“Providing the homeless with a place to live may seem like a high taxpayer cost. But the alternative, it turns out, is more costly, research shows. Subsidized accommodation could actually be a bargain for the public, in purely economic terms.”
Housing the unhoused saves money. Via @fastcompany.com
Yesterday, Oregon's legislature voted to ban underfunded inclusionary zoning from the Portland metro area.
It's a big turnaround, and I hope a path forward for other states too.
www.sightline.org/2026/03/05/o...
The “west end model” of distributed density vs Character retention.
This was the fork in the road back in the 1970s when Vancouver opted to down zone much of the city to restrict new apartment construction, and to pivot to spot rezoning and character design guidelines.
You tell me which one would be safer, the one with 2 total stairs that everyone uses or the one with many stairs that a few units use? Fire fighters are wrong
![Suburbia is Subsidized: Here's the Math [ST07]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ny5w2k6brb2kdubxnevke6li/bafkreiel2nac6kjxkzjji3o24qpv2ehz3ayohjkeihsxj3fcjcbf35gugi)
WATCH: If you STILL don’t understand how car-dependent suburbia is HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED by downtown and all the urban parts of your city, watch this EXCELLENT video by #NotJustBikes with #Urban3 & @strongtowns.bsky.social. And PLEASE SHARE it as much as possible.
I’ve sent it to a LOT of politicians.
Fiscal responsibility is Trumps passion.
Why is the city of Los Angeles stopping affordable housing during a housing crisis?
Them pointing at Iran having proxies in Iraq, without mentioning that the U.S. invasion of Iraq is what caused the vacuum that enabled it, is something.
"People want to live in complete communities with easy access to transit, shops, and parks. These types of communities are good for health and happiness." #HappyCities
“It’s the end of the city. Toronto sucks.”
“This is the beginning of a quiet decent neighbourhood in our city being destroyed simply because it’s on the new subway line.”
Totally normal reaction to a six-unit, three-storey residence being built near transit.
“Drain the swamp? No, no I said FLOOD the swamp”
Abolish the committees of adjustment!
(Here's young @johnlorinc.bsky.social on it)
spacing.ca/toronto/2024...
No surprise who. No matter where you try and put housing, in this case on Major Streets (which he voted for), councillor Kandavel still comes around and says "not here".
There actually is precedent now for using strong mayor powers to circumvent a COA. After the St. Catharines COA rejected a developer's request for eased parking requirements, the city's mayor used the powers to bring 3 zoning bylaw amendments to council, and they passed. Chow could consider this.
Sometimes complaints about apartments talk about the lack of green space or how parks end up next to busy roads. "Why can't we have courtyards?" people wonder.
Yesterday, a TCHC proposal with a courtyard got called a prison yard. People just misusing words to make any negative association they can.
If Alberta budget strategy, why is it Ontario shaped
This is one of the worst things I’ve seen in Vancouver politics.
Vancouver councillor outrageously lies to Chinese audience that fellow councillor is a drug addict & dealer. Gets caught, forced to “apologize” for lying, mayor commends him for admitting fault.
Then turns out the mayor did it first.
The value of having the province freeze development charges was that they're basically irresistible to local politicians.
They get to spend money, and none of the cost can be traced back to them.
Oh, you new house is $50k more expensive? Wow, that's crazy.
substack.com/@deny/note/p...
'Fully embracing the single-stair model would improve life in Toronto & beyond by enabling the design of buildings w/ abundant natural light, cross-ventilation, & more generous layouts, and by also supporting the formation of stronger, intergenerational social bonds'
www.kpmb.com/insight/how-...
A concrete example of why urban planners need to take a long look in the mirror for endorsing developments that expose more people to public health issues than is remotely necessary. These risks are not unknown and run counter to Public Health Ontario: www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/docu...
Although I’ve been involved with homelessness policy for decades, I’m NOT an expert at it. Very few city planners are. @nerd4cities.bsky.social admits it’s out of his wheelhouse too, but I appreciate his data-driven approach here. Spoilers: rent rates are key & housing SAVES public money.
Comments?
Just like me, they long to be, close to you…
The only reason private equity would target housing is because they know there are regulatory barriers to supply of new housing.
You too could be the winner of a FIFA peace prize, if you debase yourself….
That would lower the value of an Olympic gold to the level of FIFA peace prize. No self respecting person wants this.
For once NIMBYs using their power for good instead of evil.
For folks on the housing justice side of things in Toronto, there is a TCHC redevelopment in Swansea that's applying for rezoning at the Planning and Housing Committee. MNTO will be writing in but the local NIMBYs are mobilizing and it could use support.
secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
