“Istanbul saw a 32 per cent reduction of nitrogen dioxide in four years after pedestrianizing 295 streets”. Meanwhile our mayor fights tooth and nail against 2 km of 1 (!) road closure for a few months in summer.

Imagine a #BetterByWard www.cbc.ca/news/science...

Thread. From an architects perspective: my E&O insurance is around $120k/year; rent is $120k/y; about ⅓ lf that is property tax (on 3,000 sq ft); software is $50k/y; hardware replacement and upgrade is another $50-80k; so when muni govs beat us up for fees, scope, contract terms etc 1/

Our city needs a transit system that works; where a short detour (life happens) isn’t a massive delay/cost. Darling and I had something sim in Paris; cost was zero and delay less than 10 min to circle back by transit. Hope you find your umbrella

Long shot: I just left my umbrella a minute ago at Hurdman station in the stop D shelter. It’s an amazing umbrella. If you find it, please let me know?

Radicalized from early on; Tom leads the change we need to see in cities. It’s an honor to witness this journey over the last 7 years.

When council builds car lanes instead of bike lanes just know that they are choosing both the most expensive option and the only option that guarantees congestion.

Amazing how quickly this city can work (and on a weekend, too!) when the people who are inconvenienced are drivers. Transit users can fuck right off, drivers are taking that bus lane. ottawa.ca/en/city-hall...

So damn good. #Morcheeba

If #OttCity was smart: it would make walkable neighbourhoods and active transportation a priority in urban places to promote opportunities for mobility; it would challenge endless suburban growth, forcing vehicle ownership & financial dependence; small investments like winter maintenance; 1/

YOU’RE LISTENING TO SISYPHUS FM, THE HOME OF NON-STOP ROCK

It takes a special kind of man to carry on a phone conversation in the men’s room. While standing at the urinal. On speakerphone. On video. And then leave without washing hands.

AI tech mogul confused why expendable human capital booing him during commencement address

The congestion that results at transit stations resulting from poor decisions, underfunding lack of urgency on transit is unacceptable and extremely disruptive to residents across the city. Many have asked the city to do more to make transit, reliable and affordable.

Remember, don’t buy a cow, or a car, and expect your city to give you someplace to park it. #UrbanTruth

Sometimes the hills sing when the sun hits the ridge just right. @katewagner.wehwalt.net @alexbozikovic.bsky.social Gas station architecture for the win.

This feels like @tomflood.bsky.social fan fiction!

“The Highway Lobby spends millions to make sure we spend billions.” — Union of Concerned Scientists. Their profit, your cost. Pleased to support @ucs.org in sharing/boosting their important new article below, with our newest @urbantruth.bsky.social poster. #UrbanTruth

If you care about cities, and how to actually make them better in the face of unprecedented disinformation, please consider following @urbantruth.bsky.social and helping share our content. Thank you. #UrbanTruth

Smart cities provide choices. Dumb cities create dependency. #UrbanTruth #CarDependency

In Canada it might be billions but in the US the cost of car dependence runs in the trillions annually.

POV: you pull your boss over for a “big surprise” and it’s just CAD work again. Not all surprises are good surprises 😉 #architecture #office #cad

No idea who said this first, but it’s good. #DunningKruger

Still one of the best. “You’re not stuck in traffic. You ARE traffic.” Put it on repeat. #UrbanTruth

So I thought I ordered just a glass of water to start at dinner and ended up with a red draft beer. Guess I’m not on that chapter of Duolingo yet.

Our transportation system makes it hard to advocate for transit oriented development around the future LRT line. When people feel that they need to drive everywhere, it blocks housing and encourages sprawl.

We could solve much of our housing issues in #OttCity including affordability, moderate density, accessibility, sustainability; we’d also tackle lifecycle costs of expanding infrastructure, more effective transit, and better #PlacesForPeople; #MissingMiddle is key @jleiper.bsky.social

Transportation is the single biggest issue facing our city; reliability, affordability, consistency of service, are core to making our city work. Our system was not designed well; it lacks resilience & sustainability; we can design a solution if we believe that #DesignMatters

When infrastructure treats bikes as serious transportation, society stops treating them as children's toys. It's that simple.

