Like many Canadians, we’ve spent the past few days processing the results of the 2016 U.S. election, and what they'll eventually mean for our friends, colleagues, and clients south of the border.

While these results shocked many pundits and pollsters, we believe there were distinct warning signs that cooler heads weren't to prevail, as this divisive campaign underlined several disturbing trends we’ve observed in prior debates and discussions. These communication breakdowns can be observed at varying levels of discourse in jurisdictions around the world, from large-scale referenda down to arguments about bike infrastructure.

At the risk of stating the obvious, our political system isn’t working for everyone, neither are the various ways we receive our information. A tremendous number of people will feel the shockwaves from this series of unfortunate (and perhaps avoidable) events, and the most densely populated areas will be among the most impacted.

As we wait anxiously to see how the next months and years play out, we thought we’d offer up our own observations, and document six things urbanists can surmise from this vicious election cycle, and what direction we should go from here.

1. Share the Stories, Not the Statistics