Houssam Elokda

Wow, the Maritimes have 2-3x fewer people who live within 30 minute walk of grocery stores. Terrible statistics from StatCAN's new spatial access metrics.

Lighting makes a bigger difference for mood and productivity than we give it credit. I remember when we were forced back to an office with very little light, after working from home in a well-lit room. It took the life and happiness right out of me.

Spent years at DAL in a basement and this is what planning students today get 😂

Oh the natural light

Working on permitting for three 4-5 unit buildings that would never have been possible or feasible without the recent HAF changes.

2 will replace empty lots. 1 will replace an aging, energy-sucking SFH with 4 energy efficient 2-bedroom units.

All within the peninsula. Planning works when it works.

The business case for placemaking — Happy Cities To strengthen local economies, create places that people want to spend time in.

I always feel weird trying to make the business case for placemaking. Feels like creating great places should just be a thing we value.

But well, just happens there is a business case:

happycities.com/blog/the-bus...

New painting!

How to make an entrance

Except when there is no substance behind the signal

Beautiful contrasts

The Egyptian King ❤️

On joy, rest, and optimism Reflections on the year ahead. Plus: joyful tunes, feel-good stories, and causes to give back to this holiday season.

What keeps you joyful and motivated in the face of big challenges?

As our team starts to wind down for the holidays, we reflected on the big and small wins that keep us energized to do more.

Check out our last newsletter of 2024 for holiday tunes, reads, and causes: mailchi.mp/happycities/...

Spent my first few days back home going through old books and pictures. Found a baby pic of mine from a daycare report. Some serious shit-disturber energy in that picture 😂

Photo of the front of a building that includes a communal space, benches, and trees. Four blue dialogue bubbles are overlaid pointing out design elements of the space; 1) Sheltered entrance that is easy to find, 2) Gathering spaces next to main entrances, 3) Spaces to pause, or have a chat with a neighbour, and 4) Plants and furniture near entrance. Text with an arrow on a light blue background that reads: “Toolbox for social entrances: Explore the Building social connections toolkit”

What does a welcoming entrance look like?

Many people cross paths going in and out of an apartment building. But it's not often they stop to chat. Social design features can help.

Download our new housing design toolkit w/ @heyneighbourcollective.ca to learn more: happycities.com/building-soc...

Joyful Cities - Holiday Playlist 2024 Playlist · Hannah Gibbler · 80 items · 6 saves

Here's the holiday playlist from the @happycities.com team. Enjoy!

open.spotify.com/playlist/4qC...

A photo of a social nook in front of an elevator with women and children reading books. Four orange dialogue bubbles are overlaid pointing out design elements of the space; 1) Wide open spaces with natural light, 2) Neighbours personalize the space with art and furniture, 3) Nooks placed next to elevators and stairs, and 4) Comfy space to pause and read a book. Text with an arrow on a light red background reads: “Design toolbox for social hallways: Explore the Building social connections toolkit”

Can hallways be more than just a means to get to and from your front door? This cozy elevator nook at Little Mountain Cohousing says yes.

Download our new housing design toolkit w/ @heyneighbourcollective.ca to learn how to create more social circulation spaces: happycities.com/building-soc...

If you had to choose, what’s the first lesson you would give someone about cities?

Mine: transportation habits shape our cities, showing how cities evolved in response to whatever the dominant mode of transportation of the time was. I think it was a big light bulb moment for me when I realized

It could also be a coincidence lol

Many of these projects would have been already planned. It’s as of right, in the center plan. There’s no approval process, just submit building permits. I have a site that was 3 units, immediately after HAF came in, they asked the drafter to add two more units and resubmitted the application haha

Partly this, partly that demand is so far ahead of supply that even 4 units is not enough to make a project feasible.

I have seen this anecdotally with clients and people I know who had undevelopable lots that suddenly became developable. Also developable projects that had more units built due to HAF. More currently in progress, more going to come into play.

Single stair has potential to be one the most transformative policy pieces for boosting wellbeing and environmental performance of apartment buildings.

Balconies are a pretty controversial topic. They have benefits when well designed. But they also have financial, environmental and maintenance costs. When they’re poorly designed, it’s even worse because then you dont even get the benefit.

Here’s how to make sure they work:

Fair to say taking him to tbe London transport museum was a big dad moment for me 😅

My kid is a massive fan of buses. Buses are cool. Support transit.

Wonderful to see!

They criminalized crossing the street and did a concerted effort to make humans secondary to cars.

This effort was organized and systemic. We need to fight back for the human experience in a similar way or we’ll keep crying and then nothing will change.

Engineering standards were in many ways a product of the car industry. The earliest institutes that set these standards and distributed them across NA were funded by car companies.

They changed laws and regulations to make cars at the center.

What’s something you think is true that most people don’t know?

Planners call it the "Popsicle Test" for a walkable, child-friendly neighbourhood. Can a child safely walk to a store, buy a popsicle, and get home before it melts?

Nice