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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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...
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Brandon DonnellyMaking giant ships
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Brandon DonnellyMaking giant ships
This is an interesting New York Times photo essay about "how giant ships are built." I wasn't aware of some of these statistics, and maybe the same goes for you:
90% of all traded goods are carried on ships
90% of global shipbuilding happens in just three countries: China, South Korea, and Japan
There are 124 remaining and active shipyards in the United States, all supported by federal government contracts and the Jones Act, which requires that people and goods moving between American ports is done on ships that are owned/operated by US citizens and that were built domestically
US shipyards are believed to contribute about $37 billion in annual economic output and to support about 400,000 jobs
88% of all food in the state of Hawaii is shipped in by boat -- it is disproportionately reliant on trade (makes sense)
This is an interesting New York Times photo essay about "how giant ships are built." I wasn't aware of some of these statistics, and maybe the same goes for you:
90% of all traded goods are carried on ships
90% of global shipbuilding happens in just three countries: China, South Korea, and Japan
There are 124 remaining and active shipyards in the United States, all supported by federal government contracts and the Jones Act, which requires that people and goods moving between American ports is done on ships that are owned/operated by US citizens and that were built domestically
US shipyards are believed to contribute about $37 billion in annual economic output and to support about 400,000 jobs
88% of all food in the state of Hawaii is shipped in by boat -- it is disproportionately reliant on trade (makes sense)
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