In 2015, Edmonton adopted the Vision Zero Strategy, aimed at reducing fatalities and serious injury from vehicular collisions in Edmonton. It received praise from Council and was supported unanimously, and I mean, why wouldn’t someone support that vision. In the years since, the City has implemented a series of interventions that follow the overall road…
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Not all of us are blessed with confidence when public speaking, but as planners it is a big part of our job. Over my career, I’ve had success at public hearings and in council using a small set of strategies. Here they are.
The City of Edmonton is proposing changes to their zoning bylaw to solve the issue of housing affordability. The changes are intended to spur missing middle housing development, like row housing and low-rise apartments. But the reasons for the missing middle are beyond simply policy and process – some of the elements are completely out…
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Being human, it’s easy getting stuck in the same routine once you find something that works. I was reminded of that this past week while attending my favourite local coffee shop, DOSC, as the barista I’ve come to know superficially kindly called me out for always ordering the same thing. Outside of the shock that…
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It’s cold. This isn’t breaking news by any stretch of the imagination, it’s winter in a Canadian prairie City afterall. But since the beginning of February, Edmonton has been REALLY cold: You can see Edmonton has been colder than average, but this graph doesn’t tell the whole story. For those reading that don’t know what…
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I’ve never been one of those people that gets amped up for Christmas before December 1st, getting the tree and decorations up, listening to the Christmas Carols-only radio stations, and putting the Christmas fire log channel on in the background while I do housework. Christmas was always a stressful time around our house as kids;…
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Being a pedestrian isn’t as glamorous as this blog makes it sound. There are some days, in early September, when you look outside and see things like this: And you just wonder where the summer went, immediately regretting not taking full advantage of warmer days. “It’s over”, you think to yourself. It happens around the…
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I’m a private person, especially with my home life. It’s not that I’m living a criminal life, cooking meth in my bathtub at night like I’m Heisenberg. It’s just that I like to do my thing (write, crush Breaking Bad episodes and talk both to and on behalf of my cat) in solitude sometimes. Maybe…
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Coolio was the best. When I was looking at my current apartment for the first time, I walked over from the place at which I was living at the time, thinking to myself “that hill will be a tough commute every morning”. ‘That hill’, of course, is 103 Street, one of many steep access points…
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Incorporating public art into public spaces isn’t anything new. Hell, in the 16th Century during the Renaissance, artists were basically celebrities. They received massive commissions to produce pieces of art that enhanced public spaces. Now although the themes and styles have evolved; I mean Copenhagen basically has a statue dedicated to a military, royal or…
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