Brandon Donnelly

Daily insights for city builders, delivered every morning at 6 AM ET. I’m Brandon Donnelly — a Toronto-based real estate developer and founder of Globizen. I’ve been writing here since 2013.

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  • Not every neighbourhood wants to be urban

    Many cities today treat local retail the way medieval towns treated tanneries: as an offensive nuisance that must be segregated from where people live. This has led us to our current debate over whether small-scale retail should be allowed deep inside residential neighbourhoods. It’s allowed, sometimes.

    The detractors like to get people excited by suggesting that this will lead to all-night raves, multinational chains, or streets being overrun with cars. But of course, that is not what we’re talking about.

    There are lots of case studies that we can point to. Japan, for instance, has a national zoning code that permits small-scale shops, home offices, and cafes in even its lowest-density, residential-only zone. From there, all subsequent zones work cumulatively, meaning more intensive zones generally inherit all previous uses. The result is a land-use approach that is default mixed-use.

    Of course, there are also lots of examples that we can point to here in Toronto, and that’s because corner stores used to be a part of our daily life. But these remnant examples are generally found in the oldest, and most urban, parts of the city, and rejected in the inner suburbs.

    It is no surprise that Toronto is once again divided on this issue and across its typical built-form lines. This division runs deep, and it will almost certainly resurface when Torontonians head to the polls this Monday.

    At the end of the day, corner stores and local retail are an inherently urban sensibility. It is about not having to get into a car to grab a coffee or a soft washed-rind French cheese from Haute-Savoie. But we know that not all communities want to be urban.

    One resident’s feature is another’s bug.

  • The penthouse loggias of One Delisle

    In the Penthouse Collection at One Delisle, which spans the top three floors of the building, the homes all have a fully covered loggia as one of their outdoor spaces. I say “one of” because these suites all have multiple outdoor spaces. If you’re buying a penthouse, I would imagine you want to own several different pieces of the sky.

    Here’s a plan (this particular suite also has curved walls because it’s, you know, sexier):

    I was on site this morning as the team was installing the curtain wall and panels for the southwest-facing loggia on the very top floor, and let me tell you that it is wildly impressive in person.

    The idea behind these loggias was to create outdoor rooms, protected from the elements both above and on the sides so that they could be used for as long as possible throughout the year. We also provided the option of a hot tub for year-round use, which some purchasers did opt for.

    The space was certainly showing off today on what was a beautiful fall day.

  • EVOQ Architecture completes first four-season solar greenhouse in Nunavik

    This is an important project worth sharing. Designed for Sirivik, EVOQ Architecture recently completed the first four-season solar greenhouse in Inukjuak, northern Quebec (Nunavik). Started in 2017, the initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen local food autonomy and reduce dependency on shipments from southern Quebec. 

    The result is a vibrant community hub featuring a solar greenhouse, a hydroponic growing container, a commercial kitchen, and a gathering space for cultural activities. The glazed, pink volume also serves as a fun visual landmark within the village, symbolizing food resilience, social development, and the autonomy of northern communities. 

    I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never traveled this far north in our country, but it sits high on my list and I hope to visit soon.

    Media Source: v2com

    Architecture: EVOQ Architecture

    Photography: Maxime Brouillet

  • Delivery robots have moved to the street

    At some point, I’m sure that most of you have seen one of those cute little sidewalk robots roaming around your city, probably on their way to deliver someone’s smash burger and fries.

    Still, they remain a rare feature in most cities. Here in Toronto, city council unfortunately voted to ban them back in 2021.

    But things are a little different over in China, where autonomous delivery vehicles are starting to operate at real scale across both the last-mile and mid-mile segments.

    Meituan reported that it had completed over 5.5 million outdoor delivery orders by the end of 2025, while Neolix recently surpassed 30,000 active vehicles with plans for significant growth. The company just announced a new $400 million raise.

    What’s unique about the Chinese landscape is that, in addition to cute little sidewalk robots, we’re also talking about high-capacity cargo vehicles.

