Erin Anderssen takes a critical look at the role of our cities in the provision of much needed childcare. While municipally-delivered childcare has been successful in Scandinavia, some Canadian cities are left playing with alternative approaches.
While many major cities have prioritized attracting a young and cosmopolitan creative class, what happens when these urbanites become both professionals and parents? In North American cities, childcare seems to be hard to find and even harder to pay for.
Looking to Europe, Erin Anderssen observes that “child care is an essential service and cities may be in the best position to deliver it – with proper funding from higher levels of government. For example, Sweden’s top-ranked programs are managed at the municipal level, where it is easier to monitor demand and to oversee quality.”
While a European-style system is not likely in the cards for most North American cities, Anderssen notes that cities can still play a part, pointing to Vancouver, which, “has created half of its licensed group spaces by giving incentives to developers who include a daycare in their design plan. For example, the 42-storey Shaw Tower has, as well as offices and condos, a regulated, non-profit child-care centre.”
“Nearby New Westminster has adopted similar measures, loosening regulations for centres in apartment buildings, and financing child-care grants through parking fees.”
Read the full story: The procreative class: How cities can help on the child-care front
'The New Urban Crisis' and the High Line
A PBS NewsHour two-fer: an interview of urbanologist Richard Florida conducted in a walking tour of New York's famed High Line in the gentrifying West Chelsea neighborhood, a fitting backdrop for his new book, "The New Urban Crisis."
Florida, Florida, Florida
In his new book, Richard Florida worries about segregation and redefines "the creative class."
Florida Man Fails to Fix Everything, Reconsiders Position
Richard Florida was right about everything, except when he wasn't. Ben Brown brings us up to speed on the Creative Class.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC to turn city-owned property into thousands of homes
The city has scheduled a public hearing regarding the development for October.
Buses travel at 5mph along this route in NYC. The Bronx's first-ever busway looks to change that
Prior to the busway, buses on the Bx36 route traveled as slowly as 5 miles per hour.
Pittsburg launches 'EZ permits,' aims for one-day turnaround for low-risk permits
The pilot ‘fast lane’ for permits is part of a bundle of modernization efforts for Pittsburg’s permitting process.
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 Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello