Challenger City TO

More and more politicians are using the term 'common sense' as a replacement for evidence backed decision making. Common sense is wonderful. It will typically mean you can at least benchmark yourself to similar standards as the competition. Unfortunately, what Doug Ford and Prabmeet Sarkaria are practicing just now it 'common nonsense' ... things many hold to be true, but turn out to be mostly rubbish. Instead, what we need to see more of in places like Toronto where vast amounts are being spent on infrastructure investment, is a little 'uncommon sense' to help us make the most of the infrastructure we already have while spending comparatively little for a big impact. That means going beyond bike lanes, but actually linking them up to create an integrated network. Unleashing existing streetcar routes to effectively become mini-metro lines uninhibited by cars. Creating a high frequency coach network between the suburban sprawl so cars aren't the only option. Adding a little extra cost to driving, and reinvesting that in transit upgrades. No, these ideas aren't perfect. But neither is sitting in traffic and creating the longest commute times in the western world. https://lnkd.in/gSdcTH_D

When Doug Ford and Prabmeet Sarkaria tell you that bike lanes are empty and they’re the root cause of congestion in Toronto … let’s just remind them of this. If you build bike infrastructure then people will use it. A pleasant early fall evening on Bloor Street West and this is the bike lane. Being used by cyclists of all sorts on all types of bike. If you care about a healthy and happy city where people can get around on a bicycle if they choose to, then share this with your MP, MPP, city councillor and professional network. For Toronto to be a Challenger City, we will need the infrastructure to get around by boots, bikes, buses, trains and yes, where appropriate cars.

In a city of the grey blob, there are people who make art of it. And that is perhaps why Toronto might have the potential to be a Challenger City, when it subverts the grey blob of bureaucracy. This made us smile James McLeod, bravo! https://lnkd.in/g5zVWASN

This is a really great Challenger City story. But it's not happening in Toronto. San Francisco is a place that has shone brighter in recent times. And right now it's dealing with some challenges on a scale Toronto hasn't really had yet either. Thankfully. But, crises are good times to see opportunities to make previously impossible changes. Like funding a non-profit to buy up half a street so it can become a better community. https://lnkd.in/e5CQptyC Duncan Rowland kindly shared the story. Who might see a similar opportunity for Yonge? Despite the new towers, the foreground of unloved properties from another era presents an interesting opportunity to reinvent downtown.

Stuff like this is why this project got started in the first place. “We somehow have this aversion for big ideas,” Mr. Gherson said. “We avoided them for 20 years, 30 years, and now we’re in this pickle. And now people are saying, ‘Oh, that’s a big idea, We shouldn’t do that. That’s going to cost us a lot of money.’ Okay, what’s the solution then? You aren’t going to ride a bicycle from Markham to Brampton.” We have a CEO of the regional trade body for Toronto and the surrounding area that has become an ideologue for cars. Nobody who envisions a better Toronto, that you can actually get around without a car, is devoid of a big idea. It's called public transit and active travel. It's kind of a big thing around the world. Every city you visit on a business trip or vacation and come back raving about likely invested in trains, trams, subways, buses, bicycles and walking far more than it has invested in cars in the last 20+ years. Instead, Toronto is addicted to the 'just one more lane, bro' culture. We're all for challenging the status quo. But going against every single piece of evidence for what creates a great Challenger City to live, work and play in, is downright dangerous. Toronto and its environs are falling behind. We're going infrastructurally bankrupt, originally it was very slowly, but now it's happening very quickly. If you care about an optimistic and vibrant future for Toronto, then it's time we moved on from this small minded, car centric arrogance, and actually thought big for a change. It's time we moved on Giles Gherson. We dare you to actually think big for a change. https://lnkd.in/gTeRE-2w

Cities have different needs to the suburbs. When provincial politics gets in the way of what’s right for the city, everybody will lose. Toronto simply can’t be a Challenger City when it’s running the the whims of Ontarians that have different lives, needs and values. https://lnkd.in/g6YimCku

So close and yet so far from being a Challenger City or Province. Why is Doug Ford so scared of the future?

There's a line from Jules Goddard that I like about 'best practice' as a term, is effectively translated as 'the recipe for formulaic sameness'. As I wrapped what is likely just a first bunch of interviews for Challenger City TO, I realised that there are sort of two avenues for where to go next. There are a lot of fundamentals at play, with the two biggest building blocks being housing and mobility. We've talked them to death in Toronto without really making that much progress. We overcomplicate, overengineer, and as as result the progress is slow. By trying to be too sensible, we're actually being worse than ordinary. There is not a city on this earth that is utopia for housing, nor transportation, nor tourism, nor anything for that matter. Just some are better than others. What they're good at is not defaulting to no. The things they do might be a bit weird, a bit quirky, rather imperfect, but they're still progress. They come with emotion, and that will at least make people stop and think, maybe smile. When you reject the best practice thing, you can stop trying to make your city be like another place, and focus on just doing the interesting thing that might work for your context. That likely can start smaller, grow quicker and make something special rather than a poor imitation. Rules, and norms, are there to be broken after all. https://lnkd.in/gTzVAPkq

🚀 Challenger Cities Go Beyond the Sensible! 🚀 What if our cities stopped playing it safe? What if, instead of simply managing decline or settling for "good enough," we dared to think bolder and bigger? In the latest piece on Challenger City TO, we explore how cities can break free from the constraints of convention. It’s about moving beyond the incremental and embracing radical ideas to address our most pressing challenges — from housing to transit, public spaces to climate resilience. Let’s face it: Sensible is no longer enough. It’s time for cities like Toronto to think beyond what's comfortable and aim for what’s transformational. 🌆✨ #UrbanInnovation #CityPlanning #ChallengerCities #FutureOfCities #Toronto #UrbanDesign #Innovation #ThinkBig https://lnkd.in/gaBd9Q87

"If we believe the Toronto of 2050 will be a better place than the Toronto of 1950, why does our design culture so often seems to convey the opposite idea?" Weak signals that Toronto is finally busting out of its conservative design phase. https://lnkd.in/gd3KtRQZ