Urban Tech Data :: UTD: 2025

Of course, because Vancouver has been trapped under a multigenerational thwarting agenda. Almost any excuse has been used to hold the scale of the city back.

3 octagonal shaped office towers opened in 1977. 25_Martin_Place, formerly MLC in Sydney with 67 floors above ground. Nauru_House in Melbourne with 52 levels above ground. Then there is the Scotia_Tower or stump in Vancouver, with the windows only reaching up to the 34th floor. 138 m or 452 ft. The 35th and 36th floors have no windows. https://www.skydb.net/building/134544260/scotia-tower-vancouver , https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/scotia-tower/4396

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Scotia_Tower_Vancouver_2015.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Mlc_center_syd.jpg

Height
Roof	228 m (748 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	67

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_Martin_Place#Design_and_construction

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/MLC_Centre_in_Sydney.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Nauru_House_AON.jpg

Height
Completed	1977
Antenna spire	190 m (620 ft)
Roof	183 m (600 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	52
Floor area	50,500 m² (544,000 sq ft)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauru_House#History ,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Melbourne#Skyscrapers_at_least_200_metres_in_height

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Sydney_central_business_district_skyline%2C_August_2021.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Rotor_One_Helicopter_Flying_over_Melbourne_City_CBD.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Vancouver_Skyline_and_Mountains.jpg

No office tower in Vancouver is allowed to have a 40th floor. Even the mountains north of Vancouver are shorter than the ones in L.A.

The Columbia_Center in Seattle has 76 floors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Center#Design The Wilshire_Grand_Center and the U.S._Bank_Tower_in Los_Angeles both have 73 floors.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Los_Angeles_with_Mount_Baldy.jpg

The Salesforce_Tower in S.F. has 61 floors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salesforce_Tower#Gallery

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/San_Francisco_skyline_from_Marin_Headlands.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/San_Francisco_in_2018.jpg

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=building+shadowing+policies

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Of course $HIT pipe construction can be very dangerous.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/10/us/los-angeles-tunnel-collapse-rescue-hnk

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/us/tunnel-collapse-los-angeles-trapped.html

https://caleywater.co.uk/blog/2024/08/29/the-engineering-marvel-beneath-tokyo-the-worlds-largest-sewer/

https://www.zoomdrain.com/blog/2022/september/the-worlds-largest-sewer-is-in-tokyo

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/g-cans-worlds-largest-drain

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=urban+shit

Monday, July 7, 2025

Paris shuts down Seine River swim spots after reopening

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/paris-shuts-seine-swim-spots-day-after-reopening/

Excrete!

https://thehill.com/policy/international/5388948-paris-closes-seine-after-ending-ban

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=urban+shit

Saturday, July 5, 2025

Parisians take their first plunge into the Seine in more than a century

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20250705-parisians-take-first-plunge-into-seine-more-than-century

https://www.dw.com/en/paris-reopens-seine-river-for-public-swimming/a-73163816

Thursday, July 3, 2025

50 of the Spookiest Urban Legends from Every State

https://www.rd.com/list/scary-urban-legends/

https://www.worldatlas.com/society/10-creepy-urban-legends-from-around-the-world.html

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Northern B.C. businesses demand Ottawa revisit immigration, work permit cuts

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/politics/our-town-s-going-to-collapse-northern-b-c-businesses-demand-ottawa-revisit-immigration-work-permit-cuts/ar-AA1HMWuW?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=ef5c270bd1ec42fdb926f7e88ccf4566&ei=5

Prince+Rupert is in a limited growth area. In contrast, Terrace has a lot of relatively flat land around it for growth. Terrace isn't as limited as PR, so its a potential growth area.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/natural-resource-use/land-water-use/crown-land/land-use-plans-and-objectives/skeena-region/northcoast-lrmp/map_10_visual_management_areas.pdf

https://gocampingbc.com/region/terrace-prince-rupert/

https://britishcolumbia.com/plan-your-trip/regions-and-towns/northern-bc-and-haida-gwaii/terrace/locality/Prince+Rupert/

http://www.fishbc.com/adventure/explore/north/skeena_coast.html

Despite its limited flat areas, Prince_Rupert should be a growing port for NW BC. Kitimat should also continue as a major BC port. Terrace has the biggest potential for growth and should have improved highway and rail connections between PR and Kitimat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Regional_Airport_Terrace-Kitimat

Switzerland can fit into BC about 23 times, yet BC doesn't even have the population of one CH. Canada is nowhere close to having 1% of the worlds population.

