The Gondola Project isn’t just about Urban Gondolas (though it primarily is). It’s about thinking about our cities and public transit systems in different ways. It’s about being multi-modal and understanding that there are literally dozens of solutions to our problems and being open to all of them. Despite that, we’ve been rather negligent about...
Of course it is. You know that. I know that. We know that. Everyone knows that. That’s why it’s important to start from there. Start from ridiculous. (Note: This applies to any good idea that happens to look ridiculous from an outsider’s perspective.) As people, we’re more easily swayed by those that share a similar...
With an impending GO Transit strike in the near horizon, let’s take a quick look back at some of the more memorable public transit strikes in recent times: Last transit walkout in nation’s capital (Ottawa): 2009 Days lasted: 51 Payroll savings: $3 million/day Economic losses: $4 million/day Property damage losses due to seriously irate commuters in...
Sorry for not getting a post up yesterday. It’s been a very hectic week of projects, presentations and travel. I did, however, want to share an experience that just truly blew my mind: I’m currently staying in a hotel with the typical “free wi-fi” amenity. Now let’s ignore the fact that “free wi-fi” typically means...
The 50th anniversary edition of Jane Jacobs’ classic The Death and Life of Great American Cities was officially released today. The book may still stir up controversy in the City Building professions, but it remains essential reading today as much as it was 50 years ago. In commemoration of this anniversary, Toronto’s Centre for City...
As Rio de Janeiro’s Complexo do Alemao Teleferico finally moves into full service operations, Rio Times Online has a great little column by Michael Kerlin. The column basically questions what transformative, psychological impacts the system may have on the favela residents it services. Says Kerlin: “The psychology of the gondolas can also inform smart policies in...
So a study out of the University of Miami discovers this: “Better-looking documents produce increased pride of ownership for a company, and this pride increases valuation.” Should this surprise us? Not at all. But consider how much of an impact aesthetics had in this study: When students were given the first three pages of two...
A look at some of the things that make urban transit speeds laudable (or laughable) when compared to speeds achieved by other (in)animate beings on planet earth: Sloth speed: 0.12km/h Goldfish speed: 1.38km/h Average human walking speed: 4.5km/h Michael Phelps’ speed during 100m butterfly: 7.1km/h Average vehicle speed in Jakarta: 10km/h Average Toronto streetcar speed:...
A few highlights from around the world of Urban Gondolas, Gondola Transit, and Cable Propelled Transit: An ambitious urban gondola proposal for Annecy, France. Maybe too ambitious? Citizens opposed to the Burnaby Mountain Gondola in Vancouver plan to take their complaints all the way to the provincial government. The Doppelmayr Group announces plans for a...
I want to build on yesterday’s post about how our decisions as human-beings can be and are constantly impacted by our desire for fun: When we sacrifice expediency’s sake for the scenic route, we do so because it’s fun. When we waste hours of productive time playing Angry Birds, we do so because it’s fun....