“Modern apartments have a fire death rate … six times lower than older apartments… (or) single-family homes…” Aka why new single stair flats would be among the safest buildings in your city. www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-bu...

The fact that BC planners feel the need to invent a new word to indicate that a zoning change is government-initiated is very telling.

Ok, I've been pondering some of the ways that BC's new housing minister @christineboyle.bsky.social might build on the expansive work championed by @ravikahlon.bsky.social and her previous work as a @cityofvancouver.bsky.social councillor. So - here's a first draft: 🧵

ANALYSIS: Standard home plans aren’t ‘performative’ — they’re illuminating Government-approved home designs teach bureaucrats, not builders The plans absolutely confirm what the private sector has been saying for years: the building code and zoning are problems www.tvo.org/article/anal...

The new Ste-Catharine streetscape is so good. Very wide (and busy!) sidewalks. Lots of places to sit. Work is progressing on extending this west.

Victoria pedals to the top as Canada’s most cycle-friendly city www.peninsulanewsreview.com/community/vi... #yyj

Council backs 18-unit housing project near Beacon Hill Park [in #yyj] www.timescolonist.com/local-news/c...

“We, writers, painters, sculptors, architects, & lovers of the beauty of Paris that was until now intact, come to protest with all our might… against the erection in the very heart of our capital, of the useless & monstrous Eiffel Tower.” - Protest against Eiffel Tower. 1889 🇫🇷

It's not that I think aesthetics don't matter, but a) they are subjective, b) I really don't give a shit when we have a crippling housing shortage, and c) like my man Sam Moss says, dumb soft costs make it harder to build cool shit www.sfexaminer.com/news/housing...

IT'S BRACKET TIME We're doing the Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol, and voting begins Monday. HERE IS THE ANIMAL QUADRANT BIRDS, ORCAS, AND ENTIRE SECTIONS DEVOTED TO THE BEST SALMON AND BEARS

These announcements often seem a little boring, but this has potential to be a pretty big deal. More importantly, the ministers are leading by example to address the housing crisis by reducing the costs that they control directly. I'm hopeful that local politicians will eventually follow suit.

7/ There's plenty of room for big cargo bikes, and for families to keep multiple bikes. All of the bike storage is horizontal, so there's no need to go dancing with your bicycle when you're taking the kids to school. There's room to turn a big bike. There's power so e-bike charging is easy.

Thanks, Jim! Julian and I partnered up to build these homes. I’ll post some details on this very unique, very cool project too once we finish the landscaping and fencing.

Interesting new study from @smfthinktank.bsky.social finds a correlation between car dependency & loneliness, particularly in rural towns. This might be due to there being “fewer ways to reach others” and space given to cars creating “barriers in what might have been walkable neighbourhoods.”

Planners: Vancouver’s most popular summer tradition will be giant street festivals People: very cool Planners: tens of thousands of people will fill the street and enjoy walking from one end to the other People: will we make any of them a permanent thing? Planners: goodness no

Building a backyard laneway or garden suite just got a little easier (and cheaper). Today the City of Toronto released a series of free, publicly-accessible, pre-approved and code-compliant building plans that anyone can use. Check them out at tinyurl.com/y6nbj8fw

Common phenomenon in codes – somebody pushes for larger spaces for a rare purpose, but then it gets more commonly used in unintended and even counterproductive ways. Like fire officials demanding super wide streets for fire trucks, which people then speed down.

The stricter new wheelchair maneuverability requirements for bathrooms risk making the spaces so large that stuff gets stored there, making the space unusable for people who use wheelchairs (cc: building and fire officials pushing for extra-wide stairways in tiny single-stair buildings)

Business: We would like to open up shop in this empty storefront. City: Not so fast, first we convene a kangaroo court in a several month long process to determine if you are deemed worthy, then we will laden you with months of permit wait time, and after renovations you will wait for inspections.

Pedestrians who are hit by SUVs are 44% more likely to be killed than if they were hit by a conventional car, new study finds. Children are 82% more likely to die when hit by an SUV than by a car. In children under 10, the risk of death was 130% higher. Regulate vehicle size now.

Housing does not drive cars or need roads; it does not eat or need sewers; it does not use green space or need trees. Housing is not a burden. It provides shelter. That's what it does. We need to fundamentally change the way we look at, tax and approve housing if we are to address this crisis.

