Good for Cities
An Infrastructure Institute Podcast
Welcome to Good for Cities, the podcast that examines the ideas, policies, and trends shaping urban life. Hosted by Matti Siemiatycki, Director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities, the show asks the essential question: are these interventions really making our cities better? Each episode features conversations with leading urbanists, challenging assumptions about city building to uncover which ideas stand the test of time, and which might need to be rethought- or even scrapped altogether.
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Episode 1: Are Tall Buildings Good for Cities?
Can tall buildings make our cities better? From overcoming community pushback to tackling issues like tiny apartments and a loss of human scale, they explore how tall buildings can be designed to enhance livability and affordability. Host Matti Siemiatycki is joined by award-winning architect Naama Blonder to discuss the role of high-rise architecture in urban life.
Naama Blonder has a bold vision: to change what good housing can and should look like in a growing city like Toronto; with that in mind, she co-founded Smart Density. Her professional practice combines the disciplines of architecture, urban planning, and urban design to bring a deeper, more realistic understanding of how cities can address housing affordability and champion inclusive neighbourhoods with more equitable access to housing. Naama has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Ontario Association of Architects’ Best Emerging Practice Award for 2022. Can tall buildings make our cities better? From overcoming community pushback to tackling issues like tiny apartments and a loss of human scale, they explore how tall buildings can be designed to enhance livability and affordability. Host Matti Siemiatycki is joined by award-winning architect Naama Blonder to discuss the role of high-rise architecture in urban life.
Episode 2: Are Beautiful Buildings Good for Cities?
How does architecture influence the way we live, work, and connect? In this episode, host Matti Siemiatycki talks with Alex Bozikovic, Architecture Critic at The Globe and Mail, about the power of urban design, architecture criticism, and aesthetics in city planning.
They explore what defines good design, why beauty and functionality both matter in modern urban development, and how architecture shapes the character of our public spaces and communities.
Alex Bozikovic has served as the Architecture Critic for The Globe and Mail since 2013, covering architecture, planning, landscape architecture, and related subjects from physical city details to housing policy. As a leading national voice, he has authored several books, including the national bestseller 305 Lost Buildings of Canada. Alex is a consistent advocate for intensification within cities for social, economic, and environmental reasons and challenges assumptions about city building through his critical perspective.
Episode 3: Are Bike Lanes Good for Cities?
Why do bike lanes spark such fierce debate? Host Matti Siemiatycki sits down with infrastructure expert Dr. Shoshanna Saxe to cut through the “bikelash” and analyze the numbers. They discuss how to balance public benefits – like the 44% reduction in car-bike conflicts on Bloor Street and the reported 49% jump in retail sales in some urban corridors – with political resistance and equity concerns. Shoshanna shares her research on the gap between data and public perception, offering practical advice for cities looking to build effective, publicly supported, and data-driven bike networks.
Dr. Shoshanna Saxe is an infrastructure and policy expert focused on the intersection of urban planning and public decision-making. Her research has examined how community resistance, or “bikelash,” shapes infrastructure debates, even when data supports projects like bike lanes. She is a proponent of using evidence and data-driven planning, including machine learning, to better communicate the safety, economic, and ridership benefits of new urban infrastructure.
Episode 4:
How to Build Affordable Housing That's Good for Cities
Access to safe and affordable housing is a key determinant of well-being in any city, yet unaffordability remains a defining crisis of our time. Housing prices have skyrocketed way ahead of wage growth, putting home ownership and affordable rent out of reach for many. What are the causes of deteriorating housing affordability, and what can be done about it?
In this episode, Matti Siemiatycki, Director of the Infrastructure Institute, sits down with Dr. Brian Doucet, award-winning teacher and Associate Professor in Planning at the University of Waterloo, to address the tough questions around housing affordability. They explore the forces driving up housing costs, and question whether current policy frameworks are designed to prioritize the needs of investors, or the needs of people who require a stable place to live.
Dr. Brian Doucet is a researcher, author, filmmaker, photographer, award-winning teacher and Associate Professor in Planning at the University of Waterloo. His work critically examines housing, gentrification, displacement, transportation and neighbourhood change. Born and raised in Toronto, he lived in the Netherlands from 2004- 2017, where he received his PhD and MSc in geography from Utrecht University. Since returning to Canada in 2017, he has held a Canada Research Chair, been awarded six major SSHRC research grants and was a 2025 winner of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance Teaching Excellence Award. His first film, Thinking Beyond the Market: A Film About Genuinely Affordable Housing, was released in September 2025.
About the Good for Cities Team
Matti Siemiatycki is a Professor of Geography and Planning and Director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto. His work focuses on delivering large-scale infrastructure projects, evidence-based infrastructure investment decisions, and the effective integration of infrastructure into the fabric of cities. Matti consults widely on infrastructure policy and is a frequent media commentator on infrastructure and city planning.
Julia Brahy is a policy professional and recent graduate of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Drawing on her background in international relations and environmental policy, Julia leverages her expertise in international climate financing and institutional collaboration as the Podcast Producer for Good for Cities.