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Love to the pups of Covid times, guarding that last ounce of stability. Getting us up in the morning and out for exercise. Keeping us tethered to the simple and the good. Making us laugh in heartbreak. Being that soft warm little love that wiggles its way into the bubble. Being safe. Don’t know what I’d do/be without a friend like Jeannie.
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Thank you to every person and parks department who cares for a lilac tree. You make the city lovelier each spring. This lilac grove in High Park was so enticing we needed to pause our run for a sniff break.
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Got invited to the most peaceful photo shoot with @atomyoga! I’m pretty new to yoga and mostly practice for injury prevention so this would have been très intimidating to me last year. But Banu made it welcoming and accessible as always 🥰 I’ve had such a wonderful experience at this studio and I’m so grateful to have it in the neighbourhood. You know how I feel about buildings and it doesn’t get much better than this space in the sunshine or candlelight. Thank you, Banu!
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No such thing as bad weather when you’re with friends. Everyone needs a run crew. Or other sport crew. 📸 @nightterrorsrun & @bzhnomadrunner
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Cladding mashup from a couple blocks in “makin it work” Toronto. Standing-seam, corrugated, shake, board and batten, clapboard, concrete and brick. Love how honestly the natural materials age.
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No-kitsch 🍺+🌲 farm in #NorfolkCounty. Highly recommend.
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Searching for a quote for a work project and found myself in a rabbit hole of good words from my Kindle highlights. May they bring out the lion in us all today.
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*BOOK REVIEW* I've been reading Chuck's work since 2012 and have spent a lot of time digging into his Curbside Chat, the message that earned Strong Towns' place in the city-building canon. There's always something new to appreciate in repeat exposure to the Strong Towns message, especially in these pages. This book proves that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Strong Towns' hallmark is the obvious revelation, pointing out things we can sense but don't recognize. The way Chuck deepens each revelation and ties together the narrative in this book lends weight and clarity to the message like never before. It's not an easy role arguing that the emperor has no clothes, but this book does so with humility, authority, and kindness. There is no air of I told you so, even as the tide of public awareness is gradually shifting toward the Strong Towns camp. If anything, this book feels like an earnest effort to report on the predicament of our cities in a medium that reflects the gravity of the message. I would say this text should be required reading for all civil engineering and urban planning students as well as city councillors. But honestly, it should be required reading for anyone in the US or Canada who cares about their city. Chuck's diagnosis and prescription empowers every citizen to report for duty and think deeply about what duty means in the place they love.
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Saw the 9/11 memorial last week. It's a perfect tribute, solemn and beautiful. There is nothing that could have been built here that would fill the hole in the city, so they left two holes with a constant flow of water to a depth you can't see. I could not stop crying as I saw this, as I'm sure many have and will. It's almost as if the memorial is weeping with you. There are thousands of names carved right through the metal ledge where people gather and where loved ones can stick a flower that stays. This is a park and plaza, shaded with a forest of new trees. It's a landmark where you could meet up with a friend and a destination where you could take a phone call or eat lunch. What a way to honour those who were lost and those that came together.
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Re: “What do you DO?” - Good question! It’s more of a show, don’t tell answer so here’s an Insta length vid on @incrementaldev - full version on the website. In short, I helped launch this org and I spend my days trying to make small-scale city building simpler and more accessible to people.
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We earned a slow run (me) and a zoomer (Jeannie) this week.
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Watching delivery trucks master the morning in Basse-Ville was a perfect reminder: Size your service vehicles to your streets, not your streets to your service vehicles. Things got a bit hairy in this scene a minute later when there were three trucks trying to get through the same area. Guess what the drivers did!? Got out of their trucks, talked for 5 seconds, and figured out who would move in what order. Done! My brother asked me when we were running through the narrow streets of Vieux Quebec, “So we couldn’t build this again?” Nope. Not to code. Here it stands 400 years later, among the most cherished urban landscapes in the continent because we can’t recreate it. One of the limits to cozy walkable streets are the turning radii and dimensions required by large service vehicles. But Europe manages to put out fires and collect garbage and remove snow from the streets just fine. Quebec seems to survive too. How? Smaller service vehicles and a little less efficiency in favour of a lot more loveability.
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My favourite off-leash beach. Have been waiting all year to bring my family here. Photos by @johnsonmg
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Summer marathon training kicked off with @nightterrorsrun feat. @roguerunners @novemberprojectto @eastbound_runs I would not run in this heat without such charming peer pressure 😊🥵 #4runsix #tocrewlove Photos by @dre.run and @nightterrorsrun #nikerun
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Public engagement is tough. I don’t often see it done well. Typically the process burns up a ton of trust and energy asking unhelpful questions at the wrong time. Encountered these beauts in the Sault St. Marie local some time back. So simple, so awesome. Let me count the ways: * “Public info session.” This is not the time/forum for debate. Right now, we’re just going to explain what the heck this policy is and how it effects you and our city. (100 points if there’s an online explainer too) * We’ll show you what you’re now allowed to build. You don’t need to have an opinion to participate. It is not your responsibility to formulate planning policy. No one is quizzing you. * Here’s a picture to explain our niche and confusing planner language. * This is no slick PR effort. Linda from HR made these ads in Microsoft Paint. Their innocence is what makes them “pop” on the page, no? * We’re going to treat this like an ad that WANTS to be seen and plaster it in the newspaper embedded in top stories. It’s not hiding on the planning department pages but marketed to regular people who are reading the news. Way to go, #thesoo #publicengagement #urbanplanning #citybuilding #accessorydwellingunits #missingmiddle #ADUs #grannyflats #Bill108 #incrementaldevelopment #Lanewaysuites #secondarysuites #backyardcottage #civicengagement
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Walking to get fresh bread in the morning is one of the best and oldest urban traditions. Living with a baker reminds me what a service bakeries do for their neighbourhoods too. Many are a 24/7 operation, which means eyes on the street and the smell of bread wafting through the witching hours. Speaking of which, how many activities in our cities produce GOOD smells? 🥖🤤 How many retail destinations in your neighbourhood do you visit multiple times a week? That’s half the appeal of having a corner store, cafe, green grocer, or bakery close to home. It’s convenience but it’s also the happy tradition of walking there, seeing a familiar face, and turning a chore into a treat. If you’re a baker, thank you for your service! And thanks to the sweet staff member at Blackbird who kept an eye on Jeannie while I got my treats this morning. #bakery #bread #citybuilding #kensingtonmarket #walkability #dogsoftoronto