# 2017 year in review By [Brandon Donnelly](https://paragraph.com/@brandondonnelly), 2017-12-28 2017-summary, 2017-year-in-review, autonomous-vehicles, berlin, buca, car-free, cities, develop, development, end-of-year-post, junction, junction-house, king-street-transit-pilot, london, new-york-city, planning, ravine-bench, real-estate, singapore, the-junction, toronto, uncategorized, urbanism, year-in-review, yonge-st-clair --- I just finished going through my list of 2017 goals. I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to, but I did manage to check off a number of professional and personal goals. Some of the remaining goals have been pushed to 2018. But there are also items that I have since realized aren’t worth pursuing and so I have dropped them from the list. All that said, it was a great year. Here is a rapid-fire summary of 2017 told through posts from this blog. * The province of Ontario [rejected Toronto’s proposed road toll plan](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/156498721628/province-rejects-torontos-proposed-road-toll-plan). The plan wasn’t perfect, but it was a step in the right direction. Unfortunate short-sightedness. * Honest Ed’s – a Toronto landmark – [said farewell](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/157763262503/an-honest-farewell). Certainly the end of an era for many people in this city. I just went to the farewell party. * Toronto continued to demonstrate that it is a terrific place for tech and startups. Top Hat [announced](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/157340587183/new-york-san-francisco-toronto) a $22.5 million (USD) Series-C funding round. * [I went heliboarding](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/157259788498/probably-the-greatest-life-experience), which is something that had been lingering on the bucket list for far too long. Easily one of my greatest life experiences. * [Snapchat Spectacles](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/157176494218/snapping-with-spectacles) became more broadly available. Highly promising, I thought, but then [Instagram ripped off Stories](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/160062347679/instagram-stories-has-more-active-users-than-all). Product ended up bombing. Still, we had a riot playing with the glasses in Whistler. * [Designing for families in high-rises](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/156810552458/designing-for-families-in-high-rises) became a priority here in Toronto. And there’s evidence that the market is starting to respond. We are certainly trying to. * Studio Gang Architects [announced their first project](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/158249156048/studio-gang-joins-effort-to-re-imagine-yonge-st) in Toronto and in Canada. * I followed through on my personal goal of [returning to photography as a hobby](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/158683016498/new-lens). * Autonomous vehicles received even more discussion and debate. Relevant [video here](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/160119872308/technology-and-the-city). Relevant [post here](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/159114870273/downstream-effects-of-electric-and-autonomous). The post is a good summary of the possible impacts of autonomy. Do not assume that the notion of a “car” will remain the same.  * My fascination with [Berlin and techno music](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/159849169758/the-post-wall-techno-music-of-berlin) continued. * Ontario’s [Fair Housing Plan](https://news.ontario.ca/mof/en/2017/04/ontarios-fair-housing-plan.html) was announced. Coupled with changes to the way development applications get appealed, it was a year of significant change for the real estate and development industry. Next is [inclusionary zoning](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/168866792443/the-impact-of-inclusionary-zoning-on-development). * We discovered that [population density actually impacts how people vote](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/159904219658/how-urban-density-dictates-how-we-vote). * Opendoor continued its mission of trying to reinvent the way homes are bought and sold. By May 2017 they were selling [300 homes per month](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/161035338188/opendoor-is-now-selling-300-homes-per-month). * Americans continued to [follow the sun and sprawl](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/161188483203/follow-the-sun-and-sprawl) and relocate to warmer southern cities. * Meaningful progress was made with respect to [laneway housing in Toronto](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/161332558993/laneway-suites-are-happening). But we’re not quite there yet. The city [refused my laneway house](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/164042582798/the-city-refused-my-laneway-house) in the summer. Significant community opposition. 2018 will bring further positive change. * The mania around Hamilton (Ontario) kicked into high gear. [Hamiltonians got grouchy](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/162149442243/screw-toronto) about the increase in Toronto expats. Slate acquired a retail plaza / development site and hosted a “[pre-design community meeting](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/168360443128/were-hosting-a-pre-design-community-meeting-in).” * [Amazon bought Whole Foods for $13.4 billion](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/161931117623/the-grocery-wars-why-amazon-bought-whole-foods). A big deal as they clearly work to figure out online grocery. * I participated in an interesting [design charrette organized by B+H Advance Strategy](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/163190023418/gigantic-shopping-machines) about the “mall of the future.” Everyone is trying to figure out the future of retail right now. * Everyone and their grandmother started buying Bitcoin. Small Swiss canton continues to try and establish itself as “[Crypto Valley](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/162788513198/crypto-valley-is-emerging-in-this-small-swiss).” * Slate and Globizen introduced [Junction House](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/163811706308/introducing-junction-house). * I hit the [4 year mark](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/164729846933/4-years) on this daily blog. * 2017 became [the year of the condo](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/164582188858/the-year-of-the-condo) in the Greater Toronto Area. Or at least that’s what I used in the headline. * Amazon announced need for second HQ. Every city in North America goes nuts. I predicted that [Toronto would win](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/165100212498/my-prediction-for-amazon-hq2) (even before [Sidewalk Labs made its Toronto announcement](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/166151901563/sidewalk-labs-amazon-hq2-and-the-milanese)). We’ll see what happens in 2018. Though, I still think Toronto is winning this. * The “night mayor” finally crossed the pond with New York City Council voting to establish the [Office of Nightlife](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/165776062363/the-first-north-american-night-mayor). Toronto should have moved on this sooner. * We announced [new Buca concept](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/167030003843/new-buca-concept-coming-to-midtown-toronto) and unveiled [Ravine Bench](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/165550474298/celebrate-the-sidewalk-at-yonge-st-clair) at Yonge + St. Clair (Toronto). #SitTO * Tony Seba predicted that [2021 will be the year](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/164905636348/clean-disruption-of-energy-and-transportation) that the economics flip for autonomous electric vehicles. Internal combustion engine and individual car ownership to be disrupted. * Singapore [capped vehicle growth at 0%](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/166766892653/singapore-just-capped-vehicle-growth-at-0). * London released a [new Plan](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/168029911243/new-london-plan-released-today) in draft form. Strong emphasis on optimizing housing density and on going car-free. * [King Street Transit Pilot launched in Toronto](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/167417144043/the-king-street-transit-pilot-has-started). Streetcar speeds increased overnight. Some concerns that it could be impacting businesses along the street. * Developer [Urban Capital](http://www.urbancapital.ca/) published Volume 7 of its annual [Site Magazine](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/168643475423/the-canada-mission). I penned article about their pan-Canadian mission to build from coast to coast. Thanks for reading. Onward my friends. --- *Originally published on [Brandon Donnelly](https://paragraph.com/@brandondonnelly/2017-year-in-review)*