The Urbanist – Monocle

Episode: Development priorities in Canadian cities and a year of co-operation in Cascadia
Date: January 15, 2026
Host: Andrew Tuck

Overview

This episode dives into the developmental challenges and priorities facing Canada’s rapidly changing cities, with particular focus on infrastructure, housing, and urban form. It then zooms out for a cross-border look at Cascadia—a mega region encompassing Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland—exploring the progress and frictions in their decade-long effort at formal collaboration. Through expert voices ranging from former city planners and politicians to business leaders, the episode addresses what makes cities healthy, the obstacles to cross-border regionalism, and the evolving vision of urban living and connectivity.

1. Canadian Cities: Development Pressures and Priorities

Key Segment: 00:27–10:40
Interview: Former Toronto Chief Planner Greg Clinton with Monocle’s Sheena Rossiter

A. Focus on Main Streets, Avenues, and Human-Centric Urban Form

• Medium-rise development—“main streets” lined with 6-8 story buildings—offers a comfortable urban scale, balancing sunlight, street activity, and public amenities.
  • Quote (01:38, Greg Clinton):
    “It creates the right balance of a sense of enclosure but also leaves room for street trees and other forms of mobility.”
• Multi-purpose streets in Canadian cities increasingly accommodate a mix of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians and are designed for flexible use (e.g., markets, events).
• Edmonton’s approach is highlighted as an example of successful, four-season public realm design, leveraging its sunshine and not letting cold climates limit outdoor use.
  • Memorable moment: Clinton jokes, “People will think that, oh, you can't do that in Edmonton, it's too cold, yada yada yada. But I think Edmonton is proving that it’s a full-on four season experience.” (02:43)

B. Vitality of Downtowns

• Thriving downtowns are “emblematic of the health of a city”—the “front porch” that shapes outsiders’ and residents’ perceptions.
  • Quote (03:27, Greg Clinton):
    “Having a thriving downtown, typically for any Canadian city in North America or around the world, is emblematic of the health of a city. It's your, your front porch, if you will.”
• Canada’s growth, though mainly suburban, must redirect toward denser, transit-oriented downtowns for sustainability, affordability, and better lifestyles (less car dependence).
• Early investments in infrastructure, such as Edmonton's LRT, set examples for others; more cities need to “get in the game.”
• The “bones” of a city: transit systems, public spaces, and safety are foundational.

C. The Housing Crisis and Social Infrastructure

• Central urban ills (including homelessness and poverty) “inevitably lead back to housing.”
  • Quote (05:57, Greg Clinton):
    “Being able to build supportive housing, housing that not only puts a roof over people's heads but deals with their economic and social challenges... gives them the necessary supports.”
• Cities need partnerships at all government levels to deliver supportive “program housing” that offers both shelter and services.
• Clinton calls for a “real focus on affordable and programmed and supportive housing” as a critical need.

D. Toronto’s Condo Downturn and New Housing Models

• Toronto’s condo boom is over, with sales at “decades-long lows,” leading to fears of a future housing shortfall once current deliveries finish.
  • Quote (06:38, Greg Clinton):
    “The numbers right now on the sale of new condominium units are at a decades long low. I think in counting in the hundreds, which for a region of 7 million people is pretty close to dead.”
• Market rental housing and new housing typologies (via zoning reforms) need to fill the gap.

E. Changing the "Single-Family" Mindset

• Question raised: Can new generations embrace denser living (like townhouses) instead of the suburban “white picket fence” ideal?
• Clinton answers: It’s part social, financial, generational, and environmental, but planners should enable choice, not dictate lifestyles.
  • Quote (08:13, Greg Clinton):
    “I don't think it's the role of planners to tell you how to live. I do believe it's the role of planners to put more choice and enable more opportunity in front of you.”
• Opening up zoning broadens housing choices; both city centres and evolving suburbs should offer diverse, affordable options.

2. Cascadia: 10 Years of Mega-Regional Collaboration

Key Segment: 10:40–26:06
Reported by: Gregory Scruggs (Seattle correspondent)
Interviews with: Chris Gregoire (former WA Governor), Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, Brigitte Anderson (Vancouver Board of Trade)

A. What is Cascadia?

• The “Cascadia Innovation Corridor” is a formal partnership between Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver—three cities across two countries and two states, jointly home to 10 million people.
  • Quote (13:13, Chris Gregoire):
    “We're a little different than the others because we cross an international border and a state border... yes, we want economic development, but we also want quality of life.”
• Cascadia aspires not just to economic growth, but to shared values—collaborating on issues from cancer research to climate stewardship.

B. Emerging Regional Headwinds

• The region faces new threats, after a decade of strong growth:
  • Talent retention and recruitment
  • Affordable housing
  • Energy infrastructure constraints
  • Regulatory and tax hurdles for businesses
  • Quote (14:19, Chris Gregoire):
    “Are we going to be able to maintain the level of talent that we have?... Affordable housing. People care desperately about that...(and) energy...”

