Brandon DonnellyCanada must become a global superpower
The silver lining to the US starting a trade war with Canada and regularly threatening annexation is that it has forced this country out of complacency. Indeed, I'm hard pressed to remember a time, at least in my lifetime, when patriotism and nationalism has united so much of Canada. According to a recent survey by Angus Reid, the percentage of Canadians expressing a "deep emotional attachment" to the country jumped from 49% in December 2024 to 59% in February 2025. And as further evidence of...
Brandon DonnellyThe bank robbery capital of the world
Between 1985 and 1995, Los Angeles' retail bank branches were robbed some 17,106 times. In 1992, which was the the city's worst year for robberies, the number was 2,641. This roughly translated into about one bank robbery every 45 minutes of each banking day. All of this, according to this CrimeReads piece by Peter Houlahan, gave Los Angeles the dubious title of "The Bank Robbery Capital of the World" during this time period. So what caused this? Well according to Peter it was facil...
Brandon DonnellyThe story behind those pixelated video game mosaics in Paris
If you've ever been to Paris, you've probably noticed the small pixelated art pieces that are scattered all around the city on buildings and various other hard surfaces. Or maybe you haven't seen or noticed them in Paris, but you've seen similarly pixelated mosaics in one of the other 79 cities around the world where they can be found. Or maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about right now. Huh? Here's an example from Bolivia (click here if you can't see...
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Daily insights for city builders. Published since 2013 by Toronto-based real estate developer Brandon Donnelly.
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Brandon DonnellyIridescent balcony guard glass
Yesterday morning, Neat B and I were up at Friday Harbour messing about on jet skis with some friends. It was a lot of fun. It's a good little day trip if you're ever looking for something to do in the summer.
I think that the developers of Friday Harbour have done a wonderful job creating a new waterfront resort and creating an alternative to traditional cottages. I know a bunch of people who have opted for a place here instead. It's closer to Toronto, you don't have the same upkeep, and you get to enjoy urban amenities while still feeling like you're "up north."
Yesterday I also noticed that the most recent phase — which is just finishing up construction — looks like this:
Yesterday morning, Neat B and I were up at Friday Harbour messing about on jet skis with some friends. It was a lot of fun. It's a good little day trip if you're ever looking for something to do in the summer.
I think that the developers of Friday Harbour have done a wonderful job creating a new waterfront resort and creating an alternative to traditional cottages. I know a bunch of people who have opted for a place here instead. It's closer to Toronto, you don't have the same upkeep, and you get to enjoy urban amenities while still feeling like you're "up north."
Yesterday I also noticed that the most recent phase — which is just finishing up construction — looks like this:
Support Brandon Donnelly
Brandon DonnellyIridescent balcony guard glass
Subscribe to Brandon Donnelly
Daily insights for city builders. Published since 2013 by Toronto-based real estate developer Brandon Donnelly.
Brandon DonnellyCanada must become a global superpower
The silver lining to the US starting a trade war with Canada and regularly threatening annexation is that it has forced this country out of complacency. Indeed, I'm hard pressed to remember a time, at least in my lifetime, when patriotism and nationalism has united so much of Canada. According to a recent survey by Angus Reid, the percentage of Canadians expressing a "deep emotional attachment" to the country jumped from 49% in December 2024 to 59% in February 2025. And as further evidence of...
Brandon DonnellyThe bank robbery capital of the world
Between 1985 and 1995, Los Angeles' retail bank branches were robbed some 17,106 times. In 1992, which was the the city's worst year for robberies, the number was 2,641. This roughly translated into about one bank robbery every 45 minutes of each banking day. All of this, according to this CrimeReads piece by Peter Houlahan, gave Los Angeles the dubious title of "The Bank Robbery Capital of the World" during this time period. So what caused this? Well according to Peter it was facil...
Brandon DonnellyThe story behind those pixelated video game mosaics in Paris
If you've ever been to Paris, you've probably noticed the small pixelated art pieces that are scattered all around the city on buildings and various other hard surfaces. Or maybe you haven't seen or noticed them in Paris, but you've seen similarly pixelated mosaics in one of the other 79 cities around the world where they can be found. Or maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about right now. Huh? Here's an example from Bolivia (click here if you can't see...
The constant updates bring in so many new items, weapons, and features, keeping the game fresh. https://melon-sandbox.io/
I think it looks fantastic, and would love to see a similar thing used here in England. Our towns and cities are seeing a lot of new apartments going up these days, many with balconies.
I agree! When I look at Toronto’s downtown core, I sonically imagine a gloomy chord, held indefinitely.
Looks good although I suspect its very building specific where it would work.
Never before have I seen balcony guard glass like this — at least not here in the Toronto region. It is some kind of iridescent laminated glass, which changes color depending on the light and the viewing perspective. I would imagine that it also offers some degree of privacy benefits, because it got fairly opaque from some angles.
But the primary feature is that it just looks cool. And I think more projects should have fun like this. There's no need to be afraid of color.
What do you think?
Never before have I seen balcony guard glass like this — at least not here in the Toronto region. It is some kind of iridescent laminated glass, which changes color depending on the light and the viewing perspective. I would imagine that it also offers some degree of privacy benefits, because it got fairly opaque from some angles.
But the primary feature is that it just looks cool. And I think more projects should have fun like this. There's no need to be afraid of color.
What do you think?
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The constant updates bring in so many new items, weapons, and features, keeping the game fresh. https://melon-sandbox.io/
I think it looks fantastic, and would love to see a similar thing used here in England. Our towns and cities are seeing a lot of new apartments going up these days, many with balconies.
I agree! When I look at Toronto’s downtown core, I sonically imagine a gloomy chord, held indefinitely.
Looks good although I suspect its very building specific where it would work.