Elected officials shouldn’t have the power to vote against traffic signals or lower speed limits. I don’t think this because I don’t believe in democracy; I think this because I believe in evidence-based placemaking & city-building. Safer streets shouldn’t be situational or left up to a vote.

Nadine and the Swimming Lesson

I love Toronto but the fact that permitting convenience stores in residential neighbourhoods is an actual debate reminds me of how incredibly conservative the city is. Like, are people okay?

Agreed. And a third thing: People and the planet urgently require more than “light-years better” given how low the benchmark is. Lukewarm centrist political agendas, which would have been considered right of centre a decade ago, is simply not imaginative or courageous enough.

Sidewalks should be spacious enough for greetings to become gatherings.

The fact that a president can single handedly make decisions that threaten public health, freedom of fact-based information, civil rights, women’s rights, government services, etc. reveals the fragility of democracy. I naively believed that democracy protected us from these & other threats.

Yesavage is 🔥🔥🔥

"Paulette Jordan just won the Democratic primary for governor in Idaho. Meaning, she's now positioned to become the first female governor of Idaho--and the first Native American governor in the US."-Powwow Nation

When I began Black Public Joy, I thought the story was about collective joy in public life—but writing revealed it was also about reclaiming my own. Creating space for personal joy, beyond achievement and performance, has been the greatest gift of this journey. I can’t wait to share it with you.

As I advance my public joy framework, people often picture a destination — a concert, a park, a festival. But the quality of the commute is one of the most powerful metrics of public joy. Parents trading minivans for electric cargo bikes are modelling this metric.

This is one of the central questions, challenges & gentle invitations in my upcoming Penguin Random House book, Black Public Joy. “If war can be waged against Black and other exploited bodies, then what prevents those bodies from being reclaimed by individuals as sites for waging joy?

Word on the street is that there are a bunch of new folks joining Bluesky right now, so it seems like a good time to re-share my first & biggest STARTER PACK of urbanists & city-making organizations from across the world. Hope you’ll consider following the excellent accounts here. And please share!

This is wild and kinda amazing. As a Jamaican-Canadian, I’m confident that the fact that you were very blunt was well received. Our culture is very direct and warm. Also, I am confident my peeps will make strides, that’s also a part of our culture :) Congrats on a successful engagement.

A cover that is more than a design. It’s a declaration. BLACK PUBLIC JOY JAY PITTER JANUARY 2026 Published by Penguin Random House

Tori Amos says her new album ‘In Times of Dragons’ is “a metaphorical story about the fight for Democracy over Tyranny, reflecting the current abhorrent non accidental burning down of democracy in real time by the ‘Dictator believing Lizard Demons’ in their usurpation of America.”

In every school album I had as a little girl, there was a line that asked: What do you want to be when you grow up? From wobbly printing in Grade 2 to confident cursive years later, I always wrote the same thing: writer. Although I’ve been previously published, this book is what that kid meant :)

I’m genuinely glad to see Jimmy Kimmel reinstated. The outpouring of public support for him this past week is a reminder of how democracy works in the contemporary public square. But I can’t celebrate this moment without naming a significant disparity.

Here are some nice mushrooms

This is tiresome: a couple builds a 4100 ft.² second home, but reuses materials and so it is supposedly eco-friendly. What’s even greener: - Keeping the existing building - Not having a second home at all

Laurentian University has a course focused on urban ageing course that seems to depart from the typical “let’s make sure these old folks can age at home, have enough time to make it across the cross walk & have benches to sit on while navigating public spaces.” Not suggesting these aren’t important…

Recently, I refused a high profile contract in an amazing city b/c the potential client didn’t have an implementation budget or resource development plan. I refuse to engage & raise hopes of communities on behalf of clients unwilling to make investments beyond consultants. I’ve learned say “no”…

The city demands; the forest invites.

Sharing a meal with friends is a public joy ritual for many. That’s why all of the excursions my team has organized for the unhoused youth we have the privilege of engaging in our pilot project, Pathways to Public Joy, begins with food. And not just any food, fancy and healthy food.

To my 10th grade English teacher, who said, “Make the conclusion count.”

My first Starter Pack! The Canadian urbanism and planning community on here is growing. Give these folks a follow. Some well known faces … and some you should get to know! (please re-post!) go.bsky.app/AEYL7FZ

For many youth navigating homeless, public spaces are sites of criminalization, indignity & uncertainty. That’s why I’m piloting my Pathways to Public Joy project with the shelter staff at Eva’s. Public joy is as urgent as justice. I’ll share what we experience & learn in an upcoming AZURE series.

