Latest news with #NewTown
Epoch Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
New Towns Offer a Solution to Canada's Housing Crisis
Commentary Prime Minister Mark Carney says his plan to end Canada's interminable housing crisis is to 'Build Baby Build.' We can hope. Unfortunately, Carney's current plan is little more than a collection of unproven proposals and old policy mistakes including modular homes, boutique tax breaks, billions of taxpayer dollars in loans or subsidies, and a new federal building authority. The enormity of the task demands much broader thinking. Rather than simply encouraging a stacked townhouse here and a condo there, Canada needs to remember what has worked in the past—and take note of what other countries are doing today. With this in mind, Carney should embrace New Towns. Also known as New Towns represent the marriage of inspired utopianism with pragmatic realism. And they can provide the home so many of us crave. Related Stories 3/22/2025 4/14/2025 Originally conceived in Britain during the Industrial Age, Canada witnessed its own New Town building boom during the post-war era. Communities built in the 1950s and 1960s, including Don Mills, Bramalea, and Erin Mills in Ontario, were all designed as separate entities meant to relieve population pressure on nearby Toronto. Other New Towns took advantage of new resource opportunities. Examples include Thompson, Man., which sprang up around a nickel mine, and Kitimat, B.C., which was built to house workers in the aluminum industry. While New Town development largely died off in the 1970s and 1980s, it is enjoying a revival today in many other countries. Facing his own country's housing crisis and building on the UK's past experience, British Prime Minister and Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer has established a On the other side of the Atlantic—and the political spectrum—U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed awarding 10 new city charters for building New Towns on underdeveloped federal land. Meanwhile, several Silicon Valley billionaires are backing To be fair, not every New Town has been a success. In the late 1960s, Ontario tried to build a brand new city on the shores of Lake Erie known as Townsend. Planned as a home for up to 100,000 people, the project fizzled for a variety of reasons, including a lack of proper transportation links and other important infrastructure, such as schools or a hospital. Today, fewer than 1,000 people live there. Despite the lessons of the past, there are three compelling reasons why Carney should include New Towns as part of his solution to Canada's housing crisis. First, by starting with a blank canvas, a New Town offers the chance to avoid the stultifying NIMBYism of existing home owners and municipal officials who often stand in the way of new development. The status quo is one of the biggest obstacles to ending the housing crisis, and New Towns are by their very nature new. Second, because New Towns are located outside existing urban centres, they offer the promise of delivering ground-level homes with a yard and driveway that so many young Canadians say they want. Focusing growth exclusively in existing urban centres such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal—as Carney seems to be doing—will deliver greater density, but not fulfill the housing dreams of Canadian families. Third, New Towns can herald a more prosperous and unified Canada for the 21st century. New Towns could be built in regions such as Ontario's Ring of Fire, rich with minerals the world demands. New Towns could also tighten the east-west ties that bind the country together. Further, this growth can be focused on areas with marginal farmland, such as the New Towns are already beginning to pop up in Canada. In 2017, for example, construction began on Having promised Canadians fast and decisive 'elbows up' leadership, our prime minister should throw his weight behind New Towns. To begin, he could appoint a New Town Taskforce similar to the one in Britain to get to work identifying potential locations. Even better, he could simply say his government thinks New Towns are a good idea and let the private sector do all the heavy lifting. If the millions of Canadians currently shut out of the housing market are to have any chance at owning the home of their dreams, New Towns need to be in the mix. John Roe is a Kitchener, Ont., freelance writer and former editorial page editor of the Waterloo Region Record. The original and longer version of this story first appeared at Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Forbes
Visiting Edinburgh: Discovering Local Gems With Jeweler Laura Bond
