Please enjoy my cartoon for Wednesday's Toronto Star

This is such a fantastic list. Looking forward to doing nearly all of them this year 😊

I'll put that into my resolutions for 2026 :)

Don’t miss this insightful podcast by my friend @brenttoderian.bsky.social, one of the world’s leading urbanists. His vision on cities, mobility, and better urban futures is truly inspiring. Have a listen and share widely!

Thanks so much Brent—really appreciate the support!

Accessible improvements make everyone’s lives BETTER!!

Panoramas are powerful! Here’s newly elected Mayor @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social announcing on Day 3(!) of his administration that he will be FULLY implementing McGuinness Blvd safety plan with protected #bikenyc lanes! @nyc.streetsblog.org @openplans.org @modacitylife.com @brenttoderian.bsky.social

Great suggestions. Be open to the magic of the street.

This one is resonating today. #Andor

4. If you’ve never ridden a bike for transportation (as opposed to recreation)—and especially if you oppose safe bike lanes—spend a week riding a bike to work and other places you’d normally drive to. On one of those days, take your kids with you. Think about how you felt on every part of the trip.

Brent is an effective communicator in writing but he’s even better in conversations like this one. Give it a listen!

A lesson for cities across the world. It's always "it won't work here", "nobody will use it", etc. And then you build a network, and then bam! all those previous statements are proven to be absolute bullshit

“19: Plant a tree in your front yard, and fight for street trees on your street, in your neighborhood, and across your city. There are literally dozens of ways they make life better on streets and in cities. It’s one of the best investments a city can make.” — @brenttoderian.bsky.social

Bikes “turn humans into this hyperefficient terrestrial locomotor because they make being on land more like swimming,” Another way to describe the absolute joy of freewheeling down a hill on a bike!

“[C]ities are literally wasting public money by not investing in smart bike infrastructure.” 💯

I have some of these; now I have to look up the rest!

the housing crisis is a tragedy, the Pope gets it

I’m reminded, that in Australia, this tends to be a Boxing Day tradition. You get given books for Christmas, it’s a massive Christmas Day, and then on Boxing Day you laze around reading your Christmas books. It’s a great day where no one is expected to do anything except maybe go to the beach.

cars cars cars cars cars cars

"Bike and roll” lanes are used every day by people riding trikes and even mobility scooters (something the province needs to make legal). Victoria’s network lets my wife travel the city freely again." @pentastich.bsky.social #bcpoli #yyj #pwd

This is a great list! Doing even a few of these can make life in a city so much more fun and healthy for everyone!

Welcome to the many NEW @bsky.app users, including an apparent big jump from Japan! If you’re interested in better cities & city-building, there’s a BIG, ACTIVE community here, biggest in social media. STARTER PACKS are great for finding people. Here’s my 1st of several (one outside North America).

Stopping indoor smoking was very controversial. Like ending #fossilfuel burning is now controversial. Be like one of those annoying people who wouldn't be silenced and won indoor smoking bans. #endclimatesilence

Professional urbanist Brent Toderian in conversation with self-taught urbanism creator Jason of #NotJustBikes and practitioner-turned-academic urbanist—that is myself—listening. Bottom line: it takes a diverse ecosystem of motivated changemakers collaborating, to turn our cities around. Let’s do it!

READ THIS ARTICLE FOR #NEWYEARS: 25 simple but POWERFUL resolutions you can make to improve your life AND YOUR CITY! Revisit my most read @fastcompany.com article—the resolutions feel even MORE relevant now! Which ones resonate with you? What would you add? #HappyNewYear #Resolutions #NewYearsEve

“We were told it wouldn’t do anything & nobody would take these cycle paths. But in 6 years, we transformed Paris to improve your commute and your life, and records are breaking. And this is only the beginning!” On an average day, roughly 13,000 to 14,000 cycling trips now pass along the boulevard.

Note to myself: Brent also highlights the importance of communicating effectively with different audiences. To co-create change, we need to genuinely understand the mindsets of people we’re engaging with. It requires nimbleness—recognising thought patterns and adapting our communication accordingly.

“Climate-related disasters caused severe economic harm in 2025, with the 10 most costly responsible for damage exceeding €100 billion. Only officially recorded damages are assessed, so the true figure, when uninsured losses and environmental damage are taken into account, is likely much higher.”

