Yousaf S
@yousaf.bsky.social
Planner, Land Economist at Urban Systems, AB (Calgary based). Opinions and snark my own. Not official.
Reposted by Yousaf S
Why are many U.S. cities building less? Why have they insisted on a "thicket" of regulations that make housing hard to build?
In a new #EconJMP with Beau Bressler (beaubressler.github.io), we study how much of the answer lies with a forgotten federal program that taught cities to restrict growth
In a new #EconJMP with Beau Bressler (beaubressler.github.io), we study how much of the answer lies with a forgotten federal program that taught cities to restrict growth
November 26, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Why are many U.S. cities building less? Why have they insisted on a "thicket" of regulations that make housing hard to build?
In a new #EconJMP with Beau Bressler (beaubressler.github.io), we study how much of the answer lies with a forgotten federal program that taught cities to restrict growth
In a new #EconJMP with Beau Bressler (beaubressler.github.io), we study how much of the answer lies with a forgotten federal program that taught cities to restrict growth
Reviewing the platforms for my local councillors for the election here in Calgary and definitely noticing that “community character” in their housing platform is an immediate trigger.
September 2, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Reviewing the platforms for my local councillors for the election here in Calgary and definitely noticing that “community character” in their housing platform is an immediate trigger.
Reposted by Yousaf S
lots of speculation about the obamas getting divorced but the thing you have to understand is that we need affordable housing
July 16, 2025 at 10:14 PM
lots of speculation about the obamas getting divorced but the thing you have to understand is that we need affordable housing
My constant reminder to everyone complaining about Marda Loop and all the traffic that density will bring
RPA STUDY: Congestion pricing "has reduced traffic not only in Manhattan’s congestion relief zone (CRZ) but on roadways across the region. These time savings seem to be stable — remaining consistent and undiminished" -- rpa.org/news/lab/con...
Congestion Pricing: Faster All Around
Since the start of the Central Business District Tolling Program (CBDTP) on January 5th, 2025 the program has reduced traffic not only in Manhattan’s congestion relief zone (CRZ) but on roadways acros...
rpa.org
June 18, 2025 at 2:35 PM
My constant reminder to everyone complaining about Marda Loop and all the traffic that density will bring
1924 house with a cheap dishwasher. Went kaput, “oh good, now I can get a decent washer.” Buy decent washer, schedule install. Day of deliver guys arrive, try to take it out, no dice. The previous owner had tiled over the feet of the old dishwasher, locking it to the floor.
June 1, 2025 at 2:01 PM
1924 house with a cheap dishwasher. Went kaput, “oh good, now I can get a decent washer.” Buy decent washer, schedule install. Day of deliver guys arrive, try to take it out, no dice. The previous owner had tiled over the feet of the old dishwasher, locking it to the floor.
lol the “American” car companies have a lower share of US sourced parts than the Asian car companies.
This is the key thing to understand—there's no such thing as an all-American car. Even US-brand-US-assembled models don't use anything close to 100% American content. Trying to do autarky for car parts is totally unrealistic and just going to drive up costs and hurt domestic manufacturing.
May 30, 2025 at 7:21 PM
lol the “American” car companies have a lower share of US sourced parts than the Asian car companies.
Reposted by Yousaf S
Québec, the Canadian province with the most exhaustive and expansive rent *and* vacancy controls, has built more rental units in the absolute and per 1000 than any other province in the past 40 years. Exemptions apply only for 5 years after construction.
I agree. The Science shows that rent control is a reasonable policy that works fine if you design it properly (eg, new builds can charge market rates initially) jwmason.org/slackwire/co...
May 30, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Québec, the Canadian province with the most exhaustive and expansive rent *and* vacancy controls, has built more rental units in the absolute and per 1000 than any other province in the past 40 years. Exemptions apply only for 5 years after construction.
In today’s episode of people are contradictions, living in an inner city neighborhood in Calgary AB and the only people I see regularly biking to school/work are the dad who works for the oil company and his kids.
