179: The Conspiracy of…Cities? (w/Doug Gordon)

Close your eyes and imagine exiting your front door. Within moments, everything necessary for your life is a few blocks away, except perhaps your job. Groceries, coffee, toiletries, your bank—if you’re still a physical bank-type person—auto shop, all within walking distance. You never have to commute too far to live your life.

Sounds like quite a dystopian hellscape, doesn’t it? 

Believe it or not, that’s yet another conspiracy theory that emerged earlier this year, because the ability to access things you need is apparently a Deep State plot. Derek is joined by “The War on Cars” co-host, Doug Gordon, to discuss how this conspiracy started and why smart urban planning is a boon for society. First, we discuss Jane Jacobs, the Scranton, Pennsylvania-born journalist and theorist who brought her civic activism to Toronto in 1968, with Matthew coloring in how her legacy has fared during the rise of the Ford family.

Corrections: In his unbridled enthusiasm for the topic and the memories it churned up, Matthew messed up THREE things—the Escalade is a Cadillac, not a Ford, “Downtown” was sung by Petula Clark, not Peggy Lee, and Bill Davis was a Progressive Conservative Premier, not a Liberal! Apologies.

Show Notes

The Woman Who Saved New York City from Superhighway Hell | Vanity Fair 

‘The streets belong to the people’: Why a premier killed the Spadina Expressway | TVO Today 

​Ford family is building a political dynasty 

​​Video shows Councillor Doug Ford handing out $20 bills at TCHC building 

Where the Spadina Expressway Didn't Stop | The Local

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices