Archives /// March, 2010

Spacing Radio is now on the air Plug in, download, and pop in the headphones. Spacing Radio is your bi-weekly podcast about the joys, obstacles, and politics of the urban landscape. We sit down with compelling and provocative civic leaders from Toronto, Montreal and cities around the world to discuss the plethora of issues affecting our daily lives in city environments: public transit, sustainability, architecture, and urban design. Our host David Michael Lamb and our cast of contributors will take you right into ...

Welcome to Spacing Radio's pilot show. In our first podcast our host David Michael Lamb jumps right into the thick of things with a sit-down interview with former London mayor Ken Livingstone. In early 2003, Red Ken ushered in a congestion charge for anyone driving into the core of London. It was a radical idea but something London needed to implement to remain a globally competitive city. What can Toronto and other cities learn from London's experience? Livingstone gives us his insight. You'll also hear the opinions of regular Torontonians on road pricing.  Spacing publisher ...

Spacing Radio headed to Hamilton last week for the Ontario NDP leadership convention to find out if a new leader will have any affect on how politicians tackle city issues at Queen's Park. Host David Michael Lamb sits down with Spacing senior editor Dylan Reid, who blogged and Tweeted from the floor of the convention, and publisher Matthew Blackett who talked to the candidates -- including eventual winner Andrea Horwath -- about their platforms. You’ll also hear from Spacing Radio reporter Megan Hall who chats with contributing editor John Lorinc about his ...

The next issue of Spacing, due out in mid-April, will focus on Toronto's "grey spaces" -- those places that feel public but aren't, and as such, come with strings attached that can limit one's ability to explore, use, or develop them. We explore these areas further in the third episode of Spacing Radio. First, Spacing senior editor Shawn Micallef takes host David Michael Lamb to Yonge-Dundas Square for an examination of the rules of engagement for Toronto's grey spaces. Then, DML and Wavelength co-founder Jonny Dovercourt discuss the cultural importance of independent book and record shops ...

As Earth Day approaches, Spacing Radio sent host David Michael Lamb to sit down down and discuss Toronto's sustainability ambitions with Mayor David Miller. While the mayor is hopeful that his eco agenda is working for Toronto, city hall observers like Katrina Miller of the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) worry about the bureaucratic gridlock that is delaying much needed projects and initiatives. Spacing Radio reporter Megan Hall learns how the iconic wind turbine on the CNE grounds operates. All this, plus music by Final Fantasy. Links to stuff from Spacing Radio 004 The Eco Agenda: Toronto's ...

New York City Commissioner of Transportation Janette Sadik-Khan came to Toronto on Earth Day to speak at an event organized by Walk and Bike for Life. She spoke extensively about cycling (calling it not an alternative mode of transit, but something mainstream and ideally suited to the flat terrain of New York), but she also went much, much further. We feature almost her entire speech in this episode, and you've got to hear it to believe it. Sadik-Khan outlines her plan to transform her city's grid into a network of shared spaces that favour people ...

NOTE: This edition of Spacing Radio represents the finale of our first season. We're going to take a bit of a break. Look for another podcast in a couple of months. Join us as we listen in on a handful of the 117 walks Torontonians led and attended as part of this year's Jane's Walk. In this podcast, we'll travel to Bloor and Lansdowne, Kipling and Steeles, the Lower Don Lands, and the Geary Avenue hydro corridor. Also, host David Michael Lamb talks to organizer Jane Farrow about how this year's Jane's Walk events played their ...

Spacing Radio is back for Season 2! Host David Michael Lamb and the cast of Spacing Radio have emerged from a summer slumber to bring you another season of bi-weekly podcasts. This episode takes it's inspiration from topics examined in Spacing's current issue of the magazine (get it on newsstands or subscribe). Listen to Spacing's Edward Keenan discuss creative city issues with acclaimed urbanist Richard Florida (read the full interview in the magazine). Our new producer, Mieke Anderson, talks to Jane Farrow (Executive Director of the Centre for City Ecology and Jane's Walk) ...

Episode 008 of Spacing Radio examines the idea of haphazardness in a city. Spacing magazine contributing editor Amy Lavender Harris takes producer Mieke Anderson and listeners on a literary tour of Toronto's Kensington Market that explores the neighbourhood's unique character. Spacing's Todd Harrison sits down with Davy Rothbart, the creator of Found magazine and books, to discuss the world of lost objects found in the public realm of our cities. And we eavesdrop on urban designer Joe Berridge during a recent panel discussion at the IPAC conference here in Toronto. The music of ...

