This is the world I want to live in.

Would Schools Close in a Future Pandemic? Five years after the global Covid pandemic was declared, there is widespread agreement that closing classrooms was devastating for children. Here is what leaders say they may do next time.

What We’ve Learned About School Closures for the Next Pandemic www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/u...

They Sold Out Big Bird, and They’ll Sell Out the Rest of Us Too | The Walrus The spirit of uplift that gave us Sesame Street, the CBC, and public schools is under threat

This article struck a chord with me. We need more support for our public institutions, not less, and more opportunities for community service. Some great recommendations at the end: thewalrus.ca/death-of-big...

Doctor turns to ChatGPT for novel ways to say ‘it’s all in your head’ to female patients Halifax, NS - Looking to take advantage of AI in his practice, Dr. Allan George turned to ChatGPT for novel ways to tell female patients “It’s all in your head.”

Doctor turns to ChatGPT for novel ways to say ‘it’s all in your head’ to female patients

www.thebeaverton.com/2025/02/doct...

Every year, Metro Vancouver budgets for the services that help shape the future of our region. From high-quality drinking water to liquid waste management to regional planning, your input matters. Make your voice heard from Feb 15-Mar 30.

engage.zencity.io/metrovancouv...

Hi Bluesky! We’re Metro Vancouver, here to share updates on essential services and projects that support the region we call home. From delivering high-quality drinking water to planning for urban growth to managing regional parks, we’re looking forward to connecting with you!

Can You Tell Me How to Get Someone to Save 'Sesame Street'? With its Warner Bros. Discovery contract about to expire, TV critic Alan Sepinwall explains why the beloved children's series deserves to survive.

We have larger concerns heading into 2025, but I can't let go of the idea that the next season of Sesame Street could be its last. So I wrote about why the kids' TV institution is still vital after more than 50 years:

A bird's-eye view of a recently redesigned residential street. The image features modern townhouses on both sides, with red and gray exteriors. A narrow, freshly paved street runs down the center, flanked by wide sidewalks and green landscaping that incorporates rocks, mulch, and newly planted vegetation. Construction barriers and fencing are visible, indicating ongoing work. Solar panels are present on the roofs of some houses, and the area appears pedestrian-friendly with a focus on green infrastructure.

We need a lot more residential streets with rainways.

(City of Vancouver, BC)

Great walkable neighbourhoods that regularly host public events and have nearby parks and places to sit and have coffee - Commercial Drive, Main Street, Olympic Village, Kitsilano, West End, Yaletown, South Granville, etc.

Too much driving is bad for society, new studies show It turns out trying to expand the freedom of the open road has its limits—when taken too far, it can end up driving people apart.

“In a typical week, relying on a car more than 50% of the time for out-of-home activities is associated with a decrease in life satisfaction. This implies that at high levels of car dependence, there are negative implications that outweigh the benefits of car-based travel.” ssti.us/2024/12/09/t...

A plaque with the names of the women killed in 1989: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.

Today is Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

It’s the anniversary of the massacre at the École Polytechnique, in which 14 young women were murdered, because they were women.

(📸 in the public domain)

Could cities please put more money into funding free, family-friendly Christmas events? I'm looking at you @cityofvancouver.bsky.social 👀

The only good thing about this story is the care and initiative of the kids trying to get AEDs in their schools. I feel bad that adults are letting them down.

I got more frustrated with every paragraph of this article. Students should be trained in CPR and all schools should have access to life-saving AEDs. The machines prompt you with instructions on how to use them. The VSB needs to change course immediately on this before someone else suffers.

Love the term "bump zones”, which serve as places for people to run into each other, like the sidewalk, café, park, community centres, libraries.

Before (2020) / After (2024) the pedestrianization work on the side lanes of Rue de la Chapelle in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The change is total.

Illustration of street space covered by untouched snow.

Illustration of street space covered by untouched snow.

Illustration of street space covered by untouched snow.

Cartoon explaining sneckdowns

Each and every fresh snow reveals how much we’ve over-designed our streets and roads for cars, making them faster and more dangerous for everyone, and how much space we could reclaim for people and public life if we thought about street design differently.

We call them #sneckdowns. #sneckdown

In concept, Superblocks are a modest intervention: traffic filters that reclaim a tiny piece of the 60% of Barcelona’s public realm given to cars.

In reality, they’re nothing short of a revelation: transforming asphalt expanses into neighborhood plazas using just paint, planters and political will.

Just opened a Bluesky account and excited to see so many of my fellow urbanists here. Feels like what Twitter used to be over 10 years ago, when I could connect with community-builders around the world.