Just a year into his term, Christopher Hume delivers a scathing critique of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his pro-vehicular policies.
Hume does not believe that the damage caused by Ford's misguided ideas and abrasive tone have mortally wounded the city, but as the city's transit situation "goes from bad to worse", he fears for its future.
"As we're now beginning to understand, it's not LRTs that must be removed from streets like Eglinton, but cars and trucks. And if not removed, reduced in numbers. The current arterial imbalance discriminates, often with deadly results, against pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and the city itself.
After decades of such thinking, change won't come easily. A pseudo-science such as traffic engineering appears as normal as can be, but it's little more than an organized system for enabling all things vehicular."
Read the full story: Hume: Rob Ford’s Toronto can’t keep up
2013: A Train Wreck Year for Toronto
Christopher Hume reflects on Toronto’s year of natural, political and transit catastrophes.
How the Ford Fiasco Jeopardizes Toronto’s Financial Future
Taking office on a promise of fiscal responsibility, scandal-plagued mayor Rob Ford threatens Toronto’s reputation and future prosperity. Adam Giambrone shares insights from some of Toronto’s business leaders and financial experts.
Toronto's Problems Are Bigger Than Rob Ford
Sure, having a boorish crack-smoking mayor who refuses to get help or step down is a problem. But Toronto's existential problems are structural, writes Richard Florida. The city's "outmoded growth model and system of governance" threaten its success.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
‘No clear next steps’ for Chicago's permanent festival grounds
Eleventh Ward Ald. Nicole Lee has suggested Soldier Field as a possible location for the permanent event space.
California, Hawaii, Rhode Island approve housing propositions
Hawaii and Rhode Island each approved their sole proposition, while California approved two of its three.
Officials claim feds 'rushed' Amtrak environmental review
Amtrak plans to move their Chicago maintenance facility from an industrial area to a residential one.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority