@jean-b-anderson.bsky.social
Build more housing. Proud Canadian
Reposted
New video on Victoria, BC by @nicthedoor.bsky.social! We also visited recently and were quite impressed with the cycling experience and in particular how recent the changes were.
How to Build a Cycling City
YouTube video by Nic Laporte
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:22 AM
New video on Victoria, BC by @nicthedoor.bsky.social! We also visited recently and were quite impressed with the cycling experience and in particular how recent the changes were.
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Transit riders in Victoria, BC were asked what improvements they want. Here's what they said.
Frequency, reliability, directness.
h/t @toddlitman.bsky.social
Frequency, reliability, directness.
h/t @toddlitman.bsky.social
December 2, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Transit riders in Victoria, BC were asked what improvements they want. Here's what they said.
Frequency, reliability, directness.
h/t @toddlitman.bsky.social
Frequency, reliability, directness.
h/t @toddlitman.bsky.social
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Change is possible: Seattle's Westlake Ave Trail before/after
The super useful Westlake Trail was carved out of a publicly owned parking lot. It was absurdly controversial at the time, with the loudest opponents being a “super yacht” marina. Now it’s loved and no one wants to go back.
The super useful Westlake Trail was carved out of a publicly owned parking lot. It was absurdly controversial at the time, with the loudest opponents being a “super yacht” marina. Now it’s loved and no one wants to go back.
December 3, 2024 at 6:01 PM
Change is possible: Seattle's Westlake Ave Trail before/after
The super useful Westlake Trail was carved out of a publicly owned parking lot. It was absurdly controversial at the time, with the loudest opponents being a “super yacht” marina. Now it’s loved and no one wants to go back.
The super useful Westlake Trail was carved out of a publicly owned parking lot. It was absurdly controversial at the time, with the loudest opponents being a “super yacht” marina. Now it’s loved and no one wants to go back.
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“Between 2010 and 2022, structural fires in Berkeley injured an average of 2 people per year, while between just 2017 and 2022, traffic accidents injured or killed an average of 694 people annually.”
New post: a week of hectic back and forth with fire officials and city council over Berkeley street festivals brings out into the open a conflict in city halls across USA. Fire depts opposition to traffic calming and safety measures. Is there a solution?
darrellowens.substack.com/p/the-fire-d...
darrellowens.substack.com/p/the-fire-d...
The Fire Department vs. Traffic Safety Advocates
Street safety advocates are butting heads with fire officials. Swift fire response does not have to come at the cost of lives on the roadway.
darrellowens.substack.com
November 30, 2025 at 8:31 PM
“Between 2010 and 2022, structural fires in Berkeley injured an average of 2 people per year, while between just 2017 and 2022, traffic accidents injured or killed an average of 694 people annually.”
Out: Home is where the heart is
In: Home is where the toilet doesn't flush until you tell it to flush
In: Home is where the toilet doesn't flush until you tell it to flush
November 29, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Out: Home is where the heart is
In: Home is where the toilet doesn't flush until you tell it to flush
In: Home is where the toilet doesn't flush until you tell it to flush
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Minimum parking requirements create financially insolvent land use patterns.
The two apartment buildings on the right generate six times more in property taxes than the big box store on the left, while occupying almost half the space!
#BlackFridayParking
The two apartment buildings on the right generate six times more in property taxes than the big box store on the left, while occupying almost half the space!
#BlackFridayParking
November 28, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Minimum parking requirements create financially insolvent land use patterns.
The two apartment buildings on the right generate six times more in property taxes than the big box store on the left, while occupying almost half the space!
#BlackFridayParking
The two apartment buildings on the right generate six times more in property taxes than the big box store on the left, while occupying almost half the space!
#BlackFridayParking
It is sad that these ‘water is wet’ papers are needed, but they are, so it is good to see people documenting how new housing frees up other housing as people move in to the new housing
Interesting new working paper that studies chains of movers after the construction of a new apartment building in Honolulu.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
uhero.hawaii.edu
November 28, 2025 at 5:04 PM
It is sad that these ‘water is wet’ papers are needed, but they are, so it is good to see people documenting how new housing frees up other housing as people move in to the new housing
Good read that brings together all the issues about tunnelling under Mt Royal in Montreal to serve Quebec City with high speed rail.
