Brent Toderian / is on Nostr

City planner + urbanist at TODERIAN UrbanWORKS. Global advisor on cities. Past chief city planner for Vancouver Canada. Past/founding President of the Council for Canadian Urbanism. Writer for Fast Company, Huffington Post and many other publications. Speaker, thought-leader, city-maker.

Website: www.TODERIANUrbanWORKS.com

Last Notes

2024-07-13 04:41:13

“One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss.”
“Which means that Copenhagen, a city of 1.2 million people, saves $357 million a year on health costs because something like 80% of its population commutes by bicycle, even in winter.”
https://grist.org/biking/one-mile-on-a-bike-is-a-42-economic-gain-to-society-one-mile-driving-is-a-20-loss/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/777/341/647/987/293/original/9971033d2b15e32e.png

2024-07-10 05:44:40

IMPORTANT STUDY: “On average, the implementation of 30 km/h speed limits in European cities demonstrated a 23%, 37%, and 38% reduction in road crashes, fatalities, and injuries respectively. Lower speed limits also yielded environmental benefits, with emissions decreasing on average by 18%, and fuel consumption by 7%, indicating enhanced fuel efficiency and reduced environmental impact.”
https://www.nrso.ntua.gr/review-of-city-wide-30-kmh-speed-limit-benefits-in-europe-may-2024/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/760/604/123/124/494/original/b5269390f0be5fe6.png

2024-07-08 21:07:37

A new NASA map shows temperatures of up to 160 degrees on Phoenix streets and sidewalks. All that unrelenting concrete and asphalt for cars. Not nearly enough trees. They start with ridiculous heat that’s only getting worse, and then make it much worse with bad design.
https://www.kjzz.org/news/2024-07-05/nasa-map-shows-temperatures-up-to-160-degrees-on-phoenix-streets-sidewalks
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/752/908/616/201/178/original/4e48f941b3b0dd66.png

2024-07-03 02:16:11

NEW: Ford’s CEO tells the truth, that the automaker needs a “radical change.”
“We are just in love with these monster vehicles. We have to start to get back in love with smaller vehicles. It’s super important for our society and for EV adoption.”
Right.
https://electrek.co/2024/07/01/ford-ceo-calls-out-americas-love-monster-vehicles/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/720/147/492/910/360/original/629eabf1e807b147.png

2024-06-27 03:58:24

BREAKING: The City of Vancouver Council just voted unanimously to abolish parking minimums city-wide for all land uses.
A number of cities across the region and province have been considering or working on similar moves. This will jump-start those discussions.
Who’s next?
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-staff-recommend-getting-rid-of-minimum-parking-rules-for-all-buildings
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/686/576/361/559/238/original/f90584f451e577d6.png

2024-06-22 22:35:00

If you widen that highway
you won’t reduce emissions
or congestion.
What you WILL do
is spend a lot of public money
to induce even more cars
emitting even more GHGs & pollution
in the same or worse congestion
with people still telling you to widen the highway.
Period.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/662/655/324/370/165/original/6891589d7a882711.png

2024-06-21 16:15:43

BIG NEWS: Montreal has become the largest North American city to eliminate mandatory parking space minimums for residential & commercial projects. The city’s new 2050 Urban Planning and Mobility Plan revealed the move, which apparently is in effect now.
https://cultmtl.com/2024/06/montreal-becomes-largest-north-american-city-to-eliminate-mandatory-minimum-parking-spots/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/655/501/686/342/918/original/10d1257b29b0552e.png

2024-06-20 04:17:32

“Nearly 2,000 children under five are dying every day from air pollution, which has overtaken poor sanitation and a lack of clean water to become the second biggest health risk factor for young children around the world.
More than 8 million deaths, of children and adults, were caused by air pollution in 2021.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/18/almost-2000-children-die-every-day-from-air-pollution-report-finds
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/647/015/312/376/399/original/b248c72a8581fac5.png