Literally every single industrial field, uses the hierarchy of hazard controls. It's baked deeply into worker safety.

Last time I came through (April) there was still snow, lake was still frozen. Spring comes slowly but it’s so beautiful. We live in a beautiful country. #CanadaProud

This is insane. I think of the legacy of things like Expo 67, Expo 86, 76 and 2010 Olympics; lasting legacy of public transit, stadiums, and other infrastructure that benefits Host cities for generations to come. Design #PlacesForPeople

This is important — Being able to identify hoaxes, avoid scams, and debunk propaganda is a civic skill required in today's information society. That's why curriculum for students in Finland includes media literacy lessons aimed at safeguarding a precious resource: the truth. #UrbanTruth

Helsinki has opened a remarkable new bridge for trams, cycling and walking! The new Kruunuvuorensilta cuts the cycling distance to the city centre in half, while cars still need to take the long route. I cycled across the bridge just 3 weeks after the opening. My latest blog post and video:

In #OttCity res dec w/reduced/little parking is encouraged but repeated actions by majority of non-urban councillors & staff direction undermine transit, fail to build useable safe walk/roll infrastructure so ppl give up and buy cars, needing parking. We force automotive poverty thru policy 1/

What does a City Planner do on the weekend? Bike around looking at buildings under construction! This is Tricon’s ROQ City (Hariri Pontarini and Graziani + Corazza Architects) … the Madison Group’s ALiAS Condos (Teeple Architects) … and Queen Central by Parallax and Harlo Capital (Arcadis).

Timing again we see that privatization of public services doesn’t work. Look at it like this: a public service is just that, a service to public (transit, mail etc). It’s not designed to generate a profit. Privatizing it means the buyer expects to generate $$$ which doesn’t happen: it’s a service

In 1900, there were up to 4 General Post Office deliveries in urban areas. In major metropolitan centres like London, there were between 6 and 12. It’s now 2026 and I’ve just been told that Royal Mail’s customer service wait time is 50 minutes. That’s privatisation, folks!

This is a cat check point. Relinquish your most recent cat picture on your phone.

*Spiderman point.gif* www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...

Trump just stole $1.8B. He’s going to give it to his business, his kids, and people like Flynn, Eastman, Giuliani, and the Oath Keepers. He’s doing this without court approval or Congress. This is a crime, but there’s no one to prosecute it because the DoJ is in on it.

Shot and chaser. Reminder that 51% of ppl live inside the greenbelt, pay +50% of tax revenues of city budget and have the poorest infrastructure. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The #OttCity OP frequently references the #MissingMiddle as a policy goal but then erects barriers to achieving it; making it unattractive to pursue and create the affordability it could be. Coherent policy, linkages between depts and leadership in design needed to create what we spire to

Missing housing. Responds to “Middle.” Last seen over 50 years ago in cities everywhere. Help find it. Please contact your elected officials. 555-456-CITY #UrbanTruth #MissingMiddle

The city of Ottawa (@en.ottawa.ca) operates 4 bike lockers with app control. They work pretty well. More are needed, though. And they are all currently "Temporarily out of service" ottawa.ca/en/parking-r...

Scottish/UK police are similar on bike crime. I use these 6-bike hangars in Glasgow city centre (added for UCI champs). App controls lock and only 50p-£1 for up to 24 hours. See: cyclehoop.rentals/types/short-... Not that well known/used sadly. However, the long stay residential versions are busy.

Imagine a #BetterByWard @stephanieplante.bsky.social @jleiper.bsky.social

“In a monologue, Mr. Colbert called the settlement a ‘big fat bribe.’ He got word he’d been canceled just days later. A week or so after that, the deal was approved. However CBS attempts to characterize the Colbert decision from now on, that’s what people will remember.” CBS cancels itself.