# mixed use (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover mixed use. Page: Feed: --- ## [Fast fashion is embracing luxury placemaking](https://brandondonnelly.com/fast-fashion-is-embracing-luxury-placemaking/) _2026-08-21 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ The future of physical retail continues to evolve. Recently, we spoke about LVMH’s approach of spending billions on some of the world’s most prime real estate. But the focus on human-centred destination experiences isn’t unique to the luxury segment. Case in point: Zara just opened a new flagship store in Shanghai designed by AIM Architecture \[…\] ## [Traffic is agonizing, maybe we should try something new](https://brandondonnelly.com/traffic-is-agonizing-maybe-we-should-try-something-new/) _2026-08-19 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ The other day I asked my dad how a function he attended went, and he responded by saying, “Traffic, BRUTAL. Traveling by car is an agonizing experience.” He’s not wrong, and I know most of us in Toronto like to complain about it. Traffic is one of the negative externalities of a big city. But \[…\] ## [Why do cities build skyscrapers?](https://brandondonnelly.com/why-do-cities-build-skyscrapers/) _2026-08-19 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ Very generally speaking, cities build skyscrapers because of some mix of natural market forces and symbolic prestige. In cities like New York and Hong Kong, where land is extremely scarce and valuable, the only option is to go up. Tall buildings are essential. And in cities like Dubai, I think it’s fair to say that \[…\] ## [What five global cities teach us about social mixing](https://brandondonnelly.com/what-five-global-cities-teach-us-about-social-mixing/) _2026-08-17 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ Here is an interesting study published in Nature Cities called “Hidden patterns of urban mixing across five global cities.” The study leverages individual-level travel data, covering over 200,000 residents in Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, and São Paulo, to analyze the amount of social mixing that tends to occur across different socioeconomic groups within these \[…\] ## [Why some of the world’s most valuable real estate is human-centred](https://brandondonnelly.com/why-some-of-the-worlds-most-valuable-real-estate-is-human-centred/) _2026-08-16 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ Yesterday we spoke about the growing divide between what I am calling machine-centred and human-centred real estate (feel free to suggest better titles in the comment section below). Machine-centred assets are introverted. By definition, they do not need to engage their environmental context. They are utilitarian spaces optimized for machine efficiency. Human-centred spaces, on the \[…\] ## [The great bifurcation: Machine-centred vs. human-centred real estate](https://brandondonnelly.com/the-great-bifurcation-machine-centred-vs-human-centred-real-estate/) _2026-08-15 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ When you fall in love again, you don t think about the ex very much. —Travis Kalanick, co-founder of Uber, talking about how he feels about Uber today You d be forgiven for thinking that Travis Kalanick, co-founder of Uber, is back. Since leaving Uber heartbroken in 2017, he has been relatively quiet. But in his words, \[ \] ## [What’s next for Parkview Mountain House](https://brandondonnelly.com/whats-next-for-parkview-mountain-house/) _2026-08-14 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ Since we first opened bookings for Parkview Mountain House, we have been using a third-party property manager. This seemed to make the most sense given our team is not local. But since then, we have learned that, along with the fees charged by Airbnb and VRBO, it s simply too high a fee load. We also \[ \] ## [Who actually wins the autonomous vehicle future?](https://brandondonnelly.com/who-actually-wins-the-autonomous-vehicle-future/) _2026-08-13 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ There was once a time when Uber was heavily investing in autonomous vehicles and rides. Then that stopped in an effort to become profitable. But now, out of necessity, it s back. Uber recently announced that the company will invest $10 billion of capital over the coming years to bring AVs to market at scale. Uber s \[ \] ## [Does design and brand equity sell?](https://brandondonnelly.com/does-design-and-brand-equity-sell/) _2026-08-12 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ It is a core belief of mine that design and brand equity create value in real estate. But to what extent is this true? And how much should a developer invest in these things? Is it worth spending a 3-5% licensing fee on a cool brand? Will the price premiums really be there? Here are \[ \] ## [Site Tour: Craft Residences in the Junction](https://brandondonnelly.com/site-tour-craft-residences-in-the-junction/) _2026-08-11 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ This week, my friend Bill, who is the founder of Gairloch Developments, took me through his Craft Residences project. Bill has done and is doing a number of beautiful projects in the Junction and Craft is one of them. When we met up on Dundas, I immediately complimented him on the project s use of green \[ \] ## [Ultra-Quiet Business Mini (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/i9uGDgkHWDUP) _2026-08-11 · **Sponsored**_ Compact business mini, ultra-quiet for focused work. ## [Navigating cities through a stroller lens](https://brandondonnelly.com/navigating-cities-through-a-stroller-lens/) _2026-08-11 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ I love to travel and I try my best to be efficient at it. Pre-kid, Bianca and I would leave for weeks with just two carry-on suitcases and a laundry event at some point in the middle of the trip. But now we re planning our first trip to Paris and Nice with Vivienne (she ll be \[ \] ## [How Tokyo fits 11 homes on 1,600 square feet](https://brandondonnelly.com/how-tokyo-fits-11-homes-on-1600-square-feet/) _2026-08-09 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ Last week, Globizen shared this 11-unit condominium project in Tokyo on Instagram. Some of you may like the design by Ryuichi Sasaki Architecture, and some of you may not. But regardless, it s an interesting case study in that the site area is only 152.27 square metres (or 1,639 square feet). The building footprint is 84.86 \[ \] ## [The 2026 Governor General Medals in Architecture](https://brandondonnelly.com/the-2026-governor-general-medals-in-architecture/) _2026-08-08 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ I was in Montréal at the start of this year for work and I stayed at the Moxy Downtown. (I will, by the way, use any excuse to find my way to Montréal.) As I walked over to the hotel from the train station, I remember thinking to myself, Wow, this is a beautiful tower. \[ \] ## [The spirit of a place](https://brandondonnelly.com/the-spirit-of-a-place/) _2026-08-08 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ We often think of cities in terms of their built environment. This city has lots of futuristic tall buildings, this one has lots of ornate mid-rise buildings, and this one is mostly suburban sprawl. But the built environment is only one component. Underlying the physical environment (let s call it the hardware of a place) is \[ \] ## [Canada is uniquely suited to become a global hub for data centres](https://brandondonnelly.com/canada-is-uniquely-suited-to-become-a-global-hub-for-data-centres/) _2026-08-07 · Brandon Donnelly · Brandon Donnelly_ Kevin Yin frames the data centre debate eloquently in this recent Globe and Mail article: The backlash against data centres is understandable. But the answer is not to block construction. It is to design a better bargain. Here are some things we can say about data centres right now: Meaning, Canada is uniquely suited to \[ \]