Brandon Donnelly

Daily insights for city builders, delivered every morning at 6 AM ET. I’m Brandon Donnelly — a Toronto-based real estate developer and founder of Globizen. I’ve been writing here since 2013.

Subscribe

Videos

  • [vimeo 70039050 w=500 h=375]

    The Great Lakes Century

    Since 2009, architecture firm SOM has been working on promoting awareness and developing a 100-year vision for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin region. With 20% of the world’s surface fresh water and with over 50 million people living in the region, it’s an hugely important discussion to be having.

    The video above is called the Great Lakes Century and it’s a good overview of the region’s importance, as well as SOM’s goals. If you happen to be in Chicago, there’s also an exhibition going on right now at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. It’s called Great Cities, Great Lakes, Great Basin.

    (Source: http://player.vimeo.com/)

  • [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6pA?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=500&h=281]

    Want to know how the Dutch design their intersections so that they’re friendly for cyclists? Then check out this video. It’s amazing what you can achieve when you actually care about something and you put thought and intent into it.

    (Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

  • [vimeo 51295174 w=500 h=281]

    I just came across this fascinating mini documentary of the 54-storey Ponte Tower in Johannesburg. It’s by filmmaker Philip Bloom and it’s only about 10 minutes long. It does a great job of summarizing the building’s interesting and checkered history.

    Initially built in 1975, the tower first served as luxury apartments for the rich. The cylindrical tower, which is actually hollow in the middle, became quickly known as the place to live for the well to do.

    But its architecture very much reflects the political climate at the time. Whites lived in the outward-facing units and their servants, and likely other blacks, lived in the grim inward-facing ones.

    However, when Johannesburg got hit with the same white-flight that plagued many American cities after the war, the tower and area rapidly declined.

    Ponte City, as it was referred to at the time, then became known for crime, drugs and suicide (this will become obvious when you see the inner core of the building).

    It’s worth a watch.

    (Source: http://player.vimeo.com/)

  • [vimeo 76207227 w=500 h=281]

    Biking in Toronto means dodging cabs that don’t signal and closely watching parked cars for doors that might be about to open and could catapult you up and into the air. We have little in the way of dedicated cycling infrastructure. In fact, our incompetent mayor actually celebrates the removal of bike lanes. 

    Despite all this, Toronto has a fairly robust cycling culture. There’s no shortage of bearded hipsters riding around on fixies with a U-lock in their back pocket. However, it’s nothing in comparison to the city of Groningen in the Netherlands, where over 50% all of trips are made on a bicycle.

    If you’re into cycling or want to be converted, I recommend you take 15 minutes to watch the above video. The hoards of cyclists are interesting to see and they provide good background on how Groningen got to where it is today. Hint: It involves dramatic measures from a leftist city government.

    (Source: http://player.vimeo.com/)

  • [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBYPuSE0huc?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=500&h=375]

    I wasn’t at TEDxToronto this year, but I just stumbled upon the conference opening video and I think it’s brilliantly done (by @BizMediaAgency). You need to watch it. It makes me proud to be a Torontonian.

    (Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

  • [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq4_Uf1jQE8?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=500&h=281]

    (Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

  • [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApUln7AD0_Q?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=500&h=281]

    (Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

  • [vimeo 61161274 w=500 h=375]

    davemorin:

    Introducing Path 3

    Big fan of Path.

    (Source: http://player.vimeo.com/)

  • [vimeo 32796535 w=500 h=281]

    To start the day.

    (Source: http://player.vimeo.com/)

  • [vimeo 41846981 w=500 h=375]

    West tower crane installation at Performance Court – 150 Elgin, Ottawa.

    (Source: http://player.vimeo.com/)