Christopher Hume reflects on Toronto’s year of natural, political and transit catastrophes.
“How fitting that 2013 should end in disaster; for Toronto, the year has been one long disaster,” writes Christopher Hume. “Though we can’t blame Rob Ford for the ice storm, he has already done more damage than anything nature could inflict upon the city.”
The ice storm that left 250,000 Torontonians without power wraps up a year plagued by scandals involving mayor Rob Ford and the derailment of established transit plans due to the mayor’s refusal to support surface light rail.
“The truth is that the city is in freefall,” Hume continues, “not just a joke to the rest of the world but, sadly, also to itself. Toronto is no longer taken seriously by its own inhabitants, let alone anyone else. If it can recover from the destruction wrought by its ridiculous chief magistrate, it will take years.”
Read the full story: 2013 was Toronto’s year of living disastrously: Hume
"Catastrophic" Ice Storm Freezes Toronto, Mayor
A severe ice storm struck southern Ontario and the northern U.S. over the weekend, delivering prolonged power outages and disrupting holiday travel. Embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was allegedly unreachable after the storm.
Doug Ford, Candidate for Ontario Premier, Would Open Toronto Greenbelt to Development
A prominent conservative with an infamous name is promoting single-family home development in the Toronto greenbelt as a way to release pressure on the Toronto housing market.
Toronto Ice Storm: Austerity Comes Back to Bite
In the wake of Toronto’s unprecedented ice storm - which saw 300,000 residents loose power for as long as 12 days - Christopher Hume argues that cost-cutting contributed to the extent of havoc wreaked by the city’s under-maintained tree canopy.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
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.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority