Neal LaMontagne
@nlamontagne.bsky.social
Urbanist, planner, educator (planning faculty at the University of Alberta). Making the jump from the old ways of social media.
The only true freedom is that which is afforded all of us without exception. In Alberta, as in the US, our fundamental freedoms all now have an asterisk… dependent on the whims of a skittish fearful government. So much has been taken from us.
"If we become inured to abuse of the notwithstanding clause, the rights of all Canadians will be at risk.
...It remains up to all of us to push back and make our voices heard—just as Albertans were brave enough to do 25 years ago": @senatorpaulasimons.bsky.social.
albertaviews.ca/stripping-aw...
...It remains up to all of us to push back and make our voices heard—just as Albertans were brave enough to do 25 years ago": @senatorpaulasimons.bsky.social.
albertaviews.ca/stripping-aw...
Stripping Away Rights Using the Notwithstanding Clause. - Alberta Views
After a week of rancorous debate, Klein announced he would not invoke the notwithstanding clause on the landmark gay rights decision...
albertaviews.ca
November 19, 2025 at 2:26 AM
The only true freedom is that which is afforded all of us without exception. In Alberta, as in the US, our fundamental freedoms all now have an asterisk… dependent on the whims of a skittish fearful government. So much has been taken from us.
Yes to this… the way forward on climate is through positive change that is tangible and experienced in great places. The behind the scenes/technocratic approach got some big wins but can’t get us there.
The blueprint for winning big on climate also came out last night. No more technocratic, policy wonk approaches. People showed they care about utility bills, free buses, affordable housing, etc. These are all climate issues. Talk about climate in terms people understand and experience.
November 5, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Yes to this… the way forward on climate is through positive change that is tangible and experienced in great places. The behind the scenes/technocratic approach got some big wins but can’t get us there.
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
Starts Wednesday!
Want to learn about how the Real Estate Development Process works?
Consider taking @sfucity.bsky.social 755: Real Estate Development from the Inside Out
Starting Wed, Nov 5 | 6 pm PST| Online | Register: www.sfu.ca/continuing-s...
Want to learn about how the Real Estate Development Process works?
Consider taking @sfucity.bsky.social 755: Real Estate Development from the Inside Out
Starting Wed, Nov 5 | 6 pm PST| Online | Register: www.sfu.ca/continuing-s...
City Program
www.sfu.ca
November 3, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Starts Wednesday!
Want to learn about how the Real Estate Development Process works?
Consider taking @sfucity.bsky.social 755: Real Estate Development from the Inside Out
Starting Wed, Nov 5 | 6 pm PST| Online | Register: www.sfu.ca/continuing-s...
Want to learn about how the Real Estate Development Process works?
Consider taking @sfucity.bsky.social 755: Real Estate Development from the Inside Out
Starting Wed, Nov 5 | 6 pm PST| Online | Register: www.sfu.ca/continuing-s...
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
The canary in the coal mine has died.
Around the world, authoritarianism is taking hold of once strong democracies. If we ignore the seeds being planted in our own legislature, it will be at our peril.
Using Notwithstanding in this way is a BIG step over a "do not cross" line
Around the world, authoritarianism is taking hold of once strong democracies. If we ignore the seeds being planted in our own legislature, it will be at our peril.
Using Notwithstanding in this way is a BIG step over a "do not cross" line
October 28, 2025 at 10:52 PM
The canary in the coal mine has died.
Around the world, authoritarianism is taking hold of once strong democracies. If we ignore the seeds being planted in our own legislature, it will be at our peril.
Using Notwithstanding in this way is a BIG step over a "do not cross" line
Around the world, authoritarianism is taking hold of once strong democracies. If we ignore the seeds being planted in our own legislature, it will be at our peril.
Using Notwithstanding in this way is a BIG step over a "do not cross" line
Growing up in Alberta, the world was full of possibilities because we had the best public education system. Our kids won’t have that benefit. And to take away constitutional rights in place of good faith negotiations sets us back even more. It’s a sad day.
