Corbin Seligman

Urbanist. Economist. Perpetual learner. Believer in the goodness of people and our ability to create a better future, together.

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

We CAN have nice things! Sustainability is NOT just about the environment. It MUST mean social, economic AND environmental sustainability. All three must be intact, or none will last. @jen_keesmaat

[Jennifer Keesmaat @jen_keesmaat]

Pitch perfect campaign platform @envirodefence.

All the good things are in here: complete communities! stop sprawl by building in Toronto! retrofit streets for people! tackle income segregation through density bonuses!

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

@ChrisSpoke Agreed. The only way people leave their cars is if they see transit flying past traffic. When buses and streetcars are fast, reliable, comfortable, and economical, people switch — and commuting improves for everyone, including drivers.

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

@EricDLombardi The city government and council decisions are beyond infuriating. This type of business should be allowed as of right inside neighbourhoods.

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

@Ben_Bergen Truth. Almost every hub of innovation, including Silicon Valley, Washington DC, Israel - they all were spurred and are supported by huge government spending.

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

@EricDLombardi Absolutely.

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

Absolutely. Let’s get it done!

[Brad Bradford @BradMBradford]

Toronto is still not building enough homes, fast enough, to restore affordability.

So here are three things that we can do to fix that:

1️⃣ Eliminate Development Charges on purpose-built rental apartments to accelerate construction.
2️⃣ Upzone Major Streets and Avenues across the city so that fewer projects trigger a lengthy approval process.
3️⃣ Make it easier to add new homes to properties that can support additional density, like additional apartment neighbourhoods.

Let’s get moving on these long-overdue reforms and start building much needed rental housing that Torontonians can afford.

#torontohousing #missingmiddle #gentledensity #urbanplanning #housingoptions #housingsupply #realestateTO #planningTO #housingmarket @CMHC_ca

[Alex Bozikovic @alexbozikovic]

That’s well over a million people just going to the park at @OntarioPlace, even as the government keeps trash-talking and letting it crumble.

[Jennifer Keesmaat @jen_keesmaat]

Growth pays for growth is fundamentally flawed, and is, as you say, a huge wealth transfer to existing property owners.

If you put an intergenerational lens on it, it becomes even more complicated. New home owners by every account are unlikely to have the wealth creation benefits of property ownership that other generations have enjoyed - but are burdened with higher infrastructure costs embedded in the price of new housing.

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

We literally have a system that would serve everyone in the downtown core. No one would need a car. This would unclog our streets overnight. Build on-off platforms, eliminate left turns. Get Toronto moving.

[Alex Mather @AlexDRMather]

On any given day, Toronto has literally hundreds of millions of dollars-worth of streetcars sitting behind a bunch of people turning left in their cars. It’s an insane misuse of resources.

Every single streetcar should have priority over every private vehicle.

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

@AlexDRMather Amen. Do you know if there is any actual talk of doing this?

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

@damienmoule Thank you!

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

@damienmoule Love seeing this! Great news.

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

“..soon a new modular housing unit will open — something the University Health Network (UHN) is “prescribing” as a means to tackle homelessness and health care pressures at the same time” https://t.co/CzcE30z5o7

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

@jen_keesmaat Really inspiring to read your words. Just in the past few weeks I’ve felt the tides of change. They’re finally listening. Enough.

[Jennifer Keesmaat @jen_keesmaat]

The beating heart of democracy is an informed, aware and engaged public.

We’ve struggled with this lately, both in the Province and in Toronto. We haven’t been having the conversations we need to have about who we are, how we growth, what where we should invest as a society. You can see it on the streets of Toronto - we mistakenly became something we didn’t mean to become. It only took about 8 years of a passive Mayor focused on press releases and gladhanding.

And at the Province level, a ‘sprawl accelerator’ highway (the 413) is proceeding that absolutely no one thinks is a good idea except for a handful of landowners who stand to benefit financially. It too - like the #Greenbeltgrab - is off side with our regional planning objectives and framework which focuses on becoming a dense urban region.

The #Greenbelt scandal has jolted many into action. Sometimes it takes governments going a bridge too far for the public to say “enough.” On the day of the Big Apology, I sat around a kitchen table and heard a bunch of 20-somethings talk excitedly about the Greenbelt reversal, the implications from a political perspective, governing and public trust, and the way regional aquifers work! And all I could think was: this is good, this is so good.

If handled right, scandals can leave inter-generational legacies (Watergate was over 50 years ago).

They can change the public discourse, accountability, checks and balances in government, and they can kick start participation in forward-looking change.

There is hard work to do, but this was a watershed week. We are far far from being bedazzled by buck-a-beer. The beating heart is back.

[Pierre Poilievre @PierrePoilievre]

Trudeau vs Trudeau

[Brent Toderian @BrentToderian]

“It's the urban century, and our cities and city-regions face big challenges. They're far too important to our country's future to be under-considered by our country's government.”

I wrote this over 10 years ago. Canada still needs a “Ministry of Cities.”
https://t.co/laboECQQeQ

[Pierre Poilievre @PierrePoilievre]

Trudeau announced he’s building 214 homes in one city.

Canada needs to build 5.8 million homes by 2030.

Less photo ops. More home building.

[Corbin Seligman @CorbinSeligman]

@CindyWilkey @normsworld @Metrolinx @MyTOFD @MayorOliviaChow @oliviachow