Reposted by Charles MontgomeryGil Penalosa @penalosag.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Show up!! CAVE people, very few, but very active. CAVE? Citizens Against Virtually Everything. Last night many, many Torontonians showed up: 'STOP bikelane removal'. Do not destroy the few SAFE bikelanes; build more. AAA: All Ages Abilities. Connectivity. SHOW UP & FIGHT! Now! 212427
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 24/09/2026People are more pro-social than we think An experiment in which 5,980 lost letters were dispersed in communities found that return rates for ingroup (Italian) & outgroup (foreign) recipients were the same Places that returned more letters to ingroup members also returned more to outgroup members 33613
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 23/09/2026What killed urban nightlife? And how can we bring it back? @uytaelee.bsky.social latest video is a cracker! youtu.be/EmLO69c_fywyoutu.beGen Z Didn’t Kill NightlifeYouTube video by About Here 1120
Reposted by Charles MontgomerySherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 15/09/2026I spoke with @sciam.bsky.social's Bri Kane about what makes AI chatbots unique as “intimate machines.” What this means for our relationships. Then we focused on what this means for children. My bottom line: chatbots and young children are a toxic combination. Listen to our conversation:scientificamerican.comWhat happens when AI becomes your friend?What do we lose when machines become our closest confidants? 044
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Want to actually control the algorithms that dictate your social media feed? This new tool lets you do it. 🎛️📲 Thank you @jonathanstray.com @noupside.bsky.social newpublic.substack.com/p/meet-the-a...newpublic.substack.com🎛️📲 Meet the algorithm you can actually control and understandJonathan Stray and Renée DiResta introduce MySky, a feed that shows its work 020
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 17/09/2026I never thought I would see the Happy Cities team championing design for cars. But this work from @happycities.com and @mobycon.bsky.social shows that by designing SMARTER for cars, we can create places that work better for everyone. Free webinar in one hour.... happycities.com/projects/peo...happycities.comHow to design for cars in people-centred places — Happy CitiesPractical design strategies to meet the needs of drivers while creating great places for people, from Happy Cities and Mobycon. 040
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryBen Coli @ben-coli.bsky.social · 04/09/2026This is the best summary of the parties in the Vancouver civic election I've seen. And I will say, the only thing that houses people is housing. 0187
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryBrent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Given 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. 011019
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryBrent Bellamy @brentbellamy.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Winnipeg celebrates the opening of a restaurant that will only sell you a hamburger if you own and are driving a car. Live nearby? Can’t walk or bike over. Bus home from work? Can’t stop in unless you go home to get your car first. Teenager? Nope. www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...winnipegfreepress.comCanada’s first drive-thru-only McDonald’s opens in WinnipegOne Grimace and dozens of smiles were on display Wednesday as McDonald’s staff and supporters celebrated the grand opening of the fast-food chain’s first drive-thru-only restaurant in Canada. 94513
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryCanada's National Observer @nationalobserver.com · 31/08/2026NEW: MapQuest is currently the number one navigation app on the Apple App Store, overtaking Google Maps thanks to Google's decision to follow Trump's lead in renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America.nationalobserver.comMapQuest finds its way back to prominence thanks to uproar over Google Maps decisionMapQuest is currently the number one navigation app — and among the most popular apps overall — after Google renamed Lake Ontario as Lake America. 861601546
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Save the city, save the climate. This starter pack, connects the dots… 04217
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 11/08/2026Social trust grows when we meet face to face, and it dwindles when we are separated by screens or windshields. Loved my rapid-fire convo with with Naomi Cohen, the 15-year-old wunderkind host of Realtopia Podcast. www.spreaker.com/episode/epis...spreaker.comEpisode 16: Charles Montgomery (Author) — Happy Cities, Trust & the Design of Belonging - Realtopia - Real Estate for Teens 061
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Despite Elon Musk's declaration that empathy is our weakness, it is actually our species' super power. A juicy read from Net Mirth HQ @manderson98.bsky.social mitchellanderson.substack.com/p/exploratio...mitchellanderson.substack.comExplorations in Empathy (Part 1)Is Being Nice Evolutionary Emergent? 041
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Perth is what you get when wealth, beauty and extreme dispersal collide. Chris Arnande explains: "you begin to believe you’re in a stage setting of a city, where two-thirds of the actors have been plucked out, removed to play some sort of trick on you." walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/perth-aust...walkingtheworld.substack.comPerth (Australia) -- The Beautiful Lonely CityGiant trees, odd birds, and few people living next to valuable rocks 040
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Chatbots often deepen extremist beliefs. But if they were designed differently, they could disrupt them. open.substack.com/pub/techands...open.substack.comInside the Chatbot Extremism LoopChatbots can deepen extremist beliefs—but new research from ISD suggests they could also help disrupt them. 140