Laura Bond at her jewelry boutique and luxury piercing studio in Edinburgh, Scotland Luxury piercing, which incorporates high-end materials such as 14K gold and diamonds, is one of the fastest-growing jewelry trends. It offers wearers an opportunity for self-expression, which has fueled its popularity among celebrities and social media influencers. Laura Bond's eponymous jewelry boutique and luxury piercing parlor is located on Thistle Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. This 200-year-old street is in the heart of Edinburgh's New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Edinburgh's New Town area, noted for its neoclassical architecture, exemplifies its marked shift towards symmetrical urban planning with uniform building facades. Thistle Street, developed from 1790 to 1800, initially housed craftspeople and their workshops. Now it has evolved into a trendy hub, drawing artists and creatives such as Laura Bond, establishing itself as a destination for shoppers and tourists. Laura Bond studs and hoops Laura Bond was always captivated by jewelry. 'As a little girl, I loved rifling through my mom's jewelry box and trying on her stunning pieces,' she says in an email interview. 'I still vividly recall begging to get my ears pierced on my eleventh birthday and obsessing over my first pair of dangling silver elephant earrings,' she says. She got her first cartilage piercing as a teenager. In her thirties, she and her husband turned her passion into a niche luxury piercing brand. The brand emphasizes distinctive designs, superior craftsmanship, and high-quality materials at affordable prices. In the past year, the shop has performed nearly 2000 piercings, and there is no sign of the demand slowing down. 'We have had people travel to Edinburgh just to be pierced at Laura Bond,' she says. Some people get a piercing to mark a significant milestone or as a permanent reminder of their trip. 'For others, it's just about doing something fun and rebellious,' she adds. The most popular piercings are the conch, daith and stacked lobes, she says. The conch refers to the inner shell of the ear and is bold. Daith piercings are nestled above the ear canal, allowing for large, fanned-out hoops. 'Stacked lobes, with multiple piercings at different heights, are often the start of a curation journey.' Edinburgh's neo-Georgian New Town, Scotland Because Edinburgh is relatively compact and walkable (although hilly), visitors can cover a lot of ground in just a couple of days. Laura Bond is enthusiastic about the city's beauty and vitality. She shared a local artisan's perspective of some of her favorite hotspots beyond the whisky bars and other tourist attractions: This vegan fashion retailer is in the Stockbridge area. Its owner, Cat, handpicks sustainable brands with the planet in mind. This Edinburgh-based international luxury leather goods brand exudes quiet luxury. A-listers, including The Princess of Wales, Lady Gaga and Heidi Klum, wear them. This fashion boutique is dedicated to denim, offering jeans in different cuts, washes and weights to suit every season. Toni and her team in this cool basement perfumery will help you personalize a new fragrance crafted from the finest raw ingredients. This Michelin Bib Gourmand eatery in New Town offers homemade pastas, cured meats, and soft-serve ice cream in a relaxed setting. Start with a spicy margarita cocktail and enjoy an inventive take on traditional Mexican cuisine. Ingredients from local farmers, growers and fishermen are celebrated in each dish at the cozy neighborhood spot. 'There are few rules when it comes to ear curation, which is what makes it such a personal and fun way to express your style,' says Bond. Customers often start with one piece of dainty, feminine, solid gold piercing jewelry or work with a member of Laura's team to create a memorable ear stack. Before they leave the emporium, they are likely to get a few more insider tips from Laura Bond and her team on visiting the arty side of Edinburgh.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Where to eat, drink, stay and stroll in Edinburgh
The area The centre of New Town is a ten-minute walk from Waverley Station and has plenty of hotels and Airbnbs (the Cheval Collection's catered apartments in St Andrew Square are comfortable and cost around £220 a night). Almost all of Edinburgh is pretty, but New Town – a 4km-wide district to the north of the city centre – is prettiest. Imagine wide cobbled streets and high-ceilinged limestone or sandstone Georgian flats. Wander around Great King Street, Circus Lane (below) and Drummond Place and ogle. The restaurants Cafe St Honoré, on a tiny alley called Thistle Street Lane, has old-fashioned chequered floors and serves delicious French food (main courses start at around £28). For something cheap, go to The Outsider, which – despite its cool interiors and views of Edinburgh castle – has a reasonable lunch menu. Mussels with white wine sauce and chips (below) are £9.80. For something cheaper, the Bary wrap at the North African Nile Valley Cafe is stuffed with homemade falafel and fuul, costs £5.50 and tastes fantastic. The gallery The contemporary sculpture park Jupiter Artland is worth the 30-minute drive from Edinburgh's centre. It's set over 100 acres of meadows and woodland and has work by Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley. The latter's contribution is a gigantic geometric figure made out of 1,770 interconnecting steel bars. There is also a series of grassy sculptures (below) designed by the landscape artist Charles Jencks. The result looks like a golf course for aliens. Entry is £11.80. The walk Arthur's Seat – the 251-metre-tall dormant volcano that sits near the centre of Edinburgh – is good, but, if you're