The ENERGY at our big public event in downtown Kingston, Jamaica (700-800 registered plus walk-ins) was off the charts. Powerful constructive energy around an urgent call to action (I was VERY blunt!) Will the event, all the media, and thee 3 busy days working with local leaders, be a turning point for the downtown and waterfront? #Kingston #Jamaica #waterfront #downtown

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

NEW: This year, Dublin will become the latest European capital to bar thru-traffic from its city centre. Private cars & commercial trucks will be allowed access only if their final destination is downtown. The goal is a 60% traffic reduction in the centre.

Bloomberg.com

Dublin to Ban Driving Through Its City Center

The Irish capital’s playbook for taming traffic in the downtown core follows a wave of similar efforts to restrict private cars in other EU cities.

“I’m not saying you can’t drive a car: what I’m questioning is having someone subsidise my decision to drive and park.” Parking is being managed in cities “like a badly-run charity,” & that money comes from somewhere. From Australia, relevant everywhere.

This car park cost about $50 million to build, but it’s half empty on a rainy day in Melbourne

“I’m not saying you can’t drive a car: what I’m questioning is having someone subsidise my decision to drive and park.” Parking is being managed in cities “like a badly-run charity,” & that money comes from somewhere. From Australia, relevant everywhere.

This car park cost about $50 million to build, but it’s half empty on a rainy day in Melbourne

REGISTER TODAY, and note change to BIGGER venue! Mississauga Ontario, I’ll be back in town January 17th & will do A FREE PUBLIC TALK/EVENING to discuss Mississauga’s urban future and the many big challenges cities are facing. Thread below is from my last trip. Please help spread the word!

Eventbrite

An Evening with Brent Toderian

Join us for a captivating evening with Brent Toderian as we explore the future of Mississauga over the next 50 years!

“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath https://www.fastcompany.com/3062989/50-reasons-why-everyone-should-want-more-walkable-streets

“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath https://www.fastcompany.com/3062989/50-reasons-why-everyone-should-want-more-walkable-streets

Think public transit “doesn’t work” in your city or suburb? If that’s true, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion — it’s because of choices made. Land-use, funding, infrastructure & operational decisions. If you get fundamentals like frequency wrong, it fails. Make good choices.