Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · 1d

People of Edmonton… design week is here! An (almost) full week celebration of design and creativity in YEG. The agenda is packed so make your pick before it’s too late. Edmontondesignweek.com

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Reposted by Neal LaMontagne

Bikeology Guild of Canada @bikeology.bsky.social · 10d

The video is up!
Many thanks to @markiemoose.ca for directing, recording & editing 🙏🏼
If you're in Edmonton, join us October 18th. Bring your favourite old bike, wear your best tweed
www.instagram.com/reel/DPZH8_C...

#bikesky #yegbike

Photograph daytime autumn. Brilliant Blue and Gold Sky and leaves are the backdrop for the photo of a man and a woman dressed in 1890s clothing styles. Each is holding a bicycle.

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Reposted by Neal LaMontagne

UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation @luskininnovation.bsky.social · 11d

Our #UCLA grad students identified water system vulnerabilities after the Jan 2025 wildfires. Advised by @gregspierce.bsky.social & @edithdeguzman.bsky.social, they provided solutions in their capstone report, advancing water security as a human right.

luskin.ucla.edu/ucla-student... #UCLALuskin

UCLA Student Research Drives Water Resilience and Equitable Solutions in Post-Fire Los Angeles

A team of UCLA master’s students in urban and regional planning (MURP) has produced an extensive report offering real-world strategies to strengthen water security.

luskin.ucla.edu

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Reposted by Neal LaMontagne

Maryanne W 🇺🇦 @uptownone.bsky.social · 18d

Wise words from the doctor last year, still valid today.

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Reposted by Neal LaMontagne

Jen @envirojen.bsky.social · 19d

“…bikes tend to allow community to happen by taking away the boundaries that exist between people in cities”

Tom Babin @shifter.info · 20d

I only met Dr. Darren Markland a few times, but he made an impact on me. This clip from coffee outside (with Darren giving away free coffee from his bike-mounted coffee-maker) offers a glimpse into how he viewed cycling and community as interwoven. I'm so sorry for his family and community.

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · 19d

Beyond devastating… one of YEG’s best people, always caring, thoughtful, clever, inspiring. And the most amazing handlebar barista.

CFLange @cflange.bsky.social · 19d

We’ve lost Dr. Darren Markland — Dr. Dagly. A true hero! (@drdagly.bsky.social ) 💔
terryreith.substack.com/p/rememberin...

Remembering Dr. Dagly

You had fans in places you never imagined. You Sir, were an inspiration.

terryreith.substack.com

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · 19d

A simple ‘hack’ to get better design outcomes is to make sure the hiring processes is fair + nimble enough to hire a good designer for the particular job. Great to see Toronto + Ottawa take this on (we’ve had some wins in YEG)

Jason Thorne @jasonthorne.bsky.social · 19d

Let’s talk about procurement (no seriously, it’s a really important topic!). The Toronto Society of Architects and the Ottawa Architecture Foundation are both hosting talks on public procurement processes and how to achieve better design outcomes.

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · Sep 15

I’ve changed assignments. Less essay style. More iteration, discussion + presentation. But I don’t teach technical classes and it’s a whole other challenge when I get to my larger classes next term

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · Sep 15

It’s a tough one that I think we are all struggling with. I’m trying to model responsible use myself (focused queries, citations, being upfront about it (incl. resource intensity). I don’t upload material. And emphasize ethics.

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Reposted by Neal LaMontagne

Paths for People @pathsforpeople.bsky.social · Sep 7

Join us and @etriders.bsky.social for this fun all ages event - it’s FREE to attend! You won’t want to miss this special opportunity to join international guest speaker Anna Zivarts and community members as they share their experiences moving around #edmonton
Visit pathsforpeople.org/events

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · Aug 24

Cities should connect us to a broader story of time in place... not just through heritage preservation but storytelling. Montreal is very good at this.

Adam Bunch @adambunch.bsky.social · Aug 17

Place d’Youville, where an angry Tory mob burned down parliament the day the Province of Canada got Responsible Government.

Artifacts & info panels on display in repurposed shipping containers.

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Reposted by Neal LaMontagne

Alex Wenzel @alexwenzel.bsky.social · Aug 23

Focusing only on the “efficiency” of AI is like focusing on driving time in cities. The cost of building to save a few minutes is social services not provided, reinforced economic stratification, and the mental and physical effects of cars having more right to exist in public than people.

Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · Aug 23

You don’t need to send me a story about how it saved you an hour at work or helped you solve a math riddle or even self-diagnose a medical ailment. My thinking will be the same. That is nice and it is still not worth the societal costs.

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Reposted by Neal LaMontagne

Daphne Jackson @djacks.bsky.social · Aug 17

This is the way

Sean Marshall @seanyyz.bsky.social · Aug 17

The Montreal application of the leading pedestrian interval allows non-turning traffic (including cyclists) to proceed too. Helps clear intersection for turning vehicles who must wait for the general green ball.

No turns on red also make a big difference for pedestrian and cyclist safety

Straight green arrow on traffic light appears with walk signal, green ball comes on about 5 seconds later

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · Aug 17

Protected bike lanes are a triple word score for urban mobility: more safety, more choice, and more bang for the buck traffic reduction. Yet we are stuck playing politics all over again.

Cailynn Klingbeil @cailynn.bsky.social · Aug 16

I wrote something for @theglobeandmail.com
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... #yycbike #yegbike #BikeTO #BikeHFX

Opinion: The premiers are using bike lanes as a political scapegoat

Safe cycling infrastructure saves lives, but sadly, many politicians are ignoring the facts

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · Jul 27

A couple of local faves in that category: Lil’ Wolf by the university and Otto, north of downtown. Many many others… Edmonton’s indie food scene is picking up

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · Jul 25

My theory is that we’ve had generations of Edmonton transportation folks assuming a degree of rational driver behaviour that quite frankly doesn’t really exist in our fair city

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · Jul 24

Spot on... we are going through a housing reset in Canada as the frothiness of speculative capital has settled and options to the shoebox condo have expanded. There is huge pressure to repair the balloon but we should embrace the reset.

John Lorinc @johnlorinc.bsky.social · Jul 24

#topoli #cdnpoli New from me in the Star: let’s not try to fix a speculative bubble by attempting to repair the balloon & then calling it a solution. Ottawa absolutely sdn’t rescue the condo industry. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

John Lorinc: Our shoebox condo market is finally crumbling. Mark Carney should be the least surprised of all of us. Now he needs correct the errors of the past

Carney understands the warped incentives that gave us shoebox condos instead of homes for families

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Neal LaMontagne

Brian Doucet @briandoucet.bsky.social · Jul 1

Of all the ways to describe Rue St Catherine in downtown Montreal, ‘closed’ sure isn’t one of them!

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · Jun 13

There’s definitely value to microsuites and small space options… but the downside is that they aren’t very adaptable for growing/shrinking households and more expensive than shared multi room homes (which a lot of students love). I’d love more attn on flexible spaces

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Reposted by Neal LaMontagne

Hell-issa Johnson, PhD 🎃 @ladyhistorian.bsky.social · May 15

Literally the only thing I want from my students is that they want to learn. That's it. That's the entire thing. Everything else is details

Solomon @solomonmissouri.bsky.social · May 14

The thing about most professors… they actually want to teach… so if you want to learn they will help you

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · May 10

Visiting a dense complex city with frequent transit and a public bike share system is a true taste of freedom.

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · May 7

It’s a tough one. Those early year undergrad courses are where the tone is set for many but also too easy to get lost in the crowd

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · May 7

Agree. It’s not the majority and for me, it’s really only a problem with larger classes open to all. Then it’s a challenge with students more motivated by credits than content. Still I have to rethink my larger introductory classes.

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Reposted by Neal LaMontagne

Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · May 4

Cars, trucks & SUVs have become driver weapons. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes in the way streets & vehicles are designed. We should admit that we are very much OK w a certain amount of death & life-changing injuries in order to not inconvenience driving. My column this week. Pls read n share.

Shawn Micallef: Vehicles have become weapons by design — and public space is in their crosshairs

A culture like ours weaponizes vehicles — from the way they are designed to the way the roads they run on are designed.

www.thestar.com

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Neal LaMontagne @nlamontagne.bsky.social · May 4

Valuable research and insight on a key flaw in traffic impact studies: emphasizing reducing delays at the expense of safety and creating 'fixes that fail'...

Tab Combs @drtcombs.bsky.social · May 4

New #Research on #congestion and #roadsafety:

Recurrent patterns in the application of traffic impact analyses: Safety first or last?

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Strap in, folks, we bout to challenge some norms.

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Recurrent patterns in the application of traffic impact analyses: Safety first or last?

Conventional traffic impact analysis (TIA) neglects traffic safety in development review procedures, often serving as an afterthought because the traf…

www.sciencedirect.com

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