In 2016, I launched the editorial program for Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet company that helped cities address their biggest challenges using technology. I oversaw all external publications and owned media channels until the company was absorbed into Google in early 2022.
VISION DOCUMENTS
I served as lead writer and editorial director for the company's main vision explorations into the future of cities, specifically the Sidewalk Toronto project that aimed to create a sustainable and inclusive development along Toronto's eastern waterfront. These efforts included Sidewalk's winning response to a 2017 Request for Proposals for an innovation and funding partner, and the 1,500-page Master Innovation and Development Plan released in June 2019.
RFP - Vision Sections
MIDP - Vol 0
MIDP - Vol 1
MIDP - Vol 2
MIDP - Vol 3
MIDP - Public Engagement Process
SIDEWALK TALK BLOG
I launched the Sidewalk Talk Medium blog and edited or wrote all stories published on it from 2016-2021. Here are some of my favorite or most popular pieces:
Is it time to end single-family zoning? (link) - covered by Politico
Buffalo ended parking requirements. What did developers do next? (link) - cross-posted by Streetsblog
The most important bike technology is … street design (link) - cross-posted by Streetsblog
The troubling tie between bigger cars and pedestrian deaths (link) - cross-posted by Streetsblog
Why the 1918 flu hit some cities harder than others (link)
What Pittsburgh 1918 teaches us about easing pandemic measures too soon (link)
The latest evidence that bike lanes are good for business (link)
The latest evidence that city neighborhoods impact personal health (link)
The strongest evidence yet that parking spaces cause more driving (link)
Less parking can mean more housing. Here’s how. (link)
5-Minute Explainer: How factory construction can help housing affordability (link)
How an economic crisis impacts innovation: lessons from the Great Depression (link)
Reviving the economy means reviving transit. Here are 9 ideas to help (link)
Why minimum lot sizes are a growing affordability problem (link)
Climate change and inequality led to this ancient city’s demise. What can we learn from looking back? (link)
This Mesopotamian city was a hotbed of innovation — and a cautionary tale (link)
For minorities, housing discrimination limits access to clean air (link)
Q&A: The real benefits of real-time transit data (link)
Q&A: Why Europe’s parks and playgrounds are so much more active than America’s (link)
Q&A: A vision of city transportation, circa 2043 (link)
SERIES: 15 Innovations That Shaped the City (link)
"CITY OF THE FUTURE" PODCAST
I launched and co-hosted the popular "City of the Future" podcast with the super talented pod pro Vanessa Quirk. Throughout its four seasons, CotF consistently ranked in the top 5 percent of all Libsyn podcasts, with hundreds of thousands of annual downloads. You can listen here: