Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Stephanie Watt

Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 2d

Our kids are invisible on our streets in more than one way

a kid in front of a truck with a red backpack
Invisible
The all-new 2026 child

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · 5d

Last fall, I chatted with @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social about my experience of municipal politics in Montréal, how the combination of boroughs and local parties can lead to change, experimentation, cross pollination. This fall, a video came out about all this. Thanks, Patrick!

Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 6d

This video is a long time coming.

People always ask me: what makes Montreal so ambitious on urbanism? (At least for bikes and pedestrians.)

I've been thinking through this and asking Montrealers, and in this video I want to cover *part* of the answer.

The Secret of Montreal’s Urbanism Success

YouTube video by Oh The Urbanity!

youtu.be

1 6

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jul 9

This is one way or outcome of anchoring urbanism in a child rights framework.

EmmanuelSPV @emmanuelspv.bsky.social · Jul 9

Avant / Après la rue aux écoles Rue Duranti dans le 11ème arrondissement de Paris. On est passé d'un arbre en pot avant qu'on voit au fond à droite, à une vingtaine d'arbres en terre après.

1 4

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jul 9

Nimbys prevail. Sure. But so do politicians who place reelection or winning above other values.

1

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jul 8

Different ambiances or atmospheres make a space, in this case a park, more playable. Here this is achieved by letting a green zone grow out, looking like a field where some adventures could take place. Totally affordable. Also great for freshness and privacy.

Park with three sections. Foreground = trimmed grass. Middle = narrow asphalt path. Background = green zone with high grasses, deciduous trees, conifers. Photo taken at Parc Beaubien in the Rosemont neighbourhood of Montreal.

3

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jul 8

Incroyable l’échelle de transformation à Paris! J’ai l’impression que TOUTE transformation de la rue (ou trottoir) coute hyper cher au Canada. Même avec la volonté politique, on aurait jamais les moyens. À Paris, ce sont les employés de la ville qui réaménagent les rues ou est-ce fait à l’externe?

1

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jul 3

Agreed. Seems like last ones have only been about that. That combined with pretty loose donation rules makes for some shady decisions.

1

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jul 2

Very telling! What is too bad is that NCC hokds back to not appear “municipal” in its public space design and programming, and City of Ottawa is not stepping up.

1 1

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jul 2

What would Ottawa’s public space be without the NCC?

1 2

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 28

Je suis impressionnée par l'engagement de @mccraywx.bsky.social pour des rues apaisées + sécuritaires dans Sainte-Marie et par sa contribution rigoureuse + réfléchie au CA sur lequel on siège ensemble. C'est donc comme collègue et Montréalaise engagée pour les droits des enfants que j'appuie Chris!

Chris McCray @mccraywx.bsky.social · Jun 28

Très touché d’avoir l’appui de @stephaniewatt.bsky.social, conseillère municipale de 2017 à 2021 et grande défenseure du droit des enfants à la ville. Sa vision d’une ville pensée pour les enfants — mais surtout avec les enfants — me rejoint profondément. Merci Stephanie!

1 3 7

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 27

Yeah, as 4yo cries out : « What? Oh my god, Mom! No! »

1 1

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 27

Oh man, so many awkward moments here when then kid recycles and sees her art in the bin. 😬

1 2

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 27

Ma ville du futur a encore des feux d’artifice. Deux jours après la canicule. Comme ça, sans gêne.

1

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 25

Tellement de respect pour celles et ceux qui s’engagent à fond pour leur quartier. Chris en fait partie — après des années de mobilisation locale, sa candidature à l'investiture de Sainte-Marie coule de source. 💚 #polmtl

Chris McCray @mccraywx.bsky.social · Jun 25

Je me présente à l’investiture de @projetmontreal.org dans Sainte-Marie! Après des années à mobiliser pour des rues plus sécuritaires, je veux représenter mon quartier au conseil municipal. Vous habitez Ville-Marie? Devenez membre d’ici le 9 juillet pour m’appuyer : monelection.org/form/member/...

1 2 10

Reposted by Stephanie Watt

Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · Jun 22

This is why I won’t use AI in my practice. How can I advocate for sustainable people focussed design if I’m killing the environment doing so.

Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · Jun 22

Got a ConEd alert telling me to use less energy during the heat wave and this is all I can think about.

Screenshot of a Bluesky post

Lauren
Follow
@laurenkayes.bsky.social
It's so cool that cities are like "oweeease only turn your AC on if you're actively dying and don't go below 79
"
while the Al nobody asked for is slurping up the power grid to make 1 image of a girl with 5 tits
Jun 22, 2024 at 5:58 PM

11 32

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 22

Love it when the splash pad doesn’t look like one. Makes the freshness more inclusive. Place des Fleurs-de-Macadam, Montréal.

Splash pad made of rocks. Beach balls, buoys and a small plastic pool on the concrete surface. Adults and children in background. Mist coming out of the rocks.

1 4

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 21

Agreed ! I was on Wellington last weekend and couldn’t believe street parking was free. Barely anyone out on Sunday at 9am, but loads of parked cars. That said, Montreal still has way too much free on-street parking.

2

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 19

C le best!

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 16

Donc l’immeuble patrimoniale deviendra du logement?

1 2

Reposted by Stephanie Watt

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Jun 16

Trump declares war on cities

“We must expand efforts to detain & deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as LA, Chicago, & NY, where Millions of Illegal Aliens reside. These, & other Cities, are core of the Dem Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base”

1.5K 2.1K 6.3K

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 16

I can’t imagine. I wish I could.

1

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 14

La semaine dernière, je marchais cette rue, côté ouest, entre Ontario et Sherbrooke, et je pense que seulement 2 locaux étaient occupés. 2!

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 14

I love this. Des rencontres improbables valent le détour.

3

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 12

Was at a multilane four-way stop today and gotta say, it was a clusterfuck. The crossing guard was giving « yeah, this is the worst ». No way a child could navigate that intersection alone. We should just call it clusterfuck urbanism. Or antichild urbanism. #ClusterfuckUrbanism #AntiChildUrbanism

Stephanie Watt @stephaniewatt.bsky.social · Jun 11

Made by my four-year-old. She felt loads of pride to have drawn this road on these tags. This sort of thing makes my heart melt.

Black ink drawings (scribbles) on tag cut from clothes.