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Subina Shrestha

@iamsubina.bsky.social

360 followers 450 following 48 posts

Postdoctoral Research Fellow @UofT|PhD from @uibCET|Researching cities and urban sustainability - climate, energy, mobility, justice.

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · Feb 4

In this new paper from @uibcet.bsky.social, we explore what makes experiments stick. By assessing four experiments in the cities of Bergen and Groningen, we find that persistent relational work is crucial in embedding experiments.

Link to paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Reposted by Subina Shrestha

Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 1d

Can’t decide what to buy on Prime Day?

Try: absolutely nothing, and then go support indie bookstores instead 📚

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · 4d

Pedestranised street in North America... Say what?!!!!!

Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · 7d

Allocating space disproportionately in favor of cars also means taking space from other modes of transport. UTSC students told us about the inequities in transport planning in and around Scarborough and how this affects their everyday lives.

School of Cities @uoftcities.bsky.social · 7d

The distribution of public land in cities has serious implications for how we move, how safe we feel, and who can access opportunities. @lanrickbennett.bsky.social + our data viz team find that 80% of T.O. street space is dedicated to motor vehicles:

Who are streets for?

More than 80% of street space in Toronto is inequitably dedicated to motor vehicles. How can this be fairly re-designed?

schoolofcities.github.io

Reposted by Subina Shrestha

Larry Nemecek — Dr. Trek! @larrynemecek.bsky.social · 9d

“AI is the asbestos we are shoveling into the walls of our society, and our descendants will be digging it out for generations.”

JB_AU @jbau.bsky.social · 10d

This whole section really.

Finally: AI cannot do your job, but an AI salesman can 100% convince your boss to fire you and replace you with an AI that can't do your job, and when the bubble bursts, the money-hemorrhaging "foundation models" will be shut off and we'll lose the AI that can't do your job, and you will be long gone, retrained or retired or "discouraged" and out of the labor market, and no one will do your job.
AI is the asbestos we are shoveling into the walls of our society and our descendants will be digging it out for generations:

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Reposted by Subina Shrestha

Seth Klein @sethdklein.bsky.social · 14d

Highly recommend this webinar next week presented by @bcpolicy.bsky.social 👇

BC Policy Solutions @bcpolicy.bsky.social · 14d

What’s needed to tackle the housing crisis?

Next week—a webinar with senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social and Sarah Ellis, Squamish Community Housing Society, for housing policy analysis & a practitioner's perspective on creating non-profit housing.

Oct 1, 12 pm PT
bcpolicy.ca/events

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · 19d

It is frustrating on so so so many levels.

Reposted by Subina Shrestha

Ryan Katz-Rosene, PhD @ryankatzrosene.bsky.social · 20d

“Canada’s fossil fuel industry has singlehandedly scotched any chance of the country hitting its legally-binding 2030 emissions reduction targets, due to increasing oil production.”

(Sorry world)

Screenshot of https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/09/18/news/alberta-fossil-fuels-emission-targets

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · 23d

"The housing crisis is urgent, and so is the opportunity. We can keep funding market Band-aids that expire in a generation, or we can take land off the speculative market, put it in community hands and make houses into homes. For good."

theconversation.com/turning-hous...

Turning houses into homes: Community land trusts offer a fix to Canada’s housing crisis

Canada treats land as a tradeable asset, forgetting it’s the foundation for homes, communities and stability. If the country is serious about solving the housing crisis, it must change that.

theconversation.com

Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · 26d

School streets elsewhere: momentummag.com/school-stree...

School Streets Programs Surging In Some Cities But Others Have More Homework To Do

Programs to provide protected streets where motor vehicles are banned during school hours are taking off in London and Paris

momentummag.com

Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · 28d

The research found that the emissions from any one of the 14 biggest companies were by themselves enough to cause more than 50 heatwaves that would otherwise have been virtually impossible.

Climate Tracker @climate.skyfleet.blue · 28d

Carbon emissions from oil giants directly linked to dozens of deadly heatwaves for first time #Climate

Carbon emissions from oil giants directly linked to dozens of deadly heatwaves for first time

Study shows how individual fossil fuel companies are making previously impossible heatwaves happen and could have to pay compensation

www.theguardian.com

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · Sep 8

Here we see the nuance, and the danger, of the language of pragmatism. It allows politicians to hold two positions at once. They can acknowledge the need for rapid change, while promoting a “pragmatic” position against it.

Federica Genovese @fgenovese.bsky.social · Sep 8

Interesting take on the new politics of climate pragmatism that matches the emerging paradigm of climate realism around the world

cc @jeffcolgan.bsky.social

Dr Steve Westlake @steveclimate.bsky.social · Sep 5

Happy to share our new research on UK climate politics 🚨

We found Members of Parliament (MPs) use the language of climate "pragmatism" to avoid rapid change. It risks becoming a new discourse of delay.

