Ringing in 3 years of local news, arts and culture with @thegrindto.bsky.social tonight. Join in!

The Grind's 3-year anniversary bash is tonight! Online tickets are almost sold out, but we'll have some available at the door. We're going late, but arrive by 8 p.m. to see performances by Witch Prophet, Austra and a special guest. www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-grinds...

“Extreme heat is threatening the world’s food systems, with farmers unable to work outside, livestock experiencing stress & crop yields falling, putting the livelihoods of more than a billion people in peril, the UN has warned. Experts said food supply in some areas was being “pushed to the brink”…

At UofT today cheering on Charmain Wong at her thesis review. A thoughtful project on retrofitting the suburbs for aging in place with accessibility and cultural inclusion centred. Great work!

The best thing about being unemployed is enjoying Toronto. The Myseum installation at 401 Richmond is beautifully presented and well worth the visit — I was told it’s closing in a few weeks, so don’t miss it!

“Good news for Torontonians who like Montreal” is my bat signal.

Rode the new Eglinton LRT this afternoon — yes, it did have signal issues and we had to stop at Sloane Station and shuttle buses were called — but But BUT, it was a pleasant ride while it lasted and very nice to see the stations and platforms. I’ll take it.

The Enormous American Elm Tree signage got updated at some point in the last 9 months.

Does anyone else feel like a wizard when a neighbourhood cat comes to you? Did I summon this being? Or did it summon me?

I absolutely love Utrecht and their vision for a car free neighbourhood. The Dutch are so far ahead on transit, land use and design.

Cities often lead the way on sustainability and resilience. Great to see these 19 cities highlighted.

"The scaremongers were wrong. Over it's first 14 months, the congestion pricing system has exceeded even the high hopes of many supporters. It has reduced traffic, improved the quality of life and even provided a boost for businesses." www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/o...

“Every $1,300 New York City invested in building bike lanes in 2015 provided benefits equivalent to one additional year of life at full health over the lifetime of all city residents, according to a new economic assessment.” That’s a better return on investment than some direct health treatments…”

Couldn’t agree more — I loved getting to chat to my crossing guard on my route to work. They are community connectors and deserve safer working conditions and better pay. Great article by @thelocal.to.

Great initiative!

Before and after in Ljubljana.

Big news for urban design nerds (*cough*me*cough*)

The false narrative that you can’t have density and trees, deconstructed.

A great ADU mapping project verifies what I suspected — my neighbourhood has a lot of ADUs. A key takeaway: people are more likely to develop an ADU if they’ve seen one in their neighbourhood. schoolofcities.github.io/gentle-densi...

I’m pretty happy the podcast I did with #NotJustBikes has gotten so much discussion, both within the city planning and broader city-building professions, and among activists, elected leaders, and folks who just love cities. It goes deep on how to ACTUALLY MAKE CHANGE. More on this coming this year.

Congestion pricing has improved commute times, bus speeds, noise levels, traffic safety, and businesses and restaurants have seen more profits. A runway success by any measure. And a model for other cities too. Gift 🎁 link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Project Drawdown has a new explorer tool to help us understand which climate technologies are the most worthwhile. So cool!

I’ve spent a week biking between towns in the #dutch countryside and I have to ask… how will I ever be happy on a bike in Canada again?

One of the largest in situ heritage retentions underway in North America right now. The United Building by Davpart and B+H Architects. A new 54 storey building will use the first structural bay as part of the retention strategy to integrate the facade of the 1928 office and 1961 modernist expansion.

Whining about property taxes seems to be some sort of obsession. For just under $400/month, I get: unlimited books, a foreign language education for my child, roads/sidewalks/bike lanes to get around, street lights (most of the time), amazing parks, and more.

SPECIAL ISSUE ANNOUNCEMENT Doug Ford called a snap election, so we're publishing an issue about his seven-year reign, out free in print in two weeks. We need $5,000 to make it happen. Chip in by: - E-transfer info[at]thegrindmag[dot]ca - Credit card: buy.stripe.com/6oE02D00TgZ4...

“Local stores next to the protected bike-lane have seen a 49% increase in sales, compared to an average of 3% for Manhattan as a whole.” (Among MANY other public benefits.) Want To Make Money? Build A Business On A Bike Lane. #CityMakingMath via @fastcompany.com #BikeLanesMeanBusiness