The Environment

This has to be the next logical topic. So, why go from favouring single-family housing to zoning for densification? Next instalment – some suggestions for the how. And later, I will tackle land use and buildable area. The Why I have touched on the various reasons in my last post. Also, I wrote about the […]

I had ambitions of tackling densification, zoning, and land use all in one post. Indeed, that was ambitious. So for now, I will tackle the problems of the single-family home fixation. City Zoning Favours Single-Family Housing Toronto’s yellow-belt covers 75% of its land area. Until quite recently, the yellow-belt restricted development to detached and semi-detached […]

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Don’t build it! At least, Not In My Back Yard ! I acted as an advisor  in the sale of a beautifully natural, 14-acre urban waterfront estate. Existing zoning allowed for the development of 30 to 35 single-family homes, which after road dedication would leave very little green space. I did not think that was […]

We were visiting Glasgow (literally that Dear Green Place in Gaelic) to see where my father was born, grew up, and went to University. Fortunately for me, my cousin John from Australia had just visited and had met with historians, Bruce Downie  and Norry Wilson.  So,  we too arranged to meet them in the Govanhill […]

I am not keeping up with my commitment to write more often. I am busy. In addition to my usual advisory work, I am investing a lot of time into three inter-connected initiatives for improving urban life. Interconnected because they are all about improving urban life and providing homes for everyone and everything. How did […]

Love your lawn? Do you hanker for a perfect carpet of green fescue? How many hours do you dedicate to weeding, watering, and mowing to get those perfect geometric stripes? Me, I think lawns are a pain. Has this summer proven difficult for lawns where you live? Watering restrictions? Pests? Perhaps your lawn wars begin in […]

We need urban green space! And yes, we have to preserve agricultural land and wilderness areas. The biggest road blocks to achieving these objectives: suburbanites demanding development freezes to halt densification. Densification results in more urban green space – not less. Also, it helps prevent urban sprawl to more distant municipalities that grow by re-zoning […]