May 27, 2025 at 2:51 PM
In today’s episode of people are contradictions, living in an inner city neighborhood in Calgary AB and the only people I see regularly biking to school/work are the dad who works for the oil company and his kids.
👇 you don’t need to play the game the way the opposition plays, you need to be better at playing your own game
Unironically they should buy up the domains for about 60 defunct local newspapers in swing states. Hire two reporters to write almost exclusively about highschool sports and new restaurants opening with every 10th article about how the local GOP is screwing over people.
NEWS:
Democratic mega-donors are debating plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on a range of influencer plans to "find the liberal Rogan."
We've got pitch decks, investor meetings, and internal docs.
One Democrat has a spreadsheet of 26 different proposals.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/u...
Democratic mega-donors are debating plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on a range of influencer plans to "find the liberal Rogan."
We've got pitch decks, investor meetings, and internal docs.
One Democrat has a spreadsheet of 26 different proposals.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/u...
May 21, 2025 at 3:16 AM
👇 you don’t need to play the game the way the opposition plays, you need to be better at playing your own game
The pace at which this project went from design to construction in the face of so.much.public.opposition is just a thing of beauty and hope
April 15, 2025 at 1:04 PM
The pace at which this project went from design to construction in the face of so.much.public.opposition is just a thing of beauty and hope
Reposted by Yousaf S
Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.
April 15, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.
A propos of nothing, obsession over “procedure and process” instead of people’s lives is also why we have an affordability crisis and can’t seem to build anything without years of consultation. Can’t wait for this old guard to either be voted out or retire out.
Politics is the impact of power and policy on people's lives. Schumer, however, thinks it's about procedure and process. That's the problem right there.
March 16, 2025 at 5:35 PM
A propos of nothing, obsession over “procedure and process” instead of people’s lives is also why we have an affordability crisis and can’t seem to build anything without years of consultation. Can’t wait for this old guard to either be voted out or retire out.
Well. Guess the silver lining is that the side in power at Queen’s Park is usually not the one in Parliament.
February 28, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Well. Guess the silver lining is that the side in power at Queen’s Park is usually not the one in Parliament.
I’m often wary of my fav books getting put on the screen, but when the actual author is excited for it… well guess my Apple TV subscription isn’t going anywhere.
I have been so excited since I found out this would be announced today! RIP any ability for me to concentrate: www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2...
Apple’s new sci-fi series “Murderbot” to make global debut May 16, 2025
Today, Apple TV+ unveiled a first look at “Murderbot,” created by Chris and Paul Weitz and starring Alexander Skarsgård
www.apple.com
February 20, 2025 at 5:50 PM
I’m often wary of my fav books getting put on the screen, but when the actual author is excited for it… well guess my Apple TV subscription isn’t going anywhere.
lol the number of times I’ve tried, on multiple AI products, to ask simple questions related to my field, and even given it feedback when it was incorrect and gave it suggestions to steer it towards the right answer, but it kept straight up lying. Generalized models cannot do this.
If you have zero education, but learn how to ask AI models the right questions , in many jobs you will be able to outperform someone with an advanced degree, but who is unwilling to use Large Language Models.
Just takes a smartphone, curiosity to experiment and a mindset to learn.
Just takes a smartphone, curiosity to experiment and a mindset to learn.
February 17, 2025 at 11:51 PM
lol the number of times I’ve tried, on multiple AI products, to ask simple questions related to my field, and even given it feedback when it was incorrect and gave it suggestions to steer it towards the right answer, but it kept straight up lying. Generalized models cannot do this.
Reposted by Yousaf S
The news getting you down? I invite you to stare at this chart of solar and wind deployed capacity in China.
They blew past their ambitious 2030 target... last July.
They blew past their ambitious 2030 target... last July.
February 4, 2025 at 10:44 PM
The news getting you down? I invite you to stare at this chart of solar and wind deployed capacity in China.
They blew past their ambitious 2030 target... last July.
They blew past their ambitious 2030 target... last July.
Reposted by Yousaf S
All the things Canada was talking about this morning to Trump-proof ourselves? Still a good idea.