    And to accommodate these vehicles, cities like Shenzhen and Beijing have created regulatory sandboxes where they are allowed to mix with public traffic.

    Interestingly enough, these delivery vehicles also seem to be creating a nighttime economy, where they roam around cities unfettered by traffic and human sleep requirements.

    Now, I don’t have firsthand experience with any of these Chinese delivery vehicles, but I do think the right approach is to create sandboxes and figure things out rather than outright ban them.

  • Why new homes will not kill the vibe in Bloor West Village

    I learned about this development proposal over the weekend through a Toronto Star article that I couldn’t read because it was behind a paywall. Oh well, here’s the Twitter post and the headline: “Once built, the 60-unit tower will be the only one on the strip. Locals say it will kill the area’s vibe.”

    The original proposal was a 16-storey mixed-use building at 2273-2279 Bloor Street West in Bloor West Village, but through negotiations with the City, it was reduced to 14 residential floors plus a mechanical penthouse wrapped with indoor and outdoor amenity spaces. The height is just under 50 metres, and the resulting FSI for the site is 9.2. What you see above is the revised massing (via UrbanToronto).

    So, will it kill the area’s vibe?

    One way to look at the proposal is that it’ll be the “only one.” But the other way to look at it is that we’ve historically underbuilt along one of our major subway lines and that it’s a positive indicator that we’re now seeing proposals like this being brought forward. This is good. It’s a fine-grained urban proposal with 50% two- and three-bedroom suites and zero parking.

    The question we should be asking ourselves is: how do we encourage more of this? The future of Toronto lies not in the two- to three-storey buildings you see depicted above, but in a mix of denser buildings that will unlock additional homes in the city and allow Toronto to wean itself off its dependency on the car. People are what create the vibe.

  • The geometric impossibility of the car-centric metropolis

    The Katy Freeway in Houston has 26 lanes at its widest, and after a $2.8 billion expansion between 2003 and 2008, commute times reportedly increased by 30-50%.

    Highway 401 in Toronto has 22 lanes at its widest and is ranked as the busiest highway in North America with an average of ~500,000 vehicles per day. It does not flow freely at most times throughout the day.

    Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires is one of the widest surface avenues in the world, but traffic congestion didn’t improve until lanes were converted into a bus rapid transit line.

    Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai ranges from 12-16 lanes and acts as the main high-capacity spine for what is a linear, car-dependent global city. It too is known for its traffic congestion.

    The common thread among all of these examples is that, irrespective of the width and number of lanes, none of these cities have solved the problem of traffic congestion. I challenge you to think of a counterexample. And that is because it is impossible to build a large, economically vibrant global city centered primarily around private automobiles without suffering severe traffic congestion.

    The car is the most spatially inefficient mode of transport for cities, and this doesn’t change with tunnels or with autonomous vehicles (at least sufficiently to make this statement wrong). The fundamental issue is one of space: too many cars for a finite amount of road capacity.

    People who live in car-dependent communities are reluctant to accept this reality, but the only proven solution to congestion is to reorient away from the car toward more efficient modes of transport, namely mass transit. And one of the most effective ways to make this switch is to price roads and congestion.

    This is not to say that individual cars don’t have a place in global cities; they of course do. It is to say that it’s impossible to rely on them as the primary means of mobility without there being negative consequences.

    It’s also worth pointing out that one of the core features of cities is agglomeration economies, which is to say that the spatial concentration of activities leads to cost savings, productivity gains, and greater innovation. Cars demand the exact opposite: spatial dispersion.

    Which would you rather optimize for?

  • The world is going electric

    Here’s a telling chart from Colin McCarthy: The world is going electric, except for the US. The chart shows the rolling 12-month share of new battery-electric vehicle sales (plug-in hybrids excluded). The callout for the US marks the end of the federal EV tax credit in September 2025. The adoption curve reflects demand being pulled forward prior to its expiry, followed by the expected falloff. Among the long list of other things going on in the US, it is highly disappointing to see the politicization of renewable energy.

