[URBAN NOTE] Six cities: Saint John, New York City. Brooklyn, Cape Town, Kingston, Istanbul, Dubai

[rfmcdonald]

• The metropolitan area of Saint John, in New Brunswick, is investigating the possibility of a general municipal amalgamation. Myself, I suspect cost savings would be limited. Global News reports.


• Having been in Brooklyn--having, in fact, been in Williamsburg--I can only imagine the catastrophe that the extended shutdown of the L subway line will have on local nightlife. I hope they can adapt. VICE reports.


• A Cape Town that faces a possible water shortage--perhaps a probable water shortage, given weather patterns--is going to feel a lot of pain. MacLean's reports.


• If Kingston is moving away from honouring Canada's first prime minister and hometown son, John A. MacDonald, on account of his governments' policies towards indigenous peoples, this indicates a sea change. Global News reports.


• Ezgi Tuncer examines how Syrians displaced to Istanbul have integrated into their new home through, among other things, selling their traditional foods to Syrians and Turks alike, over at Open Democracy.


• Is Dubai truly a good example of a modernized Middle Eastern economy? I wonder. Bloomberg makes the argument.