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 02/08/2026I need a tool to block supposed science and design accounts which are actually just nonstop American politics. Help! 160
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 02/08/2026Teenagers are spending as much time on social media as they would for a full-time job. Girls are spending 35+ hours a week on social media and boys are close behind. If they keep it up, the average teen will spend more than 10 years of their life doomscrolling www.oecd.org/en/publicati... 11614
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 12/07/2026Most single people say they want to have romantic encounters in public spaces--just like in the movies. That rarely happens to people who are forced to drive everywhere. Meanwhile, people in walkable places depend less on dating apps for connections. www.planetizen.com/features/137...planetizen.comPlanning for Love, Part 2: What happens to dating in a car-centric world?A survey of over 150 adults about their dating lives reveals stark differences based on their neighborhood's walkability. 24013
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryGil Durán @gilduran.com · 12/07/2026I was sunning by the pool when the boxes arrived. And here in my hand is my life’s work: “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War On Democracy.” Coming 8/18. Pre-orders make a huge difference! Make a fascist sweat—pre-order today! www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ne... 1293264901
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryMichael Andersen @andersem.bsky.social · 09/07/2026Oregon’s model multifamily zoning code regulates size with “FAR.” What do floor area ratios look like? I went to one of the very few small-lot neighborhoods where Portland has re-legalized apartments, right next to I-5 in NoPo. See alt text for their FAR 66312
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Want to be happier and less full of extremist rage? One efffective trick is to unfollow the most extremist accounts on your social media feed, and follow more educational/uplifting ones. Thanks @jayvanbavel.bsky.social ! osf.io/preprints/ps...osf.ioOSF 040
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 07/07/2026When opportunities for collective fun dry up, happiness falls and extremism rises. Cities need to tackle the fun drought. Start by investing in public space, sports, and...yes, legalizing dancing again. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...bloomberg.comThe Fun Shortage Is Real, and It’s Making America MiserableWith fewer places to relax and socialize, and steeper prices for entry, having fun is quantifiably harder than it used to be. 1172
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 03/07/2026Your AI is not a tool. It is an environment that is absorbing you. (Thank you @lmsacasas.bsky.social for making sense of this new world. And friends, find more on his Substack.) open.substack.com/pub/theconvi...open.substack.comYour AI Is Not a ToolThe Convivial Society: Vol. 7, No. 5 050
Reposted by Charles Montgomerynick andersen @nicktheandersen.com · 02/07/2026america has a fun shortage and it's important we talk about it (decline in third spaces, etc etc) 1322573643
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 16/06/2026What if the stuff we did to save the world also happened to make us happier and healthier? New book out now: happyclimate.org @dunnhappylab.bsky.socialhappyclimate.orgLeave the Lights On - Make Climate Action JoyfulWhat if the most effective ways to fight climate change made you happy? Psychologist Elizabeth Dunn and climate behavior scientist Jiaying Zhao challenge everything we think we know about sustainable ... 060
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 15/06/2026It took an indigenous nation--and land not ruled by municipal zoning--to provide the housing that Vancouver desperately needs near downtown. Free link to story with wise words from @khelsilem.bsky.social : www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/o...nytimes.comOpinion | One City Might Have Just Cracked the Housing Crisis 2142
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryRobert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 11/06/2026Hawaii just passed the first state law in the country banning corporations from making political donations in state elections. Now a Koch-backed legal group is suing to overturn it. Big Money won't get out of our politics without a fight — one that we the people must win. (via @levernews.com) 393167665680
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 09/06/2026There are now more bots online than humans, and the Internet is being reconfigured to serve those bots. So if you are wondering how to best use your time today...try meeting a human in person. www.tomshardware.com/tech-industr...tomshardware.com‘Bots have now passed human traffic online,’ Cloudflare boss laments — says agentic traffic wasn’t expected to eclipse real people until next yearBot (automated) vs. human HTTP requests are split 57.5 vs. 42.5 percent, according to the firm’s latest data. 082
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 04/06/2026In Vancouver, the redeveloped Oakridge Mall replaced parking lots with with residential towers and rooftop park. It’s meant to be a green oasis. Here’s how it’s going. Not finished yet, but it is going to be challenging to draw people to this space. 140
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 04/06/2026Cities face uneven penalties under Ottawa's Housing Accelerator Fund www.nationalobserver.com/2026/06/04/n...nationalobserver.comCities face uneven penalties under Ottawa's Housing Accelerator FundOttawa’s housing fund was meant to reward cities for making it easier to build, but uneven penalties are raising questions about what happens when they fall short. 010