lazy, Calton Hill is better. It's an achievable 103 metres high, so you can zip up it in ten minutes. At the top there are views of the sea, mountains, city and, in the evenings, the sunset. The summit also has various enormous stone monuments. One of them, the National Monument (above), was built in 1826 in honour of the Scottish soldiers who died in the Napoleonic Wars and looks a bit like a Scottish Acropolis. The pubs If it's sunny, sit with a drink in the sunken and stony garden at The Cumberland Bar, which has its own weeping willow tree. If it's raining – which is more likely – install yourself in Kay's Bar (above), a teeny Georgian coach house that became a bottle shop in the 1820s then a pub in the 1970s. It has red velvet seats and dark wooden walls. At the moment, the cheapest pint is Theakston Best Bitter, which costs £5.80. Bouji types should go to Spry, a Scandi-looking bar that specialises in naturally made wines. The market Stockbridge Market first opened in 1825 but was shuttered in 1906 after Nimbys complained about the noise and smell. Thankfully, the closure didn't last; since 2011 it's been held every Sunday. The gyoza stall (£6.50 for six) and the paella stall (from £6 per portion) have the biggest queues and for a reason. Try both then, to burn everything off, walk along the nearby Water of Leith into Dean Village, a 900-year-old former mill community that's so sweet it doesn't seem real. In one square, residents still use a communal washing line.
Washington Post
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Largo closes the Cam Ward era with a second straight Maryland Class 2A title
The tears took a moment to appear. They waited until after Largo senior Cam Ward secured the final rebound to clinch a 50-48 win over New Town in Friday's Maryland Class 2A championship. They waited for Ward to throw the ball straight up in the air and jump on the scorer's table, looking out into a crowd of classmates, friends and family. But the tears came when Cam met the arms of his father, Largo coach Rodney Ward. They celebrated the end of Cam's four years and a second straight state title, a fitting end to one of the most decorated careers in Maryland public school basketball. As father and son cried together, Rodney could only get out a few words. 'I love you, man,' he said, his voice muffled by his son's embrace. Sophomore Canaan Ward sprinted off the bench and onto the court to chest bump with his brother. Cam's mother, Ayana Ball-Ward — Largo's athletic director and girls basketball coach — had been pacing side to side in the corner of the court for the second half, clenching her hands until she released them straight up in the air at the final buzzer. The Ward family has defined the Largo basketball program over the last four years. With one final win Friday in College Park, they closed out an era. After a tight first half, the No. 9 Lions (24-3) built a lead in third quarter and then held on late, surviving a last-second three-point attempt from New Town (27-2) that would have won the game. 'It's an amazing feeling to watch him grow up, be in the gym from when he was born to now,' Ball-Ward said. 'To see him accomplish what he's accomplished as a basketball player, it's an amazing feeling as a mom.' On Friday morning, several hours before the game, Cam posted the same Instagram story he does every game day: a black and white photo of him in a game and the caption 'Lock in today 3," a reference to his jersey number. For his final high school game, Ward added one more line: 'complete your legacy tonight.' The senior has always been conscious of his legacy. Even before he took the floor for his final game Friday, Ward had become the all-time leading scorer in Maryland public high school basketball history, won a state championship and been named Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year. The name recognition he's built in the state extended to the line outside of the gym an hour before Largo's semifinal game at Gov. Thomas Johnson in Frederick, where spectators talked about how far they drove to watch Michigan State signee. Yet for as much as Largo basketball has been defined by Cam Ward, he is equally defined by Largo basketball. The first weeks of Cam's life were spent in the Largo gym. On Thursday, he completed his last practice in that gym. He is immensely proud of his decision never to leave his public school despite ample opportunities to venture off to prestigious private programs. 'At Largo, that's never really been seen before,' Ward said. 'I got to make my own name, my own story.' Rodney Ward compared his son to Frank Sinatra — Cam did it his way. But through every accomplishment and recognition — especially those in his senior year — Ward always referred back to the one thing he was focused on: getting a second championship. On Friday, he led the Lions with 20 points, closing his career at 2,716. Sophomore Ayden Ashe added 10 and junior Jalen Johnson finished with seven points, seven rebounds and four steals. 'It's complete,' Ward said of his legacy. 'Back to back, everything is just complete. Nothing else to prove. Nothing else to say to anybody. Can honestly say, 'Hey, look at the resume.' ...I think it speaks for itself.'