2024-06-20 02:13:58

“Currently about 2/3rds of all Dutch children walk or bike to school, with 75% of secondary school kids cycling to school. By enabling safe and active travel, #Dutch cities prevent an estimated one million car journeys to school each morning.” — @npub18me…e7xm in #CurbingTraffic
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/646/529/525/410/424/original/56644735458a0175.png

2024-06-15 20:05:43

A 5 yr Belgian study showed the BIG impact of increasing vehicle weight on road deaths & injuries. When a person on a bike or walking is hit by a pick-up, the risk of serious injury increases by 90% compared to a car. The risk of death goes up by 200%.
https://www.vias.be/fr/newsroom/des-voitures-plus-lourdes-plus-hautes-et-plus-puissantes-pour-une-securite-routiere-a-deux-vitesses-/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/622/431/773/345/952/original/0cd83c79c3582a6d.png

2024-06-14 01:17:45

READ: Barcelona has a plan to create a city-wide network of quieter streets that are easier and safer to travel on foot or by bike. Instead of bumper-to-bumper cars, streets will be lined with trees, play parks, bike-lanes, benches and green people places.
https://www.politico.eu/article/barcelona-green-spaces-mental-health-superblocks-eixos-verds/

2024-05-23 03:48:26

This Vienna street isn’t “closed” because cars have been removed. It has successfully been “opened” to everything else, to a diverse and invigorated civic life, because cars have been replaced by a multitude of wonderful things.
Language matters.
HT @npub16x8…sx2w for pic
#urbanism #OpenStreets #Vienna
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/488/356/190/695/580/original/3fe338f4aa935c50.png

2024-05-06 04:24:06

Are you STILL being told there just isn’t enough space on your streets to make them enjoyable for walking, biking, transit or simple civic life? The REAL “capacity” of streets is fundamentally about our PRIORITIES. Are streets for cars, or for everyone? HT cartoon by @IanLockwoodPE
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/392/236/020/456/707/original/dfb138726f87d34d.png

2024-05-03 21:42:00

“They cut speed limits, changed street design, removed space for cars…Now it appears that work is paying off. #Oslo and #Helsinki are reaping the rewards of committed action on making their roads safer, reducing pedestrian fatalities to zero last year.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/how-helsinki-and-oslo-cut-pedestrian-deaths-to-zero

2024-04-24 00:39:49

"Adding highway lanes to deal with traffic congestion is like loosening your belt to cure obesity." - Lewis Mumford in 1955.
We’ve known this for a LONG time, but we’ve put massive energy, money, space, and time into pretending we don’t know it.
#InducedDemand #lawofcongestion
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/323/406/300/529/699/original/803b3b1a57a6794c.png
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/323/406/450/150/468/original/13b36de0fdb89ef4.png
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/323/406/702/850/408/original/ad3d513baefef7f2.png
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/323/406/901/028/971/original/3eb3f207787342e5.png

2024-04-13 19:46:55

This is really important.
The main thing that makes it hard to achieve nature and green in cities isn’t density of buildings or density of people — it's density of cars. And the more well-designed density of people and buildings you achieve, the fewer cars you need or want.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/265/631/027/819/775/original/fb2d5f0c45932db4.png

2024-04-12 00:11:49

NEW: Vancouver City Council has passed a motion directing staff to report back with analysis of the benefits and potential funding sources for a citywide speed limit reduction to 30km/h from 50 on local level streets.
Good move, long overdue. #SpeedKills
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-considers-30-km-h-limit-on-all-local-streets
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/255/348/497/256/055/original/303bc5b415acc9fe.png

2024-03-21 20:52:42

“Better” cars just isn’t enough. As I put it recently in my advice to Irish cities, “Your goal SHOULDN’T be to replace a million fossil fuel vehicles with a million electric vehicles. It should be to replace a million fossil fuel vehicles with 250K electric vehicles. The answer HAS to be FEWER cars."
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/135/658/320/858/712/original/34bd18bcb15d152e.png