Matt Emmons

Umm what did you say @ttcriders.bsky.social?

h/t @auguststreet.ca @chmarco.bsky.social @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social @rmtransit.bsky.social @taras-grescoe.com @femwriter.bsky.social

Ex-official explained this in a way that will stick with me forever: Within fire departments, the EMTs are overworked and underpaid and don’t have time to advocate for policy. The fire chiefs, on the other hand, have a lot more time on their hands. So fire response, not medical, dictates policy.

Like, it's really not rocket science. Even the dumbest Ontarian driver could understand what those means. And that the funnily shaped traffic light is none of his business.

#Montreal 's just leap-frogged other cities in North America by opening the REM.

Automated. Electric. Frequent (2.5 minute headways). Fast (100 km/h plus). Cheap to build. (One tenth the price of other systems)

And really fun to ride...

🧵

🚨We analyzed 138 million geocoded property tax records to quantify how municipal boundaries spatially overlap onto economic segregation in every US metro area—creating disparities in localities’ ability to fund public goods. And we made an interactive map of our results! [1/16]

This is a very cool paper with a clever identification strategy to test the causal impact of the opioid epidemic on various political outcomes.

A key point that’s not in the abstract —causal mechanism is voters agreed with GOP tough on crime rhetoric and policy.

The benchmark for affordability in this case is that until about 2000, Americans born outside major cities who moved to major cities saw their incomes net of rent rise; this century, only ones who have college degrees do, because the urban rent premium has outpaced the urban wage premium.

Stacked bar chart showing the number of apartment units in Toronto by year of construction with categories for private, TCHC, and other social housing. The vast majority were built in the 1960s and 1970s, with a minor up-tick in recent years.

Charting number of rental units in apartment buildings in Toronto by year of construction

(This is a quick update to a similar chart I made ~2.5 years ago)

#toronto #housing #dataviz #NationalHousingDay

Why hundreds of empty Toronto lots are stuck in limbo, attracting garbage, pests — and the anger of their neighbours They may one day be home to towering condos, but for now, they are unkempt empty lots that attract pests and garbage — and the anger of nearby neighbours.

No mention of Land Value Tax 🥲

Toronto Star: Why hundreds of empty lots are stuck in limbo

www.thestar.com/news/gta/why...

“We really need them to take the area and our needs seriously and to have some compassion,” said Silver. “This isn’t downtown Toronto, if you move into downtown Toronto you do expect buildings around you, but not here.”

The idea of putting almost all growth into a few "Urban Growth Centres" has really messed up people's minds about what a city is. www.thestar.com/news/gta/law...

A snapshot of a bar chart showing that construction costs increase with density in the US and Canada, but not internationally. The chart shows that per square foot cost for building multifamily units are higher than for single-family units in the US and Canada, but not in Germany, Italy, or Mexico. Source: https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2025/02/small-single-stairway-apartment-buildings-have-strong-safety-record

How much of the perceived difference in lifestyle preferences between the US and Europe can be explained by building codes? Could it be that fewer Americans choose apartments, because America’s peculiar building codes make apartments expensive?🧵

An idea that slashes capacity, reduces access, ends walk-up riding and ultimately saves basically nothing.

In Washington, Birds Are Giving ‘Yelp Reviews’ of Forest Restoration Work

Meanwhile, conservationists are recording birdsong to understand the effects of their forest reclamation work. Turns out, it's effective! Enjoy.

Essay | How to Turn the Bureaucratic Grind of Life Into a Party We all feel it: the growing stream of administrative tasks sapping our time, spirits and social lives. Admin Night represents a tiny, nerdy resistance.

People are holding administrative burden parties to collectively take on tasks
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/re...

There's a push for single-stair apartments in Canada. Calgary firefighters want the city to reject it | CBC News Calgary’s firefighters union is trying to prevent what it calls a dangerous housing trend — in which multi-storey housing buildings are being constructed with only one stairwell — from making its way ...

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Almost everywhere in the City of Toronto has fewer people that it did 50 years ago

The REM is essential infrastructure — an automated light metro system across Greater Montréal that will connect more and more of the city as it grows. 
 
Great cities have great public transit, and that’s what we’re investing to build more of across Canada in Budget 2025.

One way to reduce condo defect liability: stop forcing architects to design buildings that leak. HCD’s “objective design standards” guide *encourages* making building envelopes more complex, heightening leak and therefore defect lawsuit risk cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/Ap...

me irl

How did the Jays survive that?!?

This game is the baseball equivalent of being punished for stealing fire.

world's greatest fucking game

LOADED BASES ?!

I have a good feeling about Kirk!

Nice take for the walk!

One swing for glory

Bad call but I'll take it!

A bit cliche of the writers

Andrés Giménez, welcome to Life After Cars.

I'm a leafs fan and it's fair