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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Can’t make the full CanU Forum? You can still join us! 👋 No need to register for the full Forum to be part of the conversation. We’ve got a few FREE events & sessions OPEN TO ALL. Come for a session, stay for the conversation, and connect with urbanists from across Canada! Swipe for details ➡️

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

What if design paid for itself? Explore how leading with urban design can create lasting value, stronger outcomes, and greater buy-in. Moderated by Chris Hardwicke, featuring Marcia Wallace, Janet Rosenberg & Scott Pickles. 🗓️ Oct. 22 | 11:15 AM–12:30 PM 📍 The Warehouse, Ottawa 🔗 canu.ca/forum2026

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

✨ Two projects. One day. CanU Ottawa 2026 wraps up with a bus tour of two exciting projects in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. 🗓️ Saturday, October 24th 🕘 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM 📍 Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market, Ottawa 🔗Register: www.canu.ca/forum2026/si... Limited Spots Available!

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Seats open. Share your perspective. See where it leads. Join CANU’s interactive fishbowl on the pressing issues shaping Canadian urbanism. Jump in, challenge ideas and add your voice. 🗓️ Oct. 22 | 1:30–2:45 PM 📍 The Warehouse, Ottawa 🔗 Register: www.canu.ca/forum2026/si...

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

We are grateful to our sponsors for supporting CanU and helping us create spaces to connect, learn, and exchange ideas about the future of urbanism in Canada. Your support helps us bring CanU Forum 2026 to life! @dtahtoronto.bsky.social @arcadisglobal.bsky.social

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Just 30 days until we Capitalize Design! Join us in Ottawa for three days of conversations, ideas, learning, and connections around the role of design in shaping our cities. Register today and be part of the conversation! www.canu.ca/forum2026/si...

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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

As cities seek to build the housing and urban density we badly need to address many of our biggest crises, we should never buy into the false choice of urban density OR urban green spaces and people-places. Never forget, the latter are critical for doing urban density successfully. #DensityDoneWell

Families playing in the aaard-winning Hinge Park on Vancouver’s False Creek waterfront, part of the original Olympic Village development built in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Urban density AND green, not OR green.

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Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Don’t buy the lie about a war on cars. They’ve been waging a WAR ON WALKING for a century. #UrbanTruth #WarOnWalking

Same text message as in the post, on a new poster from the Urban Truth Collective. Background image is a massive wide freeway, splitting neighbourhoods and filled with cars. #CarDependency #Traffic #Congestion

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Brandon @bedubble.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Honestly if most households just had *a* family car and relied on anything else (walking, bike, bus, train) for their other mode we’d be in a much better world. The issue is where we have a 1:1 ratio of cars to household members 16+

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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Because my wife is a home birth midwife, we will likely never be car-free. But our cargo bike is 100% our 2nd car. We put 3500 miles on a Radwagon and are now 1200 miles into our R&M just 200 days into owning it. Nearly all of those are replacing car miles.

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Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Safety is not only freedom from physical harm or harassment. It also has psychological, cultural & historical dimensions. Historical safety means inhabiting a place without its histories of exclusion, displacement or harm being ignored or reproduced. Safety enables us to express & access public joy.

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Renee de St. Croix @reneedsc.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

“Labour Day marked the final day of Vancouver's Granville Street pedestrian zone, but the city is already facing calls to bring it back next summer.” “We need more spaces like this that feel like they are catered to the people that live in the city rather than the cars that drive through it."

cbc.ca

Vancouver wraps Granville Street pedestrian zone, with hopes it will return | CBC News

Labour Day marks the final day of Vancouver's Granville Street pedestrian zone, but the city is already facing calls to bring it back next summer.

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

It just ended yesterday, but calls for the return of Vancouver’s Granville Street Pedestrian Zone are already loud! “…the summer pilot served as a ‘proof of concept’ that a pedestrianized Granville Street can work without the World Cup…people think differently now.” — @brenttoderian.bsky.social

cbc.ca

Vancouver wraps Granville Street pedestrian zone, with hopes it will return | CBC News

Labour Day marks the final day of Vancouver's Granville Street pedestrian zone, but the city is already facing calls to bring it back next summer.

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Toronto’s new transit line, Eglington Crosstown aka Line 5, is “actually good” according to @notjustbikes.com (who is not afraid to be merciless about North American urbanism). But stay for the tough love about the infrastructure around the stations. youtu.be/QJ9aiT-kXVU?...

youtu.be

They Finally Built Good Transit!?

YouTube video by Not Just Bikes

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

youtu.be

They Finally Built Good Transit!?

