Kissing Many Toads Before Finding the Prince: Office Conversion
A proposed plan to convert an office building to affordable housing Major cities across Canada and the US are facing 3 significant challenges: a massive housing shortage, excessive greenhouse gas emissions from new developments, and an oversupply of office spaces. Toronto, for instance, closed out 2023 with a surplus of 2.7 million square feet […]
Financial Incentives for Affordable Housing Part 2
Part 1 was one of our most popular blog posts ever! So we decided to update it with a part 2! Here is a selection of notable funds with a range of incentives, this article navigates through many options, highlighting some key financial pathways to achieve affordable housing by all 3 levels of governments. City […]
More than Letter Swaps: how to shift from TODs to TOCs? By Scaling Down
Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) were initially introduced to optimize land use around transit nodes, creating a model for transportation and land use integration. These developments are situated near higher-order transit, with streets mainly lined with mid-rise and high-rise buildings. They offer a mix of uses, public spaces, and amenities, undoubtedly aiding the shift away from […]
My daughter’s ‘car allergy’: and why it matters for housing and city living
My 4.5-year-old daughter, asked if she’s allergic to anything, confidently says, “I’m allergic to cars.” Hilarious, right? She said that because she easily gets car-sick as we don’t drive very often. Yet, that innocent remark reflects a deeper truth about our cities and their reliance on cars. Why should we care about reducing this reliance? […]
Israel’s Kibbutz: A Model of Car-Free, Communal Living and Sustainable Urban Planning We Could All Learn From
Small communities called Kibbutzim faced atrocities during the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, 2023. The Kibuzt is a peaceful, agricultural community, where resources are shared, not privately-owned, and decision-making is collective. All of the Kibbuztim are located within the pre-1967 border, recognized by the international community as the State of Israel. […]
Observations from Warsaw
Observations from Warsaw Not a typical European city Warsaw is not a typical European city. The city was almost fully demolished in 1944 by the Germans to destroy the Polish national identity. The Poles put enormous effort into rebuilding their capital, but because of limited resources and a different vision of urban design, only the […]
My Letter to Jon Love
Dear Jon, We mostly know each other from LinkedIn, and you were a guest on my webinar series, which I am still grateful for; I appreciate the leadership you clearly demonstrated during the webinar. And that’s why, seeing a leader of your magnitude questioning the necessity of a significant bike network in our […]
ULI Spring Meeting
Hey, are you attending the ULI Spring Meeting? I look forward to showing you the city I love and fortunate to call ‘home’. You can catch me at either of these: WLI Presents: An Evening of Curated Conversations at ULI / Urban Design on Tuesday, May 16, 7 p.m. Accelerating to Net Zero at District […]
Attending your project’s Urban Design Review is worthwhile, and here’s what to do to get the most out of it
Attending your project’s Urban Design Review is worthwhile, and here’s what to do to get the most out of it Having sat through many Design Review Panels as both a presenter and panel member, I am convinced that it is one of the better parts of the planning process. It not only guides how the […]
Is it Time to Abolish Employment Lands?
Is it Time to Abolish Employment Lands? During the COVID-19 pandemic, people’s relationships with their cities and neighbourhoods shifted. Those fortunate enough to have jobs that could support remote work left their offices and began working from home. For many, this resulted in more time spent in their local area than ever before. During the […]