Urban Thinkers Book Club

Have you spent too many nights up awake thinking about how Toronto can better activate it’s public spaces? Are your family and friends tired of you asking them to debate the merits of the 15” city or the new LRT project? If you are looking for a place that has kindred spirits who are just as invested in all things urban planning/city building as you are, then you have come to the right place! Urban Thinkers is a book club where we come together to read up on the latest developments in transportation, urban design, social policy and much more with the goal of expanding our knowledge of urban development in the company of good friends and a hot cup of coffee. Students and professionals actively working in the sector are encouraged to come, but anyone with an interest in learning more about this field is welcome!

We meet every other month at Boxcar Social (1208 Yonge St, Toronto) from 11am to 1pm to discuss our latest read.

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At Our next book club May 24th we will be reading Building for People, Designing Livable, Affordable, Low-Carbon Communities By Michael Eliason.

In Building for People makes the case for low-carbon ecodistricts and presents tools for developing these neighborhoods. Eliason explains that to create highly livable places with a low carbon impact, ecodistricts must incorporate ample social housing for a good economic and social mix of residents, invest in open space, create infrastructure that can adapt to a changing climate, and offer car-free or car-light realms.

You are of course free to read the whole book but our discussion will focus on the following chapters:

• Chapter 1: The Compact, Climate Adaptive Ecodistrict

• Chapter 2: Rethinking Urban Development in the United States

• Chapter 3: The Productive District

• Chapter 4: Net Zero and Fossil-Fuel-Free Districts

• Chapter 5: Unlocking Ecodistricts with Better Regulations

• Chapter 8: Mobility and the District of Short Distances

• Chapter 14: Green Space

• Epilogue: Unleashing Brilliant Futures

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We are always looking for new suggestions for books/reports/studies to read, so feel free to send me a message or come with a suggestions at our upcoming session.

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Host or Publisher Scott Baker