainer on how building new homes of any type drives affordability. www.buildingabundance.ca/p/vacancy-ch...

As autonomous vehicles spread across the US, they could turn urban streets into a congested, chaotic mess. But it’s not inevitable. In @vox.com, I proposed specific ways cities can future-proof themselves for self-driving cars. 🧵

Hi Toronto 👋, Victoria here. We will gladly take these investments in consistent, objective traffic enforcement off your hands!

i don't oppose traffic cameras on panopticon grounds. speed and red light cameras both encourage prosocial behavior without the intervening dubious discretion of the police. to the extent that the cameras are sited in a discriminatory way, that is a *very important* but different issue.

Rule 100: Don't Give Up on Sprawl Instead of trying to end sprawl, focus on improving it for the people there by reviving town centers, reusing empty malls, & building mixed-use neighborhoods. This is called “Retrofitting Suburbia." Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

Loneliness, Carl Jung said, "has little to do with having no people around you but being unable to communicate the things that seem important to you. Loneliness is not about empty rooms or loss but about carrying words you don't say, or feel safe to share." Mindful healing: speak what matters.

Waterfront hammocks! A+ public realm, Halifax!

Globe outlines leaked list of 32 potential infrastructure projects circulated within Dept of Housing, Communities, Infrastructure. In coming weeks, feds will announce projects under consideration for referral to Major Projects Office. www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

At the 100 lowest-wage U.S. companies, the average CEO now makes 632 times more than a typical worker. The more corporate greed drives inequality, the more important it becomes to have unions backing workers. Support your local labor movement. #LaborDay

“What was true of the majority in Hurricane Katrina is true of most of us in nearly every disaster: we are courageous, we are generous, we are altruistic, we rescue each other, take care of each other, improvise the conditions of survival for and with each other.” (Read ‘A Paradise Built in Hell’!)

Nothing is certain except death, taxes, and highway engineers surprised by induced demand

my father-in-law is a “I know a guy” Guy. sadly all the old Guys are aging out of the Guy Economy. Guys are fundamentally incompatible with Hustle Culture because it’s not about “winning” a deal, it’s about collecting favors and goodwill in a mutually-beneficial cycle. protect your local Guy Economy

No, criminalizing homelessness doesn't increase housing stability. What does? - Prohibiting evictions without just cause - Prohibiting excessive rent increases - Funding rental assistance The solution for the housing crisis is protections. Not punishment.

The mental health benefits of not knowing any history right now must be massive. Moving through your day with total equanimity. What happens next? Who knows? Maybe something good

this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like

Op-ed: It won’t undo the discrimination rampant in our financial systems. But a new study suggests that rent reporting is an easy, evidence-based step in the right direction. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

AI this, LLM that, I'm amped for the counterculture to ignite against this banal mediocrity. Gimme handmade zines, let's write poems on the back of receipts, a watercolor using found pigments, book clubs on subway cars; let the revolution be not just analog but antiquated, baby. Bring back quills!

The Case for Staying Put: “What my own experiment has taught me so far is that the rewards we seek — genuine connection, meaningful impact, that elusive sense of belonging — only come from sustained engagement with a place’s full spectrum of experiences.” www.densediscovery.com/issues/352

What if your town had to make room for 5,000 new residents? Could your current development pattern handle it—without overwhelming infrastructure, draining public coffers, or undermining quality of life?

NEW: The short term answer to the corporate hijacking of our housing supply is rent control. The long term answer is social housing. IPS Wallace Fellow Garrett Brand:

Taking photos and video of law enforcement officers performing their duties in public is our constitutional right. This includes police, FBI, National Guard troops, ICE agents, and other government officials.

I've said it often, but libraries are, without hyperbole, one of the greatest things humans have ever done. Like ever.

Summertime... and the reading’s easy! 🏖️📚 Here’s a thread of what we’re reading this summer at Common Wealth. Let us know your favourites in the replies! 👇 🧵

Traditional lenders remain slow to open their coffers to community land trusts. But this community-controlled investment fund did the work to understand the value of investing in a model built to disrupt real estate speculation. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

In times of change and uncertainty, strong, vibrant, communities matter more than ever. They help us feel grounded, protected, and empowered. A great community is a safe place to land, a source for local solutions, and a base for economic stability.

How about some good news for a change? www.salemreporter.com/2025/08/07/h...

JHU anthropologist @anandian.bsky.social’s latest op-ed in the @baltimoresun.bsky.social explores the decline of neighborliness in America. www.baltimoresun.com/2025/08/06/t...

The school day ends at 3. The workday doesn’t. For years, the private market has failed to bridge that gap, leaving families scrambling. @kedseconomist.com on why it's time to build a childcare system with purpose, not patchwork fixes. Read her proposal ⬇️ rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

Might as well have a theme song: youtu.be/jfK7nDtsY_I @capitalbike.ca

An Inconvenient Root: sidewalks damaged by tree encroachment affects accessibility—but do we have to lose the tree? As Victoria increases our canopy target to 40%, we’ll need smart workarounds and gentle adaptations to preserve street trees AND mobility. @strongtowns.org lists solutions here:

A parable about the challenges of socializing bad news in a low-trust environment.

The other best thing I read today: “What News Coverage Looks Like on Livestreaming Platform Twitch” www.opb.org/article/2024...

Here’s an online luxury magazine’s review of a cohort of new luxury stores in a luxury shopping mall in Thailand. This scrap of blather contains a nerve-bundle of themes that will, perhaps, someday give survivors a dark chuckle. www-prestigeonline-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.pres...

“We tend to relate to women in the workplace based on how they make the people around them feel, rather than the work that they’re doing” That’s the money quote. The workplace hive mind doesn’t want women to be challenging, questioning, problem solving, good speakers, opinionated, or interrupting.

love this new york times clip. they recently did a story about how sesame street's set has changed over the years, along with our urban politics. IG nytimes

Yes, the grass is greener 🌱 Centre for Cities latest report explains why Germany, France and Japan all build more houses than England, by comparing how their planning systems function 🏘️ Read the summary blog 👇 buff.ly/ZKn3GFR

Yes, traffic cameras work, but it's a myth that people hate them! Survey after survey shows that most people support automatic enforcement (and often want more of it). This is a false controversy, fed by a minority of disgruntled drivers & journalists seeking narratives with conflict.

The more I try, observe, and experiment the more I think that the deepest opportunities to transform systems are dismissed as too simple and humble and the biggest and snazziest things people (and funders) gravitate towards are the least transformative.