By Tricia Wood
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This train is your charger: Lessons from Madrid about transit as public space
In the fall of 2022, I spent three months studying public transportation in Spain, mainly the metro in Madrid. I came away extremely impressed by the...
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Cars as predators
I am currently on sabbatical leave in Mumbai, India. Last week, I went to an eye-opening lecture at IIT Bombay by Dr. Sunetro Ghosal, “Immoral...
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COVID RECOVERY: Timid bus priority plan in Toronto needs to be bigger & bolder
This week, the Executive Committee of Toronto City Council is considering a motion to prioritize public transit on select roadways through the...
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Post-pandemic economic recovery requires strong public transit
The job losses and damage to many retail businesses from the COVID-19 pandemic and related mobility restrictions mean that Toronto and other cities face a...
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Lessons on urban mobility and inequality during a pandemic
Many cities around the world have started to open up road space for non-automotive movement to give people room to get some exercise safely. As Toronto...
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Questions for City Charter supporters: What and whom is it for?
Note: At the end of November, I was part of a panel hosted by the Institute for Municipal Finance and Governance on “Does Toronto Need a City Charter?â€...
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Transportation tech bros need to listen to the Vision Zero folks
When we talk about Smart Cities, which seems to be all the time now, we hear about tensions between public governance and corporate interests. It is...
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Toronto could learn a lot about civic engagement from Edmonton and Calgary
Let’s assume that Doug Ford isn’t going to declare himself Premier-for-life and that one day, we will have another Premier and maybe even a different...
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When is efficient too efficient? Tech lessons from the port city of Hamburg
Cities can have ports, and many do. Moreover, successful ports make for thriving cities. But ports are not cities. They are not models for cities and they...
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City politics in the wake of Ontario’s Bill 5 and lessons for Canadian cities
Last week, two things happened that are useful markers for where Toronto sits in the struggle to manage the impact from Bill 5: a court appeal and a...
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From Bach to Transport: Leipzig holds a key to the future of cities & Canadians should pay attention
The International Transportation Forum is an inter-governmental organization of the OECD. It holds a summit of transport ministers every year in Leipzig...
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Suburban land use & climate change: Making the connections and taking action
In the wake of the sudden and unexpected announcement of the termination of her position, the Environmental Commissioner for the Province of Ontario has...