October 28, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Growing up in Alberta, the world was full of possibilities because we had the best public education system. Our kids won’t have that benefit. And to take away constitutional rights in place of good faith negotiations sets us back even more. It’s a sad day.
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
No one wants taxes to be higher than they need to be.
No one wants to feel or be unsafe in their community, on their commute, or in their home.
No one wants crime or homelessness.
Progressive policies are the solution to all of the above, as has been demonstrated elsewhere but never tried here.
No one wants to feel or be unsafe in their community, on their commute, or in their home.
No one wants crime or homelessness.
Progressive policies are the solution to all of the above, as has been demonstrated elsewhere but never tried here.
October 17, 2025 at 7:27 PM
No one wants taxes to be higher than they need to be.
No one wants to feel or be unsafe in their community, on their commute, or in their home.
No one wants crime or homelessness.
Progressive policies are the solution to all of the above, as has been demonstrated elsewhere but never tried here.
No one wants to feel or be unsafe in their community, on their commute, or in their home.
No one wants crime or homelessness.
Progressive policies are the solution to all of the above, as has been demonstrated elsewhere but never tried here.
People of Edmonton… design week is here! An (almost) full week celebration of design and creativity in YEG. The agenda is packed so make your pick before it’s too late. Edmontondesignweek.com
October 14, 2025 at 12:05 AM
People of Edmonton… design week is here! An (almost) full week celebration of design and creativity in YEG. The agenda is packed so make your pick before it’s too late. Edmontondesignweek.com
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
The video is up!
Many thanks to @markiemoose.ca for directing, recording & editing 🙏🏼
If you're in Edmonton, join us October 18th. Bring your favourite old bike, wear your best tweed
www.instagram.com/reel/DPZH8_C...
#bikesky #yegbike
Many thanks to @markiemoose.ca for directing, recording & editing 🙏🏼
If you're in Edmonton, join us October 18th. Bring your favourite old bike, wear your best tweed
www.instagram.com/reel/DPZH8_C...
#bikesky #yegbike
October 5, 2025 at 1:05 AM
The video is up!
Many thanks to @markiemoose.ca for directing, recording & editing 🙏🏼
If you're in Edmonton, join us October 18th. Bring your favourite old bike, wear your best tweed
www.instagram.com/reel/DPZH8_C...
#bikesky #yegbike
Many thanks to @markiemoose.ca for directing, recording & editing 🙏🏼
If you're in Edmonton, join us October 18th. Bring your favourite old bike, wear your best tweed
www.instagram.com/reel/DPZH8_C...
#bikesky #yegbike
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
Our #UCLA grad students identified water system vulnerabilities after the Jan 2025 wildfires. Advised by @gregspierce.bsky.social & @edithdeguzman.bsky.social, they provided solutions in their capstone report, advancing water security as a human right.
luskin.ucla.edu/ucla-student... #UCLALuskin
luskin.ucla.edu/ucla-student... #UCLALuskin
UCLA Student Research Drives Water Resilience and Equitable Solutions in Post-Fire Los Angeles
A team of UCLA master’s students in urban and regional planning (MURP) has produced an extensive report offering real-world strategies to strengthen water security.
luskin.ucla.edu
October 4, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Our #UCLA grad students identified water system vulnerabilities after the Jan 2025 wildfires. Advised by @gregspierce.bsky.social & @edithdeguzman.bsky.social, they provided solutions in their capstone report, advancing water security as a human right.
luskin.ucla.edu/ucla-student... #UCLALuskin
luskin.ucla.edu/ucla-student... #UCLALuskin
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
Wise words from the doctor last year, still valid today.
September 26, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Wise words from the doctor last year, still valid today.
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
“…bikes tend to allow community to happen by taking away the boundaries that exist between people in cities”
I only met Dr. Darren Markland a few times, but he made an impact on me. This clip from coffee outside (with Darren giving away free coffee from his bike-mounted coffee-maker) offers a glimpse into how he viewed cycling and community as interwoven. I'm so sorry for his family and community.
September 25, 2025 at 1:27 PM
“…bikes tend to allow community to happen by taking away the boundaries that exist between people in cities”
Beyond devastating… one of YEG’s best people, always caring, thoughtful, clever, inspiring. And the most amazing handlebar barista.
