What is Masdar City? Masdar City is a well-hyped suburban development close to Abu-Dhabi airport, about 30 minutes from the (rather amorphous) centre of the metropolitan area. It is hyped as : “A ground-breaking sustainable urban community and a world-class business free zone and technology hub, with innovation in [its] DNA. Driven by the UAE’sContinue reading “Masdar City: a partial eco-neighbourhood?”
Tag Archives: travel
Some thoughts on visiting Abu-Dhabi
Last week I was guest of a foreign university in Abu-Dhabi, participating in a conference on urban-planning and development. Before accepting the invitation, I had misgivings about going. The United Arab Emirates are undemocratic, run by a monarchy made wealthy by the considerable oil reserves in their territory. Their foreign policy in Sudan is questionable,Continue reading “Some thoughts on visiting Abu-Dhabi”
Academic travel to the US – not for me
I have decided, with regret, to pull out of the 7th Global Conference of Economic Geography in Worcester (MA). It is a pointless gesture in the wider scheme of things, but one I can make. It is prompted by the Trump regime’s economic attack on Canada, his disdain for treaties, his utter contempt for humanContinue reading “Academic travel to the US – not for me”
Flying cars are yesterday’s future
Flying cars have been around since cars were invented. Trajan Vuia built one in 1903, though only took off in 1906 (for a few meters). Henson and Stringfellow imagined a flying steam carriage as early as 1843. And so on, up until today’s breathless headlines, telling us – for example on 13th January 2025 –Continue reading “Flying cars are yesterday’s future”
Air Canada: charge the poor to pay the rich
There are many good reasons to avoid flying. Air Canada is one of them. It is a corporation that operates within a tight oligopoly in Canada: in other words, there is very little competition, and it is protected by federal laws that prevent foreign operators from operating routes within Canada. It is also very profitable,Continue reading “Air Canada: charge the poor to pay the rich”
The journey back from St.John’s
After packing up in St.John’s after my sabbatical there, and taking a road-trip across Newfoundland, I have now settled back into Montreal. It’s pleasant to be back home, and to experience it anew after 8 months away. I have enjoyed the reunion with my family, my many bikes, and cycling around the city. I amContinue reading “The journey back from St.John’s”
Cycling to a work meeting and looking smart enough upon arrival
Commuting to work is fun, energising and fast. But is it feasible to cycle to a work meeting and look professional and smart (enough) on arrival? The short answer is “yes” (most of the time). From my 20 years’ or so bike commuting experience, three key factors affect the feasibility of looking presentable at aContinue reading “Cycling to a work meeting and looking smart enough upon arrival”
On-road parking and its discontents…
There have been repeated calls in Montreal and elsewhere to phase out on-road parking [addendum : further to the first version of this post, I should specify that CRE-M is advocating that all users pay for on-road parking, not for ban on-road parking]. Ultimately, the aim is to increase the expense and difficulty of owning aContinue reading “On-road parking and its discontents…”
Richard Shearmur 