"We cant afford existing infrastructure let alone new" — #Nanaimo #muni asset management pro

"We cant afford existing infrastructure let alone new" #Nanaimo #muni asset management pro cc @StrongTowns @neil21 http://t.co/LsetLI1aGI

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) July 31, 2014

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"If it's about us, don't do it without us..." @SFUPublicSquare

Can dialogue & civic engagement make a difference? This video, feat community members & instructors from SFU explores http://t.co/qfOfcjWVB1

— SFU Public Square (@SFUPublicSquare) July 28, 2014

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From Governing.com — Why Would You Have a Highway Run Through a City?

SF Embarcadero Freeway razed in 1991 replaced with palm-lined boulevard, plazas. (D Kidd/Governing)

Robert Doucette, a developer in Syracuse, N.Y., often commutes to work by walking or biking from his house near Syracuse University to his office downtown. The route is little more than a mile long, but it requires crossing one major obstacle: a hulking highway viaduct that cuts a large swath through the center of the city.

This elevated stretch of Interstate 81 carries 56,000 vehicles a day. Though it is propped up on piers, it has a major impact on the landscape below. As many as six lanes of traffic run beneath the expressway, including feeder ramps and access roads. Pedestrians teeter nervously on raised curbs as they wait for a signal, then “make a break for it,” Doucette says, as they try to avoid unseen vehicles making turns. Read mor: Why Would You Have a Highway Run Through a City?

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From Urban Toronto — Waterfront Toronto Officially Opens Corktown Common

Downtown Toronto's newest park has seen an overwhelmingly positive reception since its soft opening last Summer, and after a ribbon cutting ceremony this morning, the 18 acre Corktown Common is now officially open at Bayview and River Streets in the West Don Lands. With plenty of green space and over 700 trees as well as thousands of shrubs and aquatic plants, Corktown Common offers a diverse, ecologically rich habitat for visitors to walk, bike or just enjoy the sunshine. Read more: Waterfront Toronto Officially Opens Corktown Common | Urban Toronto

#Winnipeg Now+Then: @TheForks from rail-yard to beloved public space. @brent_bellamy

#Winnipeg Now+Then: @TheForks from rail-yard to beloved public space. Can't wait to see its next evolution @CMHR_News pic.twitter.com/qSn0MVdWAh

— Brent Bellamy (@brent_bellamy) July 23, 2014

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South Downtown Waterfront Initiative On Council Agenda Today

Dr Witty has now briefed the Port Authority, the Snuneymuxw First Nation and the Regional District on the committee's final report and presents it again to Council this evening and will speak on the next steps. Also on the agenda a motion to terminate the lease on the northwest corner of the site now held by Island Pallet and begin remediation work. Agenda here.

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Post by Nanaimo Commons.

#NanaimoCouncil Tweets

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Impending opening of Canadian Museum for Human Rights, what next for #Winnipeg's The Forks? @brent_bellamy

Nearly 20 years ago, the swirling titanium panels of a new Guggenheim Museum transformed a blue-collar city named Bilbao, Spain into a flourishing centre of culture and design. This inspired cities across the globe to build ever-more sensational public buildings, hoping to recreate the elusive "Bilbao Effect."

As Winnipeg prepares to open its own iconic museum, the lesson that can be learned from the experience of these cities is translating a building like the Canadian Museum for Human Rights into a broader development catalyst, requires a focused effort to build complementary projects that expand the museum's influence beyond its walls.

The opportunity for this development in Winnipeg begins with the massive parking lots that sit directly across from the museum at The Forks. Last week, a conceptual master plan for the five-hectare site along the raised rail line was made public, quickly receiving approval by the standing policy committee on downtown development. Read more: More than the museum - Winnipeg Free Press

Please #Winnipeg come out on July 23-26 to refine Forks plan beyond it's current landscape urbanism -> dwelling place http://t.co/QvqwYRAGej
— Hazel Borys (@hborys) July 15, 2014

"If you're waiting for a sign, this is it." — @aurbanist

"If you're waiting for a sign, this is it." pic.twitter.com/npjSSKFMV3

— AntonioGomez-Palacio (@aurbanist) July 13, 2014

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Part of making multi-modal cities is designing great experiences - like this, in #Montreal — @TODUrbanWORKS

Part of making multi-modal cities is designing great experiences - like this, in #Montreal: http://t.co/qH15oDlIAH pic.twitter.com/KfirEszHyy

— TODERIAN UrbanWORKS (@TODUrbanWORKS) July 11, 2014

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Multimodal Terminal in the San Bernardino City Center @MattKorner

Post by Matt Korner.

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From Project for Public Spaces — The World’s Best Squares

8. PLAZA DE LA CONSTITUCION (ZOCALO), OAXACA CITY, MEXICO
Strolling down the pedestrian walkway Macedonio Alcala, one arrives at the daily fiesta that is the zocalo. Sitting on benches, parents enjoy the soothing sounds from the fountains as they watch their children play. Vendors circumambulating the zocalo sell corn, chapulines and fruit to customers at the shoe shine stands scattered throughout the plaza. Friends gather on the benches to discuss events they read about in newspapers bought by the nearby newsstands. Every night, musicians serenade customers eating at the cafes. Although a poorly executed renovation undertaken in mid-2005 threatened to suck the life out of the zocalo, early reports indicate that it remains a beloved place and the center of civic life in Oaxaca. More at: Project for Public Spaces | The World’s Best Squares