C. Opportunities and Uncertainties for High-Tech Leadership

• Even amid tech industry layoffs, there’s optimism about leading next-generation fields:
  • Quantum computing (BC), chip manufacturing (Oregon), and AI (Washington)
  • Quote (15:47, Chris Gregoire):
    “Let’s become a global AI hub, but let’s do it responsibly. Let’s do it right.... And let's move forward with a golden opportunity by addressing the foundational issues that we talked about.”

D. Infrastructure: Mega-Region Needs Mega-Connections

• High-speed rail (“the new main street”) is championed as essential for connectivity, economic integration, and relieving congestion among three of North America’s most gridlocked cities.
  • Quote (17:27, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson):
    “You need a transformative transportation system. High speed rail is that new main street that we have to have to draw our communities together...”
  • Quote (18:16, Keith Wilson):
    “We have overloaded runways, we have overloaded roadways... Building roads we've tried for 50, 60 years... This is a new century. We need an opportunity of a transportation network that'll allow exponential growth.”
• Yet, high-speed rail remains mired in planning, with no funding or land secured, and an estimated $24–42 billion price.

E. Political and National Tensions

• US-Canada trade disputes, especially under President Trump, have strained relationships. BC Premier’s travel boycotts and suspended cross-border flights have made integration harder—though some leaders remain committed to the Cascadia ideal.
  • Quote (21:37, Brigitte Anderson):
    “I think what is also true is that British Columbians feel more affinity to Seattle... than Vancouverites to Toronto... There is shared values, shared culture, shared west coast perspective...”

F. Persistent Challenges: Weak Professional Ties

• Studies reveal weak professional links and business relationships remain between Seattle and Vancouver, even after a decade of partnership efforts.
• The cross-border divide persists largely due to logistical and regulatory obstacles, even in sectors with overlap (like tech).
  • Quote (23:50, Brigitte Anderson):
    “The movement of people and goods across the border is challenging and there are significant policy changes that would need to be made to make that easier.”
• Competition between cities—especially major ports—coexists with the case for collaboration; acting together as a larger region attracts global investment, especially in shared innovation and sustainability goals.
  • Quote (24:55, Brigitte Anderson):
    “Investors aren't necessarily thinking about putting their money in a small specific jurisdiction, but... in a larger region... we might be able to attract more dollars globally as a region...”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Edmonton’s urban design innovations:
  “Every time I come down I'm reminded how sunny it is. I think they should put that on the city's brand.”
  (Greg Clinton, 02:16)
• On supportive housing:
  “It's almost like program housing... you get a place to lay your head but you also get the support... to turn your life around or create a new chapter.”
  (Greg Clinton, 05:57)
• On the burden of car dependency:
  “You can live your life without owning a car, which is a financial burden for many people, but it's also a way of experiencing more of a people-focused world.”
  (Greg Clinton, 04:21)
• On the border’s real friction:
  “That border does become more difficult to come and do business... it's not just moving people... it's the logistics of doing that and doing business; it is harder because (we’re) two separate countries.”
  (Brigitte Anderson, 23:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:27 – Setting the stage: Growth, affordability, infrastructure in Canadian cities
• 01:38-03:21 – Greg Clinton on Edmonton’s four-season urban design, public realm, and avenues
• 03:21-06:34 – The vitality of downtowns and infrastructure for healthy cities
• 06:34-08:13 – Toronto’s ‘dead’ condo market and the need for new housing models
• 08:13-10:40 – Changing generational expectations of “home” and expanding housing choice through zoning
• 10:40-13:09 – Mega-regions & Introduction to Cascadia Innovation Corridor
• 13:09-15:11 – Chris Gregoire on Cascadia’s approach, recent challenges and goals
• 15:11-16:43 – Addressing high-tech talent, economic headwinds, and global leadership ambitions
• 17:27-19:01 – Portland’s vision: high-speed rail as a “new main street” and transportation’s role in region-building
• 19:01-20:12 – Grassroots and political leadership needed for megaproject realization
• 20:12-21:37 – Setbacks: Ongoing trade disputes, suspended transport links, and divided leadership
• 21:37-26:06 – Brigitte Anderson on Canada-US identity, persistent integration barriers, and why collaboration still makes global sense

Summary Takeaways

• Canadian cities are embracing creative forms of infill, denser avenues, and new housing models, but are grappling with an acute housing crisis and the need for better supportive structures. Planners are shifting focus from telling people how to live, to simply expanding options.
• Cascadia embodies the opportunities and challenges of cross-border mega-regions: a shared geography and tech-driven prosperity, but also civil-national tensions, infrastructural inertia, and lingering professional disconnects.
• Infrastructure and housing are the sinews of urban and regional health—a message uniting both national and cross-border perspectives in this episode.

This engaging, in-depth conversation is recommended listening for anyone invested in the future of cities—whether as planners, mayors, or globally minded citizens.