The 2010 city election -- only one year away -- will have a tremendous impact on the future of Toronto. Mayor David Miller recently announced he won't face the electorate again, so who will replace him? Spacing Radio host David Michael Lamb sat down with Glen Murray, one of the outsiders who many believe is already assembling a campaign team. DML also hosts a roundtable with Ed Keenan of Eye Weekly, Rob Granatstein of the Toronto Sun (editorial page editor) and Spacing publisher Matthew Blackett to discuss potential mayoral candidates from the left, centre ...

Spacing Radio's 10th episode takes listeners into the suburbs of Toronto and across the east coast of North America. Host David Michael Lamb discusses the recent Walk21 pedestrian conference in New York City with Spacing's publisher Matthew Blackett. Spacing Radio's newest correspondent, Monika Warzecha, sits down with the editors of Spacing's newest blog, Spacing Atlantic (which officially launches October 28th in Halifax). Producer Mieke Anderson wanders the Toronto suburb of Willowdale where an amazing art installation on Leona Drive is challenging local residents to think critically about the neighbourhood's disappearing bungalows. And John Sewell, ...

This episode of Spacing Radio challenges listeners to think about public spaces in a different light. The first place we want you to reconsider is under your feet and under the roads – the sewer system. Spacing Radio producer Mieke Anderson goes exploring underground in Montreal. At the 4 Days conference in Halifax, the Spacing Atlantic crew got to chat with John Thackara, the former director of the Netherlands Design Institute and a globe-trotting booster of social innovation. And we discuss a unique project in Vancouver that converts roundabouts and curbside boulevards into blooming ...

This episode of Spacing Radio takes our listeners on a trip of North American cities: learn about how food has shaped the history of Toronto; discover ghosts on a tour of Halifax; and understand why Portland, Oregon has become the continent's leader city on cycling issues. We also sit down with Evan Thornton, the editor of Spacing's newest blog, Spacing Ottawa. This week's musical guest is The Balconies. Links to stuff from Spacing Radio 012 Food in Toronto: Victory Gardens and Chris Hardwicke's Urbanism.org Halifax: Tattle Tour's Ghost Walks Portland: City of Portland's ...

To coincide with the release of Spacing magazine’s new issue on urban animals, Spacing Radio sent our producer Mieke Anderson on a quest to find Toronto’s elusive albino squirrel (who is also the star of the magazine’s cover) with Jane Farrow (an albino squirrel know-it-all). Spacing’s contributing editor John Lorinc sat down with noted architecture critic Paul Goldberger to discuss the outlook on building cities in a difficult economic climate. We also sent our new contributor Sarah Bridge to an international transit conference to find out the different ways in which public transit literally ...

Welcome to Season Three of Spacing Radio! Kicking things off this week is Marc Glassman's interview with critically acclaimed filmmaker Atom Egoyan, who discusses his decision to cast the oft-overlooked Toronto as itself in his latest film, Chloe. Will Alsop, the renowned British architect whose work (including the Ontario College of Art and Design's Sharp Centre for Design) dots urban landscapes the world over, speaks with Spacing Radio producer Mieke Anderson about the role architecture plays in shaping public space. Next, we visit Montreal where a movement is afoot to reclaim ...

In this podcast we tackle the obstacles facing pedestrians and explore the forgotten, abandoned places in our midst. We begin with Spacing Magazine senior editor and co-chair of Toronto's Pedestrian Committee Dylan Reid, who joins host David Michael Lamb in conversation. The pair take to a busy downtown street corner to discuss the recent spate of pedestrian deaths in and around Toronto and the ways we can make the streets safer for all. Next, we get a quick primer on the life and would-be death of the old military hangers at ...

In this podcast we embrace the winter (well, for at least half of the episode): Spacing Radio producer Mieke Anderson gets to the bottom of how the city moves and removes snow, while reporter Sarah Bridge goes to Nathan Phillips Square and Mel Lastman Square to see who takes to these iconic Toronto outdoor rinks. We listen to the man behind Vancouver's Chinatown gates. And our newest contributor, Pattie Phillips, sits down at the 8-80 Cities conference with urban thinkers Gil Penalosa, Cheryl Brinkman, and Elena Santogade to discuss car-free streets in North American ...

It's budget-time in Toronto and while City Hall is busy at work approving the final numbers, host David Michael Lamb sits down with Spacing contributing editor John Lorinc to talk about the pitfalls of having to pay the bills. Producer Mieke Anderson stows away with the crew of the Toronto Island Ferry Ongiara to discuss the realities of operating the ferry throughout the winter months and, in the process, discovers one of the city's best-kept secrets. Meanwhile, nearly 3,500 km away in Vancouver, reporter Pattie Phillips visits the Olympics and takes ...