Mike Klassen over at City Caucus did a survey on “The Top City Story of 2011.” Most commentators thought it was the riot.
Here’s my contribution:
Rather than a specific story (protests, elections), I’d go with a trend: the embrace of urbanism by suburban leaders – that is, the welcoming of density, whether measured as quantity or quality; the move to transit and transportation choices like walking and cycling; and the recognition that post-war, car-dependent suburbia is not the future.
Best example is Surrey, I suppose – particularly well represented by the new library and city hall at Surrey Central. But Hazel McCallion, Mayor of Mississauga, and Naheed Nenshi of Calgary are also good examples of the changing attitudes toward urbanism.
– Gord Price, commentator, Director, The City Program at Simon Fraser University (@PriceTags)
