Montreal Gazette columnist Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed recently wrote glowingly about the drive-thru feature of the new Pierrefonds library, a feature that Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough mayor Dimitrios (Jim) Beis lauded during November’s City Council meeting. His speech prompted a spontaneous outburst of laughter from many council members, whom Naqvi repeatedly criticizes in her opinion piece as “out of touch”.
As it’s apparently become increasingly fashionable to reduce every debate to identity politics of the us-versus-them variety, in this case bicycle-riding urbanites versus SUV-dependant suburbanites, I increasingly see the need to focus on what unites rather than continually bringing forth what separates and ultimately divides us.
Continue reading “Urban planning in the era of climate change: A zero-sum game”