Landscape isn’t decoration—it’s climate infrastructure. Every park, campus, public space, or commercial site quietly:
Guides water to prevent floods and water‑logging
Preserves soil health and local geology
Plants species that thrive, not just look good
Supports birds, insects, and broader biodiversity
Works with climate conditions instead of fighting them
Provides psychological calm and physiological comfort
Mayor Zohran Mamdani Holds Press Conference to Make an Announcement
Safe Streets: Completing the redesign of McGuinness Blvd., Greenpoint, Brooklyn
It is unbelievably wholesome and hopeful the way these activists and organizers cheer each other on, hand the mic to one another, etc. May this spread!
SUCCESSFUL URBAN INTERVENTION FOR BIODIVERSITY IMPROVEMENT
🏙️ Over the past two years, Dunedin's city center has become greener and more biodiverse thanks to the installation of street-side planters.
🐞 This change, though modest, proves popular with a range of insects that have moved in even though the city center remains dominated by gray non-permeable surfaces.
🌇 This real-world example shows that urban dwellers with limited green spaces can still have a positive impact on urban biodiversity through the use of planters and raised garden beds.
🪴 The upgrade of Dunedin's George Street comprises three consecutively installed blocks, each with a slightly different theme. The first block is dominated by native plants, the second features more flowering species, and the third has a mixture of both.
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@heartlandurbanist - Urbanist & activist campaigning for livable cities, better transit, especially in Midwestern USA
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@ohtheurbanity - City planning in Canada & rest of world
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@drtcombs - Cycling & city planning in USA, esp. road safety
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@ianrbuck - Urban planning & land use in Minnesota USA
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@paige - Canadian urbanist & activist, also politics, economics, cycling etc
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@reece - In-depth videos on transit in cities
An excellent article from Dr. Scott Maclean, assistant clinical professor in the UofA Department of Emergency Medicine and practicing emergency department physician, Dr. Elaine Hyshka, associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Health Systems Innovation at the UofA’s School of Public Health, and Dr. Kathryn Dong, associate professor with the UofA’s Department of Emergency Medicine and an addiction medicine physician.
Edmonton leads the world in frostbite cases, not because our weather is special in any way, but because of our poor healthcare response and the way we (mis)treat our unhoused population.
40% of all frostbite cases in Edmonton and Calgary were due to homelessness, the first spikes occurring in milder temperatures (warmer than -20°C when cold weather response is not activated in Edmonton), and the second spike occurring in deep cold (colder than -35°C), corresponding to police encampment raids and the growth of people living unsheltered or in temporary shelters.
During the coldest months in winter, the Edmonton Police Service priority has been to confiscate tents, clothing, and other supplies needed for human survival, because unhoused (primarily Indigenous) people aren't allowed to own things. If you need to use a homeless shelter then you're allowed to own even less.
Our emergency response isn't funded to support a vulnerable population, not activating until we have -20°C windchill for 3 days (compare that to Vancouver which activates at 0°C). This is absolutely inadequate for people who cannot get in out of the cold whenever they want and can't afford expedition-level clothing, EVEN IF they were allowed to keep it.
Over 150 people were admitted last winter for immediate treatment of severe frostbite, which could involve surgery 6 months later for those who require amputations. If an unhoused person undergoes a permanently disabling amputation, it makes it so much harder for them to get off the street and find housing.
As a childhood frostbite survivor myself, I'll also note that getting frostbite makes you much more susceptible to it in the future. You will always be more sensitive to frostbite, and require greater care.
Edmonton's approach to the needs of unhoused residents is absolutely cruel and callous, and is driven by divisive politics, fear-mongering, and hate-mongering which we saw so much of during this recent municipal election, where a million-dollar developer-funded political party was campaigning in Edmonton suburbs on "cracking down" on downtown, which is code for removing Indigenous and unhoused populations whom they have painted as the cause of crime and the hindrance to "safe streets" and "open community".
