https://48hills.org/2025/12/a-piece-of-land-in-sf-for-unhoused-people-to-build-their-own-future/
Monday, December 22, 2025
The Ontario (California) International Airport (ONT) is located 50 miles east of LAX
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/why-passengers-choosing-socal-airport-ontario-21244531.php Any big city, especially a large metropolitan area can always benefit from having a 2nd or 3rd major airport.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_International_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_International_Airport#Ground_transportation
https://www.flyontario.com/at-airport/terminal-maps#
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario,_California#Transportation
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Friday, December 5, 2025
Monday, December 1, 2025
Monday, November 10, 2025
Detroit’s enormous American flag vanishes day after its big reveal
Old Glory was taken down from the new Hudson’s building shortly after it was unveiled Thursday https://www.metrotimes.com/news/detroits-enormous-american-flag-vanishes-day-after-its-big-reveal
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Friday, October 24, 2025
Gateway Program (Northeast Corridor)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Program_(Northeast_Corridor) , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn77VrtVTSw
https://www.gatewayprogram.org , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyQX5iiIrfM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Program_(Northeast_Corridor)#Project_components
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kalQChm9O1c
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Access_to_the_Region%27s_Core#New_York_City_Subway_extension
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Program_(Northeast_Corridor)#Related_projects
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail_in_the_United_States#New_York
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Monday, October 20, 2025
Brookline and Brooklyn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston%E2%80%93Brookline_annexation_debate_of_1873
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston%E2%80%93Brookline_annexation_debate_of_1873#The_outcome
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/10/29/boston-annex-brookline-cambridge-somerville
Brookline isn't any more likely to become part of Boston, than Brooklyn will be separating from NYC.
https://www.brownstoner.com/history/brooklyn-history-brooklyns-great-mistake
Monday, October 13, 2025
The Eiffel Tower’s Michelin Star Restaurant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R49znxkADck
Testing the PARIS Restaurant SCAM Everyone's Talking About! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB1ysAbrOhU
Friday, October 10, 2025
The Savoy-Plaza Hotel in NYC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoy-Plaza_Hotel 420 ft (130 m), 33 floors with 1000 rooms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_Building_(Manhattan)
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Brisbane vs. Vancouver
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Skytower
| Roof | 269.6 m (885 ft) |
|---|---|
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 90 |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Skytower#Design_and_location
Brisbane can have a building 30 floors taller than the Living_Shangri-La in Vancouver, because it doesn't have Vancouver's imposed restrictions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Shangri-La
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane#Transport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Airport#Rail Unlike Vancouver, Brisbane has long trains, as most real cities do.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges#Duplication A 12 lane crossing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Massey_Tunnel The 4 lane tunnel should have been twinned or duplicated by 1980. Then a parallel bus and train tunnel or bridge by around 2000-2010.
https://www.infrastructurebc.com/project/fraser-river-tunnel-project A wattered down 8 lane BC crossing. Even by 2030, there still won't be a train and HOV tunnel or bridge.
https://www.infrastructurebc.com/project/roberts-bank-terminal-2-landmass-and-wharf-project A slow, constipated planning an developing process in backwards BC. It was the total opposite for the Port_of_Brisbane. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Brisbane
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Expo_88#The_Fair Brisbane was able to grow into a big bustling city with taller buildings, longer trains, wider bridges and more tunnels than restrictive, backwards Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_86#Fair Unfortunately, Vancouver doubled down on being a watered down, provincial city. Brisbane just never had the overlapping imposed restrictions that Vancouver has.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_railway_line,_Brisbane#Criticism At least Brisbane and Perth allowed for enough clearance to have longer stations and trains than backwards Vancouver. Running longer trains more frequently is better than the Vancouver short train mentality.
The Canada_Line wasn't designed to be like a proper big city train. The stations are only an absurd 50 m when the Montreal Metro has 152.5 m stations. Montreal has 9 car trains, but Vancouver never allowed for future clearance to accomodate 8-10 car trains. Not even a 5 car train was allowed in the cost-cutting design. The Canada_Line is a totally intentional embarrassment in urban planning. Why design stations to accomodate a 10 car or at least a 5 car train, when a 2.5 car joke of a train can provide more congestion?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#Network Its taken until 2025 for the first line to start running 5 car trains. Eventually, the 2nd line will also start to have 5 car trains.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#Canada_Line The (embarrassment) Line has yet to start running a 2.5 car train. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#Rolling_stock It's so sad and pathetic that all 3 lines weren't designed to start with 5 car trains and gradually run 10 car trains.
In Vancouver, short trains, mostly narrow bridges and short buildings, all fit in with the symbolic reluctance to build proper big city size infrastructure. Who knows where the money went, because it sure didn't go into the scaled back or watered down BC infrastructure?