We’ve lost Dr. Darren Markland — Dr. Dagly. A true hero! (@drdagly.bsky.social ) 💔
terryreith.substack.com/p/rememberin...
terryreith.substack.com/p/rememberin...
Remembering Dr. Dagly
You had fans in places you never imagined. You Sir, were an inspiration.
terryreith.substack.com
September 25, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Beyond devastating… one of YEG’s best people, always caring, thoughtful, clever, inspiring. And the most amazing handlebar barista.
A simple ‘hack’ to get better design outcomes is to make sure the hiring processes is fair + nimble enough to hire a good designer for the particular job. Great to see Toronto + Ottawa take this on (we’ve had some wins in YEG)
Let’s talk about procurement (no seriously, it’s a really important topic!). The Toronto Society of Architects and the Ottawa Architecture Foundation are both hosting talks on public procurement processes and how to achieve better design outcomes.
September 25, 2025 at 12:32 PM
A simple ‘hack’ to get better design outcomes is to make sure the hiring processes is fair + nimble enough to hire a good designer for the particular job. Great to see Toronto + Ottawa take this on (we’ve had some wins in YEG)
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
Join us and @etriders.bsky.social for this fun all ages event - it’s FREE to attend! You won’t want to miss this special opportunity to join international guest speaker Anna Zivarts and community members as they share their experiences moving around #edmonton
Visit pathsforpeople.org/events
Visit pathsforpeople.org/events
September 7, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Join us and @etriders.bsky.social for this fun all ages event - it’s FREE to attend! You won’t want to miss this special opportunity to join international guest speaker Anna Zivarts and community members as they share their experiences moving around #edmonton
Visit pathsforpeople.org/events
Visit pathsforpeople.org/events
Cities should connect us to a broader story of time in place... not just through heritage preservation but storytelling. Montreal is very good at this.
Place d’Youville, where an angry Tory mob burned down parliament the day the Province of Canada got Responsible Government.
Artifacts & info panels on display in repurposed shipping containers.
Artifacts & info panels on display in repurposed shipping containers.
August 24, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Cities should connect us to a broader story of time in place... not just through heritage preservation but storytelling. Montreal is very good at this.
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
Focusing only on the “efficiency” of AI is like focusing on driving time in cities. The cost of building to save a few minutes is social services not provided, reinforced economic stratification, and the mental and physical effects of cars having more right to exist in public than people.
You don’t need to send me a story about how it saved you an hour at work or helped you solve a math riddle or even self-diagnose a medical ailment. My thinking will be the same. That is nice and it is still not worth the societal costs.
August 23, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Focusing only on the “efficiency” of AI is like focusing on driving time in cities. The cost of building to save a few minutes is social services not provided, reinforced economic stratification, and the mental and physical effects of cars having more right to exist in public than people.
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
This is the way
The Montreal application of the leading pedestrian interval allows non-turning traffic (including cyclists) to proceed too. Helps clear intersection for turning vehicles who must wait for the general green ball.
No turns on red also make a big difference for pedestrian and cyclist safety
No turns on red also make a big difference for pedestrian and cyclist safety
August 17, 2025 at 11:55 PM
This is the way
Protected bike lanes are a triple word score for urban mobility: more safety, more choice, and more bang for the buck traffic reduction. Yet we are stuck playing politics all over again.
I wrote something for @theglobeandmail.com
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... #yycbike #yegbike #BikeTO #BikeHFX
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... #yycbike #yegbike #BikeTO #BikeHFX
Opinion: The premiers are using bike lanes as a political scapegoat
Safe cycling infrastructure saves lives, but sadly, many politicians are ignoring the facts
www.theglobeandmail.com
August 17, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Protected bike lanes are a triple word score for urban mobility: more safety, more choice, and more bang for the buck traffic reduction. Yet we are stuck playing politics all over again.
Spot on... we are going through a housing reset in Canada as the frothiness of speculative capital has settled and options to the shoebox condo have expanded. There is huge pressure to repair the balloon but we should embrace the reset.