  • Why Waymo’s arrival in Toronto is our chance to price the roads

    Today, Waymo announced that it has started training its vehicles on the streets of Toronto, with the goal of welcoming riders in 2028. This is exciting. I wish the timeline were shorter, but whatever, I’ll take it.

    “Expanding into Canada marks an important milestone in Waymo’s global journey,” said Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana. “Toronto is one of the world’s great cities — innovative, diverse, and forward-looking. We’re proud to bring the Waymo Driver to Canada’s largest city and to partner with the vibrant business, arts and cultural communities that share our commitment to safer streets and more accessible mobility.”

    But I also agree with Matt Spoke of Toronto Standard that this is a perfect opportunity to start talking seriously about congestion pricing. As we all know, road pricing is generally unpopular until it’s implemented and people see the benefits. To date, this obstacle has blocked Toronto from taking serious action around traffic congestion.

    Autonomous vehicles are different. I think it would be politically pretty easy to levy congestion charges strictly on autonomous vehicles. Most people aren’t going to care about “the machines.” And it would be the proactive thing to do.

    Based on the safety data we have on AVs, none of us should be driving cars anymore. This means it’s only a matter of time before AVs become the majority of vehicles on the road. I will bet you that my daughter will never drive her own car (unless she becomes an old-school motorcar enthusiast).

    Implement road pricing for AVs today and nobody will notice. But in 10 years, it will be viewed as positively clairvoyant.

  • Toronto’s bike lane pendulum

    This week, the Province of Ontario started work on its plan to remove about 19 kilometres of bike lanes in Toronto on major streets such as Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and others. The plan is to restore motor vehicle lanes, push bike lanes to secondary streets, and “keep drivers moving.” However, work did not start without protest. Hundreds of cyclists have been protesting this week, and a handful of arrests have been made.

    The thing about bike lanes in Toronto, and other places, is that they tend to follow a political pendulum. We have a history of building bike lanes, and then paying lots of money to rip them out. It’s of course wasteful, but bike lanes are divisive and they can make for good politics. Recent polls suggest that the majority of Torontonians support removing them on major streets. And I can understand why. We’re all frustrated with traffic congestion!

    But here’s what I would say in response to what’s happening this week:

    • The city should be making the decision, not the province.
    • A street like Bloor serves as an important east-west artery in our cycling network. Toronto’s grid does not have a secondary street equivalent.
    • Toronto needs more major streets like Bloor. It needs a bold 21st-century masterplan.
    • It is true that some sections, such as in Etobicoke, do have lower cycling ridership, but every lane needs to be evaluated in terms of the broader network.
    • Built form dictates behaviour.
    • Successful cities must be multi-modal.

    Traffic congestion is no doubt a major problem in Toronto, but we’re nipping around the edges and unwilling to make big, bold changes. The keys to solving traffic congestion are appropriate land-use policies, road pricing, and investment in non-car forms of urban mobility. Pretending otherwise is just fooling ourselves. To solve congestion, Toronto needs to reduce automobile dependency.

  • Market > individual performance

    It seems like eons ago now, but I remember when the pandemic hit in 2020 and pre-construction condominium sales in Toronto went on pause until the market could figure out what was going on.

    Then, at the beginning of 2021, 8 Wellesley by CentreCourt launched and sold phenomenally well. It was an important moment because it signalled that the market was back. Developers could launch again.

    Finding the right time to launch is something that developers weigh carefully, even in the best of times. I don’t believe that anyone can accurately time markets, but you want to feel like the market is strong and sentiment is positive.

    Warren Buffett once wrote that “when a management with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is the reputation of the business that remains intact.”

    What this implies is that market dynamics ultimately trump individual performance. No matter how smart, creative, and diligent you may be, there’s only so much that you can do if the market isn’t there for you.

    And in today’s condo market, developers are once again waiting for the next 8 Wellesley.