Brandon Donnelly — Daily insights for city builders. Published since 2013 by Toronto-based real estate developer Brandon Donnelly. — Page 1196

Toronto-based heritage architect Michael McClelland recently published a piece in Spacing called: Misuse of Heritage Conservation Districts can deaden both past and future . 

Here are a couple of snippets:

The City of Toronto believes it has found a silver bullet to control development pressure in the downtown core through the use of a tool known as a “heritage conservation district” (HCD).

The problem is that HCDs are meant to conserve intact and bone fide heritage areas, such as Wychwood Park, Rosedale, or Cabbagetown. They were never intended to control development downtown.

In preparing for a HCD designation, consultants trained in history examine an area’s context and determine what is of value historically. They do not generally study the growth potential of an area, its future, nor any economic considerations, nor the larger planning policy framework, or even an evaluation of the built form generated by other market forces. HCDs look at heritage.

The rigidity of the proposed new urban design controls introduced by the HCDs effectively prohibits innovative and thoughtful architecture in the downtown core.

My own view is that it should be a balance between preservation and progress. We should respect our past, but at the same time look towards the future. Don’t fear change. Michael argues that HCDs achieve neither of those things. It’s worth a read.

Speaking of the future, the CityAge conference is returning to Toronto on October 6 and 7. Their mission statement is about “building the future.” I was on one of their panels last year and it was an overall great event.

If you’d like to attend, use the code “CITYAGE” to save $100. And if you’re a young professional (under 35) and/or a startup, email Marc Andrew  to get an even sweeter deal. Tell him you’re a reader of this blog.

Image: Photo by me taken at People’s Eatery on Spadina Avenue

PitchBook recently published a report looking at which universities produce the most funded founders.

What they did was track founders of companies that received a first round of venture funding between January 1, 2006 and August 15, 2016. They then looked at which school they graduated from and sliced the data to find companies valued over $1B (”unicorns”), big exits, Ivy vs. non-Ivy league alumni, and so on.

The full report can be downloaded here for free . However, you’ll need to enter your email. Below are some of the key highlights.

Top 10 MBA:

Top 10 MBA by female founders:

For all of you Canadian readers, the top undergraduate schools include:

• University of Waterloo (#20)
  

• McGill University (#32)
  

• University of Toronto (#33)
  

• University of British Columbia (#49)
  

McGill does quite well in the unicorn department, placing in the top 10. However, it is clear that Canadian universities need to step up their game.

Of course, the question remains: what is it that is holding us back? How much of it is the school itself and how much of it is external and perhaps cultural?

I just backed the following project on Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/991195979/n-o-r-t-h-simple-timeless-and-refined-watches/widget/card.html?v=2

It is a new watch line from two Montreal designers. The brand is called Forest Time Co . There’s so much creative talent in that city.

I was immediately drawn to the focus on minimalism and on high quality materials. That’s a philosophy I can get behind. I plan to go for the black band with copper case.

I know nothing about watch movements, but it’s a “Japanese Miyota.” I assume that’s pretty basic.

I love finding interesting projects on Kickstarter. There’s something about backing a team and their new creation. We should all aspire to make and create more.

At the time of writing this post, they’re about $1,000 shy of their funding goal of $24,000. I hope they reach it by this Sunday. I’m sure they will.