Very proud and a bit nervous to share About Here’s latest video “The Housing Tax Crisis” with @smallhousing.bsky.social. This script took months of research and a bit of me losing my mind but I think it ultimately tells a profound story about our housing crisis today. youtu.be/ZEUR9bj89lo

People who've biked for decades may not realize how daunting it is for a novice to even understand what options exist. (I've experienced this myself -- I was in my 30s when I bought my first bike.) Nice to see AARP offer this primer.

i'm often asked what are some shortcomings of seattle's single stair legislation that i'd like to see changed. to start - what's allowed. 6 stories. 4 units per stair/floor. corridor separating units from stair. pressurized stair. max 2 instances per parcel. text here: up.codes/viewer/seatt...

i would also note basically none of these swiss projects are sprinkered. we require sprinklers in basically all new multifamily housing in the US. we add way more cost and complexity - and the outcome is homes that don't look anything like these, don't offer any quality of life as good.

This is the kind of thing that keeps people with kids in cities rather than leaving for the suburbs. This action shows residents that the city cares about them rather than just catering to suburban visitors.

I’ve been very proud to work with Greater Victoria Housing and Whole Way House to bring this program to Victoria. I’m hoping to see @bcndpcaucus.bsky.social consider longer term funding as community-centred programs like this improve lives and reduce costs on B.C. system. tinyurl.com/m7as5j2k

Comment on my blog. Cost of similar sidewalk upgrades for a house build went from $5k in 2011 to $80k in 2022 While we celebrate some hard fought zoning wins the rest of the process has spiralled into insanity and these kinds of additional checks are even harder to roll back.

Victoria's OCP draft is coming to council this Thursday, and it isn't anywhere near as bold as residents asked for. Will council push back? bettercolumbia.ca/2025/03/04/v...

We went through this with zoning, and now we're going through it with building code: trillion dollar industries depend on these things, yet a bunch of precocious bloggers can swoop in and expose these institutions as full of pseudoscience. Does nobody do their job? @aarmlovi.bsky.social

By 2022 the population of Victoria was 96k and our new pool is planned to have 115 parking stalls. That represents a 55% increase in population and a staggering 383% increase in parking! 🚘 Why do we need so much more parking than people in 1971 an era famous for car centric design. #yyj

We have three competing elements fighting for finite land in Seattle Housing Trees Parking You can only pick two I would pick Housing and Trees, but a lot of what I heard at City Council was folks who already have nice warm stable Housing pick Trees and Parking for everyone else.

So many of the commenters on the comp plan are worried about the trees, and yet Seattle was built on a clear cut. Those trees were planted by people post development. The point that we can have trees AND new housing is evidenced by our 28% canopy. Housing and trees can grow together!

we are bending over backwards to replicate janky suburban aesthetics as 3,4,5 story buildings. Let houses be houses, let multiplexes be multiplexes, let new building be new looking. Live and let live.

WATCH & SHARE: We’d all be a lot more effective in explaining how badly we need less stupid transportation if we were even close to this funny. But it’s only funny because it’s true. Via @adamconover.net (this is why he’s in my “changing minds about cities” starter pack) youtu.be/2DS63Kc5PVA?...

How extreme #car dependency is driving Americans to unhappiness www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024... #transportation #mobility #health #environment "a study has found, having to drive too much sends happiness plummeting"

If we charged airlines high fees per economy seat, we’d see them shift to more business/first class seats, making those slightly cheaper for the rich, and making economy seats more expensive. That’s exactly what we do with housing fees. High charges on the economy, and low charges on the luxury.

Stopped in to welcome Bishop’s Family Cycles to the neighbourhood. Great space on the Burrard Street bike lane, well stocked with cargo bikes and accessories. I can’t afford a new cargo bike but did get a new bell that sounds amazing!

Nice! @GlobeAndMail's Ed Board: "Cities hurt kids when they ban play in the street." Mayor Carolyn Parrish 1 step forward & 2 back: led prohibition + ageist blame on older drivers! 'Let kids be kids. As cities grow, the street should be an extension of home, and a place to play.'

A lovely tribute - and call to action by Jack Knox in today's paper: www.timescolonist.com/local-news/j...

Huh. So this is where all my MySpace friends went.