“3. Choose different ways to get around your city. Walk, bike, take public transit, as many times a week as you can. Focus especially on those short trips–for example, buy a shopping trolley and walk to the grocery store if possible. Lobby your leaders for improvements to support more choices.”

@psketti.ca (who you’ll see in comments below) solved ny problem with a reference to web.archive.com which has your article and a raft of others. Anyway my assumptions about your list were correct: it is excellent and very helpful. I’m going to pin it for regular re-reading.

“2. Speak at City Hall in SUPPORT of something good for your city, rather than just going to oppose things. And before you oppose something (such as well-designed density, new housing choices, or affordable housing), think carefully about who it’s meant to help, and put yourself in their place.”

We're spending a couple of weeks in #Lisbon, and if there is a city that needs @brenttoderian.bsky.social to come save it from itself and its car obsessions, it's this one. From the extremely complicated public transport to the car-first-everywhere mindset, a beautiful city disappears.

Many of these are all about making use of the local amenities and various transport options, to gain a better understanding of what's available and how it works (or doesn't).

“Several years later, my wife rides everywhere: to physio, to shopping, to restaurants, to doctor appointments, to the park — everywhere. She tucks her cane into her panniers. That’s important, because walking far still hurts. And cycling keeps us active and moving, which is important as one ages.”

"Local safe streets advocate not sure what to complain about after finding a cleared sidewalk and unplowed road on morning run."

“We were told it wouldn’t do anything & nobody would take these cycle paths. But in 6 years, we transformed Paris to improve your commute and your life, and records are breaking. And this is only the beginning!” On an average day, roughly 13,000 to 14,000 cycling trips now pass along the boulevard.

It is a far superior way to get to work! It reduces stress before you arrive and after you leave! You have time to say hello to people you see on the street, so it increases community. And then there are these fiscal benefits as well. Ask your mayor to make YOUR city bike-commuter friendly!

This is worth listening to and sharing — Canadian urbanist @brenttoderian.bsky.social (among many other things, founding president of CanU) interviewed by huge international YouTuber #NotJustBikes on how to actually achieve better cities! For one thing, do city planners & youtubers help each other?

“1. Vote in municipal elections. Too many of us don’t vote at the government level that most affects our actual lives on a daily basis.” 25 New Years Resolutions To Improve Your City, by @brenttoderian.bsky.social in @fastcompany.com #HappyNewYear

We lack coherent policy guidance and shoot on our own goal repeatedly. It’s all connected: planning, architecture, budget, transit, housing/land use policy; we’re facing challenges and the same old same old isn’t good enough; @brenttoderian.bsky.social @toderianuw.bsky.social bit.ly/3N2X5mL

"“The kinds of figures we’re talking about—that would actually save public money, remember—are rounding errors in most transportation budgets,” @brenttoderian.bsky.social says. “So cities are literally wasting public money by not investing in smart bike infrastructure.””

“But the world is full of growing cities with heavy traffic, difficult parking and no bike lanes at all. The region is growing, and, as the planner @brenttoderian.bsky.social likes to say: “If everyone tries to move by car, nobody moves.”

READ THIS: Still probably the best #ChristmasEve tradition I’ve heard. Iceland definitely does Christmas well — my Reykjavik clients had funny comments about this! Are you planning to curl up with a great new book on cities this #Christmas? Share your pick with us using hashtag #UrbanismBookClub!

This is the greatest thing ever.

At this rate, I would earn 1900-2000 EUR/year for biking to work. (Note: I live in the united states, and it is sprawly over here)

IT'S CARS THE ANSWER IS, CARS

SERIOUSLY, WATCH THIS: If you really want to understand how huge SUVs and pick-up trucks have ended up being MOST of the vehicles out there in our cities, and the absolutely INSANE consequences of that, watch this easy-to-watch video by #NotJustBikes. Then please share it as much as you can.

Giving away lots of “secrets” (or at least surprises) about my unusual career, and my unusual practice, in this interview. References to “kung fu,” Eminem in 8-Mile, and much more.

Hadn’t seen this one before. The good news is that we have many smart solutions to address the surrendering of cities to cars that don’t involve tire spikes. But they DO involve actual political will, strengthened by public understanding of the serious need to act. Via @xkcd.com