Denmark requires children to take weekly empathy classes, which has led to low bullying rates, and high graduation & employment rates. A version of this should be a requirement for engaging in placemaking convos re: housing, active transportation, street-based harassment, police profiling, etc.

An #UrbanistShoutOut list I recommend following, that I have some connection to, or just enjoy interacting with: @toderianuw.bsky.social @canurbanism.bsky.social @reneedsc.bsky.social @jaypitter.bsky.social @jwhiteyvr.bsky.social @grantennis.bsky.social @tomflood.bsky.social @katharinehayhoe.com

Inspired by @jaypitter.bsky.social's "starting our day with 10km walks" example, I tried to restart old habits and walked to work today. 90 mins. Then, inspired by my own example, I walked back home. 90 mins. In conclusion: I am on the couch, and I will not be moving any time soon.

Starting our days with 10K walks requires a significant time commitment but it’s hands down the best way to flow into the day.

if you want to have a nice and relaxing sunday, do not watch the new Hulu documentary on Hurricane Katrina. if you want to shake with rage and anger over the total failure of this nation's government and media establishment, watch the Hulu documentary on Katrina (this is a recommendation)

This weekend I wrote about Doug Ford’s plan to sell off a large chunk of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. Exactly the opposite of what should be happening: parkland expansion.

Leveraging London's streets as one of its most valuable assets, Strand Aldwych transforms one of Westminster's busiest and most polluted corridors into a vibrant and verdant destination. By filtering out through traffic, 7000 m² of roadway is reclaimed into an accessible and welcoming public space.🧵

If you don't like seeing people ride bikes in the road or on the sidewalk then I assume you are advocating for this type of infrastructure on every major road in your city. (Pleasant Ridge, MI)

How are we not terrified?

a planet worth protecting.

The same people who claim public transit is unsafe, unclean, undignified & inconvenient also actively advocate to underfund it.

Today, President Trump signed a bill into law that will eliminate $1.1B of federal funding for public media. This devastating act tipped the threat against journalism in America into a crisis. Millions depend on the NPR Network. Now, we’re counting on you. Donate here: n.pr/458sOhq

Heard from a colleague spending a few months in the Netherlands. "Went on a 35-mile bike ride today, entirely on bike paths, through all kinds of landscapes. Turns out I love biking, I'm just scared of biking with cars." 😢

Love this story because it disrupts typical, toxic “evil driver” urbanist narrative. There are plenty of reasons that humans who happen to be travelling by car are not cycling—large families, unsafe infrastructure, peer pressure, etc. It’s important to leave a ‘lil space for positive interactions.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams is the oldest player to win a tour-level singles match in over two decades. Just a little reminder that 40+ year-old women are visible, valuable & powerful. #visiblewomen

The untimely and cruel passing of Malcolm Jamal Warner is a devastating loss. He wasn’t a caricature nor was he in crisis every episode. He was just a regular kid, who happened to be Black, navigating the challenges, special “firsts” and joys of becoming a young adult.

Single family homeowners heading to a public engagement meeting to protect the “character” of their community, which will be destroyed if a 12-storey rental building is approved. #housingnow #housing #housingcrisis

In many US cities, Walmarts are often some of the busiest transit destinations. Here is the typical relationship between a Walmart (far right) and its nearest bus stop (far left). Note the details of the pedestrian experience between one and the other. 1/🧵

If dangerous air quality health index readings—across cities & national borders—due to wildfires isn’t proof that the climate crisis is a shared challenge, I don’t know what is. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

This is Jacob Smith who I was lucky enough to collaborate with on the Reframe Road Safety campaign. This campaign called out those who design, approve & implement inequitable transportation systems that disproportionately affect youth + BIPOC communities. 1/

Switzerland is hosting its first major women’s soccer tournament & they’ve changed their traffic signals to honour the athletes. A part of me thinks this is awesome, especially given inequities across women’s sports leagues but research finds that changing traffic symbols is dangerous. Thoughts?

In a sane world, this would be the biggest, most important news story in the world. ‘Tipping points’ experts issue urgent message to world leaders. “Every fraction of a degree above 1.5°C matters. And every year of “overshoot” matters too.” “It’s ultimately a matter of survival.” #ClimateCrisis

Family walk to the waterfront for the Filipino festival. Esther, our part-husky baby was the real MVP. She clocked 1100+ steps on a pretty hot & sunny day like a champ. We mapped out a shady route, kept her well hydrated & let her join the lil kids on the cool mist pad. #walk #publicjoy #pedestrian

Imagine having the audacity of being fuschia on the outside, purple on the inside and having purple & fuschia tentacles poppin’ out. This flower is my entire personality :) Also, I can’t wait to share a pic of my completed balcony garden, which rivals any backyard garden. #gooddensity