More detail below and in 🧵

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theconversation.com/politicians-...

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · Sep 5

“Social housing is solidarity you can touch.”

Alliance for Housing Justice @aforhj.org · Sep 5

“The main thing is that [Vienna] just kept the policy commitment: housing is a human right, we’re going to keep building it.” @aldasky.bsky.social @cplusc.bsky.social

Vienna's Model Shows the Government Really Can Guarantee Housing for All

A new report documents the wild and likely replicable success of Vienna's public housing plan.

truthout.org

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Reposted by Subina Shrestha

James Brandt @jamesbrandt.bsky.social · Sep 4

Nearly every large organization - Columbia, Starbucks, REI, Trader Joes, Amazon, etc - has embraced an illegal anti-union playbook. While we should increase the legal penalties for such behavior, Eamon's right that we also need a shift in social norms to safeguard organizing rights.

Any consensus was short-lived. As Paul Weiler noted, employer unfair labor practices began to increase in the late-1950s. At the start of the 1980s, the Board was reinstating over 10,000 discriminatees and receiving over 31,000 charges of employer unfairness per year, the latter representing a 750% increase from 1957. Weiler, reviewing these facts contemporaneously, found that “[n]either the law nor NLRB practice has changed materially since the mid-1950s. What has changed is the willingness of employers to break the law when they feel they can get away with it,” reflecting in part “a growing social acceptance of such tactics.” In other words, social norms about labor-law compliance had changed. Violating the law to break a union had become okay.

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · Sep 3

This, bikebus and playstreets!

Reposted by Subina Shrestha

Jacob Edenhofer @jacobedenhofer.bsky.social · Aug 29

www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-eng...

Analysis: England’s most ethnically diverse areas are 15 times more likely to face extreme heat - Carbon Brief

Neighbourhoods in England that are home to the most minority-ethnic people are 15 times more likely to face extreme heat than the least diverse areas

www.carbonbrief.org

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · Aug 28

Been reading this. Cool work, indeed!

Reposted by Subina Shrestha

Jeff Wachter @jeffwachter.bsky.social · Aug 28

Important piece from @berkie1.bsky.social on using postive language when we talk about housing (or any type of) growth in our communities. Adding housing brings so many benefits to a community; we need to start our convesations around new neighbors with this in mind.

We Must Rebrand Housing as a Benefit, Not a Burden

I’m often asked by area business owners and residents, “What can we do to support solutions to our housing issues in our own communities?” The answer sometimes surprises people in its simplicity.Beyon...

www.remainplaces.com

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Reposted by Subina Shrestha

Calgary Climate Hub @calgaryclimatehub.ca · Aug 25

ecojustice.ca/news/cycling...

Cycling advocates ready to defend victory against anti-bike lane law

Cycling advocates gear up to defend their victory against the Ford government’s arbitrary anti-bike lane law.

ecojustice.ca

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · Aug 25

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Reposted by Subina Shrestha

Economic Policy Institute @epi.org · Aug 22

Median household income is $12,000 higher in states with high union density than in states with low union density 📈

Unions don’t just help union workers—they help ALL workers by setting higher standards that nonunion employers must meet to attract & retain workers.

www.epi.org/publication/...

Unions aren’t just good for workers—they also benefit communities and democracy

Rebuilding worker power by strengthening unions is not just good policy—it is a democratic imperative in the face of authoritarian backsliding.

www.epi.org

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Reposted by Subina Shrestha

David Roberts @volts.wtf · Aug 13

You're proud of your heat pump and you want to brag about it, but your neighbors don't even know you have it! What can you do?

Here you go: a heat pump yard sign.
merch.quilt.com

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · Aug 13

The EV boom in Nepal painted as a massive success story is infuriating - safe, reliable public transit options are still largely absent, and the policy environment is still very vague about electrifying public transport. Also, can we first have electricity for 24 hours a day? Please 🙏

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · Aug 12

Really enjoyed the episode, particularly the distinction between increase in ridership vs modal shift. Re. Dwell times, in Norway, we purchased the tickets on an app and didnt have to tap on/off. Not sure if this would work everywhere, though.

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Subina Shrestha @iamsubina.bsky.social · Aug 12

Refreshing to see when Toronto is struggling to keep existing ones.

Reposted by Subina Shrestha

Lanrick Bennett @lanrickbennett.bsky.social · Aug 12

#FYI

"Meeting the housing needs of Ontarians requires a transformational change. Non-profit and co-op housing providers can unlock the potential for affordable and deeply affordable housing in Ontario.

See @unitedwaygt.bsky.social's full report. bit.ly/45cH6xM

#BuiltForGood

A book titled Built For Good
Delivering the Housing Ontario Needs

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