iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Infrastructure Weak @infrastructureweak.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This looks like an early example of the international best practice, circulation planning-based bus priority measures that @chittimarco.bsky.social details in the Transit Priority Atlas. tpa.transitcosts.com

"Busway Turn Map" of Tremont Ave in the Bronx. The busway extent is a one-mile stretch of Tremont, across ~11 one-way cross streets. Cars are permitted to enter Tremont by turning right or left from the one-way cross streets approaching it, or to cross Tremont on the same streets. However, they must turn right to exit Tremont at the first opportunity along it.

Source:
https://newyorkyimby.com/2026/08/construction-begins-on-tremont-avenue-busway-in-tremont-the-bronx.html

1185

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 18/09/2026

The upshot is that timed elections would increase turnout, which is why I support holding municipal elections each time parliament is dissolved

100

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Sarah Starkweather for Oak Bay @starkweatherforob.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I’m running for Council for lots of reasons. Here’s are my top three.

1117

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 07/09/2026

Born at 317 ppm | say NO to bike lanes on Richardson St

020

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Jens von Bergmann @jensvb.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Also not sure why this is in the news now, these estimates came out in January. I guess BC Stats re-published them as an Excel sheet, which makes the data more accessible to non-data folks. But that's why I built CanViz: to make it easier for non-data folks to pinpoint and visualize StatCan data.

canviz.mountainmath.ca

CanViz - Canadian Data Visualization Tool

Interactive data visualization tool for exploring and analyzing Statistics Canada data tables. Browse thousands of Canadian statistics, create custom plots, and download data in multiple formats.

0171

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Brendan Dawe @dawe.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

It’s bad that Canadian governments are so secretive about information and controlling about comms but when you read this sort of hack work (and it’s hardly unique) you can sort of appreciate why

2154

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

M. Nolan Gray 🥑 @mnolangray.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

It's pretty remarkable how the Auckland story is almost entirely a story of townhouses and small-lot subdivision legalization. I don't think this is how many YIMBYs interpret what happened there!

2848

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Michelle Cyca @michellecyca.com · 20/08/2026

my opinion is that journalism outlets need to start being clearer about public bodies withholding interviews or information, rather than going with an anodyne "declined/unavailable for an interview" that suggests each incident is a scheduling issue, and not a consistent obfuscation strategy.

1237

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 15/08/2026

the Canada Line is often characterized as disruptive (by critics) or cheap (by proponents) thanks to a secretive P3 structure, but is imo better understood as the government of the time being agnostic about construction techniques and consciously making trade-offs to reduce costs

0101

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

GRIDS Vancouver @grids.reillywood.com · 14/08/2026

This is Vancouver’s exact policy on SROs! And very similar to our hotel policy

2182

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

William Azaroff @wazaroff.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Right now in Vancouver, if you want to open a bike repair shop in your alley? Illegal. Bakery from your back door? Illegal. Haircut in your spare room? You guessed it. Illegal. That's ridiculous. So we're gonna fix it. 🧵1/7 #VanPoli #YVR #VancouverVotes2026 #GoodBusinessStartsAtHome

26414

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

GRIDS Vancouver @grids.reillywood.com · 11/08/2026

"At First, Everyone Hated Vancouver's West End" Everyone loves the West End today, but people *hated* it when the towers were new. It is hard to convey just how much they hated it. What does that say about building new West Ends? reillywood.com/blog/west-end/

141

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

City Duo @city-duo.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Now with homes, & a social services centre for veterans of Canada’s armed forces, the Arbutus & 7th Ave social housing building has returned larger than ever. Will #Vancouver embrace this once controversial proposal, or will #Lestweforget take on a new meaning? #Kitsilano #VanRE

1101

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 05/08/2026

I really like the idea of having to watch the motorist equivalent of a pre-flight safety video before you can drive to work

031

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 03/08/2026

As a side note, this is an example where Vancouver urbanism is unambiguously worse than Calgary: trail networks in the suburbs here are much more discontinuous and often consist of adding a shared-use sign to a sidewalk