The CN Tower

https://www.cntower.ca/inspiring-by-day-stellar-by-night

https://www.cntower.ca/live-views

Monday, June 30, 2025

Hundreds of CN Tower workers locked out ahead of Canada Day

https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/video/2025/06/30/hundreds-of-cn-tower-workers-locked-out-ahead-of-canada-day/

https://globalnews.ca/news/11267248/cn-tower-workers-locked-out-canada-day/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/cn-tower-labour-talks-stall-unifor-says-1.7573761

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Bridges

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge

https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/canada/6138-lions-gate-bridge.html

https://www.tranbc.ca/2019/08/29/how-the-lions-gate-bridge-counterflow-works/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/about-here-lions-gate-bridge-cruise-ships-tourism-1.5373466

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=LGB

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=Vancouver

widest highways around the world

https://www.webuildvalue.com/en/infrastructure-news/widest-highway-in-the-world.html

https://m.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-10-wildest-highways-in-the-world/20120831.htm

https://www.reddit.com/r/UrbanHell/comments/1jjlf3j/widest_highway_in_the_world_is_in_ontario_canada/

Toronto and Ontario Highway 401

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Highway_401

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/400-series_highways

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/400-series_highways#High-occupancy_vehicle_lanes

Interstate 405 (California)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(California)

https://abc7.com/traffic , https://405expresslanes.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(California)#Los_Angeles_County

https://laist.com/brief/news/transportation/attention-commuters-traffic-on-the-405-freeway-could-be-slower-as-it-undergoes-upgrades

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(California)#History

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/pedestrian-killed-405-freeway-transition-road-marina-del-rey/

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/overnight-405-freeway-lane-closures-begin-through-sepulveda-pass/3733554/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepulveda_Transit_Corridor

https://www.metro.net/projects/i-405-comprehensive-multimodal-corridor-plan/

https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/travel/the-guide-to-los-angeles-freeways

Interstate 405 (Washington)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(Washington)

https://www.king5.com/article/traffic/traffic-news/seattle-traffic-congestion-northbound-i-405-i-5-eastbound-i-90/281-3493a994-06c7-4697-aee5-3441dd556652

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(Washington)#Tukwila_to_Bellevue

https://komonews.com/news/local/northbound-i-405-to-be-closed-in-kirkland-this-weekend-bridge-paving-construction-washington-department-of-transportation

https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/405-freeway-closes-weekend-kirkland

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(Washington)#21st_century

https://wsdot.wa.gov/construction-planning/search-projects/i-405renton-bellevue-widening-and-express-toll-lanes-project

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/all-northbound-lanes-i-405-closed-between-renton-bellevue-next-week/NQLMLPYXGVFGFE2BQEGOJE6VGY/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(Washington)#Transit_service

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Line_(Sound_Transit)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stride_(bus_rapid_transit)#History

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Aqua (Chicago) and One Bloor (Toronto)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_(Chicago)

Technical details
Height	261.8 m (859 ft)
Floor count	82 5 below ground
Floor area	1,990,635 sq ft (184,936.0 m²)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_(Chicago)#Design

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Bloor

Height
Roof	257 m (843 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	76
Floor area	68,634 m² (738,770 sq ft)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Bloor#History

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=Chicago

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=Toronto

One Bloor West, in Toronto

One_Bloor_West would even be impressive in Queensland and Florida. Its nice to see that Toronto has another building that would be impressive in Melbourne. Even in Chicago and sort of in NYC, but not Dubai.

308.6 metres (1,012.4 ft)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Bloor_West#Design

https://www.theb1m.com/video/the-race-to-build-canadas-tallest-skyscraper

https://www.blogto.com/real-estate-toronto/2025/03/one-toronto-canada-tallest-building/

https://www.reddit.com/r/skyscrapers/comments/1cd54bz/canadas_tallest_skyscraper_for_50_yrs_at_298m The BMO tower has 72 stories, the BMO stump in Vancouver has only 32.

https://www.reddit.com/r/skyscrapers/comments/1g07huj/canadas_current_tallest_building_first_canadian/

https://skyrisecities.com/news/2017/07/new-renderings-showcase-canadas-next-tallest-building.27637

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=Toronto

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Ontario Place parking garage

https://www.blogto.com/real-estate-toronto/2025/06/ontario-place-parking-garage-block-toronto-waterfront/

Most of Ontario is wilderness, as is most of Canada. Most people in Canada prefer to live in the urban area, that's also the case in Australia. Of course various LARGE structures will be in urban parts of the world.