YouTube video by Not Just Bikes

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A. Zivarts @nondriver.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Ever wondered, if sidewalks are public property just like the street, why does my city seem to care a lot less about sidewalks cracks than potholes? This is your event 👇 RSVP to join us online or in person: nondrivers.org/2026/08/04/s... #weekwithoutdriving

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Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The patio is the hardest-working small-scale urban infrastructure type. For its relatively small footprint, a patio does the following: ~ Acts as a real time Yelp review, allowing people to assess the vibe & quality of an establishment before committing. ~ Legitimizes and facilitates lingering. 🧵

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Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

warning.

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André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Big-city life demands a place to sit: Benches can make cities a place to linger and enjoy, not just pass through. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit... via @theglobeandmail.com

theglobeandmail.com

Globe editorial: Big-city life demands a place to sit

Lots of public benches can help make city a place to linger and enjoy, not just pass through

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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Given the unusual timing & challenges, Vancouver’s Granville Street pedestrian zone 7-Week extension since the World Cup ended is one of the most important street transformation pilots in North America. The public support for the street has been remarkable. This week/weekend is the last. Come see.

People walking along the pedestrian Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver this past weekend during the Dutch Street Market.

All sorts of activities on Granville Street, including simple games like cornhole toss. Constantly in use. Simple things like games and chalk work very well, especially with kids and families, but also with adults!

Area assigned for kids to play mini-soccer on the street.

The ability of the street to attract kids and families was a specific goal for the extension, and a specific success that we’ve seen realized.

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

⏰ 15 days left to take advantage of Early Bird registration! Join us in Ottawa for Canada’s Urban Design Forum 2026 | Capitalizing Design, October 22–24. Early Bird registration closes September 15. 👉 Register now: www.canu.ca/forum2026

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Working in the public sector? Register 5+ attendees and receive 10% off your registration for Canada’s Urban Design Forum 2026 | Capitalizing Design! Email us at info@canu.ca to learn how to claim your discount.

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Two prominant Canadians, @brenttoderian.bsky.social & @katharinehayhoe.com, teaming up to help build the community and conversation here on Bluesky about how to connect the dots between better city-building and serious climate action! #ClimateCrisis

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Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · 16/08/2026

We’ve long felt Montréal is one of North America’s best kept cycling secrets, but it was reassuring to get a fresh perspective from our daughter and her partner this week. After spending the day rolling across the city on BIXI bikes, they returned with a clear verdict: “It’s even better than Paris.”

People dressed in casual summer attire ride shared bikes along dedicated cycling infrastructure on the streets of Montreal.

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Lanrick Bennett @lanrickbennett.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

If you drive, your single goal, your only job, is to not injure or kill anyone with your vehicle. If you need to argue with this statement, find ‘There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster—Who Profits and Who Pays the Price’ A book by @jessiesinger.bsky.social

THERE ARE
NO
ACCIDENTS
The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster - Who Profits and Who Pays the Price
JESSIE SINGER

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Clarence Eckerson Jr./Streetfilms @streetfilms.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Montreal's open streets are great! But the Mt. Royal version is gangbusters at 1.5 miles in length and since it is a largely business corridor for those who have difficulty getting around or are seniors there is a FREE pedi-cab service that anyone can use! I did! @openplans.org @nyc.streetsblog.org

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Vision Zero Vancouver @visionzerovancouver.ca · 17/08/2026

These small plazas beside parks are great. Very cheap to install - basically just add a car barrier on each end of the existing paved road. Would love to see them way more across the city! Doesn't need to necessarily be beside a park either.

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 15/08/2026

Spent all day in Vancouver riding around on a rented e-bike and I gotta say: riding around a city on an electric bike on good protected bike infrastructure is just about the most fun you can have with your pants on.

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Bryn Davidson - Lanefab @lanefab.com · 13/08/2026

@cwhitzman.bsky.social @jordanmoffatt.bsky.social Offer thoughts on a better planning process beyond the nimby/yimby dichotomy. utoronto.scholaris.ca/server/api/c...

Thanks, Michelle Bilek. Jordan Moffatt and I wrote a report on how to rethink public participation on housing from a rights basis. Currently, municipal participation tends to be reactive (yes or no to this development proposal) rather than proactive. It tends to be unrepresentative: favoring existing older, white homeowners over those who might want to live in an area, who are younger or with fewer resources. And it tends towards saying no rather than yes to affordable housing. So what processes might be more inclusive, proactive, and oriented towards positive change?

SAYING YES TO
AFFORDABLE HOUSING:
CITIZENS' ASSEMBLIES, LOCAL
DEMOCRACY, AND THE RIGHT TO HOUSING
July 2026
Jordan Moffatt and Carolyn Whitzman

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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

ICYMI: What differentiates INNOVATIVE CITIES from those that keep failing (hint: it’s about RISK)? How do you position downtowns and pedestrian streets for success, and avoid positioning them for failure? What are the 5 “elephants in the room” that CREATE FAILURE? Watch and share my interview below.

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Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

My Toronto Star take on festival challenges: 1. Crowds aren’t the problem; poor spatial planning is. Many festivals have outgrown the car-centric streets and spaces where they began. Their growth needs to be matched with permanent pedestrianization, better design, and placemaking approaches.