070

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 03/08/2026

Royal Bay in Colwood, BC comes to mind as an example of a developer that tried to do bike-friendly (and generally much nicer) sprawl and (imo) mostly succeeded

1101

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

GRIDS Vancouver @grids.reillywood.com · 03/08/2026

Really remarkable article, the Anglican Church is going gloves off against multiple cities. $9M and 6 years of delay to build 85 units of below-market seniors housing on their own land

24612

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 03/08/2026

unfortunately I've had many of these conversations about the GST/PST/HST

040

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Urban Land Rent 🇸🇴🚰 @urbanlandrent.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

I wish we could shake libs out of the consensus position that the progressiveness of a tax policy can be solely evaluated by looking at one side of the ledger I have had many conversations like this “This tax is regressive” >But the revenue is being spent progressively “Had not considered this”

1026630

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 02/08/2026

Genuinely bonkers; Minnesota's legislation enabled them sue an engineering firm _40 years_ after a collapsed bridge was built

110

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 01/08/2026

Explosives are sometimes fun

150

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

GRIDS Vancouver @grids.reillywood.com · 29/07/2026

In better zoning systems than ours (i.e. Japan's), this is a non-issue because they allow multiple uses instead of mandating one. People will build commercial if it's allowed and there's demand for it, you don't need to forbid residential to make it happen.

0153

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Ruofan 🚎 王若凡 @ruofan.ca · 29/07/2026

I have nothing to add that hasn't already been said but this is an act of abject cowardice. All the endless hand-wringing about towers and concentrating development on existing rental areas, and when the opportunity comes to do something about it everyone except Lucy votes for the status quo.

14713

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Jacob Loo Dawang @jacobdawang.com · 28/07/2026

Edmonton continues to show it's possible to have newly built, ground-oriented housing for families in existing neighbourhoods at a reasonable price. You only have to make it legal and feasible. Here's a 3bed for $1,895 with a $500 lease signing bonus.

Exterior photo of modern contemporary townhouse units featuring brick and white siding with black trim and metal railings. Three townhouses are visible with large windows and private entrances. Landscaping includes young trees and shrubs. Image is labeled '2 of 18' indicating multiple units available. Listing shows 3 beds, 2.5 baths townhouse at $1,895 per month, located nearby within 6 kilometers.

Continuation of rental listing details showing lease terms and application requirements. Includes $1,895 monthly rent, garage and pet policies, 12-month lease requirement, move-in ready status, a $500 move-in bonus offer for applications submitted within 24 hours, and notation that serious applicants with verified credit, income, and employment are required. Call-to-action encourages messaging to book a private tour.

18216

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Abundant Housing Vancouver @ahvancouver.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The Villages Plan is not that controversial & Council should approve all 17 villages. There was not that much opposition considering most complaints were poorly founded & the result of NIMBY fear-mongering. For comparison, consider 1805 Larch, ONE 5-storey apartment building.

Apartment at 2nd and Larch, 1805 Larch Street

1356

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Robert Borden Stan Account @bordenstan.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

A nuclear deterrent is not something you build hastily to compensate for a lack of conventional military power or security. In many ways, doing so relies on a bedrock of conventional deterrence, on information security, and on well-developed clandestine networks and alliances outside the US system.

1313

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Robert Borden Stan Account @bordenstan.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

This is an interesting article that makes some good points, so if you don't mind I'll use it to lay out my case for why Canada cannot and should not attempt to develop its own nuclear weapons as a deterrent against the Americans. I think we miss a lot of the requirements by focusing on "breakout".

49621

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Ruofan 🚎 王若凡 @ruofan.ca · 24/07/2026

Putting aside that this is slopulism that will make parking availability worse, it bears noting that the reason there's paid parking in front of beaches and community centres in the first place is that Vancouver Liberal park commissioners Scott Jensen and Brennan Bastyovanszky made it so.