Massive U.S.-Canada bridge is just months away from opening

https://dailyhive.com/canada/us-canada-bridge-detroit-windsor-opening

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

What would happen if the Great Fire of London took place TODAY

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14824055/What-happen-Great-Fire-London-TODAY-map.html

Friday, June 13, 2025

Park Shore Toronto

https://www.parkshoreto.com/

https://www.parkshoreto.com/#vision

Saturday, June 7, 2025

The Shard (Tower)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shard

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Shard

The Planned Community

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_community

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_community#Argentina

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Plata#City_layout_and_architecture

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_community#Australia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_community#Adelaide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_community#Japan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_community#Singapore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_community#United_Arab_Emirates

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Seeing Australia from a British Perspective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv8lWPdzV44

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pHfEzZIua8

Canada is about to get its tallest building in the coming months

https://dailyhive.com/toronto/tallest-building-canada-toronto-skytower

Monday, May 19, 2025

Mexican Ship in Fatal Crash Accelerated Before Hitting Brooklyn Bridge

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/nyregion/nyc-ship-brooklyn-bridge-mexican-navy.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/05/20/brooklyn-bridge-crash-mexican-ships-engine-tugboat-draw-scrutiny/83741346007/

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Brooklyn-bridge-incident

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-incident/

The Downtown Connector in Atlanta

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Connector#History

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Connector#The_Stitch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Connector#Gallery

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_freeway_revolts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Department_of_Transportation#Freeing_the_Freeways

Downtown Dallas Transportation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Dallas#Transportation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_State_Highway_Spur_366#Klyde_Warren_Park

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klyde_Warren_Park#Description

Phoenix

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix,_Arizona#Infrastructure

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_and_freeways_in_metropolitan_Phoenix

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

One Vanderbilt, NYC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Vanderbilt

h²q²ŵ222qwqwwwttps://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=171

https://onevanderbilt.com/floors/

https://summitov.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Vanderbilt#Revival_of_plans

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Vanderbilt#Grand_Central_subway_improvements

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Central_Madison

Monday, April 28, 2025

washington-commanders-football-nfl-rfk-new-stadium-dc

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/washington-commanders-football-nfl-rfk-new-stadium-dc-live-updates/3900481/

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

streetcars, trams and trains

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=trains

Friday, April 11, 2025

Pituffik Space Base

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituffik_Space_Base

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituffik_Space_Base#Strategic_Air_Command

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/04/10/space-force-commander-greenland-sent-out-email-breaking-vance-after-his-visit.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituffik_Space_Base#Air_Force_Space_Command

https://nypost.com/2025/04/11/us-news/space-force-col-susannah-meyers-fired-after-email-about-jd-vances-greenland-visit-surfaces/

https://thedigitallabyrinth.blogspot.com/search?q=Pituffik+Space+Base

Monday, March 31, 2025

The very narrow Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, BC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge

Construction start	March 31, 1937

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge#History

Opened	November 14, 1938

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Lions_Gate.jpg

https://www.th.gov.bc.ca/ATIS/lgcws/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge#Gallery

Unfortunately in the 1930s, there just wasn't much vision and motivation to see Vancouver as becoming a bustling and thriving port city. In contrast, Sydney, NSW and SF, California already knew that they were growing major cities by the 1930s.

Then, by the 1960s and 70s, when Montreal and Toronto really started to grow up, Vancouver became immersed into the BC backwater mentality. By the 1960s or 70s, there should have been 3 lane tunnel to provide a proper counterflow to the inadequate 3 lane LGB.

Georgia_Street is seven lanes wide near the entrance to Stanley_Park and the 5 blocks leading towards the park.

Had Vancouver waited until the 1990s, not only a 7, but 8 lane tunnel should have been built under the park and near the bridge. Such a tunnel not only could have provided 3 lanes each way, but a bus lane each way as well in the 8 lane structure. Unfortunately, that never happened, nor did a rail link happen.

