Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.
Devin Alfaro examines bold and exciting plans to for the redevelopment and growth of Montreal’s Downtown West End. The plans offer a a comprehensive vision for various aspects of the area, but as with most such schemes questions remain around implementation of improvements to the public realm.
Spacing Montreal tells the story of Maggie Flynn an artist who’s unconventional work has helped to transform the urban landscape of the area. Recent projects include installing a tea room in disused bus shelter and other projects to better utilize urban spaces in a social way.
Eric Darwin takes Ottawa’s recent low-key proposal for a new pedestrian/cycling bridge across the Rideau River as an opportunity to look at some of the exciting work being done on such bridges elsewhere. In doing so, Darwin highlights the potential for the bridge to be both iconic and a functional extension of the adjacent parkland.
The internet regulating body ICANN is set to allow dotCity domain names and Morgan Peers uses this as an opportunity to explore the position of a civic community on the internet through his own experiences within information ecosystem of Ottawa.
Alison Creba takes a fascinating look at different examples of roadside marquees and discusses what they say about the urban vernacular of the city through their contribution to urban hum.
In one more sign that spring is coming, Crystal Melville profiles the upcoming Seedy Saturday event hosted by the Urban Farm Museum Society of Spryfield in which budding gardeners can exchange seeds and share gardening know how.
Adam Chaleff -Freudenthaler looks back at the Miller administration to consider the subtle ways that a mayor influences the direction of their city. While broad policy initiatives are called the broad strokes, decisions such as where to spend time and which groups to support reflect the small strokes.
The Headspace series produced another installment this week as Luca De Franco interviewed Brian Iler from the waterfront advocacy group Clean Air. With the Toronto Port Authority attempting to start construction on a pedestrian tunnel to the Island Airport some time this year the discussion provides a fascinating looking into the many facets of the airport issue.
Photograph by Sean Hill