And of course the one (remaining) member of said party who got elected (one lost the election after misplaced votes were found on recount, the other has since left party affiliation), was a former President of the Edmonton Police Union, who vehemently fought against community-based protests and efforts towards anti-racism (including #BLM) and police accountability, claiming to have been the "victim" of these "heinous" movements, for which he targeted journalists and city council (of which he is now a member of). Thankfully he is only one voice on council, but he represents all the hateful elements which this city needs to recover from.
We pride ourselves on being a "winter city", yet there is so much hate and animosity towards any who use the outdoors for basic needs, from living outdoors in homelessness, to commuting outdoors through active transportation. We will never be a real winter city unless we support people to get out of their heated homes and automobiles for more than just "quick recreation".
Support #ClimateAction in Calgary! #YYC needs an informed, engaged, well-organized & mobilized grassroots #climate movement like the one we're building at the Hub. We work hard moving the ball on #climate. We're asking for your help.
3 images of Hub advocacy events including a seniors flashmob, a biking event and a big rally at Calgary City Hall. Hub logo + content which reads "Fundraising Drive - EMPOWERING OUR COMMUNITY TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE - donate today at https://give.crowdfunding.alberta.ca/calgaryclimatehub2024
“your quality of life will improve with more housing and scalable transportation. If nothing changes, your quality of life will be worse. It’s not rocket science. Progress is just sitting there waiting for someone to make it happen.”
Occasionally I collect #art, watch #LaserDiscs, study #horology, visit museums often (The Met, MFA, Harvard Art Museum), and support my local libraries.
#introduction
Hi! I don't know what name I should use, so for now call me Kira. I live in Canada. I like #Anime and #VideoGames and #Rust and #ScienceFiction and #Fantasy and #PublicTransit and #Urbanism and other things too. I'm on the quiet nerd boy to #trans woman pipeline, but in an eddy because though I'm a #lesbian my wife of many years is not. And I love my marriage and my kid and our life and can't see myself risking it to transition.
So this is where I will, probably obnoxiously, yearn for a life where I could have it all and transition too. My therapist said I should reach out to the community and so here I am.
( If you think you know who I am: no you don't. Not on here. You'll know how to contact me elsewhere instead. )
"Cities in North America all caught the same mania of city building where you just try to stuff as many cars through a downtown as you can rather than making places people wanted to actually spend time in. Cities are better when you're not just racing through them in your own enclosed metal box."
being an ebike commuter is an important part of my life, and I wanted to share some of my experiences with that. I hope this provides some useful insight for people who have never rode a bike in a city, or are getting started with micromobility.
Can anyone point me to some good essays on the consequences of replacing public spaces with corporate-owned spaces, such as the replacement of main street shops with shopping malls and supermarkets? #urbanism#freespeech#publicgood
“Atlanta’s growth model is dying—choked by the escalating costs of housing and autocentric transportation, alongside wages that can’t keep up. No simple fix will transform this vicious cycle into a virtuous one. But some guiding principles should guide our search for reinvention.”
"I left a doctor's office inspired to work on the diet & get more exercise in my life but what I was going to do that wasn't going to be a drag? I was literally walking by the #BikeLanes on 12th that were still new at that time & I thought, 'oh, hey, why don't you just get a bike?' So I got a bike!"
It's always best to mentally change 'driving' to 'running around with scissors' to assess what someone is telling you.
E.g. 'I was just running around with scissors when someone stepped right in front of me. They weren't watching where they were going. They could have been really hurt. What an idiot!'
"Most surveys show there's around 20% of cyclists that are 'hardcore' & going to ride no matter what. Which means there's a huge %age, say 50 to to 70% who basically say, 'look, if it was more comfortable, safer & convenient I would definitely do it & do it more.'"
I live in an apartment downtown & couldn't tell you the last time I mowed a lawn, shovelled a driveway, paid for parking or got stuck in traffic. I walk a block to the grocery store & never need a shopping cart. It's the best I've ever lived #DowntownLiving#Urbanism#Density#yyc