Brandon Donnelly — Daily insights for city builders. Published since 2013 by Toronto-based real estate developer Brandon Donnelly. — Page 742

I don't think Snapchat is on a lot of people's radars these days. (Though it did recently become worth more than Twitter .) But every time I hear about what they're building I can't help but think, "Wow, that's really cleaver and creative. I see a longer-term vision at work here. And if it all works out, this could be something very special."

This past week it was announced that the company is going long on something they call shoppable AR (augmented reality). Already, more than 170 million of its users engage with its AR features on a daily basis. Shoppable AR is an extension of that and will allow people to do things like try on clothes, similar to the way people currently apply selfie filters. Obviously this could be a boon to online shopping.

They're also continuing to develop something called "Scan," which allows people to scan a logo or barcode and trigger a specific AR experience related to a product they may be thinking about buying. It doesn't take much to think about how some of this functionality could be applied to specific industries, such as real estate.

But will all of this fuel growth for the company? Or will Facebook simply steal the idea if or when it catches on?

This is an interesting New York Times photo essay about "how giant ships are built." I wasn't aware of some of these statistics, and maybe the same goes for you:

• 90% of all traded goods are carried on ships

• 90% of global shipbuilding happens in just three countries: China, South Korea, and Japan

• There are 124 remaining and active shipyards in the United States, all supported by federal government contracts and the Jones Act, which requires that people and goods moving between American ports is done on ships that are owned/operated by US citizens and that were built domestically

• US shipyards are believed to contribute about $37 billion in annual economic output and to support about 400,000 jobs

• 88% of all food in the state of Hawaii is shipped in by boat -- it is disproportionately reliant on trade (makes sense)

There has been no shortage of prognostications about the demise of cities, offices, and a bunch of other things, as a result of this pandemic. And by now, a lot of you probably know that I think most of this is overblown. I worked in the office today, did things on my three-screen setup, and had a burrito for lunch. It was lovely. But here are a few things that I do believe will happen: Canada will continue to relax its alcohol laws in the wake of this pandemic, most if not all of these relaxations will stick after we get through this, and city life, believe it or not, will be just fine.

Earlier this month, the City of North Vancouver council voted 6-1 in favor of allowing alcohol consumption in some parks and some public spaces this summer. The mayor believes that they are the first city in BC to pass such a bylaw and I reckon that they are among the first in Canada ( Quebec is generally the most chill ). One of the justifications for this change is that about 80% of residents in North Vancouver live in a multi-family dwelling. And so this is a way for people, who don't have backyards, to have a civilized drink on some grass.

Will our puritanical province follow suit? My bet is yes.