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Paint is not infrastructure.

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The Bentway @thebentway.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

How serious are the promises we make to one another, the vows we take, or the pledges made by our civic leaders? ⁠ Canadian premiere of Paul Ramírez Jonas’ Public Trust transforms thousands of personal promises into a city-wide public artwork this September. thebentway.ca/news/the-ben...

thebentway.ca

The Bentway Launches a City-Wide Invitation to Give Your Word with Public Trust - The Bentway

Canadian premiere of Paul Ramírez Jonas' Public Trust transforms thousands of personal promises into a city-wide public artwork exploring trust, democracy and civic participation ahead of the 2026 mun...

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Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I love bike share. What an amazing idea. You take a bike wherever and whenever you want. And leave it wherever you want. It’s not the fastest or most fitted bike to you. But it’s incredible flexibility. Bike to transit and not worry about theft. Go for a run and bike back. See rain, take a bike.

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Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

National Post arguing against rail in Canada. What it misses: Rail advocacy is mostly not about cross-country travel or linking every small town again. It’s mostly urban/suburban rail in major cities, and intercity rail where it’s most competitive (QC-Windsor Corridor + maybe Calgary-Edmonton?).

youtube.com

Why Canadians don’t ride trains anymore

YouTube video by National Post

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Kevin Wilson @kwilsonhfx.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Have you ever looked at a piece of bike infrastructure around town and wondered "what the heck is that?" Wondered why infrastructure gets built out the way it does? In this video, I go through all the different bike infrastructure that you'll encounter around Halifax. youtu.be/Hi4vnUbCEvo?...

youtu.be

Codex

YouTube video by HFX by Bike

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Terri @terriclarke.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

The photo for this story says it all. A busy commercial area in St. John’s with big box stores, restaurants, banks, transit, and very few crosswalks for pedestrians to cross the 5 lane road is getting a safety upgrade with new crosswalks thanks to federal funding.

cbc.ca

A dangerous section of road in St. John’s is getting a makeover | CBC News

A dangerous, crash-prone stretch of St. John’s road is set to get a renovation in order to make it safer.

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Matt Stickland @landofsticks.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I'm going through the sources in this CBC article to see if the escooter danger is accurate or more of a moral panic and I gotta say, so far, most of these injury reports have huge gaps in methodology and most injuries seem to be kids on scooters getting hit by (or hitting) people driving cars

cbc.ca

'An exponential rise': Canadian pediatricians document severe e-scooter injuries, deaths in children, teens | CBC News

From skull fractures to ICU admissions, pediatric specialists across Canada say severe e-scooter trauma in kids is becoming routine — and current rules are failing to protect them.

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Council for Canadian Urbanism @canurbanism.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Every great city has places loved by its locals. What’s yours? 📸 Ottawa students & young professionals: share your favourite public space or hidden gem and help CanU Forum attendees explore the city like a local. Submit by Sept. 14: www.canu.ca/forum2026/ph...

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Jason Thorne @jasonthorne.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

First ride on the new East Don Trail … and it’s pretty great!

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Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 07/08/2026

We need your help to hold Big Oil accountable. They knew the harm their products would cause—yet lied for decades and delayed climate action. We won’t let them off the hook. Tell Congress to block attempts to grant them immunity for the damage they’ve wrought.

secure.ucs.org

Tell Congress: No Immunity for Big Oil

Big Oil must not be let off the hook for its decades of deception and climate harms. Tell Congress to stand up to the Trump administration’s corporate giveaways.

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Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

A LOT of us are non-drivers. And given the big public costs and consequences of driving, we should be making that easier, not harder. Are we putting our public money in the right places? Our SECOND messaging collaboration with @nondriver.bsky.social. Spread the word. #UrbanTruth

“Non-drivers make up 1/3 of the US population. Does your government invest at least 1/3 of the transportation budget making walking, biking, and public transit great?” — Anna Zivarts.

Tagline at the bottom says “Budget for the mobility we want, not the mobility we have.“ Via the Urban Truth Collective collaborating with Anna Zivarts

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Brent Bellamy @brentbellamy.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Winnipeg’s Exchange District is experiencing a renaissance, with many new shops, restaurants, and cafés opening up. The area was buzzing last night for First Fridays, where everything stays open late. Exciting to see.

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Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Public joy is not simply an individual feeling. It is civic, cultural, and spatial infrastructure.Let’s unpack how it operates as civic infrastructure: ~ Indicates whether people feel safe, a sense of belonging, and freedom of expression in public space; 🧵…

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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Do you know about soccer tennis? Saturday nights are tournament night for the sport on the Granville Street Pedestrian Zone, & these teams are no joke! Nice way to cap off a great day on the people-street. Overheard one family talking about how they “can’t believe how great Granville Street is now.”

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