Indeed, several decades ago the SkyTrain should have been extended to West_Vancouver. There never even seemed to be a plan to extend the SkyTrain-Canada_Line segment to North_Vancouver either.

There has been multigenerational resistance to have a proper comprehensive transportation plan between Downtown_Vancouver and the North_Shore. There also seems to be a lack of vision or interest to link the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal to YVR and also a link to the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal.

Sunday, March 30, 2025

The A Line (Los Angeles Metro)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Beach_Line

https://la.curbed.com/2015/7/30/9935072/red-car-air-line-expo-line-history

L.A.

Santa Monica air line

https://www.abandonedrails.com/santa-monica-air-line , https://www.abandonedrails.com/

https://la.curbed.com/2015/7/30/9935072/red-car-air-line-expo-line-history

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=L.A.

Friday, March 28, 2025

Building collapse in Bangkok

https://thedigitallabyrinth.blogspot.com/search?q=Building+collapse+in+Bangkok

Myanmar Earthquake

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/myanmar-earthquake-live-updates-jolts-myanmar-bangkok-china-thailand-epicenter-tremors-felt/liveblog/119639391.cms

https://thedigitallabyrinth.blogspot.com/search?q=Myanmar

Friday, March 21, 2025

Why Japanese Railways Win

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u0_nrsfxXs

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Why is This Japanese Island Abandoned?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r0CHuqRkI8

Sunday, March 9, 2025

The Metro in Prague

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Metro#Rolling_stock

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_M1_(Prague)

Train length	96.66 m (317 ft 1+1⁄2 in)
Car length	19.52 m (64 ft 1⁄2 in) (M1.1 - first and last car)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_M1_(Prague)#M1_in_Prague

Nusle Bridge in Prague

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nusle_Bridge

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Hudson's tower in Detroit

Hudson's_Detroit has taken a long time, but it will be quite a nice complex when completed.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2025/03/04/hudson-detroit-tower-last-glass-panel-installed/81399071007/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson's_Detroit#Design

https://www.hudsons-detroit.com/

https://www.bartonmalow.com/projects/hudsons-detroit-development

https://detroit.urbanize.city/post/gm-announces-move-rencen-new-hudsons-detroit

Unfortunately, since the redevelopment of the old Woodward's site in Vancouver, there have been some difficulties.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodward's_Building#Early_history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodward's_Building#Redevelopment

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/london-drugs-woodwards-vancouver-crime-theft-shoplifting

Of course Detroit doesn't have the same extreme height restriction as Vancouver. Thus, it was able to build significantly taller than Woodward's_43. Detroit's version is a far cry from Vancouver's watered down version.

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=Detroit

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

A number of TTC subway stations will shut down this weekend

https://dailyhive.com/toronto/ttc-subway-stations-closed-weekend-march

Saturday, March 1, 2025

The Most Crowded Island on Earth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgQxzYQP4as

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Plans for a high-speed train between Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City

https://dailyhive.com/montreal/alto-train-toronto-quebec-city

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Pocket tracks and turnback tracks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_track

https://homenewshere.com/daily_times_chronicle/news/reading/article_f1438766-e88f-11ef-af97-673d0d3e5f1f.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_loop

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_streetcar_system_loops#Current_loops

LRV ::

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=LRV

Urban LRT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tram_and_light_rail_transit_systems

https://rail.nridigital.com/future_rail_sep23/10_largest_tram_networks

https://www.railway-technology.com/features/six-of-the-best-tram-systems-around-the-world/?cf-view

https://www.internationalteflacademy.com/blog/the-top-10-public-transportation-systems-around-the-world

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=LRT :: https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=LRT:

https://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=LRV ::

Some unsuccessful public housing

https://www.arch2o.com/unsuccessful-public-housing/

Monday, February 10, 2025

30 of the World’s Most Impressive Social Housing Projects

https://www.bestmswprograms.com/impressive-social-housing-projects/

https://www.iproperty.com.my/guides/best-public-and-social-housing-around-the-world-70972

https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/affordable-housing/

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-city-market-rental-housing-program-impacts

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Calgary man prefers laid-back Alberta life over Toronto

https://dailyhive.com/calgary/calgary-man-move-alberta-toronto

Toronto is a big city on a lakeshore like Chicago is. Calgary just doesn't have a sprawling suburban situation like those urban areas have. Calgary can get colder than Denver during the winter and almost as hot as Dallas during the summer.