@urbantruth.bsky.social and the Fight to Fix Misinformation About Bike Lanes, Traffic, and City Living.
momentummag.com/urban-truth-...

Do you want more money for fixing roads? For better schools? Improved parks? Then stop fighting infill development.

Same text as in post. Via @UBIWorks.bsky.social #UBI #UniversalBasicincome

“Basic income has been shown to reduce health care costs, including an 8.5% reduction in hospitalizations. As Dr. Danielle Martin [the newly elected Liberal MP in today’s by-election] has so pointedly said, “If we discovered a drug that reduced hospitalizations by 8.5%, we’d put it in the water.”

Hi everyone.

I hope all of you seeing this post will consider clicking “follow” on our new account/initiative, @urbantruth.bsky.social, and maybe share your fav of our many ad posters.

That would help us have the REAL IMPACT we hope this initiative will have.

Thanks for considering!

#UrbanTruth

It’s a settled point that housing and a bit of basic income is cheaper than punishment but the US thinks it’s being soft on crime to help people, and there are people who make money on prisons and punishment

Text saying “CONSPIRACY: Turns out the REAL conspiracy was right under their noses the whole time.” Subtext says “ 1 Hour Cities are the Conspiracy. 15 Minute Cities are the Truth.” Via the Urban Truth Collective

Some very wealthy corporations and people want you to think the idea of “15-Minute Cities” is a scary conspiracy.

But it’s really just common sense. More things nearby without always needing a car.

But have you heard of the “1-Hour City Conspiracy?”

Stay tuned.

#1HourCityConspiracy #UrbanTruth

This is a fantastic article about @urbantruth.bsky.social and their effort to combine city-building evidence with simple yet bold (and often witty) storytelling.
They aim to change the narrative away from misinformation, influence the public & decision-makers, leading to better cities for people.

Worth following.
@urbantruth.bsky.social
@momentummag.bsky.social
#urbanism #urbantruth

Around the middle of this I talk about gas taxes, de-congestion pricing, and which ways of getting around cities are subsidized and which aren’t. Recorded around 10 years ago but still completely relevant, especially as governments are pressured to reduce gas taxes because of Trump’s illegal war.

Bullshit Asymmetry Principle “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” - George Bernard Shaw.  Shaw’s warning seems more pertinent than ever, as we face growing amounts of misinform...

“The Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, also known as Brandolini’s Law, states that the amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than that needed to produce it.”

Useful article. As we look at solutions though, our priority is demanding upstream leadership. #UrbanTruth

If you’re interested in why it’s so hard to achieve better cities, listen to (and share) this. It was a turning point for me…a culmination of years of increasing determination to call out lies and disinformation, and the beginning of a thought process that eventually lead to @urbantruth.bsky.social.

“Toderian has seen this dynamic play out repeatedly. In his view, the dividing line between cities that succeed and those that stagnate isn’t wealth or size—it’s mindset. Some places embrace experimentation, risk… Others default to caution, delay, and a reflexive belief that change is impossible.”

“Gas prices? What gas prices?” better cities create choices. Via the Urban Truth Collecrive Image of people riding bikes in a protected bike-lane in Paris

“We could never do THAT in OUR city!” Leadership doesn’t make excuses. Via the Urban Truth Collective Image of people walking on a wonderful pedestrianized street in central Montreal

NEW: “Our ultimate goal is better decision-making about cities, so we want to influence decision-makers. But to do that, we have to reach & influence everyone.” READ & SHARE our new @urbantruth.bsky.social initiative profiled in @momentummag.bsky.social! #UrbanTruth momentummag.com/urban-truth-...

Langford is a finalist in the Canadian Institute of Planners Awards of Excellence. Times have changed!
#urbanism #yyj

Stop subsidizing sprawl! If you want a big fully detached house with a private yard, you should have to pay what that actually costs. It’s outrageous that we’ve artificially made suburbia cheaper than the city in North America.

The work I do with cities seeking to actually achieve better city-making includes more facets than I could name in a post, and I’m passionate about all of them. But if you ask me for the TWO most valuable elements I contribute that are usually most badly needed, they are strategy and communication.

'We're afraid of walkable distances now?' — conspiracies and the '15-minute city' - ABC listen The polite world of urban planning has become the latest target of conspiracy theorists. In recent weeks, the 15-minute city concept — where neighbourhoods provide life's essentials in 15 minutes by f...

“We're afraid of walkable distances now?” If you somehow missed the unhinged conspiracy about the common sense notion of 15-Minute Cities, listen to @brenttoderian.bsky.social’s National Australian Radio interview with @greenj.bsky.social. Very early on he called out the lies & tactics. #UrbanTruth

Something very annoying is how people misrepresent the position of advocates as, "You want everyone to bike!"

No, we want everyone to have a multitude of safe, efficient, accessible, and affordable options, whether that's bikes, scooters, trains, buses...or simply walking.

Brent Toderian on sustainable mobility YouTube video by opascaud

WATCH THIS: This is still possibly the most comprehensive interview I’ve done on smart urban transportation for better cities. Filmed in Vienna for a planned Paris-based documentary that never got finished, but he put it on-line for me. Watch it, quote it, and please help spread it around. Thanks!

“In that [false] story, bike lanes cause congestion. Traffic calming slows emergency response. Walkable neighbourhoods become symbols of control. And perhaps most dangerous, the idea that change is even possible begins to erode, replaced by a quiet, disturbing mantra: that would never work here.”

Graphic with “suburban sprawl” at the top and four checked boxes that say “bankrupting public costs, skyrocketing, household costs, paralyzing car dependency, and irreversible harm to the future.” The bottom line says “the cost is far too high.” Via the URBAN TRUTH COLLECTIVE

They want us to think that Suburban Sprawl is cheap. But the truth is, the costs are FAR too high. #UrbanTruth

Mayor of #OttCity proudly supports having the lowest property taxes in ON; meanwhile our streets crumble; parks unmaintained; sidewalks are in ruins; community centres/libraries reduced hours & pt of $11b infra backlog; just look at the vote spread: inside red line is 50% of population 1/

I quote this one about once a week in class - my students are probably muttering it in their sleep by now 😄

“Brent Toderian has spent more than 3 decades working in city-building across the globe...Over time, he came to a realization that..knowing what makes a city better is rarely the problem. The problem is getting people to believe it, support it, and act on it in an environment saturated with noise.”

This has been a constant mantra in Vancouver city hall for many generations of both planning & engineering leaders, including my generation (it’s been attributed to me, but I just tweaked it). It might be the most important truth underlying the Vancouver model of city-building ambition. #UrbanTruth

damn I love Brent's content, it's invaluable in trying to navigate life in the 21st C, but I will take umbrage with his point here, NIMBY is unique to ChCh NZ & ChCh NZ only.

The city refuses to go vertical, they're planning to re-urbanise the earthquake 'red zone'.

Did you miss our 1st URBAN TRUTH STARTER PACK? These are accounts with unusually good communications or marketing/branding of issues and ideas for better city-building. Sharing the truth more persausively, and calling out disinformation & lies! Please follow & SHARE! #UrbanTruth
go.bsky.app/47w5jKk

That’s quite ironic, because the US has done everything it can to banish SMALL trucks and vans from the market here.

One of the things that is so positive about the transformation of Paris is it was FAST. Converting a choked polluted city into a space for humans to thrive, move, and enjoy can be done within a decade. It’s within reach today: we just have to elect leaders that care about people more than cars.

I appreciate @brenttoderian.bsky.social ‘s ability to call it like it is.

It is an embarrassing setback for Calgary.