UTL is about exploring past, present and future urban technologies in science and fiction, etc...
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Monday, August 24, 2026
The $16 billion Hudson River Tunnel project in NYC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7rngqeU2BE
How America is Building the Impossible $20B Tunnel Under the Hudson River https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZDf2eFfPC4
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
REM operator apologizes for lack of communication during morning disruptions
At least the REM started out on a grander scale than the Skytrain. With SDO, a 4 car train could easily become 6. Then, as long as there is enough level station clearance, longer platforms should be possible.
Someday, SDO could even allow a 9 car Montreal Metro train to have 11 car trains like in NYC on the 7.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_(New_York_City_Subway_service)#Fleet 11 car trains.
Friday, August 7, 2026
3 Ways to the JFK Airport
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG1aRLZwihA
Of course Vancouver opted to have the shortest airport train possible. The 2 car YVR-Canada+Line.
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Friday, July 10, 2026
Friday, July 3, 2026
Friday, May 29, 2026
The Houston Galleria and Galleria Dallas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galleria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleria_Dallas
Texas is a place where thinking BIG has been going strong for almost a century.
By the year 1900, NYC had to start thinking and building on a big-city scale, simply out of necessity.
https://www.nypl.org/blog/2015/03/11/nyc-big-apple
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Apple
In contrast, backwater BC has a tough time keeping up with Alberta and Washington State. Especially with Ontario and Quebec. BC is 75% mountainous and has a seawater barrier on its west side. Still, its almost as if some people would like to have a wall around BC, or even a forcefield like out of Star Trek.
Keeping things small and backwards in BC whenever possible seems to be part of a multigenerational symbolic agenda.
Its as if there is something like a BC Mind Virus (BCMV).
Texas has more people than Australia and California has more people than Canada. Despite its overall size, Canada has less than 1% of the worlds population.
Singapore is on an island that's smaller than all of NYC or Chicago, even. Yet, it has proper big-city trains, bridges, roads and buildings.
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Toronto - Canada’s World-Class City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHVS8_Bi7mc
Toronto is approaching a Chicago level of scale. However, Toronto has yet to have its first 100 story office tower. The BMO tower has 72 floors. Provincial Vancouver still won't permit any 40 story office towers. While the GTA is easily at 7 million, the Chicagoland Area is at least up to 10 million.
The GTA and Greater Montreal, combined with Chicagoland still doesn't quite match the Greater NYC Area, AKA: The Tristate Metropolitan Area of over 23 million people.
Friday, May 22, 2026
550 Madison Avenue, NYC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/550_Madison_Avenue This building has almost become a stump when compared to the much taller towers.
https://buildingsdb.com/NY/new-york/550-madison-avenue/
https://www.archdaily.com/611169/ad-classics-at-and-t-building-philip-johnson-and-john-burgee
https://www.lera.com/sony-building This would be the 2nd tallest building if it was in Vancouver, in overall height.
https://www.archiweb.cz/en/b/at-t-building-sony-plaza
https://paulpiazzaarchitect.com/home/2014/09/20/the-sony-tower/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ReplicaBuildings/comments/17d39eg/550_madison_att_building_1984_nyc/
Friday, May 1, 2026
ARO (building) in NYC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARO_(building)
"ARO is a 62-story, 700-foot-tall (210 m) glass tower with a steel lattice exterior." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARO_(building)#Architecture 210 m vs 150 m
"Calgary House, (formerly known as TELUS Sky) is a 60-storey, 222.3 m (729 ft)" tower. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telus_Sky 222 vs 150 m
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quay_Quarter_Tower "The AMP Centre re-opened as Quay Quarter Tower in early 2022, and stands at a height of 216 metres (709 ft) with 54 floors." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quay_Quarter_Tower#AMP_Centre 216 m vs 150 m.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_House Another Vancouver stump under 500' vs. 700' and 729'.
| Height | |
|---|---|
| Architectural | 150.3 m (493 ft)[1] |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Concrete |
| Floor count | 49 |
| Floor area | 60,670 square metres (653,046 sq ft) |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_House#Design Only 150 m.
As usual, things must always be scaled back or watered down in small, rainy Vancouver.
Sunday, April 26, 2026
161 Maiden Lane
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/161_Maiden_Lane NYC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlWeJp6TGZ8
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/02/10/the-leaning-tower-of-new-york
https://newatlas.com/architecture/one-seaport-leaning-tower-nyc/
https://www.cqa.org.au/post/the-importance-of-foundations-161-maiden-lane
https://www.thecity.nyc/2023/05/16/stalled-condo-maiden-lane-fdny-hazard/
https://www.theb1m.com/video/the-leaning-tower-of-new-york-city The B1M
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Friday, April 17, 2026
Ironworkers Memorial Bridge is Metro Vancouver's most congested crossing
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ironworkers-memorial-metro-vancouver-bridge-traffic-volumes
Had the-bridge been designed with 2 wide emergency lanes and 2 wide shoulders, things could have been gradually modified and improved. The Iron Bridge could have become an 8 lane crossing for general traffic, plus having 2 express bus or rapid bus lanes.
Unlike the Queensboro_Bridge in NYC, or the Benjamin_Franklin_Bridge and the Sydney_Harbour_Bridge, this bridge wasn't designed with future rail rapid transit in mind.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Ironworkers+Memorial+Bridge
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Toronto vs Chicago and NYC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMQwIyx1O_0
Working from home can be great, but big cities still need some office towers.
Unlike Chicago and NYC, Toronto has no 100 story office towers. However, it does have residential towers over 100 floors like Melbourne.
Provincial Vancouver hasn't permitted any office tower to have 40 floor, let alone 50 stories.
Saturday, April 4, 2026
Forest Hills station (LIRR)
The best kept secret in NYC real estate is under 20 minutes from Midtown Manhattan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXqsb-alGEg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Hills_station_(LIRR)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Line_(Long_Island_Rail_Road)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island_Rail_Road#Passenger_lines_and_services
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica_station#Station_layout