South_East_Queensland just like, Perth and especially, Melbourne & Sydney were able to unlock their various restrictions decades ago. Where as the backwards BC Lower_Mainland and Vancouver_Island still have so much red tape and overlapping restrictions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_East_Queensland#Attractions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Mainland#Regional_districts
Fortunately, the backwards BC mind virus hasn't spread to most of the world.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Monday, September 29, 2025
Friday, September 26, 2025
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Friday, September 19, 2025
Saturday, September 13, 2025
Inside New York City’s Forgotten Borough
Staten Island is often called New York City’s forgotten borough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSI0FMLsBRs
Friday, September 12, 2025
Thursday, September 11, 2025
Battle of Stirling Bridge 1297 and the Wallace Monument
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
As bikes and strollers fill Central Park, its managers want to push horse carriages out
https://pix11.com/news/local-news/central-park-leaders-call-for-ban-on-horse-drawn-carriages/
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1szodutee
https://www.centralpark.com/things-to-do/sports/horseback-riding/
https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2023/12/8/drives-rides-and-walks-horses-in-central-park
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-stables-where-central-park-carriage-horses-live-2012-4
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Friday, August 1, 2025
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Monday, July 28, 2025
The 345 Park Avenue shooting in New York City
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/345_Park_Avenue
This armed madman could have easily killed a lot more people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_City_shooting
https://thedigitallabyrinth.blogspot.com/search?q=NYC+mass+shooter+Shane+Tamura
Monday, July 21, 2025
Could New building shadowing policies kill many downtown Vancouver projects?
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.jpghttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Mlc_center_syd.jpg
| Height | |
|---|---|
| Roof | 228 m (748 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 67 |
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
| Completed | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Height | |
| 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://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Sydney_central_business_district_skyline%2C_August_2021.jpg
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.
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.jpghttps://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=building+shadowing+policies
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Thursday, July 10, 2025
31 workers rescued after partial tunnel collapse in Los Angeles
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/workers-trapped-after-tunnel-collapses-in-wilmington/
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://www.zoomdrain.com/blog/2022/september/the-worlds-largest-sewer-is-in-tokyo
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/g-cans-worlds-largest-drain
Monday, July 7, 2025
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Northern B.C. businesses demand Ottawa revisit immigration, work permit cuts
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://gocampingbc.com/region/terrace-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.
Monday, June 30, 2025
Saturday, June 28, 2025
Bridges
Unfortunately, the BC part of Canada mostly has narrow, inadequate bridges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge The 3 lane joke that was never augmented with a bus and HOV tunnel. Especially, a train tunnel, because that actually might improve transportation efficiency.
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/
Widest highways and bridges around the world
https://www.webuildvalue.com/en/infrastructure-news/widest-highway-in-the-world.html
No matter how wide a highway or bridge can be, unless there is space allocated for train, bus and HOVs, it just becomes another congested roadway.
https://m.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-10-wildest-highways-in-the-world/20120831.htm
https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca A 4 lane joke that should have opened with 6 lanes. There is no provision for a no lower deck to accomodate a future LRT line or tram-train. No provision for 2 rapid bus lanes or HOV lanes.
https://www.infrastructurebc.com/project/pattullo-bridge-replacement-project/
https://www.aecon.com/our-expertise/our-projects/current/pattullo-bridge-replacement
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pattullo-bridge-replacement-project-1.7565793 Speed, efficiency and quality just aren't part of the backwards BC mentality.
The LGB is one of the worlds worst bottlenecks or traffic chokepoints. An inadequate 3 lane bridge with no train and bus tunnel to help relieve the congestion.
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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(California)#History
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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(Washington)#Tukwila_to_Bellevue
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/405-freeway-closes-weekend-kirkland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_405_(Washington)#21st_century
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)
| Height | 261.8 m (859 ft) |
|---|---|
| Technical details | |
| 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
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://skyrisecities.com/news/2017/07/new-renderings-showcase-canadas-next-tallest-building.27637
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Ontario Place parking garage
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.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Friday, June 13, 2025
Saturday, June 7, 2025
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
Monday, May 19, 2025
Saturday, May 17, 2025
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
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Monday, April 28, 2025
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Friday, April 11, 2025
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://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
Friday, March 28, 2025
Friday, March 21, 2025
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
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) |
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://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.
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
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://jf-databits.blogspot.com/search?q=LRT :: https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=LRT:
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.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
A Toronto building with horrible reputation is facing even more issues
https://dailyhive.com/toronto/toronto-condo-building-issues-dundas-square-gardens
A reasonable effort should always be made to maintain a decent living standard in new and older buildings.










