Every May, Toronto hosts something called Doors Open, which entails buildings around the city opening up their doors for free to the public. It's an opportunity to visit buildings of architectural, historical, and/or cultural significance that might normally be closed to the public.
This year, over 150 buildings are participating, including a number of sites that are new this year. You can find the complete list here.
When I was in architecture school, I used to always make a point of going. But I honestly can't remember the last time I participated. That's a shame, and so this year I'm going to try and check off some sites.
If you're around the weekend of May 24-25, you may want to do the same. The new St. Lawrence Market North building is on the list, as is the Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria.
I sometimes describe Toronto as a city where you need to scratch beneath the surface to find its true architectural beauty. It doesn't hit you in the face as much as it does in some other cities. But it's there. And initiatives like Door Opens Toronto are a great way to help you see it.
Cover photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash
The other day I was speaking to a Korean friend of mine and he was telling me about Seoul's new GTX-A commuter railway line. This line opened at the end of 2024 and is part of a broader Great Train eXpress initiative that includes 3 lines (A, B, and C) and that is intended to establish a new "30-minute commute zone" surrounding Seoul. A is the first line to open. C is scheduled for completion in 2030. And already, three more lines are now being planned: D, E, and F.
What this first line has accomplished is pretty extraordinary. GTX-A connects Paju in the north to Seoul in the south. Paju sits at the northern border of South Korea (and therefore houses many US and South Korean Army bases) and has a population of over half a million people. Prior to GTX-A opening, this commute used to take approximately 90 minutes by conventional subway and up to 90 minutes by car, depending on traffic.
Today it takes exactly 22 minutes! If you're interested in seeing a complete walking video of this commute, click here.
The GTX system is a higher-speed railway line. Meaning, the trains are designed to operate up to a maximum speed of 180 km/h. Average speeds vary depending on the segment and stop spacing, but it seems to operate at an average speed of around 100 km/h. Paju to Seoul, for example, is around 33 km. So at 22 minutes, that's a blended average of 90 km/h. This means that there's no faster way to travel between these two points.
What this also means is that, as new GTX lines continue to come online, the geography of the Seoul urban region will continue to get redrawn. Suburban regions that were previously far out, are now going to get "pulled in" and function as more integral parts of a contiguous city. This improved access should also alleviate housing pressures by effectively opening up more supply.
I mean, 22 minutes is nothing. It can take longer than this to travel 3 blocks on a Toronto streetcar during rush hour. GTX is a prime example of the magic of rail and what's possible once you accept that highways (and tunnels underneath them) aren't going to be what efficiently move the most number of people around a big global city.
Cover photo by Ethan Brooke on Unsplash
Here's a new opinion piece from the Globe and Mail talking about the importance of "early wins" when it comes to building better cities. And whoever wrote it is right.
One of the examples that is given is New York's congestion pricing program. We've talked a lot about this initiative since the beginning of the year, and one of its important features is that it pretty much started working immediately.
Travel times, in some cases, dropped by as much as 48% and, in the first two months of its operation, it brought in over $100 million of new revenue for the city. Less congestion and more money. That's what congestion pricing does.
Because of this, support for the program has risen. In December 2024, which is before the pricing went into effect, some polls suggested that around 51% of New Yorkers were opposed to the charge.
But by March 2025, more New York City residents seemed to support the program than oppose it. And again, this is almost certainly because its positive effects were felt right away.
City building doesn't always work this quickly. Many or most things take too long. But finding ways to post early wins is good practice. It also provides a quick feedback loop just in case things need to be changed.
Cover photo by Murat Onder on Unsplash