Few are able to do “small houses” quite like the Japanese. Below is the Flat House in Tokyo by Yoshinori Sakano Architects. Completed in 2011, it was designed for a young couple in their twenties who wanted to build a home that was like a… Read More
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GTA condo market posts strong Q2-2019 results
Urbanation released its Q2-2019 condo market results for the Greater Toronto Area this week. It was a robust quarter, following a slower Q1. Here are a few highlights: – 8,902 condo units were sold across the GTA in Q2-2019. This is the second highest Q2… Read More
Toronto Raptors

Photo: Frank Gunn/Associated Press
Manhattan is getting a congestion pricing zone
About a year ago I wrote about how NYC is considering a congestion charge on vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th street. Well it looks like that plan could be adopted as early as April 1 (however the fees won’t start until 2021). Here’s a map… Read More
Change, somewhere else
I went snowboarding today. As always it was a lot of fun. If only Toronto had mountains. Here is a Canadian video about snowboarding from 1985 that, I think, does an excellent job demonstrating how resistant to change we humans can sometimes be. The video… Read More
Cost-plus pricing
Today, Urbanation released its Q4-2018 market highlights report for the Greater Toronto Area. The general media will pick up these numbers and tell you that there’s been a precipitous decline in the number of new condominium sales. But the reality is that 20,028 units were… Read More
A beautiful destination: Rio de Janeiro
Below is a breathtaking video of Rio de Janeiro by Beautiful Destinations. If you haven’t heard of them before, they run a great YouTube channel profiling places and experiences from around the world. I think they also post a new video every week. If you… Read More
New York City’s $35 billion nightlife economy
The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment in New York City recently commissioned this report on the city’s nightlife economy. The study was completed by Econsult Solutions, the North Highland Company, and Urbane Development. (Full disclosure: I was a teaching assistant for the President of… Read More
“Alexa, play some Miles Davis”
Over the weekend I received an Amazon Echo as a gift. I set it up in my kitchen on Sunday morning and had it playing music and telling me the weather in no time. I also setup a couple of “routines” so that when I say… Read More
Spaces for the Instagram age
In 2017, the New York Times Style Magazine ran a piece on Harry Nuriev – and his design firm Crosby Studios – titled: The man designing spaces for the Instagram age. Since then, Harry and his firm have been in Time Magazine, have had a… Read More