Canada?s smartest city isn?t Sidewalk Toronto On the last day of 2017, an enthusiastic Twitter thread started making the rounds among urban-minded folks. Tagged #coollittlethings, the thread featured a dozen clever city-building ideas, from rezoning places of worship for musical performances to $3 bike-share memberships for immigrants?all from one mid-sized Canadian city.
For the thread?s author, Jason Thorne, it was just a little end-of-the year wrap up meant to thank his staff and other city departments. But it was easy to see why it caught fire.
As the head of the city planning department for Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, population 500,000, Thorne managed to successfully design and deploy an enviable list of accomplishments in just one year?the types of seemingly small urban interventions which can add up to a happier and more livable city.
Sometimes it's the little things, the pilot projects & experiments that have the biggest city-building impact. In no particular order, here's a thread of #coollittlethings the City of #HamOnt did in 2017 ... and a shoutout to my staff who made them happen? Jason Thorne (@JasonThorne_RPP) December 31, 2017

As a former steel town, Hamilton has a lot in common with U.S. Rust Belt cities that are looking to revitalize an industrial landscape. While some ideas are pretty standard for any city trying to reclaim its urban landscape for people?transforming parking spaces to parklets, a design competition to reimagine an aging pi...