I talk about the Mount Royal tunnel and how it could come into play in the Alto plans. Read now:
open.substack.com/pub/nextmetr...
open.substack.com/pub/nextmetr...
Alto and Mt. Royal
To Tunnel or Not to Tunnel.
open.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Good read that brings together all the issues about tunnelling under Mt Royal in Montreal to serve Quebec City with high speed rail.
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Why? Why do we do this to ourselves? This just feels like a waste of everybody's time. Why on earth do we think we need neighbours to weigh in on this?! Just build it already. www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
November 27, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Why? Why do we do this to ourselves? This just feels like a waste of everybody's time. Why on earth do we think we need neighbours to weigh in on this?! Just build it already. www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
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Russil Wvong has put together a great summary of what the Professional Reliance Act would do and why it’s a good idea
morehousing.substack.com/p/third-part...
morehousing.substack.com/p/third-part...
M216: Professional Reliance Act
TLDR: There’s a private member’s bill from George Anderson (NDP MLA for Nanaimo-Lantzville), under which engineers or architects rather than municipal regulators would bear the responsibility for tech...
morehousing.substack.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Russil Wvong has put together a great summary of what the Professional Reliance Act would do and why it’s a good idea
morehousing.substack.com/p/third-part...
morehousing.substack.com/p/third-part...
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The Best Cycling City No One Talks About
with (among many others) @burgundavia.bsky.social and @ryanjabs.bsky.social
with (among many others) @burgundavia.bsky.social and @ryanjabs.bsky.social
The Best Cycling City No One Talks About
YouTube video by Oh The Urbanity!
youtu.be
November 26, 2025 at 6:19 PM
The Best Cycling City No One Talks About
with (among many others) @burgundavia.bsky.social and @ryanjabs.bsky.social
with (among many others) @burgundavia.bsky.social and @ryanjabs.bsky.social
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These are the building designs we used in the second experiment.
NB: I used to live in building (b), and it passed SF's design review. Voters hate it and don't want to approve housing like it! Maybe our design review processes should be better.
NB: I used to live in building (b), and it passed SF's design review. Voters hate it and don't want to approve housing like it! Maybe our design review processes should be better.
November 25, 2025 at 8:12 PM
These are the building designs we used in the second experiment.
NB: I used to live in building (b), and it passed SF's design review. Voters hate it and don't want to approve housing like it! Maybe our design review processes should be better.
NB: I used to live in building (b), and it passed SF's design review. Voters hate it and don't want to approve housing like it! Maybe our design review processes should be better.
Interesting research on Nimbyism - suggests that aesthetic concerns (tall buildings look ugly, in the minds of NIMBYs) are more significant than (some) people think, vs , say, traffic concerns, although my own opinion is that people just really don't like change in general, on many fronts.
NEW PAPER w/ @cselmendorf.bsky.social & @jkalla.bsky.social:
An under-appreciated reason why voters oppose dense new housing, especially in less-dense neighborhoods: they think it looks ugly and want to prevent that, even in other neighborhoods.
Some of what we think is NIMBYism might not be!
An under-appreciated reason why voters oppose dense new housing, especially in less-dense neighborhoods: they think it looks ugly and want to prevent that, even in other neighborhoods.
Some of what we think is NIMBYism might not be!
November 26, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Interesting research on Nimbyism - suggests that aesthetic concerns (tall buildings look ugly, in the minds of NIMBYs) are more significant than (some) people think, vs , say, traffic concerns, although my own opinion is that people just really don't like change in general, on many fronts.
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I'm such a sucker for great tree canopies, and this genuinely feels like the average street in Canberra <3
November 26, 2025 at 5:23 AM
I'm such a sucker for great tree canopies, and this genuinely feels like the average street in Canberra <3
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Shout out to the recent upgrades to Crown St, Surry Hills. City of Sydney removed several car parks in favour of landscaped outdoor dining areas. Some were turning temporary ones from COVID permanent, others are new. It's a really great area to walk along and enjoy.
Here's some before and after:
Here's some before and after:
November 25, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Shout out to the recent upgrades to Crown St, Surry Hills. City of Sydney removed several car parks in favour of landscaped outdoor dining areas. Some were turning temporary ones from COVID permanent, others are new. It's a really great area to walk along and enjoy.
