Community
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City Primer — Part 5: Why Municipal Politics Feels So Broken
A public hearing runs late into the evening. Dozens of residents take turns speaking. Some support the proposal. Others oppose it. City staff present...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 4: Why Cities Are Always Short of Money
Many residents assume cities operate financially in roughly the same way as provincial or federal governments. They don’t. Municipal governments are...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 3: Why Housing Dominates Municipal Politics
It’s possible to attend a Vancouver City Council meeting and come away with the impression that municipal government exists almost entirely to debate...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 2 – How Cities Actually Make Decisions
Many residents encounter municipal government for the first time when a controversial proposal appears in their neighbourhood. A rezoning sign goes up on...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 1 – What Is Municipal Government?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Vancouver is in the midst of profound urban change. Housing costs, population growth, transportation investments, climate adaptation...
By Erick Villagomez -
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 -
OP-ED: What Does Toronto Remember?
Lisa Ditschun is an artist, urbanist, educator, and PhD candidate at Trent University whose ongoing research-creation project, Cities for Seven...
By Lisa Ditschun -
Ridgeway Plaza marks Mississauga’s evolution
The way spaces are designed influences how people socialize, build community, and go about their day-to-day lives, directly impacting how they commute...
By Kaede Ashizawa -
What Makes a Village?
I recently found myself wandering Commercial Drive, reading between its pulsing cafés and restaurants. An empty storefront. Another. A familiar music...
By Erick Villagomez -
Book Review: An Even Better Way to Zone
Author: Donald Elliott (Island Press, 2025) When I first reviewed Donald Elliott’s A Better Way to Zone almost fifteen years ago, I began with a...
By Erick Villagomez -
Stop Calling them Villages
The headline image is a composite image showing the former Neighbourhood Centres (gold), which received broad community support as part of implementing...
By scothein -
UCS #106 – Who’s Doing Well?
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings: First...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate