The Day After An Attack

It looks like the Toronto attack yesterday is not being treated as a national threat. The motivation of the individual who killed 10 and injured 16 is unclear at this time.

We knew an event like this would come - but nobody knew what it would look or feel like. We didn't know how much courage and class the Toronto police would show - particularly the arresting officer. Our emergency system seemed to work.

Today's headlines are about piecing together the details - the who's and the why's. Most of us have become numb to these tragedies as they seem to happen everyday. Unusual for Toronto and Canada - absolutely - unusual for the world we live in? Sadly no.

Cities are finally beginning to wake up to the challenges of the 21st century. Architects and city planners can work together to design safe modern cities - though this will take decades. Technology will eventually exist to reduce the likelihood of attacks like these - until then we have to somehow "go on with our lives".

Nobody wants to live in a bubble - but there are certainly short term and long term projects cities need to engage in all over the world to ensure the safety of our citizens. Until technology is able to detect these events before they happen - we have to remain vigilant.