Screenshot of Park Board meeting minutes from May 6, 2024 where Cmm'rs Jensen and Bastyovanszky vote to enact paid parking at Spanish Banks Beach

Screenshot of Park Board meeting minutes from October 20, 2025 where Cmm'rs Jensen and Bastyovanszky vote to enact paid parking at Langara Golf Course, VanDusen Botanical Garden, and Hillcrest, Kerrisdale and Trout Lake Community Centres

1293

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Ruofan 🚎 王若凡 @ruofan.ca · 24/07/2026

Got to try out the new Solaris trolleybus today. It was a smooth ride and the AC is going to be a godsend in the summer. Very excited for it to enter service!

New Solaris trolleybus at Nanaimo Station

4717

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Livable CRD @livablecrd.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Introducing Livable CRD 🗳️ A non-partisan coalition making Capital Region municipal elections easier to navigate. We publish a candidate scorecard + questionnaire on transit, housing, climate, healthcare & more. We inform, we don't endorse. 👉 livablecrd.ca #YYJ #BCpoli

livablecrd.ca

Livable CRD

Livable CRD is a non-partisan coalition scoring Capital Regional District municipal candidates on transit, housing, climate, arts, and other livability issues.

11610

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

dereksagehorn.bsky.social @dereksagehorn.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Far too often we have assumed a technological solution or infrastructure solution and designed the transit service to match it. This is backwards. Instead define the network you want and design service improvements to meet that goal.

1262

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 16/07/2026

this was a compelling piece right until it argued that expropriating property from lumber barons is illegitimate

100

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 15/07/2026

There's actually a really great pilot project out there already: the West End, the city's greatest neighbourhood :p

180

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 11/07/2026

good piece from @alexbozikovic.bsky.social on why hiring a design-build consortium (i.e., a construction company that in turn hires consultants) is likely to result in a mediocre 24 Sussex Dr reno Bring back old-fashioned design competitions open to everyone www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

theglobeandmail.com

Will great design win at 24 Sussex, or bureaucratic fear?

Rather than generate a flagship of Canadian architecture, restoration of the prime minister’s residence risks becoming bland

120

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 29/06/2026

Biked out to the Barnston Island inland ferry, a truly delightful experience

030

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

My issue with electric-only bike (or scooter) share is that they tend to be much more expensive. The beauty of BIXI in Montreal is *unlimited* non-electric rides (under 45 mins) for just ~20$ a month. That just changes your mobility in a way that rentals that cost almost as much as an Uber do not.

26510

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 25/06/2026

I have zero insight into whether this is a good idea for the UK but something I've been thinking about recently is how many North American states/provinces have shrunk their potential talent pools by locating of the civil service outside of the biggest city

470

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 25/06/2026

I'm glad Victoria is getting bikeshare but I confess to feeling pretty apprehensive about Lime bikes, which weigh a ton and feel more comparable to a small motorbike at times

230

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Michael Hall @michaelhall.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Am I losing my mind or is "guaranteeing affordable homes" not literally what was done with this federal announcement? Sure it'd be better if we Did It Ourselves™ but this is directly converting market condos into non-market, affordable housing.

393

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 21/06/2026

eh, I dunno if I agree with this last line. The reasons we don't do more pedestrian plazas and street parties and whatnot look pretty similar to the reasons we don't build more housing or overdose prevention sites

1101

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Andrew Appleton @aaoakbay.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Last Monday, an actual amendment was raised at our Council table to defer any further planning on our next Active Transportation routes (thankfully, did not advance). Meanwhile, Courtenay- a muni about 50% bigger than ours is building a $5m AT bridge over the Courtenay River. Priorities, folks.

051

Mark (he/him) @markedwardson.com · 15/06/2026

Spending my day off messing around with the USGS LIDAR model for Mt Baker, something I wish the Province would collect for some mountains in BC

100

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Jeremy 🇨🇦 @jeremy77.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

The long-term closures of the Galloping Goose Regional trail for repairs and enhancements is reducing cycling numbers, even with the detour. A natural experiment occurred this past winter with the trail being closed between mid November and mid March. #yyj #VictoriaBC

242

Reposted by Mark (he/him)

Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

“Today, new arenas — even those in tiny towns — cost tens of millions of dollars to operate and are built by multi-national engineering firms. They have fold-down seats, rubberized flooring, and few ways a young, roaming child may hurt themselves. They are functional and safe and boring as hell.”

0498