How we can build family-friendly apartments - ABC listen

As our cities grow, there's a push to build up, not out — including in our suburbs. For more families, that means home will be an apartment rather than a house. So how do we make sure higher density living is family-friendly? What does good design look like when you're raising kids on the 20th floor?

ABC listen
Northeast Pickering wants to develop land, but environmental advocates have questions
Environmental advocates are speaking out about a planned development in northeast Pickering as city council prepares to vote on a draft outline for the project on March 30. Here's what their main concerns are.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/environmental-advocates-concerns-northeast-pickering-development-9.7142267?cmp=rss

We funded feeds while we starved the foundation of a decent life: housing, transit, and social supports.

This essay maps the misallocation—and proposes a rebuild: community land trusts and co‑ops, zoning reform, anchor‑institution procurement, and a dual‑education pipeline for the trades.

https://thinkingprospectus.substack.com/p/the-misallocation-civilization

#HousingAffordability #PublicInfrastructure #CommunityWealth #UrbanPlanning
#AttentionEconomy
#Infrastructure
#SocialInfrastructure
#CommunityLandTrusts

It's #EqualPayDay for 🇺🇸 ♀️ . https://www.npr.org/2026/03/26/nx-s1-5758090/equal-pay-day-gender-wage-gap
In 🇨🇦 it's Apr 14: https://equalpaycoalition.org/

The gender pay gap is an intentional form of discrimination against women. It's a sign of the value placed on women’s work & time. GPGs perpetuate gender inequality. GI is the root cause for gender-based violence. Gender inequality & GBV impacts women in work & in #cycling -whether via #UrbanPlanning, #micromobility, #snowclearing or #sports.
🇨🇦 = 28th
🇮🇸 = 1st
🇺🇸 = 37th
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/global-gender-gap-by-country

Despite opposition, Whitehorse city council votes to proceed with infill study
City councillors voted unanimously Monday to spend $300,000 to study whether it's feasible to build housing on various city-owned land scattered across Whitehorse. Much of that land is currently zoned as parks or green space. Some parcels include existing playgrounds and outdoor rinks.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/despite-opposition-whitehorse-city-council-votes-to-proceed-with-infill-study-9.7141608?cmp=rss

I'm still baffled by these new roadsigns that have gone up in Newbury. Pass both sides of what? On pedestrianised streets. I think someone ordered the wrong signs.

#Newbury #roadsigns #urbanplanning

In Loudoun County, Virginia, nearly 200 data centres power huge parts of the internet and AI economy—bringing jobs and billions in revenue.
But residents report constant noise, higher electricity costs, and environmental changes.
It raises a bigger question: how do we balance digital infrastructure growth with quality of life?
#DataCenters #AI #DigitalInfrastructure #Sustainability #EnergyTransition #UrbanPlanning #TechEthics

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93dnnxewdvo

This London community doesn't want to be known for the landfill. So it's pitching a park
A city committee has unanimously approved a new park on Scotland Dr., located on London's south edge. Residents say this will be a welcome addition to the neighbourhood which lacks nearby family parks and recreation centres.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/park-proposal-south-london-9.7142044?cmp=rss

Common sense approaches to traffic engineering

This is a thoughtful,, and not preachy, article on some things that Santa Monica is doing and not doing to improve safety and convenience.

"Santa Monica...has already identified where our streets are most dangerous. We do not need another study to tell us that. What we need is a practice that turns the evidence our streets are already generating into faster, smarter interventions."

https://santamonicanext.org/2026/03/why-santa-monica-needs-more-agile-streets/

#UrbanPlanning #SantaMonica

Why Santa Monica Needs More “Agile” Streets - Santa Monica Next

If you drive, walk, or bike around Santa Monica, you’ve seen them: white and yellow plastic bollards—those flexible posts meant to protect bike lanes or tighten corners—lying flat on the ground, mangled by the tires of a passing SUV or a delivery truck. To a frustrated resident, a mangled plastic post looks like a failure

Santa Monica Next - Local News and Views