Wow, the Maritimes have 2-3x fewer people who live within 30 minute walk of grocery stores. Terrible statistics from StatCAN's new spatial access metrics.

Lighting makes a bigger difference for mood and productivity than we give it credit. I remember when we were forced back to an office with very little light, after working from home in a well-lit room. It took the life and happiness right out of me.

Spent years at DAL in a basement and this is what planning students today get 😂 Oh the natural light

Working on permitting for three 4-5 unit buildings that would never have been possible or feasible without the recent HAF changes. 2 will replace empty lots. 1 will replace an aging, energy-sucking SFH with 4 energy efficient 2-bedroom units. All within the peninsula. Planning works when it works.

I always feel weird trying to make the business case for placemaking. Feels like creating great places should just be a thing we value. But well, just happens there is a business case: happycities.com/blog/the-bus...

New painting!

How to make an entrance

Beautiful contrasts

The Egyptian King ❤️

What keeps you joyful and motivated in the face of big challenges? As our team starts to wind down for the holidays, we reflected on the big and small wins that keep us energized to do more. Check out our last newsletter of 2024 for holiday tunes, reads, and causes: mailchi.mp/happycities/...

Spent my first few days back home going through old books and pictures. Found a baby pic of mine from a daycare report. Some serious shit-disturber energy in that picture 😂

What does a welcoming entrance look like? Many people cross paths going in and out of an apartment building. But it's not often they stop to chat. Social design features can help. Download our new housing design toolkit w/ @heyneighbourcollective.ca to learn more: happycities.com/building-soc...

Here's the holiday playlist from the @happycities.com team. Enjoy! open.spotify.com/playlist/4qC...

Can hallways be more than just a means to get to and from your front door? This cozy elevator nook at Little Mountain Cohousing says yes. Download our new housing design toolkit w/ @heyneighbourcollective.ca to learn how to create more social circulation spaces: happycities.com/building-soc...

If you had to choose, what’s the first lesson you would give someone about cities? Mine: transportation habits shape our cities, showing how cities evolved in response to whatever the dominant mode of transportation of the time was. I think it was a big light bulb moment for me when I realized

I have seen this anecdotally with clients and people I know who had undevelopable lots that suddenly became developable. Also developable projects that had more units built due to HAF. More currently in progress, more going to come into play.

Single stair has potential to be one the most transformative policy pieces for boosting wellbeing and environmental performance of apartment buildings.

Balconies are a pretty controversial topic. They have benefits when well designed. But they also have financial, environmental and maintenance costs. When they’re poorly designed, it’s even worse because then you dont even get the benefit. Here’s how to make sure they work:

My kid is a massive fan of buses. Buses are cool. Support transit.

Wonderful to see!

Engineering standards were in many ways a product of the car industry. The earliest institutes that set these standards and distributed them across NA were funded by car companies. They changed laws and regulations to make cars at the center.

What’s something you think is true that most people don’t know?

Planners call it the "Popsicle Test" for a walkable, child-friendly neighbourhood. Can a child safely walk to a store, buy a popsicle, and get home before it melts?

The Happy Cities curling team is ready to take on the curling world. Watch out everyone.

What makes a great courtyard? Explore our new #housing design toolkit w/ @heyneighbour.bsky.social to learn more about how to create social outdoor spaces 🌱 Download the free toolkit today! happycities.com/building-soc...

Courtyards are a great solution that worked well for humans for centuries. But only when designed right, and within the right context. Its a tested tradition but a bit forgotten in North America. Check out what makes a good courtyard.

Food and urban planning have something unexpected in common: They both have the power to bring people together. Read more about loneliness, food, and placemaking in the November issue of Bon Appétit! Featuring work by our team: www.bonappetit.com/story/loneli...

Can spaces for bicycles also be spaces for social interaction? This bike room offers easy access to the street, with large windows & openings to the lobby. Why is it so effective? Download our new housing design toolkit with Hey Neighbour Collective to learn more: happycities.com/building-soc...

Just about this time last year, was the 10 year anniversary of Happy City, the book that started it all! I wrote an article last year recounting my rollercoaster journey that led me to find Happy Cities. The book changed my life, here’s how: happycities.com/blog/10-year...

I don’t have a starter pack but if I did it’ll start with @uytaelee.bsky.social Give him a follow

Does density hurt happiness? This is a wide spread assumption. We surveyed nearly 2000 people last year in metro Vancouver to find out. Check out our study. Article by @lurbaniste.bsky.social happycities.com/blog/does-de...

Aaaand one of my fav articles by @lurbaniste.bsky.social on Happy Cities. We’re so good at building complex things, but why are we so bad at building great streets? happycities.com/blog/why-gre...

Housing for the future has to be social. One of my fav Happy Cities projects: happycities.com/blog/the-hap...

The Charleston neighborhood in Las Vegas is hoping to transform from car-dependent to walkable. Which is kind of hard when your roads look like this, and the community has 7/10 of the most fatal intersections. Our team is proposing some big ideas and had a great time sharing them with residents.

Multi-unit homes really can be built to encourage social interaction! Trailblazing work by Happy Cities Team and Placemakers Hesam Deihimi and City of Port Moody.

In the summer, we decided to release our award-winning Public Life Study tool today, for free! Download the tool to measure the impacts of your public space on happiness, trust, and inclusion: happycities.com/public-life-...

Mike skipped leg days