In June of this year, Sidewalk Labs released its draft Master Innovation and Development Plan (MIDP) for Toronto’s eastern waterfront. I wrote about it here. It was a draft document that was subject to further discussion and refinement, with October 31, 2019 being an important… Read More
Monthly archives of “October 2019”
Dubai’s housing crisis
This week Bloomberg reported that Dubai is facing a “housing disaster” as a result of overbuilding. There’s simply too much supply coming onto the market. About 30,000 units are expected to be completed this year, which the industry believes is about 2x actual demand. As… Read More
The Birth of a Building
My friend Ben Stevens has just published a book called, The Birth of a Building. It is a primer on all the ingredients that go into a new building: finance, law, urban planning, architecture, engineering, construction, and development. It is a book that I wish… Read More
We are hiring
We are looking to hire a Project Coordinator to join the Development team here at Slate Asset Management in our Toronto office. This is an ideal position for someone who is passionate about development and cities; who wants to be part of an entrepreneurial and… Read More
The world’s cities by 2030
This UN report (2018) on urbanization trends is a fascinating way to understand how our world is growing and changing. So today’s post is about some of my takeaways. If you have others, feel free to add them to the comment section below. But first,… Read More
Google exhibit demonstrates commitment to STEAM
As part of this year’s DESIGNART festival in Tokyo, Google Hardware’s Design Studio (led by Ivy Ross) partnered up with Li Edelkoort to create an exhibition that placed Google’s latest hardware products alongside contemporary design objects. Objects that you might find around a home, such… Read More
The Joker Stairs
Confession: I haven’t seen the new Joker movie. But it looks quite good and I’ll probably watch it once it becomes available through Apple TV. I have, however, been reading about all the photographic attention that is now being paid to the “Joker Stairs” that… Read More
Eliminating single-family zoning
There is something happening in many North American cities right now. We are starting to question the supremacy of zoning for only single-family homes. This past summer, the state of Oregon passed policy requiring cities of 25,000 people or more to allow duplexes, triplexes, and… Read More
Penthouse lighting at the Massey Tower
I am a big fan of lights on buildings. Here is a photo of the Massey Tower (by MOD Developments and Hariri Pontarini Architects) that I quickly took on my walk home from the office this evening: It’s not a very good photo and it’s… Read More
Applications to US business schools are declining
Applications to American business schools, including MBA programs, have fallen for five straight years according to this recent WSJ article. Compared to last year, business school applications to US schools are down about 9.1%; whereas they have been rising in other parts of the world.… Read More