Brandon Donnelly — Daily insights for city builders. Published since 2013 by Toronto-based real estate developer Brandon Donnelly. — Page 871

Being a sports fan is like having a bipolar disorder. The highs are high. And the lows are low. But right now -- with the Toronto Raptors having clinched their first ever NBA Finals appearance -- we are all on a high. Though the job is far from over, this city has waited 24 seasons for this moment . Turns out, all we were missing was one of the greatest basketball players of all time .

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It's pretty amazing to see how far we have come both as a franchise, and as a global city. When Scotiabank Arena was completed in 1999, it, and the surrounding area, looked like this . On Saturday night after the win, it looked like this , a veritable "sports alley." I have long thought that Bremner Boulevard should be placemade into a sports alley connecting Scotiabank Arena (on the east) and the Rogers Centre (on the west).

From now until this Thursday, all is right in the world. Enjoy it Toronto, and Canada. Masai Ujiri made a bet that I think most, if not all, of us would agree has paid off. Had it not, Raptors fans across the country would be criticizing him for trading away our franchise player. But that's par for the course in this bipolar world of sports fandom.

Across the 50 largest metro areas in the US, about 31.9% of millennials -- those aged 18 to 34 -- owned a home as of 2017. And according to recent census data (via the Redfin ), only 5 of these cities had a millennial homeownership rate higher than 35%. They are as follows:

The top spot goes to Salt Lake City, which sits at just over 40%. It also has the highest share of businesses owned by millennials at 8.4%. Not surprisingly, the cities on this list all have relatively affordable home prices, with Detroit being the most affordable.

I think you could interpret this list as a bit of a leading indicator for US cities on the rise. Affordability, and walkability, may be the draws today, but as millennials lay down roots, start businesses and earn more money, I am sure we'll see these cities transform even further.

The most recent episode of The Urbanist is about the role of private developers in shaping public spaces and public life within our cities. How do you balance private and public interests?

Much of the discussion focuses on the redevelopment of King's Cross in London , which is generally considered to be a successful example of large-scale, developer-led, urban regeneration. Andrew Tuck is less complimentary of Hudson Yards in New York.

One point that I found interesting was the remark that modern zoning tends to force buildings apart. It creates more in-between space. The result is that we are losing some of the more intimate public spaces found in older neighborhoods.

To listen to the full 30 minute episode, click here .

Photo by  Josh Edgoose  on  Unsplash (King's Cross, London)