hulk -intr.v. 1. To loom or rise in a towering or impressive fashion. (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 1973)
Letter to City of Vaughan Council re: Municipal Housing Pledge – March 7, 2023
This letter was submitted to the City of Vaughan’s Committee of the Whole meeting on March 8, 2023, Item #13. For more on the Missing Middle, read my blog post from January 30, 2023. Implementing the province’s housing pledge must emphasize development that does not encourage sprawl, which would risk placing future financial pressure on…
Imagining The Missing Middle In Vaughan
By: Jean-François Obregón January 30, 2023 Cities like my hometown Vaughan, Ontario, Canada are defined by single-detached homes with backyards. An increase in condominium construction in recent years has changed the skyline but, there is little in-between. Many young people move to exurban municipalities because that is where they can afford a house. Given a…
Letter to City of Toronto Executive Committee – July 12, 2022
Today, the City of Toronto’s Executive Committee will be deciding whether to provide staff with more time to consult on a new Alternative Parkland Dedication Rate. Staff’s proposed rate would yield more parkland from development as it is based on density than the current Alternative Parkland Dedication Rate, which is based on site size. Staff…
Biodiversity Finance for Cities
Download the one-pager here. Download the full report here. In early-2020, I wondered how financial markets could help achieve positive conservation outcomes. I worried about disappearing forests and animals. I approached my manager at Sustainalytics pitching an article about conservation finance. Global green bond issuances had come off another record-breaking year reaching USD 257.7 billion…
The time is ripe for ambition on parkland acquisition in Toronto
Download the “Time is Ripe” report here. This blog is cross-posted on the Prof. Nina-Marie Lister’s Ecological Design Lab website. “Amsterdam is known for its canals. Why can’t Toronto be known for its ravines?”, asks Philip Jessup, ex-Executive Director of The Atmospheric Fund. Many have sought refuge in parks during the closures and public health…
Wealthsimple Recap
On January 12, 2021, I gave a lunch and learn session to Wealthsimple staff about my career and The Urban Hulk’s focus. My ambitions are to look at the intersection of responsible investment and urban planning. I spoke about how investors can address deforestation, coastal infrastructure and ecological resilience. A green bond is a fixed…
Wetlands In the Balance?
Not wasting a crisis? Chances are you have taken more walks in nature during the pandemic than ever before. Yet the Ford government has loosened protections to facilitate construction in environmentally-sensitive lands in or close to the Greenbelt. Policies promoting this activity have accelerated during COVID-19 with Ministerial Zoning Orders being issued to speed up…
Ivey MBA Session Recap
On September 15, 2020, I had the pleasure and privileged to be a guest speaker in Professor Nadine de Gannes’s session on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). It was part of an MBA elective on Responsible Governance offered at the Ivey Business School at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. I participated in a panel…
Detroit
A city in between phases. Much has been written about Detroit’s renaissance in recent years. Urbanists have been going for its urban gardening movement and its arts scene. I decided to see what the fuss was about. In spring 2019, I visited the Motor City and was pleasantly surprised by its urban charm. However, I…
What is the Urban Hulk?
A slide as part of your commute. An electric van. Frugal bus lanes. Medellín. Ghent. Lima. These cities have inspired a passion for city-building. I’ve always wondered how my hometown – Toronto – can benefit from innovations around the world. The opposite is also true as I am keen on bringing homegrown innovations to the…
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The Urban Hulk 