Much thanks to all those who commented and provided additions to my 10 Principles of Great Transit Planning post. One interesting response that came in via Linkedin was from Nick Danty, who is an Intern at San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department. He referenced Principle #8–Don’t get stuck in “because we’ve always done it that way”–and provided the following comment… Read more »
“Okay,” I say looking over at my construction partner, “you ready?” “Ready,” she says, giving her safety glasses one last nudge and shifting the electric jigsaw in her grip. She is determined. She is capable. And she is six years old. And just like that, she pulls the saw trigger, the blade whirs as we both help guide it, and… Read more »
I recently had the excellent opportunity to participate in a workshop hosted by the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia (REFBC). Called “Accelerating Progress Towards a Sustainable Built Environment,” the workshop was geared at figuring out which actions should be our united priorities when it comes making our communities more sustainable. I’ve been to many other events that showcase sustainability… Read more »
We all know what happened with that rather unfortunate (insert additional adjectives of your choice here) transit referendum that occurred last spring in Metro Vancouver. What you may not be aware of is that there’s another transit referendum happening right now on Gabriola Island, BC, a 20 minute ferry ride from downtown Nanaimo in BC’s Gulf Islands archipelago. Between now… Read more »
Ever experienced a community process where you shared a common objective with others but your approaches seemed worlds apart and maybe even resulted in strife and conflict? Such a situation often seems all too common and can be demoralizing. Even more so, conflict over styles of approach has real implications in terms of our ability to make change happen. So,… Read more »
Think quick! What are the most important elements of a really great transit system?! Chances are if you just answered that in your head right now, you might have said things like: frequency, directness, reliability, easy fare payment, easy to use and understand information, consistency, comfort or safety. Some of you might have answered “convenience,” which I would then have… Read more »
This post is a love letter to my five all time favourite kid’s books about cities, neighbourhoods and community. Well worn and ragged, each has been well tested at my family’s house and and are the kind of picture books that can be enjoyed over and over again by younger citizens and their older fans alike. Important to me, none… Read more »
Disassociated Press, BIG RIVER, BC: A rogue gang of sinister mimes is being implicated in an evil invisible force field plot that has left a trail of passed up passengers, mashed feet and hoarse bus drivers in transit systems across North America. Not since the all-mime population of the small European hamlet of Kopfschmerzen accidentally trapped itself in a 20-foot-tall… Read more »
From the Vault: I originally wrote the following story for Momentum Magazine in 2003 and had completely forgotten about it until speaking the other day with a co-worker interested in aquaponics. That chat made me remember the first time I’d ever seen water, plants and urban fish in action together, in Kolding, Denmark. While over a decade has passed since this… Read more »
We all know the power of images. Making a visual impact is even that much more important when trying to engage citizens in community decision-making, particularly when it comes to communicating project benefits and trade offs. Two great examples of visually communicating recently came my way and I thought I would share them. Example 1: City of Victoria 2015 Property… Read more »
Whether shaping community plans or organizing to make change, how we come together has as huge an impact on our success as what we do or talk about while we’re there. Over the years I’ve been a part of many different processes, organizations and projects geared at making change happen. Based on what I’ve learned—sometimes the hard way–here’s my take… Read more »