#topoli #cdnpoli New from me in the Star: let’s not try to fix a speculative bubble by attempting to repair the balloon & then calling it a solution. Ottawa absolutely sdn’t rescue the condo industry. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
John Lorinc: Our shoebox condo market is finally crumbling. Mark Carney should be the least surprised of all of us. Now he needs correct the errors of the past
Carney understands the warped incentives that gave us shoebox condos instead of homes for families
www.thestar.com
July 24, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Spot on... we are going through a housing reset in Canada as the frothiness of speculative capital has settled and options to the shoebox condo have expanded. There is huge pressure to repair the balloon but we should embrace the reset.
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
Of all the ways to describe Rue St Catherine in downtown Montreal, ‘closed’ sure isn’t one of them!
July 1, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Of all the ways to describe Rue St Catherine in downtown Montreal, ‘closed’ sure isn’t one of them!
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
Literally the only thing I want from my students is that they want to learn. That's it. That's the entire thing. Everything else is details
The thing about most professors… they actually want to teach… so if you want to learn they will help you
May 15, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Literally the only thing I want from my students is that they want to learn. That's it. That's the entire thing. Everything else is details
Visiting a dense complex city with frequent transit and a public bike share system is a true taste of freedom.
May 10, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Visiting a dense complex city with frequent transit and a public bike share system is a true taste of freedom.
Reposted by Neal LaMontagne
Cars, trucks & SUVs have become driver weapons. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes in the way streets & vehicles are designed. We should admit that we are very much OK w a certain amount of death & life-changing injuries in order to not inconvenience driving. My column this week. Pls read n share.
Shawn Micallef: Vehicles have become weapons by design — and public space is in their crosshairs
A culture like ours weaponizes vehicles — from the way they are designed to the way the roads they run on are designed.
www.thestar.com
May 4, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Cars, trucks & SUVs have become driver weapons. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes in the way streets & vehicles are designed. We should admit that we are very much OK w a certain amount of death & life-changing injuries in order to not inconvenience driving. My column this week. Pls read n share.
Valuable research and insight on a key flaw in traffic impact studies: emphasizing reducing delays at the expense of safety and creating 'fixes that fail'...
New #Research on #congestion and #roadsafety:
Recurrent patterns in the application of traffic impact analyses: Safety first or last?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Strap in, folks, we bout to challenge some norms.
🧵
Recurrent patterns in the application of traffic impact analyses: Safety first or last?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Strap in, folks, we bout to challenge some norms.
🧵
Recurrent patterns in the application of traffic impact analyses: Safety first or last?
Conventional traffic impact analysis (TIA) neglects traffic safety in development review procedures, often serving as an afterthought because the traf…
www.sciencedirect.com
May 4, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Valuable research and insight on a key flaw in traffic impact studies: emphasizing reducing delays at the expense of safety and creating 'fixes that fail'...
Design matters… therefore it’s critical to craft urban design guidelines well. We’re doing our one day crash course at @sfucity.bsky.social next week. I think the only time this year.
Need to provide strong, clear + well-crafted guidance for great #urbandesign?
Consider @sfucity.bsky.social ty 252: Designing & Drafting Design #Guidelines with @nlamontagne.bsky.social + @Oliver Hartleben
Starts Thurs May 8 | 9am PST | In-person @SFUVan| Register: www.sfu.ca/content/sfu/...
Consider @sfucity.bsky.social ty 252: Designing & Drafting Design #Guidelines with @nlamontagne.bsky.social + @Oliver Hartleben
Starts Thurs May 8 | 9am PST | In-person @SFUVan| Register: www.sfu.ca/content/sfu/...
Designing and Drafting Design Guidelines
<p> Good urban design—from the building to the site to the neighbourhood—benefits from strong, clear and well-crafted design guidance, and many planners and urban designers are tasked to draft design ...
www.sfu.ca
April 30, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Design matters… therefore it’s critical to craft urban design guidelines well. We’re doing our one day crash course at @sfucity.bsky.social next week. I think the only time this year.