Here's some before and after:
Here's some before and after:
Reposted
Great piece on how density restrictions in zoning are essentially BS.
November 24, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Great piece on how density restrictions in zoning are essentially BS.
Biggest cheer for an offside in BC place history…
November 23, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Biggest cheer for an offside in BC place history…
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I like Avi. I usually vote NDP. But OMG, please stop with the one-sided housing takes. We need huge amounts of public housing, but we also need market housing too, and lots of it.
Canadians don’t need more platitudes or private market incentives, they need real solutions.
We can't rely on the market to fix what it broke. We need a massive, wartime-level investment in affordable public housing.
Housing is a human right. Let's start acting like it.
We can't rely on the market to fix what it broke. We need a massive, wartime-level investment in affordable public housing.
Housing is a human right. Let's start acting like it.
November 22, 2025 at 7:15 PM
I like Avi. I usually vote NDP. But OMG, please stop with the one-sided housing takes. We need huge amounts of public housing, but we also need market housing too, and lots of it.
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New from me for Inside Philanthropy: California foundations need to decide whether they genuinely want to improve housing affordability or would rather keep funding NIMBY obstructionism in Sacramento. www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/philant...
Philanthropy Needs to Pick a Side on the Housing Construction Debate
Despite California’s severe housing shortage, foundations are still funding on the wrong side of the housing fight there, guest author Ned Resnikoff writes.
www.insidephilanthropy.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:45 PM
New from me for Inside Philanthropy: California foundations need to decide whether they genuinely want to improve housing affordability or would rather keep funding NIMBY obstructionism in Sacramento. www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/philant...
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Before (2024) / After (2025) the removal of parking Rue Pixérécourt, Paris 20. I don’t have any official info but I think that if the exit to the underground parking garage on the left had been elsewhere, this entire space would have become part of the little park that is behind the photographer.
November 21, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Before (2024) / After (2025) the removal of parking Rue Pixérécourt, Paris 20. I don’t have any official info but I think that if the exit to the underground parking garage on the left had been elsewhere, this entire space would have become part of the little park that is behind the photographer.
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Great discussion that has been going on for serval days now up and down this thread and in the quotes (up and down). Metrics matter, and some of our main metrics in the housing discourse simply aren't responsive to the issues: Standard affordability metrics suffer from massive collider bias.
> What the “objective evidence” shows is that the share of income dedicated to housing is higher than before
???
No, it does not. www.bls.gov/news.release...
???
No, it does not. www.bls.gov/news.release...
November 20, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Great discussion that has been going on for serval days now up and down this thread and in the quotes (up and down). Metrics matter, and some of our main metrics in the housing discourse simply aren't responsive to the issues: Standard affordability metrics suffer from massive collider bias.
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Fortune magazine interviews Instagram users who flood the platform with racist memes, Hitler references and anti-Semitic content strictly for profit.
They all say they don't care about the content, just the revenue streams they provide.
Which have ballooned since Meta's moderation policy shift:
They all say they don't care about the content, just the revenue streams they provide.
Which have ballooned since Meta's moderation policy shift:
Mark Zuckerberg’s hate-speech gamble fuels Gen Z radicalization on Instagram as millions watch Hitler speeches and Holocaust denial clips | Fortune
The hottest far-right influencer right now isn’t Nick Fuentes—it’s Hitler. And his videos are appearing next to JPMorgan and U.S. Army ads
fortune.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Fortune magazine interviews Instagram users who flood the platform with racist memes, Hitler references and anti-Semitic content strictly for profit.
They all say they don't care about the content, just the revenue streams they provide.
Which have ballooned since Meta's moderation policy shift:
They all say they don't care about the content, just the revenue streams they provide.
Which have ballooned since Meta's moderation policy shift:
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Before (2016) / After (2025) Place du Panthéon, Paris 5. The statue of Pierre Corneille stood in the middle of a parking lot until 2017, after which the parking area was replaced with a pedestrian zone. I’m not sure whether local tour guides used to stop here when it was in the middle of the cars !
November 20, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Before (2016) / After (2025) Place du Panthéon, Paris 5. The statue of Pierre Corneille stood in the middle of a parking lot until 2017, after which the parking area was replaced with a pedestrian zone. I’m not sure whether local tour guides used to stop here when it was in the middle of the cars !