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryMarc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 03/06/2026ABC and CBS paid Trump. NBC gave to his ballroom. Scott Pelley took a stand and was fired. CNN is next. When Trump sued me, I fought and won. It is that spirit I brought to Democracy Docket. Fearlessly independent, always pro-democracy. Help it grow by subscribing now. bit.ly/4qmEiFz 513725920
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Drivers who also cycle have fewer accidents and lower insurance claims. Another reason to get more people biking! www.forbes.com/sites/carlto...forbes.comCyclists Are Better Drivers Than Motorists, Finds StudyCyclist-drivers tend to have faster reaction times than motorists who don't cycle. 56210
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryW.E.D.em Boyz @leftistwonk.bsky.social · 02/06/2026The US is now spending more on data center construction than on public transportation infrastructure 25545302028
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 02/06/2026They let AI agents loose in an artificial world. Grok immediately turned to crime. Claude was honest--until it had to interact with other agents like Grok, then it became criminal, too. www.emergence.ai/blog/emergen...emergence.aiEMERGENCE WORLD: A Laboratory for Evaluating Long-horizon Agent Autonomy — Emergence AIMost evaluations of AI agents look like exams: a discrete task, a clean environment, a score in minutes or hours. Emergence World is built for the opposite question—what happens when you let agents ru... 050
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryBrett Bergie 🏳️⚧️ @brettbergie.bsky.social · 29/05/2026“The countries where children have the most independence [are] the ones with traffic calming, lower speed limits, separated cycling infrastructure, and a driver culture that expects children to be present in the road environment.” livewirecalgary.com/2026/05/28/p...livewirecalgary.comPerspectives: I Want My Kids to Roam. I’m Afraid a Driver Will Kill Them.A new survey of nearly 24,000 American parents found that at age 12, one in five children still aren’t allowed to leave the house without an adult. Only two percent can go anywhere on their own. At 17... 518050
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 27/05/2026If you care about the future of human trust, read Eli Pariser @newpublic.org remarks at the Vatican. "AI is capable of supporting human connection or eroding it. There’s nothing inherent in the technology that says which of these directions we will head." newpublic.substack.com/p/what-eli-s...newpublic.substack.com✨💬🇻🇦 What Eli said at the Vatican about AISharing about prosocial AI as Pope Leo changes Catholic doctrine 053
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryScarletCoral @scarletcoral.ca · 17/04/2026Watch the review of the book "Happy City" by @charlesincities.bsky.social ⤵️ #UrbanismBookClub #urbanism 001
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 29/04/2026It was an honor to share Happy City strategies with Romanian mayors and city builders at the Tilia Summit. I started by invited attendees to have a trust-building encounter with a total stranger. They rose to the challenge. Because that is what cities are for. www.instagram.com/reel/DXebsXi...instagram.comInstagramCreate an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you. 000
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 09/04/2026Thank you for this terrific visual summary of Happy City, George Liu! youtu.be/x4Sdtme0dN4?...youtu.beCan better city design improve your happiness? | Happy City by Charles MontgomeryYouTube video by Urban Mobility Explained 031
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryYonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 08/04/2026Paris metropolis: Striking reductions in car use due to proactive efforts to encourage bike, walking, transit: —Less car ownership: From 0.5 cars/HH in Paris to 0.36, 1999–2022. Outside of Paris: 0.88➡️0.8 —35% less gas sold 2005–24 —15% fewer gas stations between 2019–24 www.apur.org/sites/defaul... 214847
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 02/04/2026We are officially living in the K-shaped economy: where the wealthy get richer, and the poor get poorer. Apart from being unfair, this is a disaster for social trust and societal cohesion. canadiantaxobservatory.ca/welcome-to-t...canadiantaxobservatory.caA small group of Canadians are living it up. The rest of us are struggling. Welcome to the K-shaped economy | The Canadian Tax ObservatorySince the pandemic ended, life for the wealthy has been a joyride. Life for the rest of us has, more often than not, been a grind. 040
Reposted by Charles MontgomeryHey Neighbour Collective @heyneighbourcollective.ca · 27/03/2026We're delighted to be a part of Jessica's new book, 'No Place Like Home: The Missing Key to Our Housing Crisis,' and you can read an excerpt on @thewalrus.ca! Sparking connection and conversations can be as simple as, say, organizing doggy dates or leaving a puzzle in the lobby. 🧩 032
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 28/03/2026Great thread but this post really got me. We all need to avoid dogmatic thinking. Don’t ever let slogans be a replacement for critical thinking and evidence. 1335
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 27/03/2026If we don't want to screw up the future of cities, we need to study the (modern) past. Lovely review of Bruno Carvalho's Invention of the Future by @linpoonsays.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...bloomberg.comWhat Urban Planning’s Past Says About Tomorrow’s CitiesA new book from Harvard scholar Bruno Carvalho marks the milestones and missteps that have shaped urbanization patterns around the world. 072
Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 26/03/2026Charlotte, NC, is one of the fastest growing cities in America. How can Charlotte grow in a way that actually makes residents healthier and happier? That's what we're talking about at the Charlotte Ideas Festival. Join us April 13! events.humanitix.com/the-2026-cha... 040