Spacing | Canadian Urbanism Uncovered

Election 2026: How to Read a Candidate’s Platform

Look behind the framing to find the underlying assumptions, says Christopher Balkaran

By Christopher Balkaran

This article is part of a series by Christopher Balkaran on ways to approach and engage with the municipal election campaign. Political campaigns must compress complex problems into phrases we quickly can understand. Our job as voters is to notice what those words are asking us to see. Consider this phrase: “fix the TTC.” The words assume something is broken, but leaves the audience to fill in what that means. Is the problem reliability, frequency, cleanliness, safety, aging... Read more

Vancouver Features

City Primer — Part 3: Why Housing Dominates Municipal Politics

Part three of a six-part series exploring how municipal government works in Vancouver: what cities do, how decisions are made, where municipal powers come from, and why local government often feels both intimate and difficult to navigate.
By Erick Villagomez
Toronto Civic Engagement

OP-ED: Fighting global warming with joy

If we want to adapt to a changing climate, it is time to start throwing parties
By Natalie Brown and Kate Mulligan
Vancouver Features

City Primer — Part 2 – How Cities Actually Make Decisions

Part two of a six-part series exploring how municipal government works in Vancouver: what cities do, how decisions are made, where municipal powers come from, and why local government often feels both intimate and difficult to navigate.
By Erick Villagomez
Toronto Culture

Intersections of print culture in Toronto’s laneways

An archival deep dive into the history of "the stable" at 105 (rear) Major Street
By Leora Bromberg
Vancouver Features

City Primer — Part 1 – What Is Municipal Government?

Part one of a six-part series exploring how municipal government works in Vancouver: what cities do, how decisions are made, where municipal powers come from, and why local government often feels both intimate and difficult to navigate.
By Erick Villagomez
Toronto Photos

Yonge Street, Evening, November 6, 1965

Photos by Nick Loek for the Toronto Telegram
By Peter MacCallum

Toronto Bikes

Election 2026: Culture wars are warping cycling policy

A cycling advocate on the need to take the wedge politics out of bike lanes
By Eleanor McMahon
Vancouver Politics

UCS #115: Pulling In All Directions

The © Urban Cartoon Syndicate was launched in May 2024, jointly with Spacing Vancouver. Coming out roughly weekly from a group of cartoonists and...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate
Toronto Elections

Election 2026: Let’s talk about local democracy in Toronto

Voters should be asking every candidate and ourselves: what should local democracy look like?
By Tricia Wood
Vancouver Features

New Over Old, but not Forgotten in Mexico City

In July 2026, I had the opportunity to visit Mexico City for the first time. The metro area of nearly 25 million people has a fascinating history that...
By Andrew Cuthbert
Toronto Elections

Brad Bradford’s glaring judgment problem

The evidence is beginning to add up, and would almost certainly spill over into his mayoralty.
By John Lorinc
Vancouver Politics

UCS #114: Distracting the Voters?

The © Urban Cartoon Syndicate was launched in May 2024, jointly with Spacing Vancouver. Coming out roughly weekly from a group of cartoonists and...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate

Toronto Podcast

PODCAST: Spacing Radio 95, Saving Toronto

In this episode: the island airport, a summer read, and cops vs. bikes.
By Spacing Radio
National Podcast

THE OVERHEAD: When Policy Pauses Public Ownership

Spacing and the Balanced Supply of Housing research node proudly present The Overhead: Understanding Canada’s Affordable Housing Crisis, a special podcast series.
By Spacing Radio
National Podcast

The Overhead: What We’ve Learned About Evictions

Spacing and the Balanced Supply of Housing research node proudly present The Overhead: Understanding Canada’s Affordable Housing Crisis, a special podcast series.
By Spacing Radio

Toronto Podcast

PODCAST: Spacing Radio 094, The Landlords

In this episode: rental construction, Bill 60, and tenants' rights.
By Spacing Radio
Toronto Podcast

PODCAST: Spacing Radio 93, Everything Eglinton

In this episode: celebrating the Crosstown, lessons learned, and Scarborough's Golden Mile.
By Spacing Radio
National Podcast

The Overhead: Rent Control and Rent Hikes

Spacing and the Balanced Supply of Housing research node proudly present The Overhead: Understanding Canada’s Affordable Housing Crisis, a special podcast series.
By Spacing Radio
Toronto Podcast

PODCAST: Spacing Radio 92, Resolutions for Toronto leadership

In this episode: the election starts now, the Doug Ford problem, and public toilets.
By Spacing Radio
National Podcast

The Overhead: Community land trusts gaining ground

Spacing and the Balanced Supply of Housing research node proudly present The Overhead: Understanding Canada’s Affordable Housing Crisis, a special podcast series.
By Spacing Radio
National Podcast

The Overhead: Decommodifying Housing

Spacing and the Balanced Supply of Housing research node proudly present The Overhead: Understanding Canada’s Affordable Housing Crisis, a special podcast series.
By Spacing Radio
National Podcast

The Overhead: Indigenous-led housing

Spacing and the Balanced Supply of Housing research node proudly present The Overhead: Understanding Canada’s Affordable Housing Crisis, a special podcast series.
By Spacing Radio
Toronto Podcast

PODCAST: Spacing Radio 90, Bless this urban mess

In This Episode: we talk incremental change, embrace urban chaos, and take a stroll down Toronto's laneways
By Spacing Radio
Toronto Podcast

PODCAST: Spacing Radio 089, Global ideas for local placemaking

In This Episode: what is placemaking and what can we learn from placemakers around the world?
By Spacing Radio

More Podcasts

Toronto Waterfront

Jet Dreams on Toronto Island (Part 1)

Premier Doug Ford and the Toronto Port Authority, the federal agency that owns Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, have been extraordinarily secretive...
By Ian Darragh
Toronto Bikes

Modernizing e-bike rules

This article is co-authored with Muskan Fatima. E-bikes are good for our cities. They offer reliable transportation for people of all ages and abilities...
By Albert Koehl
Vancouver Features

I’m Voting for Neighbourhoods. Are You?

I believe that Vancouver is, first and foremost, a “City of Distinguished Neighbourhoods”, and that Vancouver neighbourhoods are poised to...
By scothein
Toronto Waterfront

Rees Park: The rug that can tie the post-FIFA waterfront together

The waterfront as an east-west canvas for events and animation in Toronto will show its potential like never before during the upcoming FIFA World Cup...
By Tim Kocur
Toronto Community

OP-ED: Invitation as Urban Policy

This spring, at Bloomberg CityLab in Madrid, social prescribing reached the agenda of the world’s largest cities summit for the first time. It was a...
By Kate Mulligan
Toronto Bikes

The truth about the University Avenue bike lanes

Over the past year, I have written multiple times about how misinformation and selective framing continue shaping Toronto’s transportation debates. In...
By Lanrick Bennett

Podcasts

Trending