February 3, 2025 at 10:50 PM
All the things Canada was talking about this morning to Trump-proof ourselves? Still a good idea.
Those factory jobs are never coming back, exhibit #3382663849
I literally wrote the book on modern supply chains, I’m also an expert in automation and what drives it.
Lemme just observe that the economic activity that is coming back to the US if we are simultaneously deporting millions of workers could be the biggest spur to automation in history.
Lemme just observe that the economic activity that is coming back to the US if we are simultaneously deporting millions of workers could be the biggest spur to automation in history.
February 2, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Those factory jobs are never coming back, exhibit #3382663849
Reposted by Yousaf S
Hard to argue with the WSJ editorial page.
February 1, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Hard to argue with the WSJ editorial page.
Reposted by Yousaf S
A footnote on this one:
I've seen many people say "retaliation will cost us more than it hurts the US, so we should not retaliate"
My response: do you even game theory bro?
That's not how payoff matrices work.....
bsky.app/profile/kevi...
I've seen many people say "retaliation will cost us more than it hurts the US, so we should not retaliate"
My response: do you even game theory bro?
That's not how payoff matrices work.....
bsky.app/profile/kevi...
Canada's retaliation:
5) Hurt them: the goal is to inflict economic and political pain. Yes, actions will hurt us too and possibly more than it hurts them. That's why wars are bad. But war is upon us.
The point is to hurt them enough to change their action.
5) Hurt them: the goal is to inflict economic and political pain. Yes, actions will hurt us too and possibly more than it hurts them. That's why wars are bad. But war is upon us.
The point is to hurt them enough to change their action.
February 1, 2025 at 6:15 PM
A footnote on this one:
I've seen many people say "retaliation will cost us more than it hurts the US, so we should not retaliate"
My response: do you even game theory bro?
That's not how payoff matrices work.....
bsky.app/profile/kevi...
I've seen many people say "retaliation will cost us more than it hurts the US, so we should not retaliate"
My response: do you even game theory bro?
That's not how payoff matrices work.....
bsky.app/profile/kevi...
Rise up!
West-to-North view from the 26th floor of Tower Three of Sen̓áḵw. The tallest of 11 towers tops out at 64 stories.
January 29, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Rise up!
Chalk another one up to compound interest. Coops and AH aren’t that affordable compared to market when they’re built, but they become so much more over time.
was re-reading chapter on non-speculation in 'cooperative conditions' last night - and floored by this graph.
the durable benefit of 🇨🇭's cost-based rentals is that the longer they are in operation - the bigger the affordability gap v. local market rents. even accounting for retrofits & rehabs...
the durable benefit of 🇨🇭's cost-based rentals is that the longer they are in operation - the bigger the affordability gap v. local market rents. even accounting for retrofits & rehabs...
January 23, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Chalk another one up to compound interest. Coops and AH aren’t that affordable compared to market when they’re built, but they become so much more over time.
Been back in Canada for less than 6 months after a few years downstairs and, honestly, the number of people here suffering from “grass is greener” syndrome is sad.
December 22, 2024 at 6:09 PM
Been back in Canada for less than 6 months after a few years downstairs and, honestly, the number of people here suffering from “grass is greener” syndrome is sad.
After a year of trying to get back into PC gaming by building sleeper pcs, which don’t get me wrong is so much fun, I’m going back to the cloud. PCs are too much of a time and money pit.
December 16, 2024 at 2:23 AM
After a year of trying to get back into PC gaming by building sleeper pcs, which don’t get me wrong is so much fun, I’m going back to the cloud. PCs are too much of a time and money pit.
Build these everywhere
Single stair 12 plex (w elevator) on a 50x122 lot.
50% site coverage with a shared backyard.
(6x) 3br+Den
(6x) 2Br
Replacing a single fam home.
50% site coverage with a shared backyard.
(6x) 3br+Den
(6x) 2Br
Replacing a single fam home.
December 11, 2024 at 3:05 AM
Build these everywhere