Chris Kemp

We could post something smart and important about artificially low municipal taxes, austerity budgets, and the economic self-destruction of too many cities — or we could just recommend that you READ AND SHARE this really important THREAD below. #UrbanTruth

Are we the baddies meme about nimbys and their fight to make America crappy for kids

Things adults are responsible for;
Road design, city layout, anti pedestrian/cycling culture, dangerous policies around driving, climate destruction…

Thinks kids are responsible for;
Brushing their teeth

Our priorities are so misaligned with reality.

sharks in water City hands out goggles, flippers and shark repellent yet still Swim To School Day not getting the numbers they hoped.

"City hands out goggles, flippers and shark repellent yet still Swim To School Day not getting the numbers they hoped."

Doesn't really seem fair if they didn't give the horse a bicycle.

So you're saying that it's okay to pollute more, as long as it's rural and more thinly spread out?

Rural living has a larger per capita carbon footprint in nearly every way. Most food is still imported (and more red meat consumed), paved surface per capita much higher, logistics/fuel use much higher. If you look at "total" carbon, yes, urban areas are high, because there are far more people.

Trump deregulation in action. Fewer than 380 whales left. Without protection they'll almost certainly go extinct.

Scientific American has updated the figure, now grouped into swimmers, fliers, walkers/runners, and vehicles. A person on a bicycle remains the most efficient way to travel, compared to all forms of biological locomotion and mechanical transport.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...

John Lorinc: Underneath the shiny renderings of Doug Ford’s Ontario Place is an idea worth taking seriously The Science Centre project represents something that has long been missing in almost three decades of waterfront revitalization: a signature cultural or social institution on the lake shore.

"I’d like to challenge the premier to issue a tender to reimagine — not demolish — the Science Centre, so Moriyama’s extraordinary bldg can enjoy a 2nd life as a community hub ...' - @johnlorinc.bsky.social

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Adding Up What Urban Highways Really Cost A new report maps the economic toll that downtown freeways exact on 142 US cities — and tallies up what that land could be worth if it was developed for other uses.

“Looking at a 3-mile radius from the downtowns of 142 US cities, roughly 66,000 acres are consumed by highways — land representing an untapped development potential of more than half a trillion dollars…that fallow land equates to about $5.2 billion in foregone property tax revenue every year.”

YouTube video by TVO Today Can Transit Finally Reduce Car Dependence in Toronto? | The Rundown

Many thanks to @therundowntvo.bsky.social for having us on to talk about our book, Life After Cars, and reimagining cities so people don't have to be dependent on giant metal boxes for their mobility.

Watch the segment here:

Reminder that Evergreen runs a complimentary wheelchair accessible shuttle bus between Broadview TTC and Brick Works seven days a week, all year round, departing every 30-45 minutes morning to evening.

How Toronto reduced car traffic and tripled bike ridership on a key bike boulevard - NACTO Shaw Street was busy with bikes, but it wasn’t working for everyone. There were too many motor vehicles using the street for riding to be comfortable for people who weren’t confident biking, including...

Toronto’s Shaw Street bicycle boulevard featured by NACTO!

More people = more pollution, agreed, but density doesn't *cause* pollution - it only correlates to it.
People in urban areas on average have a far lower carbon footprint because everything is closer and they rely on cars less.

Yet another reason to add to the already long list of why relying on cars as a primary mode of transportation is not scalable or sustainable. The true costs of driving, to health and environment, aren't reflected in the price of driving a car.

Microplastics and nanoplastics in urban air originate mainly from tire abrasion, research reveals Although plastic particles in the air are increasingly coming into focus, knowledge about their distribution and effects is still limited. Chemical analyses from Leipzig now provide details from Germa...

“Microplastics and nanoplastics in urban air originate mainly from tire abrasion, research reveals.” #UrbanTruth
phys.org/news/2026-03...

My strongly held belief is that the rapture isn’t real and people should stop trying to make it happen.

Theocracy gonna theos

This is all going to come back and bite us in the ass in ways I don't think anyone can fully predict. The longer this regime is in power the more at risk we and the rest of the world all are.

Ontario, N.S. sign agreement to sell alcohol across provincial borders | Globalnews.ca The new deal flows from a broader framework agreed to by several provinces last year to try to reduce or do away with internal Canadian trade barriers altogether.

NEW: Ontario and Nova Scotia have signed an agreement that will let residents in both provinces buy alcohol directly from local producers in either jurisdiction. #onpoli
globalnews.ca/news/1171322...

The institutional buildings of 1960s Canada were extraordinarily well-built. Throwing them away would be madness.

The 1969 Science Centre is an incredible piece of architecture. It needs some work.

The new building complex is a kludge that will be inferior by any measure.

Cheap rent enables so much creativity, risk-taking, etc.

I’ve sometimes wondered if the relative lack of urbanist YouTube channels based in NYC — given the population and enormous transit ridership — is related to housing being so expensive.

Rising carbon dioxide levels now detected in human blood Rising carbon dioxide levels are being detected within the human body, with new research warning a key blood marker for the gas could near its healthy limit within decades if current trends continue. ...

Rising global carbon dioxide levels can now be detected in human blood.

Governments continue to let oil and gas companies poison their constituents even as fuel-free energy like wind, solar, and battery storage has become the cheapest form of generating power in human history.

"Parking is not a birth right" - Hans on the Bike - Cycling in Ottawa and beyond Dutch architect Harvey Otten argues that free parking in the street is not a birth right and the cost should not be subsidised by others

Thanks @hansonthebike.bsky.social for sharing the English translation of this insightful column by Dutch architect Harvey Otten which compares parking a car with lugging a lawn chair around and leaving it somewhere. #BikeSky #BikeTO #ottbike #TOpoli #ONpoli #cdnpoli hansonthebike.com/2026/03/01/p...

People who don’t even remember 9/11 — who weren’t actually alive in 2001 — are now major (social) media figures egging on the Trump government to bomb us foreigners.

Really makes you feel old.

Ontario Science Centre’s new home is smaller, worse and probably pricier None of the Ford government’s main claims about this new facility at Ontario Place appear to be true

Gift article: Ontario Science Centre’s new home is smaller, worse and probably pricier www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/e4613d9... #topoli #onpoli

Ford government unveils designs for proposed Ontario Science Centre despite opposition Cost for planned facility on Toronto’s waterfront is about $1-billion, including a 30-year maintenance contract, premier says

My confusing day: Government claims the new, smaller proposed building will actually have more "exhibition space" than its shuttered predecessor, despite releasing numbers showing it in fact has less -- and then couldn't explain itself.
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Heard the name URBAN TRUTH COLLECTIVE this week, but not sure who we are, and what we’re going to be doing? Click on our website, and check out the “About Us.” Then we hope you’ll want to follow us, and help us spread the word. #UrbanTruth

Emergency sirens are loud enough to physically damage hearing… and they’re only that loud because private cars are both (a) insulated from outside noise and (b) always blocking the way.

Screenshot of text from the “About Us” section of our website. “The Urban Truth Collective is a collaboration between leading practitioners with persuasive communication, marketing and branding expertise applied specifically to solving the difficult challenges of better cities. This collective was started by three people but is designed to grow with diverse perspectives and experience experiences that reflect who and what make our cities great.”

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“The Truth About Cities In An Age Of Disinformation.”

Read about WHO we are, WHY we started this, our PLANS to grow, and most importantly, WHAT WE’RE GOING TO BE DOING.

We hope you’ll support this work, and help us spread the word! #UrbanTruth

www.urbantruthcollective.com