Politics
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The Singapore Chronicles: Introduction
Singapore often appears as a paradox—both widely admired and deeply critiqued. It is a city-state that epitomizes precision and planning, where efficiency...
By Erick Villagomez -
On Taxes, Exemptions, Loopholes, and Reversals: A System Built for Speculation
In British Columbia, ordinary homeowners pay annual property taxes—and when they buy a home, they pay Property Transfer Tax. In recent years, the Province...
By Erick Villagomez -
UCS #62: Vancouver Plans for High Density #4: The Broadway Plan Park
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings: Following...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate -
Rip the bandage off rapidly, please
There’s a glaring irony about the city’s messily disintegrating priority bus lane plan, which landed at executive committee yesterday...
By John Lorinc -
What, me worry? Yes you should, mayor
In a sit-down Q&A with The Globe and Mail‘s editorial board published over the weekend, Mayor Olivia Chow swatted aside concerns about whether...
By John Lorinc -
The Slow Emergency
The crisis in Vancouver’s housing system isn’t explosive—it’s quiet, procedural, and often disguised as progress. Recently made public, the Broadway...
By Erick Villagomez -
UCS #59: What’s a Waste of Money?
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings: Hosting...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate -
LORINC: What’s so scary about six-plexes?
When I look out my office window, trying to think up a lede, I find myself staring at the grey-stuccoed side-wall of a house kitty corner to mine, which...
By John Lorinc -
Understanding the elusiveness of Smart Cities
As Canadian cities strive to navigate rapid urbanization, climate change, and digital disruption, “smart city” strategies have emerged as a popular, and...
By Zachary Spicer -
Entitled to Flip
In Vancouver today, rezoning doesn’t necessarily mean building. Increasingly, it means something else: securing entitlements — legal permissions that...
By Erick Villagomez -
The Trifecta of Control: Stealth. Speed. Complexity.
In the 1960s, planning decisions in Vancouver—like many North American cities—were made behind closed doors. Freeways bulldozed working-class...
By Erick Villagomez -
What Brasilia’s “Bike Reporter” can teach Toronto cycling advocates
As a young man, Afonso Ventania raced bikes competitively, but retired at 26 and decided to go into journalism. He spent several years covering sports and...
By John Lorinc